Scottish Social Services Council Supervision...

Supervision Learning Resource 1SSSC

Scottish Social Services Council SupervisionLearning Resource

2 Supervision Learning Resource SSSC


ContentsAcknowledgements 4

1. Introduction 5 1.1 Who is this resource for? 6 1.2 Using the resource 6

2. Why do supervision at all? 9 2.1 Influencingandunderstandingthecontext 10

3. What is supervision? 15 3.1 Definitionsandfunctionsofsupervision 16 3.2 Balancing the functions of supervision 22 3.3 Outcomefocusedsupervision 24

4. Supervision contracts 27

5. Different approaches to supervision 33

6. Different types of one-to-one supervision 37

7. Group supervision 41

8. Supervision:aspaceandplacefordifficultconversations 47

9. Making the transition from frontline worker to supervisor 51

10. Evaluating and reviewing supervision 55 10.1Endings 5610.2Reflectingbackandthinkingahead 57

References 59

Appendices 63Appendix1:Functionsofsupervision 64Appendix2:ENABLEScotlandtemplate 65Appendix3:Somequestionstohelpthecontractingprocess 73 Appendix4:Preparingforgroupsupervision 74Appendix5:ClackmannanshireandStirlingCounciltemplate 76Appendix6:Performancemanagementframework 82 Appendix7:FifeCouncilsupervisiontraining 83


Acknowledgements

ThankyoutoallwhohavecontributedtothisSupervisionLearningResourcebyprovidingfeedbackandbygenerouslysharingexamplesfrompractice.Thistooktimeandeffortandwearesurethattheexamplesyouprovidedwillbehelpfultoothersintheworkforce.

MarianneHughes,PracticeLearningandDevelopmentManager,MidlothianCouncil

LouiseKelly,HeadofLearningandProfessionalDevelopment,ENABLEScotland

GillianMuir,LearningandDevelopmentAdvisor,ClackmannanshireandStirlingCouncil

DianeRoth,WorkforceChangeOfficer,FifeCouncil

Thanksalsotothosewhoreadanearlydraftandprovidedfeedback:

MembersoftheHRVoluntarySectorForum

MembersoftheLeadershipReferenceGroup

JanBeattie,DeputyDirectorWorkforceDevelopment,AlzheimerScotland

AndyJeffries,ActingHeadofChildren’sServices,CityofEdinburghCouncil

KarenMacDonald,LearningandDevelopmentManager,MeallmoreLimited

ReneRigby,MBE,IntegratedIndependentSector,CityofEdinburgh

TraceyRhodes,DementiaCareAdvisor,FourSeasonsHealthCare

HeatherSmith,PrincipalOfficer,ChildCareandProtectionTrainingandDevelopment,CityofEdinburghCouncil

KarenWaddell,ProjectManager,Quarriers

NeilWhettam,WorkforceandCarerDevelopmentOfficer,Children'sWellbeing,EastLothian Council

ProducedonbehalfoftheScottishSocialServicesCouncilbyDrHelenWhincup,BridgetRothwellandFrancesPatterson,UniversityofStirling


1. Introduction


ThislearningresourceaimstopromotegoodpracticeinsupervisionacrosssocialworkandsocialcareinScotland.Wehavebasedtheresourceoncurrentliteratureandresearchanditdrawsonexamplesofgoodpractice.Itoffersyouopportunitiestoexploreyourexperiencesandexpectationsofsupervisionandprovidessuggestionsforfurtherreading.Itincludeslinkstorelevantresourcestoextendyourthinkingandsupportthedevelopmentofgoodpractice. 1.1 Who is this resource for?

Thisresourceisforeveryonewhoworksinsocialserviceswhethertheyareinvolvedassupervisee,supervisororboth.

SocialServicesinScotland:ASharedVisionandStrategy2015-2020(ScottishGovernment,2015)describesthesocialserviceworkforceasa:

’large and diverse sector which employs around 190,000 people – including social workers, people working in residential and day care services for adults and children, care at home and housing support staff, occupational therapystaff,mentalhealthofficers,peopleworkinginadultandchildprotection and in criminal justice services’.

Ifyouarealreadyconfidentaboutthetheoryandpracticeofsupervision,thisresourcewillcomplementyourexistingknowledge.Ifyouarelessfamiliar,itwillintroduceyoutosomemodelsofsupervisionanddirectyoutoadditionalresources.Wehavedevelopedthematerialstoreflectthecharacteristicssetoutatlevel9oftheScottishCreditandQualificationsFramework(SCQF)andthelearningoutcomesofeachsectionintentionallyreflectthis1.

1.2. Using the resource

Bothsuperviseesandsupervisorscanusethislearningresource.Itmaybeusefultostaffwhoarenewtothesupervisoryroleoranyonewishingtodeveloptheirskillsandknowledge.Itisrelevanttothosewhohaveworkedinagencies,sectorsorprofessionswheresupervisionisnotsowellembeddedinprofessionalpracticeaswellassettingswheresupervisioniswellestablished.

Dependingonyourlearningneedsandhowyouliketoapproachlearningyoucandipintorelevantsectionsoftheresourceorgofrombeginningtoend.Ifyouprefertochoosethesectionswhichinterestyoumost,wesuggestyoustartbyreadingsection3.1,definitionsandfunctionsofsupervision.Thisisbecausepeoplehavedifferentexperiencesofsupervisionanditmaybehelpfultospendtimereadingsomeofthedefinitionsofsupervisionandthinkinghowthesematchordifferfromyourownexperiences.

