This article reflects a piece of research conducted with final year social work students and practice teachers within one health and social care trust in Northern Ireland. The work focused on the assessment of students via direct observations and aimed to capture the views, perceptions and experiences of students and practice teachers within this process. The findings highlighted the complexity of the direct observation process and the need for effective communication as a central theme. One finding examined the issue of intervention and participation by a practice teacher within an observation. The outcome challenges current thinking as there was a high level of support for the use of professional discretion to intervene by practice teachers during an observation. The key components of preparation, agreeing goals, frameworks used and practice teacher intervention were dominated by the need for effective communication.
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