Appendix 11.3:

The DipSW Programme Assessment Board (PAB)

3. PAB assessment decisions on Direct Practice - attendance by students,  practice teachers and others

3.1 The PAB has final authority to make assessment decisions in respect of all DipSW Programme assessable work. Most assessment decisions will be taken in joint meetings with the Route Examination Boards. Other than this, normally only members of the PAB are permitted to attend PAB meetings.

3.2 However, special arrangements are required in circumstances where, in respect of the assessment of a student's practice (DP1 or DP2), there is inconsistency between the placement grading recommendations made by the practice teacter, the second opinion practice teacher (where applicable) and the<abbr title="Practice Assessment Panel">PAP</abbr>.

3.3 These special arrangements are as follows:

1. The practice teacher(s), the student and the PAP Chair will require to be available to attend the PAB meeting at which the final grading decision on the placement is made, in order to provide evidence to assist the PAB in coming to their decision. It will be for the PAB to decide whether the practice teacher(s) and/or the student and/or the PAP Chair will be called into the PAB meeting. The PAB Chair, in consultation with the External Assessor(s), may also decide to require or invite others (e.g. the tutor, and/or a link worker) to attend the meeting.
2. The PAP Chair, although formally a member of the PAB, will take no part in the PAB's practice grading decision, but will limit any attendance and contribution at the meeting to clarification of the reasons for the PAP's grading recommendation.
3. Similarly, where the student's tutor is a member of the PAB, that tutor's position as part of the PAB's quorum will require to be taken by a route colleague. Thus the student's tutor will limit any attendance and contribution at the meeting to clarification of matters as requested by the PAB.
4. The host route tutor representative on the PAP will not attend that part of the PAB meeting that decides the student's practice grading.

3.4 These measures are intended to remove any potential conflict of interests on the part of tutors and PAP chairs. In any event, it is the PAB chair's responsibility to ensure that any potential or actual conflicts of interests are appropriately dealt with.

3.5 In appropriate circumstances the requirement for the practice teacher(s) and/or the student and/or the PAP Chair to be available to the PAB may be waived by the PAB Chair, in consultation with the External Assessor and/or other PAB members.

3.6 When a student and/or practice teacher(s) and/or PAP Chair and/or others are to be called into a PAB meeting:

1. It will be open to the PAB to delegate a sub-group from within the Board to undertake discussions with the student and/or practice teacher(s) and/or PAP Chair, provided the final grading decision is taken by a quorate Board.
2. If required to attend the PAB meeting, the student may be accompanied by another individual acting in a supportive capacity. However, this supporting individual may only contribute to the discussion if invited to do so by the PAB Chair.

©West of Scotland Consortium for Education and Training in Social Work 2001.