1ScottishGovernment(2015)SocialServicesinScotland:ASharedVisionandStrategy2015–2020,Edinburgh,ScottishGovernment


Throughouttheresourceyouwillfindexercisesdesignedtohelpyouthinkaboutyourpracticeandmakeyourlearninganddevelopmentclear.Youmightfinditusefultoshareyourthinkingwithpeersinsupervisionoraspartofamoreformalassessmentprocessifyouareusingtheresourceasasteptowardsanaccreditedqualification.Ifyouwanttotakeastructuredapproachwesuggestyoucompileaportfoliotoincludethecompletedexercisesandanyrelevantsupportingevidence.Thiscouldbeaneportfolioorhardcopyfolderwhichprovidesanoverviewofyourlearningandshowsyourknowledge,understandingandcriticalreflectiononsupervisioninsocialservices.Startbyreflectingonandnotingdownyourcurrentexperienceandunderstandingofsupervision.

Beforeweexplorethedifferentdefinitionsofsupervisioninvariousprofessionalsettings,itisusefultospendsometimereflectingonthebroaderquestionofwhysupervisionisnecessaryandimportant.

Exercise 1

Imaginesomeonewhohasrecentlyjoinedyourteamororganisationisspendingadaywithyoutobecomefamiliarwiththeworkplaceandthejobrole.Theyhavenopreviousexperienceofsupervisionandhaveaskedyoutoexplainwhatitisabout.

Duringacoffeebreaktellthemwhatsupervisionisandwhatyourexperiencehasbeen.

Onceyouhavereadtheresourceandcompletedtheexercisesandadditionalreadingyoumaywanttoreviewyourthoughts.


2. Why dosupervision at all?


Thissectionwillhelpyouthinkaboutthe:

•keystakeholdersforsupervisioninyourownworksetting•organisation’sinfluenceandinter-professionalworkingonsupervision•impactsupervisionhasinthewidercontextofyourorganisationandbeyond•waysyoumighttakeaccountofothers’roles.

Theimportanceofsupervisionisidentifiedinanumberofinquiryreports2andinprofessionaltraininganddevelopment.Itcontributestosafeandconsistentstandardsofpracticeandformspartofanorganisation’ssystemofqualityassurance.Itprovidessupportforindividualworkers,makingsuretheyarenotworkinginisolationbuthaveaccesstoadviceandguidancefromamanagerorexperiencedcolleague.Thisissignificantforneworrecentlyqualifiedemployeesbuttheopportunitytotestoutideas,reviewdecisionsandreflectonpracticeisvaluableforallstaff,regardlessoftheirroleandlevelofexperience.Research3hasshowneffectivesupervisionhelpsfosterresilienceandreducetheriskofburnout.Itoffersaspacefordialogueandcriticalreflection,recognisingsocialservicestaffaresometimesinvolvedinsituationswhichcanbedifficultanddistressing.Whenstrongemotionsareraisedintheworkerasaresultofpracticeitcanbehardtokeepabalancedperspectiveandexercisesoundjudgement.Youcanusesupervisiontomakesurerisksarecarefullyconsideredandbestpossibledecisionsreached.

’Supervision must enable and support workers to build effective professional relationships, develop good practice and exercise both professional judgement and discretion in decision making. For supervision to be effective it needs to combine a performance management approach with a dynamic, empowering and enabling supervisory relationship. Supervision should improve the quality of practice, support the development of integrated working and ensure continuing professional development4’

2.1Influencingandunderstandingthecontext

Sometimestheimportanceofsupervisionistakenforgrantedinsocialcareandsocialworksettings.Itislesscommonforpeopletotakethetimeandopportunitytoreallyexaminewhyitisaworthwhileactivitydeservingpriorityintheworkplace.Thiscanhavenegativeconsequencesaspeoplemaygothroughthemotionsandrepeathabitslearnedfromtheirownsupervisionexperienceswithoutfullyengagingwiththe

2Laming,W.H.(2003)TheVictoriaClimbiéInquiry:reportofaninquirybyLordLaming,https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-victoria-climbie-inquiry-report-of-an-inquiry-by-lord-lamingFlynn,MandCitarella,V(2012)WinterbourneViewHospital:ASeriousCaseReview,SouthGloucestershireSafeguardingAdultsBoard,SouthGloucestershireCouncil3Adamson,C,Beddoe,L,Davys,A(2014)BuildingResilientPractitioners:DefinitionsandPractitionerUnderstandings,BritishJournalofSocialWork,44(3),522-541

4SkillsforCare(2007)citedinBASW/CoSW(2011:3)Researchonsupervisioninsocialwork,withparticularreferencetosupervisionpracticeinmultidisciplinaryteams,BASW/CoSWEngland


processandwhatmakesitmeaningful.Supervisors,andsupervisees,canbecomestuckinaparticularwayofworkingtogetherthatisnotconstructiveandishardtochange.Ortheymayfindtheyareabletoestablishausefulsupervisionrelationshipwithonepersonbutnotanotherwithoutreallyunderstandingwhy.Oneofthewaystothinkaboutthequestionof‘whysupervise?’istolookatourassumptionsaboutwhatdifferenceitmakes.

Exercise 2

Inyourexperience,whoorwhatisaffectedbythediscussionsyouhave,orthedecisionsmadeinsupervision?Trytobequitespecificabouthowtheseaffectdifferentpeople.

Oneofthewaysyoucanthinkaboutpeopleaffectedbyyourworkistousetheideaofstakeholders.Whilethistermoriginatesintheworldofbusiness,socialservicescommonlyuseittorefertoeveryonewhohasastake,orinterest,intheworkyouaredoing.

