We are Hestia. We make a difference.
At Hestia, we live by our values and are committed to a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation that provides a variety of services such as Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery, Mental Health & Complex Needs and Criminal Justice. We are committed to empower people to rebuild their lives and regain independence.
The service you will work in….
Join a busy Practice Educator Social Work Team working for a London wide charity - working in multiple adult service settings with students across London wide Universities. Flexible and professional team with a wide range of experience and skills.
The Social Work Practice Educator role sits within the Integrated Student Team, Social Work Department. The role is to assess Social Work degree students (MA and BA / BSc (Hons) who are on placement with Hestia in line with professional standards of Social Work education. The person will be part of the team which provides a training, learning and development function for opportunities for Hestia staff, students on placement and apprentices.
The post will also ensure all SW Student placements are designed and delivered within the framework agreed by stakeholders including Social Work England, partner Universities, students, Hestia's local managers, service users, staff and volunteers.
A day in this role looks like….
As a Practice Educator at Hestia, you will play a crucial role in our Therapeutic & Student services. Your contributions will directly influence the lives of our service users, guiding them towards a path of empowerment and independence.
A day will never look the same and some of the things you can expect to do/be responsible for are:
Develop Social Work Placement Opportunities
- Work with local service Managers to negotiate and establish student placements in Hestia's projects, responding appropriately to service user and organisational needs
- Ensure all SW Student placements are designed and delivered within the framework agreed by stakeholders including Social Work England, Universities, students, Hestia's local managers, service users, staff and volunteers
- To liaise on a regular basis with Hestia's Operational Managers, attending team meetings when appropriate
Relationships with Universities and Colleges
- To work with University Placement Coordinators, operational Managers and their teams ensuring Hestia's placements are recognised as valuable and meeting the social work placement requirements of both the students and partner Universities
- To attend external meetings with University personnel, attending events as appropriate to further the development of student placements within Hestia
Managing Placements
- To plan and manage the SW students learning opportunities including s supporting induction, reviews, portfolio collection and submission as required by Hestia policy and partner Universities
- Through SW student placement reviews ensure and assess the provision of appropriate learning opportunities in line with Learning Agreements and programme requirements
- To work with SW students, providing regular practice supervisions and the required number of observations during each placement depending on the length
- To promote learning in professional practice by social work students whilst ensuring the student works within Hestia's policies and procedures
- To appropriately support the SW students exercising their right to enact the relevant University student placement complaints procedure
- In liaison with the social work student's tutor to follow the University procedures for the termination of a social work student's placement when appropriate
- Assist in developing equitable access for social work students through monitoring and encouraging under-represented groups in liaison with the Universities concerned
Information and Communication
- Contribute to and maintain databases for the effective recording of information relating to social work students, including placement profiles and specific take-up of 70 and 100 day social work student placements within the organisation
- To contribute to management reports, as required, on the progress of the SW student placement scheme
- Ensure all relevant information is communicated to the Head of Student and Therapeutic Practice in relation to the submission to the Universities of SW Student Placement invoices
Why Hestia?
Joining Hestia means more than just a job; it's an opportunity to be part of something bigger. We offer a supportive, inclusive and resolution driven work environment where your contributions are recognised and valued. As a member of our team, you will have the chance to grow both personally and professionally while making a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve.
We are looking for candidates who bring a combination of passion, expertise, and dedication to the table. To excel in this role, you should possess:
- Qualified and registered Social Worker with a current PEPS 1&2 or equivalent.
- Excellent written/verbal communication skills.
- IT skills including Microsoft, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and web-based systems.
- Scheduling and coordinating skills.
- Ability to negotiate outcomes for placements, with multiple partners.
- Understanding of relevant statutory legislation and its application in voluntary sector provision.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Our services users come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and value the skills, abilities, talent and experiences, different people and communities bring to our organisation.
We are a disability confident employer…
Hestia is a disability confident employer, committed to the employment and career development of individual with disabilities. As part of this commitment, we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for. We will also accommodate reasonable adjustment during the selection and interview process and throughout your employment with us.