Kathryn Jones

Profile

Kathryn Jones, Professional lead for practice learning

I am the Professional Lead for Practice Learning at the University based at the Luton campus, Park Square.

Part of my role as professional lead is to be responsible for the management and teaching of the Enabling Practice Learning and Assessment module for practice assessors who assess social work students whilst on placement within their agencies.

The course provides 30 Level 3 academic credits, and PQ 5 & 6 credits for the Post Qualifying Award in Social Work .

I am actively involved with practice learning at sub regional and regional level. This ensures that I am continually up-dating my own knowledge, networking with other universities and professionals.

I believe that the University has a strong profile within the region for practice learning and its excellent links with local authority partners and agencies within the Private, Voluntary and Independent sectors, Skills for Care and the Learning Resource Network.

Within the University I am responsible for running workshops for students and assessors on a variety of practice learning topics.

I am chairperson of the practice assessment panel which has an important role to play within the quality assurance for placements.

I support Susan Taylor, placement coordinator, with the matching process of students and agencies. I care passionately about practice learning and my party piece is to recite all 21 roles of the National Occupational Standards!

I began my career in social work as an unqualified social worker in South Wales where I worked as a housemother in a children’s residential home, and in older peoples teams and mental health teams.

I moved to Bedford in 1982 after gaining my CQSW and since then I have worked mainly within statutory teams working with older people with mental health problems.

I have been active in supporting voluntary groups (Vice Chairman of the local branch of the Alzheimer Society).

I am an Accredited Practice Teacher and have assessed students whilst working for the local authority and as whilst self-employed as an independent practice teacher.

I have been employed as a Learning & Development advisor at Bedfordshire County Council where I acted as training consultant to Adult Services managers and their employees within Bedfordshire Social services, arranging and developing specialist training and qualifying courses for qualified and unqualified staff, who worked within social care.