Learning, Practice and Assessment: Signposting the Portfolio

This is a comprehensive guide to integrating assessment, learning and practice, reflecting current concerns in health and social care. The authors - an academic, a training officer and a practitioner - present complementary perspectives to bring theory and practice closer together.

Arguing that a holistic approach to learning can fit with a competency approach to assessment, the authors show how this promotes both efficiency and creativity in evidence-based professional practice. They also demonstrate how their combined assessment and learning tool, the 'signposted portfolio' can work in practice. This portfolio forms both a summary of what the social work student or health care practitioner has learnt and the foundation of an assessment document.

This practical and thoughtful resource is essential reading for trainers, practitioners, managers and students in health and social care who are seeking to provide the best service to their clients.

Catherine Sawdon is a training officer at Wakefield Social Services Department. In addition to groupwork, her interests include practice teaching and learning, counselling, anti-oppressive practice and neurolinguistic programming.