The literature5onsupervisionidentifiesfourkeystakeholders:

• people using services• staff• the organisation• partner organisations.

Formostsocialcareandsocialworkstaffitisclearsupervisoryconversationsshouldhaveanimpactonthemassuperviseesandthepeopletheyworkwith.Whetherdiscussingannualleaveplansorexploringsharedunderstandingofapracticeissueitiscleartheseconversationshaveanimpactonyouasaworker(forexample,whetheryougetthebreakyouaskedfor;orwhetheryouhavetheknowledgeandskillsneededtoworkwithaparticularindividual).Itisalsoeasytorecognisethatbothoftheseissueshaveanimpactontheperson you are working with(whenwilltheirpractitionerbeavailable?willthatworkerunderstandtheirneeds?).Formanysupervisees it is also clear the organisationhasastakeintheseconversations(howmanystaffwillbeavailabletoprovidecover?istheagencymeetingtherequiredstandardsandemployingcompetentstaff?).Inthecontextofincreasingintegrationandinter-professionalworking,itisoftenthecasethatpartners from other agencies or sectors areafourthsetofstakeholders(whenandhowdoyoubestcommunicatewiththem?howdoestheirperspectiveorcontributionfitwithyourown?).

5Morrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishingKettle,M(2015)AchievingEffectiveSupervision,Insight30.IRISS,www.iriss.org.uk


Fromthepointofviewofasupervisorthesameislargelytrue,astheymakedecisionsaboutannualleaveorassessingthesupervisee’sunderstandingofapracticeissue,theymaybeconsideringtheimpactofboththingsonallstakeholders.

Whatimpactwillithaveon:

• the person receiving support?• the supervisee?• the supervisor as a representativeoftheimmediateteamandonthewider

organisation or profession?• anyother professionals/agenciesworkingwiththepeopleusingservices?

Noteverydecisionordiscussionneedsassessinginthiswayandthedifferentstakeholdersdonothaveanequalstakeineveryissue.However,theconceptofthesefourdifferentperspectivescanhelpyouachieveaworkableandeffectivebalanceacrossneedswhicharesometimescomplexandcompeting.Attheveryleast,youshouldrememberthestakeholderswhoholdleastpowerandwhoseviewsmaybeatriskofbeingoverlookedduringsupervisoryconversations.Thisisofparticularimportancegiventhelimitedresearchintotheimpactofsupervisiononoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservicesandcarers6.Itcanbehelpfultotestdecisionsfromtheirpointofviewbyasking,forexample:

• ifthepersonIamworkingwithwaslisteningwhatwouldtheysaywehave missed?• howwillouragreedactionaffectothersworkingwiththisindividual?• howshallweletthemknow?

Theconceptoffourstakeholdersisakeyaspectoftheintegratedmodelofsupervision7.Whatisvaluableinthisapproachistherecognitionthatthecontextinwhichitissetinfluencessupervisionbetweentwopeopleaswellasitaffectingawidernetworkofpeople.

Exercise 3

Towhatextentdoyoutakeaccountoftheperspectivesofallfourtypesofstakeholdersinyoursupervisionprocesseitherasasuperviseeorsupervisor?

Howcanyoubestidentifytheimpactofsupervisiononeachofthedifferentstakeholders?

6Carpenter,J;Webb,C;Bostock,LandCoomber,C(2012)EffectiveSupervisioninSocialWorkandSocialCare,ResearchBriefing43,London,SocialCareInstituteforExcellenceCarpenter,J;Webb,C;Bostock,L;(2013)Thesurprisinglyweakevidencebaseforsupervision:findingsfromasyetematicreviewofresearchinchildwelfarepractice(2000-2012),ChildrenandYouthServicesReview,35(1),1843-18537Morrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishing


Thereareotherwaystoconsiderhowdifferentinterestsarerepresentedinsupervision.Thesupervisor’sexperienceisdescribedbysomewritersaslikeapiggyinthemiddlerole;tryingtobalancetheorganisation’srequirementswiththeprofession’srequirements.HughesandPengelly8contrastthiswiththeexperienceofsomemedicalpractitionerswhoclaimbothcaseautonomyovercasework(medical)decisionsandpracticeautonomyinorganisingandprioritisingtheirworkindependentofthemanagerialdemandsofthewiderhealthagency.Theysuggestthat’organisationalaspectsofsupervisionhave…oftenbeenperipheral‘intheseprofessionsbutitisinterestingtoreflectonwhetherthismayhavechangedinrecenttimes.Otherwriters,focusingonsupervisioninsocialwork9, note that much of the earlysupervisionliteratureemergedfromtherapeutictraditionswheretheinfluenceoforganisationalcontextwaslessdominant.

8Hughes,LandPengelly,P(1997)SupervisioninaTurbulentEnvironment,London,JessicaKingsley9Brown,AandBourne,I(1996)TheSocialWorkSupervisor,Buckingham,OpenUniversityPress


3. What issupervision?


Bytheendofthissectiontheaimisthatyouwill:

• bemoreknowledgeableaboutthedifferentfunctionsofsupervisionandyourresponsibilitiesassuperviseeorsupervisor

• haveanawarenessandunderstandingofsomemodelsofsupervisionandtheirrelevancetoyourpractice

• beabletocriticallyanalyseandevaluatethesupervisionpoliciesinyourworkplacewithreferencetorelevantmodelsofsupervision.

