Position Type: Casual / Set fee payment
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences, Education and Creative Industries
Location: North East England (Working directly into Local Authorities across the region)
About the Opportunity
Are you an experienced Practice Educator looking for flexible work supporting the next generation of social workers?
The University of Sunderland is seeking dedicated, dynamic Independent Practice Educators to work with social work apprentices across North East local authorities on a casual basis. This role offers flexibility while allowing you to play a vital part in guiding, supervising, and assessing social work students and apprentices directly in practice environments.
In addition to supporting and assessing social work student/apprentice placements, Independent Practice Educators may also be called upon to undertake second-opinion reviews across any of our social work courses where a student has not successfully met the requirements of their placement.
Key Responsibilities & Tasks
Practice Education & Supervision: Provide high-quality practice education and weekly supervision to social work apprentices placed within partner agencies.
Progress Tracking & Reviews: Conduct practice observations, facilitate initial, mid-point, and end-point reviews, and complete formal progress reports.
Targeted Learning: Identify individual learning needs, set clear objectives, and utilize appropriate learning resources to support student development.
Critical Discourse: Challenge thinking, foster debate, and help apprentices develop critical reflection skills.
Collaboration: Work closely with on-site supervisors, mentors, and university academic leads to ensure cohesive support.
Pastoral & Student Support Liaison: Offer guidance on practice-related matters and liaise directly with the university academic team if issues arise where students might need extra help, ensuring the team can signpost them to appropriate support services.
Second-Opinion Reviews: Conduct second-opinion placement evaluations for students across social work programmes who have failed to meet placement requirements.
Requirements
Qualifications
Essential: Current registration with Social Work England.
Essential: Recognised Social Work qualification.
Essential: Practice Education Stage 2 Qualification (PEPS 2).
Experience
Essential: Direct experience as a Practice Educator for Social Work students within the last two years.
Essential: Practical experience in social work across any field.
Desirable: Experience supporting students who are struggling or not on track for completion during placement.
Skills & Attributes
Communication & Engagement: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage positively with a range of stakeholders, apprentices, and academic leads.
Academic & Framework Knowledge: Working knowledge of the social work curriculum, how it relates to professional accreditation, and a strong understanding of pre-qualifying practice education (PEPS).
Pastoral Liaison & Support: Strong interpersonal skills to navigate sensitive student issues, with the insight to liaise proactively with the university academic team so students can be signposted to appropriate support.
Integrity & Professional Values: High level of commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and anti-oppressive practice, demonstrating honesty, accountability, and a solution-focused approach.
Self-Management: Highly organized and self-motivated, with the ability to independently manage own workload, visits, and supervision schedules.
Working Arrangements
Hours for this role are flexible and determined on a casual, claims-based basis depending on apprentice intake and placement schedules across the region.
How to Apply / Register Interest
To apply for the role, please submit your CV and an outline of how you meet the requirements via email by 11:59pm on the 18th August 2026 -
[email protected]. A discussion will be held with interested applicants who meet the requirements of the role.
Please note, scope to recruit to the role is limited and if there are more applicants than roles, short listing will take place.
If you are interested in applying for the role or discussing it further, you can contact Cally Bleasby, Associate Head of School via email.
Job Details
Department
Education, Society & Creative Industries - School of Social Sciences & Law
Company
University of Sunderland
Location
Sunderland Campus
Closing Date
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Reference
IPE-2026
