Interface commissioned to undertake national evaluation of Teaching Partnerships
We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver an evaluation of Teaching Partnerships (TPs). These are a joint DfE/DHSC initiative that bring educators and employers together to make education more relevant to practice, raise standards and drive up quality for all social work students and practitioners in children and adults' social work.
TPs seek to address weaknesses in the system where newly qualified or established social workers were not always equipped with the right knowledge, skills and experience to undertake the challenges of the role. By getting local authorities involved in the initial and continuing education of social workers, TPs seek to establish a collaborative relationship between them and the HEIs, where the curriculum and training can be jointly developed, delivered and owned.
We will be looking to answer the following:
What activity have TP's delivered?
- Governance (strategic and operational delivery)
- Admissions
- Placements and curriculum
- Academic delivery and academic experience of practice
- Practice support and delivery
- Workforce planning
How have TPs delivered that activity?
- How have partnerships approached workstream objectives?
- What are the different types of delivery models and initiatives?
- What are the barriers and facilitators of the different thematic approaches?
- What are the transferable lessons?
What are the early impacts of the TP activity?
- What are the impacts of the TPs (e.g. on entry standards, placement quality, embedding KSS and practitioners providing ‘classroom’ teaching)
- How is the programme experienced by the LAs, do they rate new entrants more highly, is there a better fit with the knowledge and skills required to do the job and is retention improved?
- What has worked well / not worked well to improve social work education and what are the key factors that have supported or prevented success?
- How has funding has been utilised and what is the average spend per theme across the programme? Which activities are successful and provide VFM?
- What activities will TPs continue and cease when the funding comes to an end?
We will produce and initial findings report March 2019 and a final report in March 2020.