Section2onthecontextofsupervisionanditsimpactonthewidersystemmayhavefeltabstractbecauseitaskedyoutothinkbroadlyaboutthepurposeofsupervision.However,youwillhaveseentherearecontrastingideasaboutsupervisionwhichhaveresultedinavarietyofdefinitionsandfunctionsofsupervision.Someofthesemayunderpinthesupervisionpoliciesinyourownorganisation.Thissectionexploresthevariationindefinitionsandmodelsinmoreconcretewaysandprovidesguidanceforfurtherreading.

3.1.Definitionsandfunctionsofsupervision

Definitionsofsupervisiontellussomethingaboutwhatsupervisionaimstoachieveorthefunction(s)itintendstofulfil.

Althoughtherearevariousdefinitionsofsupervisiontherearecommonalitiesbetweenthem.Someplacemoreemphasisontheorganisationalpurposeofsupervisionwhileothersfocusmoreontheindividual.Whenanalysingthedifferentaspectsofsupervision,someauthorsidentifythreefunctions,whileothersseetheprocess10 as having four(ormore)functions.Whenreadingthissection,youwillwanttoconsiderwhichdefinitionhasresonanceinyourpracticecontextincludinghowthishasinfluencedyourorganisation’ssupervisionpolicy.

IRISS Insight11onachievingeffectivesupervisionmakesuseoftheCareCouncilforWales’definitionofthepurposeofsupervisionfortheorganisationas:

‘An accountable, two-way process, which supports, motivates and enables the development of good practice for individual social care workers. As a result, this improves the quality of service provided by the organisation.’

The SSSC StepintoLeadershipwebsitehasthefollowingdescriptionofsupervision,whichemphasisestheprofessionaldevelopmentofthesuperviseeinthecontextoftheorganisation’saimsandaccountability,particularlyinrelationtopeoplewhouseservices:

‘Supervision is a process which aims to support, assure and develop the knowledge, skills and values of the person being supervised (supervisee),

10Throughoutthelearningresourcesupervisionisreferredto,andunderstood,asaprocessnot an event.11Kettle,M(2015)AchievingEffectiveSupervision,Insight30.IRISS,www.iriss.org.ukWonnacott,J(2012)MasteringSocialWorkSupervision,London,JessicaKingsley


team or project group. It provides accountability for both the supervisor and supervisee in exploring practice and performance. It also enhances and provides evidence for annual performance review or appraisal; it sits alongside an organisation’s performance management process with particular focus on developing people in a way that is centred on achieving better outcomes for people who use services and their carers.’

TonyMorrison,12whosewritingonsupervisionhashadastronginfluenceinsocialworkandsocialcare,explicitlyrecognisespersonalandprofessionalfunctionsalongsidetheorganisational.Healsopositionstheoverallpurposeofsupervisiontowardsachievingbestoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservices:

‘A process by which one worker is given responsibility by the organisation to work with another worker(s) in order to meet certain organisational, professional and personal objectives which together promote the best outcomes for service users.’

Thishighlightsthedelegated(organisational)authorityofthesupervisorinrelationtothesupervisee.IncontrastthedefinitiongivenbyHawkinsandShohet13onlyindirectlyrecognisestheorganisationaspartofthe‘widersystemiccontext’andinsteademphasisesthesharedprofessionalresponsibilitiesofsuperviseeandsupervisor:

‘Supervision is a joint endeavour in which a practitioner with the help of a supervisor attends to their clients, themselves as part of their client practitioner relationships and the wider systemic context, and by doing so improves the quality of their work, transforms their client relationships, continuously develops themselves, their practice and the wider profession.’

Amorerecentdefinition14highlightsnotonlytheseparatefunctionsofsupervisionbutalsorecogniseshowthesemaybeassignedtomorethanonesupervisor.Thisislikelytobecomeincreasinglycommoninintegratedservicesandwhenstaffmaybelinemanagedbysomeonefromadifferentprofessionalbackground.

‘Social work supervision is an interactive professional relationship and reflectiveprocessthatfocusesonthesupervisee’spractice,professionaldevelopment and well-being, with the objectives of improving, developing, supporting and providing safety for the practitioner and their social work practice. It is distinct and different from counselling/therapy, direct practice and consultation. Supervision may occur through a traditional internal hierarchical arrangement or an external professional arrangement which focuses on all of the areas and objectives, or a mix of internal and external arrangements, which focus on particular areas and objectives.

12Morrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishing13Hawkins,PandShohet,R(2012)SupervisionintheHelpingProfessions,4thed.,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPress14O’Donoghue,K(2015)Issuesandchallengesfacingsocialworksupervisioninthetwenty-firstcentury,ChinaJournalofSocialWork,8:2,136-149


The assigned or designated supervisors may be a line manager, colleague or external consultant/contractor or a combination of these where there is a mixed arrangement.’

WhenconsideringhowtheoverallpurposeofsupervisionisbrokendownintodifferentfunctionsInskippandProctor15identifythree.

• Normative–whichtheydefineasthesharedresponsibilityofbothsupervisorandsuperviseetomonitorstandardsandpracticeinawaywhichisethicalandreflectsthevaluebase16 of the profession.

• Formative–whichtheyseeasthesharedresponsibilityforthesupervisee’sdevelopment.

• Restorative–giventhenatureoftheworksupervisionneedstoprovidearestorativespacetoexploretheimpactandforthepractitionertore-charge.

Morrisonusesdifferentlanguageandaddsafourthelementinthefunctionsofsupervision:

• competent,accountableperformance/practice(thismaybereferredtoasthe managerialfunction)• continuingprofessionaldevelopment• personal support• engagingtheindividualwiththeorganisation(mediation).

