The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – the experiences of social work practice educators in three organisations in England

This article explores the experiences of social work practice educators (PEs) in three organizations in England and focuses on the reasons PEs continue in their role alongside the challenges they encounter. This is important given broader persistent concerns about workforce recruitment and retention within the field of social work. The qualitative findings are categorized into three overarching themes: ‘the Good’, ‘the Bad’ and ‘the Ugly’. The research not only identified the positive reasons why PEs continue to stay in the role and the wider benefits but also highlighted the significant challenges PEs are facing. These include feeling undervalued, a lack of understanding and appreciation of their complex roles, and the considerable time demands of the role alongside the increasing pressures of the ‘day’ job. The article concludes that there is a significant risk that the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’ may outweigh the ‘good’, making the issue of retention of PEs even more problematic, which in turn may impact recruitment into social work. The paper suggests ways forward in light of the findings but, concerningly, highlights the fragility of the current system, which appears to rely on goodwill.