information for practice

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) commissioned the
University of Sussex, in partnership with the Evidence for Policy and
Practice Information and Coordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre), to
undertake a systematic review and practice survey of ‘partnership’ in
social work education. There were nine stated objectives in the commission, including clarifying the discourse of partnership, identifying the national and international evidence and best practice in partnership work, examining how stakeholders are involved, evaluating the most effective methods of teaching, learning and assessment and evaluating the evidence on the transfer of learning and impact on learners. On some of these issues, for example the transfer of learning, there was very little evidence in either the literature or the practice. The parameters of the study included focusing on partnership at pre-qualifying level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This Knowledge Review is the outcome of work undertaken during October 2004-May 2005. The regulatory framework for social work education in the UK has emerged from different sources and it is perhaps not surprising that there is a difference in whether partnership is with users and carers, other professions, or both, how it is defined and what is required.