Morrisonreferstothisfourthaspectasthemediationfunctionandhighlightsthewaysupervisionincludestheupwardanddownwardflowofinformationinorganisations.ThetableinAppendix1providesamoredetaileddescriptionofsomeofthetasksMorrisonidentifiesascontributingtoeachfunction.

Importantly,Morrisonsees‘personalsupport’asafunctioninitsownrightasdoInskippandProctorwhentheyrefertothe‘restorative’function.Incontrast,HughesandPengellypurposefullydonotdefinesupportasaseparatefunction.Thisisbecausetheyareconcernedthatsupervisees’ownneedscouldtakeprecedenceovertheneedsofpeoplewhouseservices.Theychooseinsteadtothinkofsupportasanelementunderpinningthethreekeyfunctionsofsupervisionwhichtheyidentifyas:

• managingservicedelivery• facilitatingpractitioner’sprofessionaldevelopment• focusingonpractitioner’swork.

15InskippandProctor,citedinDavys,AandBeddoe,L(2010)BestPracticeinSupervision:Aguideforthehelpingprofessions,London,JessicaKingsley.16OneplacewhereprofessionalvaluesareoutlinedisinprofessionalCodesofPractice.ForworkersinScotland’ssocialservicesthisistheSSSCCodesofPracticeforSocialServiceWorkersandEmployers(2016).


HughesandPengellyemphasisethatthereareeffectivelythreeparticipantsinsuper-vision.Whilepeopleusingservicesarenotphysicallypresentintheroom,itisvitallyimportantbothsupervisorandsuperviseeactivelyconsidertheirperspective.Itcanbehelpfultoholdtheimageofatriangle(representingsupervisor,superviseeandpeopleusingservices)asameansofmakingsureattentionstaysfocusedonoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservices.

Exercise 4

Find the supervision policy in your organisation

Wasiteasytoaccess?Isitreferredtoregularly?Readitandidentifytheextentitexplicitlydrawsonandintegratesthefunctionsofsupervisionyouhavejustreadabout.Isitpossibletoidentifythekeytheoriesorprincipleswhichhaveinformedthepolicy?

Consider your own experiences of supervision in the organisation where you currently work

Towhatextentarethefunctionsoutlinedinyourorganisation’spolicyputintopractice?Isthereabalanceacrossdifferentfunctions?Ifso,howisthisachieved?Ifnot,whataspectsofsupervisionseemtotakepriorityandwhy?


Itcansometimesbehelpfultolookatanotherorganisation’ssupervisionpolicytohelpthinkaboutwhatyourorganisationdoeswellandwhatitmightwanttochange.ENABLEScotlandhasdevelopeditssupervisionpolicyandpracticeanditsheadoflearningandprofessionaldevelopmentreflectsontheprocessbelow,withlinkstothetemplate(Appendix2)currentlyusedtorecordsupervision.

Supervision to support personalised services

ENABLEScotlandrecentlyreviseditsapproachtosupportandsupervisiontobettersupportpersonalisedservices.Weusedaproactiveanddynamicapproachforthistask.Agroupofstaffmettotry,learn,adaptandimprovetheexistingapproachandtotroubleshootissues.Weusedparticipativeleadership,personcentredapproaches,afocusontheoutcomesofthepeoplewesupport,theEuropeanFoundationforQualityManagement(EFQM)qualityframeworkandtheSSSCcompetenciesoftheContinuousLearningFrameworktounderpindevelopmentofthesystemandprocesses.Thestaffusedaquickturnaroundandfollowedaniterativeplan,do,check,act,approach.Thisenabledthepaperworktoimproveasitwastrialled.

Wechosetouseopenquestionstoencouragefirstlinemanagersandpersonalassistantstofocusonresilienceandstrength.Forexample,staffmembersareasked‘Whatareyoursuccesses?Whatareyoupleasedabout?’Theyarealsoasked‘Whatwillyoufocusontohelppeopleusingservicesmovetowardspersonaloutcomes?’Workersareencouragedtoseekfeedbackfromothers.Thiscomplementsa‘noblame’improvementculturewherestaffmembershavecopingstrategiesbeyondthesupervisionsessions.

SeethecurrentformweusetorecordsupervisioninAppendix2.ThisismerelyasupporttogoodconversationandopendialogueinsupervisionandwillbereviewedagainbasedonfeedbackfromENABLEScotlandstaffonitsusefulness.


MidlothianCouncilhasalsoreviewedandamendeditssupervisionpolicytostrengthenitsfocusonoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservices.Itspracticelearninganddevelopmentmanager(healthandsocialcare)outlinestheprocesstakenonthenextpage.

Midlothian Council’s review of their supervision policy

AsmallgroupofteamleadersacrossadultandsocialcareandchildrenandfamiliesworkedwiththelearninganddevelopmentmanagertoreviewMidlothianCouncil’ssupervisionpolicy.Weconsideredarangeofoutcomes-basedsupervisionpolicies.Afterconsultingstaffandseveraldrafts,wewroteandadoptedanoutcomes-basedsupervisionpolicyandguidance.

Werecognisedtheriskatthispointwasalackofimplementation.Throughtheinitiativeofkeyteamleadersandlearninganddevelopmentstaffwetookforwardanumberofactions.

