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COVER -- Contents -- List of illustrations and activities -- Foreword -- About the author -- Introduction -- 1 Understanding CPD -- 2 A CPD learning cycle -- 3 Learning for CPD -- 4 Reflection for CPD -- 5 Learning environments for CPD -- 6 Assessing CPD learning output -- 7 CPD evidence for post-qualifying programmes -- 8 Writing up CPD -- Appendix -- References -- Index.

Reviews of:Learning in the Round: Concepts and contexts in work-based learning by Patrick Smith and Chris Kemp with Teresa Moore and Roger Dalrymple. Cambridge: Cambridge Academic, 2013, ISBN 9781903499757andSocial Work Education and Practice: Scholarship and innovations in the Asia Pacific. Edited by Bala Raju Nikku and Zulkarnain Ahmad Hatta. Brisbane, Australia: Primrose Hall. ISBN 9781304779137

Summary: As part of the new social work degree in England all students must undergo a period of assessed preparation for practice learning which includes the opportunity to shadow an experienced social worker. This requirement has been implemented in different ways across social work programmes in England and providers have raised concerns about the assessment of students' fitness to undertake practice learning. This article explores the background to and potential of 'shadowing' as observational and preparatory leaning and surveys some of the differential practice amongst English social work programme providers. Following this, the article describes a small-scale research study in which the confidence (self-efficacy beliefs) of students were monitored before and after undertaking shadowing experiences and qualitative reports concerning the experiences were collected and reviewed. The study recommends the development of a rigorous approach to shadowing, that is assessed, made integral to social work programmes and is adequately resourced.

Social work in the UK has undergone a period of momentous change in the last decade with the introduction of a 'modernising agenda' that has increased managerial approaches to the organisation, development and delivery of services. These approaches are embedded and social workers and social work managers must find ways of working within them to synthesise appropriate responses that promote the values and cultural heritage of social work within the new context. This paper considers the possibilities offered by communities of practice to develop learning organisations in which a managed and participatory approach to social work and social care can be generated. A super-ordinate model of contending learning cultures is developed and used to create a blue print for practice that draws on a range of management and professional theories and perspectives.Successful involvement of people who use services is identified as a key feature of a more advanced approach to leading a community of practice and the effectiveness of supervision is seen as dependent on the development of a community. The approach offers a strategy for first line and middle managers to develop team effectiveness and improve services that is robust and not dependent on organisational initiatives and cultures.

The future of practice education in social work in England is under discussion. An integral part of this relates to those considered qualified and appropriate to assess student social workers and the qualification framework necessary to ensure their supply. A draft Practice Educator Framework for England was published in October 2009. Fifteen partnerships of employers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were invited to deliver pilot Practice Educator programmes to test out the draft framework. This paper reports the formative and final evaluations from these pilot sites and lays the foundation for considerations of the future development of practice education in England. The evaluation and the pilot were commissioned by Skills for Care and funded by the Social Work Development Partnership. In total, 321 candidates had been or were in the process of being recruited to these pilot sites; whilst 24 candidates withdrew from or deferred their studies. The findings from the evaluation indicated that the vast majority of pilot sites had accredited their programmes academically, many at Master's degree level. Candidate feedback was predominantly positive; however, about one in eight candidates disagreed that their programme had provided them with sufficient mentoring support. A third of pilot sites have realised they do not have the numbers of stage 2 Practice Educators that qualifying placements may require. Strong partnerships between employers and HEIs and targeted funding will be needed to ensure that future programmes meet workforce development needs.

This paper considers some of the complexities of involving people who use social work services in qualifying education and some of the positive aspects of doing so. The paper reviews growing involvement and the importance of training courses and support for those who get involved drawing on evaluations.