Achievements for 2007

 Quality Assurance of Practice Learning - NOPT has worked with a joint Skills for Care (SfC)  and General Social Care Council (GSCC) group to produce a Standards guidance document in  relation to the establishment and monitoring of practice learning opportunities. The Co-  Chairs have participated regularly in meetings to debate content, have consulted through  regional workshops and presentations at the NOPT Workshop and have recently helped with  a re-drafting in preparation for a launch event on 28.9.07.

 Pressure Group - NOPT has had representation on the recently established SfC Practice  Learning Strategy Group and the Learning Resource Network (LRN) Task and Finish Group  and the re-formed GSCC Social Work Education Stakeholders Group, as well as being a  contributor the LRN’s LeaRNS project.

 Practice Education and PQ - NOPT members have been involved as individuals in the SfC’s PQ  Regional Planning Networks. As a result of this there is an awareness of a considerable  regional variation, in relation to training for practice educators, which is of concern to a  national organisation in terms of equity. Through the GSCC Social Work Education  Stakeholders Group and the SfC groups, NOPT has endeavoured to highlight the gap within  the new education requirements, the likelihood of a basic five day module for those who  teach and assess social work students compared with the much longer training input of the  Practice Teacher’s Award.

 Maintenance - Liaison has continued with NOPT’s administrative and finance officers, as well  as with Conference Search in the arrangements for the annual Workshop. The feedback  from the Workshop this year was excellent. The Newsletter continues to be the regular  means of communication with members and its compilation crucial, as are the contributions  to it.

 Succession planning - Time has been spent looking at the management of NOPT in the  future, as workers find employers less willing to give time to ‘external’ activities. Exploratory  discussions have taken place with the British Association of Social Workers, the Joint  Universities Council Social Work Education Committee and the University of Plymouth’s  Centre for Excellence in Practice Placement Learning in relation to NOPT’s longer term  administration. All these discussions are currently “on hold”.

 Challenges - Training of Practice Educators, quantity/quality debate is ongoing. 20 years  since early NOPT activities in this arena, however needs are the same. Where does PQ fit?  Need for NOPT considerable, commitment not in question but time/ energy /resources  essential.

 Achievements for 2006

 NOPT continues to act as a pressure group and to promote quality in practice learning at a  national level with the Department of Health, the General Social Care Council and Skills for  Care.

 NOPT placed particular emphasis on standards in relation to the establishment of practice  learning opportunities

 Joint funding was obtained nationally from the Learning Resource Networks and the  Practice Learning Task Force, which facilitated the organisation of regional workshops to  explore cross-country variation in student experience.

 The discussion and feedback from these workshops formed the basis of a draft “Good  Practice Guidance in the Establishment of Learning Opportunities” which was presented at  the NOPT Workshop in Manchester. This will be published in 2007.

 NOPT raised the question, nationally and regionally, of the likely future training needs of  practice educators in relation to the demise of the Practice Teacher’s Award. This needed to  be considered not only in relation to Department of Health and General Social Care Council  requirements for the practice element of the social work degree, but also in the context of  the GSCC’s new framework for post-qualifying awards and the teaching and assessment of  the associated National Occupational Standards.

 NOPT appointed new Administrative and Finance Officers who maintain the organisation  through membership renewal, collection of fees, responses to queries and the compilation  of the Newsletter.

 NOPT launched a new web-site and through its links with Conference Search was able to  introduce electronic booking for the Workshop.

 Achievements for 2005

 NOPT has continued to be seen by DOH and now DFES as a national player in social work  education. Links are maintained with professional advisors from both bodies.

 As a small voluntary organisation NOPT’s ability to maintain links with the main players in  social work education is a challenge.

 NOPT has maintained links with GSCC most particularly by being part of the steering group  developing the standards for the practice education pathway in the PQ framework. So the  hard work undertaken over the past few years lobbying for specialist training for practice  educators is now coming to fruition.

 It will be a challenge to encourage agencies to support people through the PQ practice  education pathway at higher specialist and advanced levels. If this does not happen the  majority of practice teachers will only undertake 5 days training for their task. Concern has  already been expressed by social work agencies that they will have to ensure that their  social workers can meet re registration requirements which of course are not linked to any  awards.

 NOPT has been a member of the Practice Learning Task Force Reference group.

 Challenge is to encourage other agencies to continue the work PLTF has been involved in  but LRCN is so variable across the country that this may not be the most appropriate  agency to continue.

 NOPT is a constituent member of the Assembly Forum for Social Work Education.

 As a small voluntary organisation NOPT’s ability to maintain its’ links with the main players in  social work education is a challenge.

 NOPT has been invited by several of the Learning Resource Centre Networks to take part in  their work both generally and on specific topics.

 The challenge here apart from resourcing it, is keeping abreast of national and also regional  developments which are often different.

 NOPT continues it’s links with SCOPT and WOPT.

 The challenge is to keep this going as agendas for the 4 countries diverge.

 NOPT has been a member of the GSCC Social Work Education Stakeholders meeting.

 The challenge here is agreeing a compromise which doesn’t effect quality as the agenda of  the participant members is so  different.

 Achievements for 2004

 Over the last three years, NOPT has been established with the Department of Health as a  national player in social work education.

 NOPT has maintained links with the General Social Care Council, influenced the work of  Social Care Institute for Excellence, worked closely with the Practice Learning Taskforce and  as a result is now consulted on practice learning and social work education issues alongside  such organisations as the Association of Directors of Social Services.

