1. Julia Warrener- Practice Educator & Senior Lecturer Louise Doel- Practice Learning Lead University of Hertfordshire

2.  Are there challenges in working with failing/borderline students?  If so… can we identify them?  What would help?

3.  ‘Practice educators and practice teachers are required to assess the competence of students to fulfil the roles specified for the level of placement undertaken. Such assessment is focused on students and their developing professional competence and expertise, on the university that set the goals for achievement according to the standards required, and, most importantly, it concerns the safety of the service users and carers with whom the student will work, and the potential benefits the student offer in their work’ Walker, et al., 2008, p.79

4.  ‘….making recommendations about someone’s competence in particular areas of practice can be anxiety provoking’ Walker, et al., 2008, p.91  ‘There is little extant work on placement failure, termination and disruption in social work education’ Parker, 2008, p.2

5. Student Practice Educator Tutor

6.  Quality assurance  Support for the student  Support for the practice educator  Can it be helpful to bring another person in, and if so who?

7.  ‘… stresses what students must do to pass, emphasising the notion of feedback and, where there is a danger of failure, identifying where they are, where they need to be and what they must do to get there, so as to maximise the students’ opportunities to pass’ Bucknell, 2000, cited in Parker, 2008, p.4 Guidance on Failure to demonstrate.doc Action Plan form.doc

8.  Identified/discussed challenges in working with failing students  Suggested what can help  To enable decision making whilst taking the edge off any anxiety!

9. Julia Warrener- Practice Educator & Senior Lecturer j.warrener@herts.ac.uk Louise Doel- Practice Learning Lead l.1.doel@herts.ac.uk University of Hertfordshire