ABSTRACT
You probably have ‘been there’. We assume that before becoming teachers of social work and social policy, most readers will have worked in local or central government, or the voluntary sector, and have sought some continuing professional development (CPD) or a formal post-qualifying (PQ) award. Perhaps you were a social worker, housing officer or member of a youth offending team. Maybe you were a community worker, policy officer or a social care worker. If so, the chances are that you would have been interested in opportunities to develop yourself professionally. What happened? Were your wishes fulfilled, or were you thwarted?
