Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
1.
1.10
TICK
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
SECTION ONE
PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING AND THE CURRICULUM
Training in practice-based
learning will be provided for the
placement educator, ideally
through partnership between the
HEI and the placement provider.
There will be initial training,
followed by ongoing training
opportunities as part of the
placement educator’s CPD.
2.
QUESTION
WHEN
COMPLETED
Placement providers and
placement educators will have a
clear commitment to the provision
of placements and recognise their
shared responsibility in speech
and language therapy practicebased learning.
1.11
2.1
STANDARD
Placement provider:
Do you have a clear
commitment to the provision
of placements?
Written agreements, responses, or contracts, evidencing offers
of an appropriate number and type of placement, in response
to demand.
Placement educator:
Are you clearly committed to
offering yourself as a
placement educator?
List of student placements offered and taken up over a period
of time.
Personal development plans (PDP) and continuing
professional development (CPD) logs.
Do you share the
responsibility with the HEI
for placement-based learning?
Attendance at HEI meetings, training courses.
Provision of training courses for placement educators.
Placement provider:
Is there a range of training
available for placement
educators?
Recent engagement in placement educator training courses.
SECTION TWO
PREPARATION FOR PLACEMENT
All parties in the placement
education process should be aware
Risk assessment forms completed.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
at all times of risks that occur in
normal working environments and
assess risk as appropriate
following NHS and HEI
guidelines.
2.18
2.19
2.20
The placement provider will have
an agreement with HEIs on the
sourcing, timing and providing of
placements. This will include
information on the types of
placement available (by setting,
nature of patient/client, type of
service).
Placement provider:
Is there an agreement
currently in place?
Is there an established process
for updating/amending this
agreement?
Written agreements.
Placement providers will deliver
on all offers, as far as is feasible,
and work to provide alternative
placements in the case of illness or
absence of the placement
educator.
Placement provider:
Do staff changes result in
cancelled placements?
Recent record of promised/fulfilled placements.
Where the student has a special
requirement relating to accessing a
placement, all reasonable issues
will be considered to
accommodate the student.
However, this may not always be
possible and all reasonable
attempts will be made to locate
alternative placements.
Placement provider:
Do you ensure relevant
information is provided re
specific access requirements
for each student?
Documented process. Relevant meetings scheduled.
PDP and CPD logs.
Is flexibility encouraged to
ensure promised placements
are fulfilled?
Do you use this information
to inform placement
allocation?
Written confirmation of specific access requirements at time
HEI identifies students to take up placements offered.
Evidence of placement provider seeking confirmation if not
offered by HEI.
Absence of complaint/difficulties noted in previous student
feedback.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
2.21
The placement provider will be
familiar with the student’s
expected learning outcomes to
ensure placements offered can
contribute to the achievement of
those outcomes.
Placement provider:
Do you receive adequate
information re the student’s
required learning outcomes?
Are they compatible with the
available placements?
The placement educator will
familiarise him/herself with
placement documentation sent
from the HEI, including the
expected learning outcomes of the
placement at that stage of the
course and taking account of
Student experience to date.
Placement educator:
Are you able to allocate time
for placement preparation?
Agreed timetable for provision of placement documentation to
placement providers/placement educators.
Do you receive adequate
guidance re the student’s
learning outcomes and
experience to date?
Attendance at relevant HEI meetings, training courses.
The placement provider will be
responsible for the risk assessment
for all aspects of placement and
have due diligence throughout the
course of the placement of any
additional risk that might occur on
a daily basis in any working
environment.
Placement provider:
Are you aware of your
organisation’s current risk
assessment policy/
requirements?
Completed checklist.
Have any risks been
identified, specific to an
individual student?
Documentation of non-generic risks, including action taken to
minimise those risks.
The placement provider has the
responsibility to alert the student
and HEI to any placement specific
health and safety, confidentiality
and ethics requirements.
Placement provider:
Are there any placementspecific health and safety,
confidentiality and ethics
requirements?
Record of verbal communication with HEI/Student. Written
confirmation of requirements.
2.22
2.23
2.24
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
Receipt of HEI learning outcomes documentation prior to
identification of placements to be offered.
Negotiation between HEI/placement provider prior to
allocation of placements where difficulties anticipated.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
2.25
The placement educator will make
Students aware of any placementspecific requirements.
Are there any specific
requirements that the students
need to know about before
starting the placement?
2.26
The placement provider will have
a written policy for placement
educators and students, stating the
procedures and process of seeking
and preparing patients/clients to
work with the student.
Placement provider:
Do you have a written policy
for placement educators and
students, stating the
procedures and process of
seeking and preparing
patients/clients to work with
the student?
The placement educator is
responsible for preparing the
patient/client to work with the
student.
Placement educator:
Are you familiar with your
organisation’s written policy?
The placement provider and
placement educator will, together,
provide a range of learning
models, experiences and
opportunities.
