Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Complete pre-placement safeguarding preparation
2–4 weeks (dependent on DBS processing time)
Before direct service user contact, complete your enhanced DBS check, your placement's required safeguarding training module, and a written reflection on professional boundaries in direct work. Your practice educator must confirm readiness for direct work. This milestone must be completed before M2.
Proof required
Submit: (1) confirmation of enhanced DBS clearance (can be redacted to show clearance date only); (2) safeguarding training completion certificate with module name and date; (3) 300-word reflection on maintaining professional boundaries in direct work with vulnerable adults/families.
What gets checked
- DBS confirmation shows clearance date — not an application acknowledgement
- Training certificate names a recognised safeguarding module (not just 'induction') with completion date
- Reflection demonstrates understanding of power dynamics and professional role — not just list of rules
Common mistakes
- Starting direct work before DBS clearance is returned — this is both a legal and placement risk
- Treating safeguarding training as a tick-box rather than engaging with the content — shows in practice
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Confirm enhanced DBS clearance is documented — not just applied for
- Check safeguarding training certificate names a specific recognised module
- Verify reflection shows understanding of professional boundaries — not a rule recitation
- Practice educator must be HCPC-registered — peer verification is not acceptable at any milestone
Conduct supervised direct work sessions
4–6 weeks
Conduct at least three supervised direct work sessions with service users (anonymised as Service User A, B, etc. in all documentation). Each session must be planned, observed or co-worked by your HCPC-registered practice educator, and followed by a written reflection on your practice. Documentation must identify the service user only by role descriptor — never name, case number, or identifying details.
Proof required
Submit: (1) three session plans (anonymised) showing service user needs, aims, and your planned approach; (2) three written reflections (anonymised) on each session noting what you did, what the service user's response was, and what you would do differently; (3) practice educator countersignature on at least one session plan confirming supervision took place.
What gets checked
- All documentation uses role descriptors only ('Service User A, a 45-year-old male') — no names, addresses, or case numbers
- Practice educator countersignature confirms supervision was real — unsigned documentation is insufficient
- Reflections demonstrate critical analysis of your own practice — not just description of what happened
Common mistakes
- Including any identifying information about service users — this is a serious confidentiality breach
- Writing reflections as narrative descriptions rather than critical analysis — 'I asked X and they said Y' is description, not reflection
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Check all service user references are anonymised to role descriptors only — reject any that include real names
- Confirm practice educator countersignature is present and they are HCPC-registered
- Verify reflections are critical analysis, not narrative description
- Peer verification is never acceptable for this milestone
Complete practice educator's direct work assessment
End of placement (assessment written over final 2 weeks)
Receive a formal written assessment of your direct work capability from your HCPC-registered practice educator. The assessment must reference specific observed sessions and map your practice to the relevant PCF (Professional Capabilities Framework) domains. This is the authoritative evidence of milestone completion — your own self-assessment alone is not sufficient.
Proof required
Submit: (1) practice educator's written assessment covering your direct work across the placement, with specific observations referenced; (2) your own critical reflection of 500 words on your development as a direct practitioner across the placement.
What gets checked
- Assessment is written by the HCPC-registered practice educator — not a peer or fellow student
- Assessment references specific observed sessions, not generic praise
- Assessment maps practice to PCF domains explicitly — 'good with service users' is not sufficient
Common mistakes
- Receiving only a verbal endorsement and not a written assessment — verbal confirmation cannot be verified
- Assessment that is entirely generic and not placement-specific — should reference what was observed in these sessions
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Confirm written assessment is from an HCPC-registered practice educator — check their registration number if needed
- Verify assessment references specific observed sessions
- Check PCF domain mapping is explicit in the assessment
- Peer-only verification is never acceptable for any sw-* outcome