What is a PiP Representative/Rep?
Each social work employer, who is a member of the PiP Partnership identifies a Professional in Practice Representative(s) (PiP Rep) who is the first point of contact within their organisation for information, guidance and advice about PiP.
PiP Reps are qualified social workers who are actively involved with post-qualifying social work education and have specialist knowledge about the Routes to PiP achievement:
- Approved Programmes;
- Individual Assessment Route;
- Work-Based Learning Route;
- Credit Accumulation Route;
- Awards and Requirements within the PiP Framework.
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What is a PiP Assessor?
In each of the Routes within the PiP Framework, assessors play a vital role in reviewing and marking submissions and providing feedback to candidates.
There are a number of different assessment roles within PiP.
- Academic assessors are employed by the Further and Higher Education Institutions (FHEIs) and provide assessment on Approved Programmes which attract academic credits and professional Award Requirements.
- Agency assessors who mark submissions alongside Academic staff on Approved Programmes mark submissions using the Academic and PiP Partnership criteria which results in candidates being awards both academic credits and professional Award Requirements.
- The Individual Assessment Route has a specific group of assessors nominated by employers, and an academic assessor, who are trained and standardised by the NI Social Care Council each year. These assessors have specialist knowledge in the methods of assessment available within the Individual Assessment Route.
NB: All PiP Assessors MUST be trained in social work post-qualifying assessment and MUST attend a minimum of one standardisation even per year.
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Roles and Responsibilities
PiP Reps are identified by their employers as the point of contact for employees wishing to engage in PiP. In some organisations one Rep will support employees across all routes whilst in others Reps are identified with expertise in one or more of the available PiP Routes.
PiP Reps provide guidance and support to social workers in their organisation as follows:
Approved Programmes:
- Disseminating information on programmes
- Collating applications from employees applying for programmes from their organisation / sector
- Quality assuring applications from employees
- Sharing successful applications with the programme provider
- Dealing with referrals, deferrals, withdrawals and leave of absences
- Attendance at assessment panels
Individual Assessment Route
- Providing information on methods of submission and assessment points to employees
- Supporting employees to construct and submit via the IAR
- Completing a checklist for each submission from their employing organisation / sector
- Approving (or rejecting) submissions from employees from their employer. Where a submission is rejected the PiP Rep informs that SCC and the employee. Where possible, the employee will be asked to make changes to the submission and resubmit.
- Identifying assessors within their organisation / sector available to assess
- Dealing with referrals
- Attendance at assessment panels
IAR Assessors across all organisations and sectors are registered with the SCC. They are nominated by their employer and must meet the following criteria and expectations to be eligible to train as an IAR Assessor. They must:
- Be nominated and supported by employer.
- Have previous experience of assessment
- Have post-qualifying social work achievement
- Attend training delivered by the SCC.
- Attend yearly standardisation training to be able to assess.
- Attend IAR assessment panels having assessed a submission
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Assessment Process for IAR Explained
There are 2 available IAR submission points each year:
- the 1st Monday in March and October.
Following the submissions arriving with the SCC these are delegated to the PiP Reps who identify the first assessor who will be from the candidate’s employer/sector.
- All IAR submissions are double marked.
- The second assessor is identified from an outside organisation.
- IAR Assessors typically have 3 weeks to mark submissions. Where there is disagreement on the outcome of a submission a moderation process is in place.
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More Information and Guidance
See Associated Resources for quick access to key guidance documents and forms including: IAR Handbook for Assessors.
Go to Professional in Practice/PiP for more guidance on the PiP Framework, PiP routes to achievement and PiP Awards.