Placement provider and
placement educator:
Do you have access to
guidance on different learning
models?
Can you describe the learning
model(s) you offer to
students?
Are you able to identify and
cater for different learning
styles?
Can you describe the potential
experiences and opportunities
available to a student on your
placement?
2.27
2.28
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
Telephone contact prior to start of placement.
Induction checklist.
Written policy detailing the responsibility and actions required
by both placement educator and student before a student
works with a client.
Written policy (see 2.25) complied with.
Attendance at relevant HEI/placement provider training
courses.
PDP and CPD logs.
Positive feedback from previous students.
Documented outline of placement type, opportunities
available and possible restrictions.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
2.29
Placement educators will maintain
up to date knowledge and skills to
facilitate students to learn on
placement.
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
Placement educator:
Do you have knowledge of
current developments relating
to the client group(s) your
student will be working with?
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
Attendance at relevant HEI/placement provider training
courses.
Attendance at relevant Specific Internet Groups (SIGs) and/or
training courses.
PDP and CPD logs.
Do you have significant
experience in working with
this/these client group(s)?
2.30
The placement educator will
engage with placement educator
training as arranged by the HEI
and/or placement provider.
Placement provider:
Do you facilitate attendance
by placement educators of
HEI- or placement providerrun training courses?
Placement educator:
Have you attended an
appropriate training or
refresher course recently?
2.31
The placement provider will
support placement educators in
terms of time management,
recognising client throughput may
be affected by supporting a
student in practice-based learning.
Running placement educator courses.
Records of study leave authorised for all placement educators.
Attendance at relevant HEI/placement provider training
courses.
Placement provider:
Do placement educator
caseloads adequately reflect
the time required for student
supervision?
Placement educator:
Are you able to negotiate an
appropriate reduction in
caseload during student
placements?
Placement educator’s diary records protected time for student
supervision.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
3.
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
SECTION THREE
PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING
3.4
The placement provider and/or
placement educator will provide
an induction for the student at the
beginning of the placement
following RCSLT guidelines in
Communicating Quality.
Placement provider or
placement educator:
Have you allocated time for
an appropriate induction at the
beginning of the placement?
Induction checklist completed.
Student Information Pack provided to student.
3.5
The placement educator will
provide opportunities, as far as
possible, for the student to
experience a wide range of speech
and language therapy work and
roles, both clinical and nonclinical, including administration.
Placement educator:
Have you incorporated a wide
range of speech and language
therapy work and roles into
the student’s programme?
Student’s log of activities undertaken.
Notes of meetings with student reviewing progress towards
objectives.
3.6
The placement educator will
provide guidance for the student
on learning opportunities available
during the placement, with
reference to HEI learning aims.
Placement educator:
Have you identified specific
ways in which you can help
the student to achieve his/her
learning aims?
Notes of meetings with student identifying/agreeing
placement specific opportunities to progress towards
placement aims.
3.7
The placement educator will make
clear to the student his/her
responsibilities to the
patient/client during the
placement.
Placement educator:
Have you included student
responsibility towards the
patient/client in your planned
induction?
Induction checklist.
3.8
Where a student is managing a
patient/client, the placement
Placement educator:
Have you obtained consent
Documented consent from each client.
Liaison with colleagues where more than one Placement
Educator is involved.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
educator will retain the
responsibility for all aspects of the
patient’s/client’s management,
including agreeing the student’s
management goals for that
patient/client and the process of
patient/client consent and
adherence to confidentiality
requirements.
from each client with whom
the student will work?
How will management goals
be agreed?
Notes of supervision/feedback sessions.
Therapy plans and case notes countersigned by placement
educator.
Where there is more than one
placement educator involved, a
lead placement educator, who will
coordinate, will be identified to
the student and the HEI.
Placement educator:
Is more than one placement
educator involved?
Written or verbal confirmation of lead placement educator to
HEI and student.
3.10
The placement educator will
coordinate documented feedback
from the individual placement
educators.
Process of coordinating feedback agreed between placement
educators (eg averaged, weighted?)
Single document with coordinated feedback sent to HEI.
3.11
The placement provider and/or
placement educator will provide
an opportunity for discussion with
the student on how placement
aims will be met and will review
these outcomes at agreed
intervals.
Placement educator:
How will assessment marks
and comments be combined to
represent fairly the student’s
achievements and remaining
learning needs?
Placement educator:
If multiple placement
educators are involved, which
aims will be addressed by
each section of the
placement?
3.12
The placement educator will
provide regular, constructive,
structured feedback, making the
Placement educator:
Do you require
support/training in providing
Attendance at HEI or other relevant training course.
PDP and CPD logs.
3.9
Has a lead placement educator
been identified?
Record of early discussion to agree how placement aims will
be addressed. Where more than one placement educator is
involved, documented agreement of division of aims to be
addressed in each section of the placement.
