Practice Educators (PEs) play a pivotal role in the development, supervision and assessment of social work students, apprentices, newly qualified social workers and practitioners undertaking specialist training. However, social work organisations continue to face challenges in recruiting and retaining sufficient numbers of PEs. This study, commissioned through the Suffolk and Norfolk Social Work Teaching Partnership (SNSWTP), explored the motivations for becoming a PE, factors influencing retention, and the support required to sustain the role.

A mixed-methods design was employed, comprising an online survey completed by 51 respondents and semi-structured interviews with 19 participants. Findings revealed that individuals are motivated to become PEs by a commitment to professional development, a desire to support the next generation of social workers, previous positive or negative experiences of supervision, and a wish to contribute to workforce recruitment and professional gatekeeping. While the study was unable to establish precisely how long PEs remain active in the role, it identified key factors influencing retention. Participants reported that they remained as PEs because they enjoyed the role, valued learning from students, maintained engagement with current research, and recognised the positive impact on service users and workforce development.

Barriers to retention included workload pressures, insufficient protected time, limited managerial and organisational support, onerous paperwork, and a lack of recognition or financial reward. Participants highlighted the importance of organisational cultures that value practice education, protected workloads, supervision, continuing professional development opportunities, and stronger support from universities when students are struggling. The findings emphasise the dedication of PEs and demonstrate that retaining this workforce requires sustained investment, recognition and collaboration between employers and higher education institutions to support professional standards and future workforce recruitment.