Practice education survey

To support us to build a more in-depth picture of the practice education landscape in England, we asked social workers to share their views on practice education through an online survey during January and February 2026. The survey was open until 6 February and has now closed.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. We are now analysing the results and will feedback on them.

Who did we ask to complete the survey?

We wanted to hear from all social workers. This included those who (any of the below):

• are current and former practice educators
• support students on placement
• have trained as a practice educator (even if they haven’t gone into the role)
• are considering training as a practice educator
• have views they’d like to share on the role

Why did we do this survey?

This survey was part of our wider work about practice education.

In our business plan we committed to:

• Build a more in-depth knowledge of the practice education landscape to inform and support the critical role of practice educators, including potential regulatory levers.

We also know that other social workers, including practice supervisors, have an important role to play in supporting students and may have views on practice education. This is why we welcomed responses from anyone on the register.

How was the survey developed?

The survey was shaped by what we’ve heard so far through our research and our Practice Education Development Group and Education and Training Advisory Forum (ETAF). We wanted to give more people the opportunity to give us their views in the survey.

Was the survey anonymous?

Respondents could complete the survey anonymously, with an option to provide an email address to be kept updated about future work on practice education and further opportunities to get involved. Thank you to everyone who left their details and please look out for further emails from us. 

For the full details of how we will use the data we collected in the survey, please read our privacy notice.

What will happen next?

Over the coming months, there will be more ways to get involved. If you want to be kept up to date, or have any questions about our work on practice education, please email practice.education@socialworkengland.org.uk.