• Developmentofanobservedpracticetemplatetouseforannualfeedback withstaffinrelationtotheirpractice.• Smallgrouptoplanatrainingdayonplanningandimplementinggroup supervision–thiswasidentifiedasanimportantpartofimplementingarange ofmethodsofsupervision.• Ongoingtrainingineffectivesupervisionskills–toprovidesupportand practicaltools/frameworksfordevelopingsupervisionpractice.• Gatheringfeedbackfromteamleadersabouthowtheywereshiftingtheir approachesinsupervision,forexamplestartingwithdevelopmentalareas, askingthestaffmembertoprioritiseeightmostimportantareasofworkfor discussiontoavoidanoverlycasemanagementapproach.• Linkingsupervisionpolicytotheappraisalprocesssobothareoutcomes insteadofobjectivesbased.

Onreflection,theintegration(ofhealthandsocialcare)agendawasnotaddressedalongsidedevelopingthesupervisionpolicy.Thedifferentunderstandingsofsupervisionandreflectionbetweenhealthandsocialcareprovidearangeofnewstepsinthejourneyofimplementationandultimatelyensuringimprovedoutcomesforpeopleusingservicesandcarers.

TheChangingLives:21stCenturyReviewofSocialWorkreport17identifiedtheneedforpractitionerstobebothautonomousandaccountable.Autonomousdoesnotmeanthepractitionerisentirelyindependentbutimpliestheyareabletomakedecisionsappropriatetotheirroleandfunction.Accountabilityisaboutbeingabletoexplainhowandwhythepractitionermadethosedecisions.Theauthorityyouhave(delegatedbyyourorganisationandbecauseofyourprofessionalandpersonal

17ScottishExecutive(2006)ChangingLives:Reportofthe21stCenturySocialWorkReview,Edinburgh:ScottishExecutive


experience)andtheauthorityofyoursupervisor/superviseewillberelevantwhenconsideringtheappropriatebalancebetweenautonomyandaccountability.Reflectingonthedefinitionsandfunctionsofsupervisionshouldstarttotriggerthoughtsforyouabouttheauthorityyouassumeexistsinyoursupervisoryrelationships.Whilealldefinitionshighlightthemanagerialresponsibilitiesheldbysupervisors,theseresponsibilitiesdonotabsolvethesuperviseeofpractice(andprofessional)responsibilitiesorofallauthoritytomakedecisionsinworksituations.Therewillbesomeareasofauthoritywhicharenegotiatedbetweensuperviseeandsupervisorandotherswhichareassignedtooneorotherbecauseoftheirroleandresponsibilitiesortheirprofessionalbackgroundand/orexperience.

Exercise 5

Severalmodelsofsupervisionemphasisethesharedresponsibilitythatsupervisorandsuperviseehaveformakingsuresupervisioniseffective.IntheexamplegivenbyENABLEScotlandthisextendedtojointresponsibilityforthedesignofthesupervisionprocessitself.Canyoudescribethewaysyoufeelresponsibilityissharedinyourownsupervisionandreflectonwaysthiscouldbeenhanced?

3.2 Balancing the functions of supervision

Youhavenowconsideredthedifferentfunctionsofsupervision.UsingMorrison’sframeworktheseincludethemanagement,support,developmentandmediationfunctions.InScotland,ChangingLives18notedaconcernthatsupervisionhadbecometooweightedtowardsthemanagerialfunction.Manywritershaveidentifiedhowthemanagementfunctionmaydominate19withtheresultthatsupervisionfocusestoomuchonperformancemonitoringandcaseloadmanagement.Thereisariskofthishappeningwhenallfourfunctionsareincludedinasinglesupervisoryrelationshipasiscommoninsocialworkteams.

Therearemanyreasonsforthisimbalancetooccur.Wherethemanagement function dominatesitmaybebecause:

• thereissignificantpressuretoreportonworktofunders,seniormanagementandinspectors

• thereisanaversiontoriskandapresumptionthatonewayofmanagingthisistomakesurethatcomprehensiveinformationiscollectedandscrutinised

18ScottishExecutive(2006)ChangingLives:Reportofthe21stCenturySocialWorkReview,Edinburgh:ScottishExecutive19Noble,CandIrwin,J(2009)SocialWorkSupervision:AnExplorationoftheCurrentChallengesinaRapidlyChangingSocial,EconomicandPoliticalEnvironment,JournalofSocialWork,9(3),pp.345–358Gordon,R.andHendry,E.(2010)SupervisingAssessmentsofChildrenandFamilies:Theroleofthefront-Linemanagers,inJ.Horwath(ed.)TheChild’sWorld:TheComprehensiveResourcetoAssessingChildreninNeed,2nded.London,JessicaKingsleyO’Donoghue,K(2015)Issuesandchallengesfacingsocialworksupervisioninthetwenty-firstcentury,ChinaJournalofSocialWork,8(2),136-149


• thereisalackoftrustbetweentheparticipantsinsupervision• thecultureoftheorganisationisdefensive• thesupervisorisuncomfortablewithher/hisauthorityandovercompensatesbybeingexcessivelydemanding

• thesupervisorislesscomfortableinthesupportroleand/orlackstheskillstopromotedevelopmentorreflection.

In other situations the supportivefunctionmaydominate.Thismightbebecause:

• thesupervisorisawareofthepressureher/hisstaffareunderandtriestocompensatebybeingprotective

• thesupervisorisuncomfortablewithher/hisauthorityandovercompensatesbybeingexcessivelynurturing

• theboundarybetweenpersonalandprofessionalissuesisunclearandthesupervisorgetspulledintoacounselling/therapeuticrole20

• thesuperviseeisnotfullyconfidentintheirprofessionalroleandcanbeoverlydependentonthesupervisor

• theorganisationhasatough‘macho’cultureandsupervisionisacompensatoryspace.

