{"id":21602,"date":"2026-10-06T11:50:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=21602"},"modified":"2026-10-06T11:50:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:50:26","slug":"policy-and-guidance-for-attendance-of-social-work-placement-days","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/knowledge-base\/policy-and-guidance-for-attendance-of-social-work-placement-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy and Guidance for Attendance of Social Work Placement Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">1. Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This policy provides guidance for trainee social work students, link tutors, practice educators (PEs), and placement supervisors (PSs) regarding placement days, time recording, and attendance requirements. It ensures consistency, fairness, and alignment with professional expectations <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This policy applies to all social work students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this policy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">\u2018Apprenticeship\u2019 refers to students studying on an apprenticeship programme (BSc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">\u2018Direct Entry\u2019 refers to students NOT on an apprenticeship programme (MA and BSc). These will be students who are self-funding their programme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"acf-block acf-block--reference no-mt no-mb       \" style=\"border-color:#a5a2a2\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"columns is-flex is-vcentered is-marginless\">\n\t\t<div class=\"column is-narrow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"reference-icon is-block\"\n\t\t\t\tstyle=\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdisplay:inline-block;\n\t\t\t\t\twidth:24px;\n\t\t\t\t\theight:24px;\n\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color:#1ca691;\n\t\t\t\t\tmask: url('https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-content\/themes\/glos--parent\/resources\/dist\/img\/icons\/reference\/link.svg') no-repeat center;\n\t\t\t\t\tmask-size: contain;\n\t\t\t\t\"\n\t\t\t\taria-label=\"link icon\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Reference is a link\"\n\t\t\t><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"column\" style=\"color:#000!important\">\n\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialworkengland.org.uk\/standards\/practice-placements-guidance\/)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Visit Social Work England for more on Practice Placements Guidance.<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">2. Placement Days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Placements are measured in <strong>days, not hours<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A <strong>placement day<\/strong> must consist of a <strong>minimum of 7 hours excluding lunch<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">For <strong>Direct Entry<\/strong> students only &#8211; half an official study day combined with half a placement day counts as a <strong>full placement day.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Apprenticeship<\/strong> students\u2019 study days or module teaching days are classed as theory only and cannot be combined with half a working day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Half days are not permitted <\/strong>in any other circumstances and cannot be combined to make a full placement day, except where explicitly allowed under Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) arrangements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">For<strong> Direct Entry <\/strong>students only, <strong>recall days count as placement days<\/strong>. These will be added to your ARC record by HSC placements and will be itemised separately as \u2018Social Work Recall Day\u2019 with \u2018Theory\u2019 as the day description.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">For<strong> Apprenticeship <\/strong>students, all study days and module teaching days will be added to ARC as \u2018Theory\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>TOIL is permitted only in specific circumstances and must reflect professional practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">TOIL may be accrued where:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; A specific placement experience is available which is <strong>not<\/strong> possible at other times (e.g. evening foster carer recruitment events).<br>&#8211; Service needs require additional working time (e.g. urgent or unexpected case demands).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">TOIL requirements:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Must be <strong>agreed in advance<\/strong> with the placement supervisor\/onsite educator.<br>&#8211; Must be <strong>taken within two working weeks<\/strong> of being accrued.<br>&#8211; <strong>Cannot be accumulated or banked<\/strong> for later use in the placement.<br>&#8211; The <strong>formal mechanism<\/strong> for recording TOIL will be confirmed separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Study Days \u2013 Direct Entry students only<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Study days must be recorded in ARC as<strong> worked hours<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Students may take up to <strong>half a day per week<\/strong> for study.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">This may be arranged as a <strong>full day every fortnight<\/strong>, subject to agreement between the student and placement provider.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Study days cannot be accrued and should be taken at regular intervals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Reasonable Adjustments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Reasonable adjustments are granted only <strong>in relation to health conditions or impairments<\/strong> (see Guidance on the Qualifying Education and Training Standards (2021) section 5.4).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A Social Work<strong> Health Abilities Passport (HAP)<\/strong> must be completed where adjustments involve changes to standard working hours or conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">In <strong>exceptional<\/strong> circumstances, adjustments may allow a student to work less than 7 hours per day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important considerations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Where reduced daily hours result in an <strong>extended placement duration<\/strong>, this may affect progression through the exam board.