 NOPT’s insistence that a Performance Indicator was needed in order to embed practice  learning structurally in local authority departments has become a reality.

 In October 2003 the Department of Health Practice Learning Project Group became the  Practice Learning Reference Group and is now administered by the Practice Learning Task  Force. NOPT is represented on this group which meets four times a year alongside the DoH,  GSCCC, Topsss England, UNISON and other organisations to receive feedback and discuss  and make recommendations relating to practice learning.

 The NOPT Code of Practice has been revised for 2004/5.

 NOPT has made a formal written response to the Post Qualifying Consultation and  management committee representatives have attended regional workshops.

 The retiring co-chair of NOPT was a member of the Practice Learning Think Tank in Spring  2004. Strong recommendations were made that there should be specialist training for  practice teaching/assessing at graduate diploma level in the revised PQ framework.

 NOPT has been delighted that in the past few years, ScOPT and WOPT have become firmly  established and organisations in their own right.

 In the course of the year, NOPT has provided information to Community Care, attended the  Assembly of Social Work and Social Work Education and Research meeting in London and  was represented at the June “Evaluation of the Social Work Degree” launch.

 At the Ministerial Conference on 25 March 2004, NOPT used the opportunity to advertise  itself with a flier in each participant pack and this contributed to attracting substantially  more members from the London area during 2004.

 Achievements for 2003

 Department of Health (DH) Practice Learning Project Group: attending and contributing to  bi–monthly meeting which has enabled closer contact especially with Social Care Institute  for Excellence (SCIE) and Practice Learning Taskforce(PLTF). Since September has become PL  Reference Group organised by PLTF and will continue to meet four times a year.

 Regional PL Taskforce Workshops: presentation of NOPT Practice Assessor/Teacher Role and  Training.

 Networking between organisations.

 National and Regional Representation at DH ‘Social Work Steps Forward’; Focus Groups;  Post Qualifying Review.

 SCIE Research project: membership contributed through questionnaire in Newsletter and  some follow up phone calls.

 Launch of PLTF: including giving information about NOPT.

 Practice Learning Funding Report: specific input contributed.

 National Practice Teacher Award Programmes: annual meeting arranged and chaired by Co- Chair.

 Web Site: www.nopt.org The web site has been revised and enhanced.

 Practice Assessor/Teacher Role and Training: on NOPT and PLTF website.

 Induction to Work Based Learning and Assessment: contribution made at initial meeting.

 Joint Social Work Education Conference at Warwick University 21/22 July involvement in  planning.

 Professional Education and Disability Support Project (PEdDS): permanent representation  on group.

 Community Care articles including: "The Uncertain Future of Practice Teaching" in April.

 Scottish Organisation for Practice Teaching (ScOPT) and Welsh Organisation for Practice  Teaching (WOPT): named liaison representatives, sharing of newsletters, minutes of  meetings, informal communication and attendance at workshops/conferences.

 25th Annual Workshop: ‘How do we deliver Practice Learning in the new degree?” on 17/18  September at University of Gloucestershire with 170 participants.

 Newsletter: three times a year. We are encouraging more membership contributions.

 Publicity: information about NOPT goes out to a wide range of agencies, both statutory and  voluntary, and is also included in the Open University’s Practice Teaching Handbook.

 Achievements for 2002

 Bi–monthly attendance at the Department of Health Practice Learning Project Group with  the short term outcome of ensuring there are sufficient quality and quantity of practice  learning opportunities to meet the three year degree programme and in the longer term  that mechanisms for integrating learning and evidenced based practice into the workplace  are identified and implemented.

 Responding to national consultative documents and also attending regional workshops  which have included: National Occupational Standards; Codes of Practice for Social Care  Workers and Employers; GSCC paper on the ‘Work based Assessor’; Practice Learning as a  Performance Indicator for Local Authority Social Service Departments; Practice Learning  Funding.

 Organisation of the Annual Workshop for practice teachers with keynote speakers, a  practical session on quality research, sharing of research findings, small discussion groups  and an interactive video session. There are information stalls, a book stall and the  opportunity to network with practice teachers from other parts of the UK as well as social  activities.

 A Newsletter is published normally three times a year with information about policy and  practice developments. Sometimes it is devoted to a specific issue, for example, on the  ‘Codes of Practice’ encouraging members to respond directly to GSCC and on the ‘Institute  for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ (ILT) explaining the advantages of joining  and sharing the experience of having done so.

 Representing the practice teaching/learning perspective on key national bodies:  Department of Health Practice Learning Project Group, TOPSS, the Social Work Assembly,  JUC/SWEC (Joint University Council/Social Work Education Committee), BASW, Inter- professional Practice Teaching, ATSWE (Association of Teachers in Social Work Education) to  be developed. Also representation from the Black Practice Teacher Network, ScOPT  (Scotland) and contact with WOPT (Wales).

 Reprinting the NOPT Code of Practice for practice teaching. This will be reviewed and  updated in 2002/3.

 A bursary in memory of Dave Evans, a well known and long standing member of NOPT who  was very active in the field of practice learning, and died in July 1999. The bursary funds a  place at the Annual Workshop for a practice teacher who is unable to gain financial support  from their agency. It is awarded in recognition of a piece of creative writing about an  innovation which the practice teacher has initiated.

 Attending the Social Work Education Conference.