Thevalueofafourfunctionmodelinasinglesupervisoryrelationshipisthatbothparties(supervisorandsupervisee)havetomanagethebalancebetweenfunctions.Inaconsistentsupervisoryrelationshipyoucanoftenworkthroughthetensionsevenifthereisnoperfectsolution.Oneofthebestremediesforanimbalanceinthefunctionsistoconsciouslyreintroducethoseelementsthathavegonemissing.Asupervisormayposealearningquestiontoshifttheconversationintodevelopmentorintroduceateamororganisationalperspective(mediation)toshiftthefocusfrommorepersonaldiscussion.

Insomeorganisations,oneapproachistoseparatethefunctionsofsupervisionandgivethesetodifferentpeople.BradleyandHojer21explorecontrastingpracticeintheUKandSwedenwherethereisoftenadividebetweenlinemanagementandconsultation.Ifyouareworkinginacontextwherethefunctionsofsupervisionaresplit,youwillwanttoconsiderthebenefitsofthisforyou,forpeoplewhouseservicesandcarersandfortheorganisation.Forexampleitcanhelptomakesurethespaceforreflectionisnotlost.Asharedsupervisoryarrangementcancreateitsownchallenges.Wheretherearetwopeoplesharingresponsibilityforthefourfunctionsthesplitmaybebetweenanoperationsmanager,whoattendstoworkflowissues,performancemonitoringandorganisationalrequirementsandapracticeorclinicalsupervisorwhosefocusisonthepractitioner’sdevelopmentandsupport,sometimesinthecontextofaparticularprofession.Thismayhelptomakesureprofessionaldevelopmentand/orsupportneedsareaddressed.Howeveriftheroles

20Cousins,C(2010)‘TreatMeDon’tBeatMe’….ExploringSupervisoryGamesandTheirEffect21Bradley,GandHojer,F2009Supervisionreviewed:reflectionsontwodifferentsocialworkmodelsinEnglandandSweden,EuropeanJournalofSocialWork,12(1),71-85


andresponsibilitiesarenotclearlydefinedandunderstoodbyallpartiesinvolvedthepractitionercan:

• receiveconflictingmessages• fallbetweentwopossiblesourcesofsupportbecauseofassumptionstheother personisprovidingsomethingtheyarenot• exploitdifferencesbetweensupervisorstoavoidtasksorresponsibilities.

Ifyousupervise(oraresupervised)inaworksettingwherethefunctionsareallocatedtodifferentpeople,itwillbeusefultothinkabouthowtominimiseoravoidsomeofthepotentialdifficultiesincludingfragmentation,duplicationandomission.Ataminimum,werecommendyouhaveoccasionalthree-waymeetingstodiscussarrangementsandexplorethekindsofchallengesthatmayariseaswellasmakingthemostofthebenefits.

Thereisanincreasingfocusonintegrationinsocialservicesanditisnotunusualforsomeonefromadifferentprofessionalbackgroundtosupervisestaff.Intheseinstances,thedifferentfunctionsmaybedistributedacrosstwoormoremembersofstaff.Ifthisispartofyourexperience,asasupervisororsupervisee,oryouarethinkingaboutthepossiblebenefitsthismaybring,thereisashortfilm(Supervisioninanintegratedsetting)ontheSocialCareInstituteforExcellence(SCIE)websitewhichshowshowpracticeinanintegratedsettingcanbeenhancedby‘complementinglinemanagementsupervisionwithclinicalandprofessionalsupervision’.

Exercise 6

Whatdoyouthinkwouldbethebestpossiblearrangementsforsupervisioninyourorganisation?Whatwouldthechallengesbeandhowcouldtheybeaddressed?

3.3 Outcome focused supervision

Therehasbeenanincreasedemphasisonimprovingoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservicesandforcarersinrecentyears.Inpart,thishasbeeninresponsetoevidencethat,despiteextensiveinputfromsocialcareandsocialworkservices,therewaslimitedimpactonsomepeople’sdaytoday,livedexperience22. This emphasis is also informedbyshiftsinthebalanceofpowerbetweenprofessionalsandpeopleusingservicessoindividualshaveagreaterroleindesigningandcommissioningtheirownsupport.Reflectingthisfocusonoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservicesandcarers,therehasbeenasimilarshiftinsupervisionwiththedevelopmentofpolicieswhichencouragesupervisees/supervisorstouseanoutcomefocusedapproachinsupervisionsessions.

22ScottishExecutive(2002)“It’severyone’sjobtomakesureI’malright”,Edinburgh,ScottishExecutive


Inthecontextofworkingwithyoungpeople,Bucknell23developedacyclicalmodelforoutcomefocusedsupervision.Workingtogether,thesupervisorandsuperviseefirstlyfocusonthefuture–whatarethedesiredoutcomestheyareworkingtowards?Nexttheyidentifyspecificgoalsandrealistictimescalesforachievingthese.Asafoundationformovingforward,theyconsiderexistingstrengthsandhowthesecandevelopfurther.Progressissustainedbycontinuallylookingatthenextstepsandusingthesupervisoryspacetorehearseorpreparefornewkindsofengagementwiththeyoungperson.Inthismodel,thesupervisoriscommittedtogivingregular,constructivefeedbackandtheprocessincludesongoingreviewsothatprogressisevaluatedandgoalsrevisitedasappropriate.

Bucknellhighlightsthewaythisapproach:

‘parallels the supportive and shared process the supervisee is building with the young person’.

AlthoughBucknelldevelopedthiscyclicalapproachfordirectworkwithyoungpeople,itcanbeappliedacrossotherareasofpractice.Themodelmighthelpyouthinkaboutthedifferentaspectsofoutcomefocusedsupervisionandtofocusmoreclearlyonoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservicesaswellasforyourselfasapractitioner.