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">In such cases, students may need to <strong>interrupt their studies<\/strong> and resume in the following academic year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Other Time Off Placement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If extenuating circumstances result in a reduction of completed days, the placement will need to be extended to compensate for this adjustment. Students may need to take time off during placement for unavoidable circumstances as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.1 Medical Appointments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Attendance at essential medical appointments is permitted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Time must be recorded as <strong>absence<\/strong> on ARC timesheets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.2 Caring Responsibilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Where childcare or other caring arrangements unexpectedly break down, students must record this as an <strong>absence<\/strong> on ARC timesheets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">6.3 <strong>Recording Attendance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the following may be recorded as worked placement hours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>placement work <\/strong>completed at any agreed location(all students)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>study days <\/strong>for<strong> Direct Entry <\/strong>students only.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">All other time must be recorded as either:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; <strong>Authorised absence<\/strong>, or<br>&#8211; <strong>Unauthorised absence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.4 Making Up Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">All absences (authorised or unauthorised) must be <strong>made up at the end of the placement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Students must complete the full requirement of <strong>70 or 100 placement days<\/strong>, as applicable. This is a requirement of Social Work England.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.5 Compassionate Leave<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Requests for compassionate leave (e.g. bereavement or attending a funeral) should be discussed with the placement supervisor\/onsite educator and link tutor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Where approved, this will normally be recorded as <strong>authorised absence. <\/strong>All time missed will need to be made up in line with placement requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Apprenticeship-Specific Arrangements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Apprentices on the BSc Social Work programme are fully governed by Social Work England (SWE) regulations. We recognise learners have dual status as both students and employees. However, Social Work England requirements take precedence over any other consideration when it comes to managing and accounting for time spent on placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">7.1 <strong>Managing leave<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both employers and employees on the apprenticeship programme must give careful consideration to staggering annual leave during placement periods. This is firstly because concentrated learning, without lengthy interruptions, is the best way to ensure a successful placement outcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more specific information about standards, <a href=\"https:\/\/basw.co.uk\/training-cpd\/professional-capabilities-framework\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visit BASW Professional Capabilities Framework<\/a> to view:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">&#8216;End of first placement&#8217;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">&#8216;End of final placement&#8217;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, the University cannot extend placements after set submission dates due to the mandatory requirement for results to be presented at an exam board. This necessitates that leave is planned accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>7.2 Non-standard working patterns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some apprenticeship students may be contracted to work non-standard patterns. One example would be a <strong>9-day fortnight working pattern. <\/strong>This involves working longer days over a two-week period to cover the equivalent hours to a full-time worker. In such cases, the student should complete 70 or 100 placement days of their <strong>contracted<\/strong> working day. They should do so even if this means spending a greater number of hours on placement and having a delayed end date compared to a student working standard office hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\">7.3. <strong>Study days and Module Teaching Days<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For all apprenticeship students, study days and module teaching days are <strong>not <\/strong>classed as placement days and must<strong> not <\/strong>be recorded on ARC. This is because study time contributes to the mandatory <strong>20% off-the-job training requirement<\/strong> and is counted as theory time rather than placement working time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Responsibilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Students<\/strong> are responsible for accurately recording all time on ARC and adhering to this policy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>The Placement Team<\/strong> are responsible for confirming completed placement days to the exam board, using only timesheets which have been approved in ARC by the PE\/PS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Practice Educators\/Placement Supervisors<\/strong> must ensure that arrangements (e.g. TOIL, study days, or absences) are agreed, appropriate, and documented.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"heading wp-block-heading\"><strong>9. Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This policy will next be reviewed on 8 September 2027 and updated as required to reflect changes in guidance from Social Work England and other requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>SJD\/CR\/JS\/KH\/KO\/LOH \u2013 08\/09\/2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. Purpose This policy provides guidance for trainee social work students, link tutors, practice educators (PEs), and placement supervisors (PSs) regarding placement days, time recording, and attendance requirements. It ensures consistency, fairness, and alignment with professional expectations This policy applies to all social work students. In this policy: 2. Placement Days 3. Time Off in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"schools":[],"campuses":[],"subject_area":[],"ht-kb-category":[41,390],"ht-kb-tag":[],"class_list":["post-21602","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-practice-support","ht_kb_category-policies-and-procedures"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/21602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ht_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21602"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/21602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21605,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/21602\/revisions\/21605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"schools","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/schools?post=21602"},{"taxonomy":"campuses","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campuses?post=21602"},{"taxonomy":"subject_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject_area?post=21602"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-category?post=21602"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glos.ac.uk\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-tag?post=21602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}