Notes recording agreement between student and placement
Educator of time available for feedback, re progress towards
aims.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
process and timing clear at the
start of the placement. Best
practice would indicate that this
feedback is both oral and written.
constructive feedback?
Have you allocated specific
time for providing feedback?
Placement educator diary records.
Notes of review meetings.
The placement educator will
formatively assess the student’s
performance with reference to the
learning outcomes of the
placement at an appropriate point
during the placement.
Placement educator:
Are you clear about the
student’s learning outcomes?
Written information received from HEI.
Discussion with student to clarify.
Early identification of objectives that cannot be met.
Do you have a structured plan
for how they can be achieved
on this placement?
Regular review meetings to plot progress towards meeting of
objectives in line with plan. Identification of obstacles
communicated to student/HEI as appropriate.
3.14
The placement educator will
promote the student’s
development of self-reflective
practice and independent practice.
Placement educator:
How accurately is the student
able to reflect on his/her own
strengths and weaknesses?
Guidance provided to aid self-relection.
Placement educator avoids delivering his/her own feedback
before student’s self reflection has been discussed.
3.15
The placement provider will
advise the student and HEI at the
earliest opportunity if there are
emerging concerns about the
student’s ability to reach the
expected standard on placement.
Placement educator:
Is the student failing to make
progress towards achieving
agreed placement aims?
Concerns raised with student.
Notes of review meetings.
Concerns raised with placement provider.
Placement provider:
Have concerns been raised by
placement educators re any
student currently on
placement with the
organisation?
Note recorded of contact between placement provider and
HEI.
Documented action plan.
The placement educator will
complete the HEI documentation
by the requested timescales.
Placement educator:
Are timescales clearly
documented?
HEI documentation.
3.13
3.16
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
3.17
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
Where this has not been possible,
a revised completion date must be
agreed with the HEI.
Have you allocated time for
completion of HEI
documentation within
requested timescales?
The placement educator will be
involved in the assessment of the
student, as appropriate, using
agreed formats and criteria, as
approved formally by the HEI.
Placement educator:
Are HEI assessment criteria
clear? Do you know what
your requirements are in
respect of the student’s
assessment on placement?
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
HEI documentation completed and returned.
Record of revised timescales, if relevant.
Assessment documentation received.
Assessment documentation completed.
Is required format for
assessment feedback clear?
3.18
The placement educator and/or
placement provider will set up an
“end of placement” review with
the student to review the learning
and discuss future learning needs.
4.
4.8
Placement provider/
placement educator:
Has time been allocated for
the end of placement review?
Written record of learning goals achieved and future learning
goals.
Placement provider:
Is there a process in place to
secure feedback re placement
and placement educator?
Student feedback forms.
HEI feedback forms.
Notes of meetings with HEI.
Action plan to promote good practice and meet training
requirements as identified in feedback process.
HEI assessment forms completed.
SECTION FOUR
AFTER THE PLACEMENT
Placement provider and placement
educators will seek and reflect on
‘post-placement feedback’ in
order to improve the learning
opportunity for future students.
Placement educator:
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
Do you encourage and
facilitate honest feedback
from your students?
5.
SECTION FIVE
LEARNING RESOURCES TO SUPPORT PLACEMENT
5.5
The main responsibility for speech
and language therapy practicebased learning resides with Health
Professions Council-registered
speech and language therapists.
Placement educators:
Is my HPC registration up to
date?
HPC registration records.
5.6
Wherever possible, it is
appropriate to spend part of a
placement with another
professional/non-professional/staff
member, and in multi-disciplinary
environments.
Placement educator:
Which other member(s) of the
team (SLT and/or
multidisciplinary team) would
enhance the student’s learning
experience?
Confirmation of observation sessions agreed by other
professionals.
6.
SECTION SIX
QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT
Student feedback in supervision/review sessions with
placement educator.
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists – National Standards for Practice-based Learning
PLANNING AND SELF-AUDIT TOOL FOR PLACEMENT PROVIDER AND PLACEMENT EDUCATOR
STANDARD
NO.
STANDARD
6.1
All partners will comply with
quality monitoring processes and
procedures within their own
organisations, with a view to both
the audit and enhancement of
practice-based learning.
QUESTION
TICK
WHEN
COMPLETED
Placement provider:
How do we currently audit the
quality of placements
provided?
Is the process rigorous?
EVIDENCE
Examples are provided but are not exhaustive. Please add
to as relevant
Completion of this self audit tool.
Attendance at relevant HEI/placement provider training
courses.
Feedback to placement providers by placement educators and
HEIs.
Do we meet the current
standards for practice-based
learning, as outlined by
HPC/RCSLT?
Completion of RCSLT self audit tools.
Do we have an action plan to
improve any areas of
weakness?
Action plans to bridge identified gaps.
Year on year improvement in audit results.