Exercise 7

UsethefollowingpromptsbasedonBucknell’smodeltothinkaboutarelativelyroutineproblemorissue(foryouorforsomeoneyouworkwith)andhowaclearfocusonoutcomesmighthelp.Youmaywanttousethisexerciseasabasisfordiscussioninsupervision.

• Whatdoyouwanttoachieveortochangeinthesituation?• Whatexistingstrengthsorcapabilitiesmighthelpyou?• Whatmightbethefirststep?Thiscouldincludeshadowingaworkcolleague, readinganarticleorlisteningtoapodcast.• Howmightyoutestoutyourideas?Thiscouldincluderehearsingsomething withapeeroryoursupervisorortakingonanewpieceofwork.• Whatisthemosteffectivewayforyoutoreceivefeedback?• Howwillyouusefeedbacktohelpyouachieveyourgoal?

23Bucknell,D.OutcomeFocusedSupervisioninH.L.Reid,andJ.Westergaard,(2006)ProvidingSupportandSupervision:Anintroductionforprofessionalsworkingwithyoungpeople,Oxon,Routledge5


4. Supervisioncontracts


Inanearliersectionofthisresourceweaskedyoutofindthecurrentsupervisionpolicyinyourorganisation.Oneaspectofpolicyandpracticeistheuseofsupervisioncontracts(alsocalledsupervisionagreementsorworkingagreements).Thissectionexplorestheprincipleswhichshouldunderpinsupervisioncontractsandhowtousetheminameaningfulwayinthesupervisionprocess.


• haveanawarenessandunderstandingofthewaysupervisioncontractscontributetotheprocessofsupervisionandcanreflectthevaluesandprincipleswhichshouldunderpinsupervision

• beabletocriticallyanalyseyourroleandresponsibilitiesinrelationtosupervisionandconsiderhowyoucancontributetothesupervisioncontracts.

The literature on supervision highlights the importance of supervision contracts24. However,practitionersandmanagerswhocontributedtothisresourcetoldustheiruseinpracticeisvariable.Someorganisationsdonotusethecontractsconsistentlywithallmembersofstaff;inotherinstancestheyareneverreviewedaftertheyarepreparedatthebeginningofanewsupervisoryrelationship;sometimesthesuperviseeintroducestheminresponsetodifficultiesinthesupervisoryrelationshiporwherethereareconcernsaboutpractice.Evenwhensupervisioncontractsareinplace,theymaybeviewedasonlya‘formfillingexercise’25ratherthanbeingseenasavaluablepartoftheprocessofsupervision.

Thereisevidencetosuggestprocessesanddynamicsinthesupervisoryrelationshiparesometimesmirroredinpractice26andtheconversecanalsobethecase27. When criticallyreflectingontheroleofsupervisioncontracts,youmightfindithelpfultothinkaboutagreementsorcontractsyouhavewithpeoplewhouseservicesandhowsomeoftheprinciplesunderpinningthesecouldtransfertoasupervisioncontract.Forexample,itwouldbeunusualtodrawupacontractwithsomeoneusingservicesatthebeginningofyourworkingrelationshipandneverreviewit.

24Hawkins,PandShohet,R(2012)SupervisionintheHelpingProfessions,4thed.,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPressMorrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishing25Wonnacott,J(2014)DevelopingandSupportingEffectiveStaffSupervision:Areadertosupportthedeliveryofstaffsupervisiontrainingforthoseworkingwithvulnerablechildren,adults,andtheirfamilies,Brighton,PavilionPublishing26Munro,E(2011)TheMunroReviewofChildProtection:FinalReport,London,DepartmentforEducationFerguson,H(2011)ChildProtectionPractice,London,Palgrave27Hawkins,PandShohet,R(2012)SupervisionintheHelpingProfessions,4thed.,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPresseOfsted(2012)Highexpectations,highsupportandhighchallenge,Manchester,Ofsted,28Morrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishingwww.ofsted.gov.uk


Morrison28usestheanalogyofathree-leggedstooltothinkaboutthedifferentcomponentsofasupervisioncontract.Thisdrawsattentiontothefactthatneglectinganyofthesekeyareaswillcausethestooltowobbleandunderminethefoundationsofthesupervisoryrelationship.

Administrative

Thisincludespracticaldetailsaboutthefrequency,locationandrecordingofsupervision,includingwheresupervisionrecordswillbestoredandwhatarrangementsaremadeforreschedulingsupervisionifaplannedsessionhastobecancelled.Itshouldalsoincludeadateforreview.Theimportanceofthisbasicinformationshouldnotbeunderestimated;itprovidesalevelofpredictabilityandclearfoundationsfortherelationship.

Professional

Thisinvolvestheparticipants(andtheorganisationatawiderlevel)havingadialogueaboutandexplicitlynotingthepurpose,focus,andprinciplesofsupervision.Thisistoenableclarityaboutaccountability,includingthemeaningofandlimitsto,confidentiality.Itshouldoutlinewhatparticipantsshoulddoifthereareconcernsaboutpractice,oraboutthenatureofthesupervisoryrelationship.Itmayalsobehelpfultostateexplicitlywhatwillhappenintheeventofadisputebetweensupervisorandsupervisee,forexampleinvolvementofathirdparty.

Balanced supervision contracts

Threekeyelements:

Administrative

Professional

Psychological


Psychological

Thisinvolvesaconversationaboutthemotivation,commitmentandsharedresponsibilitiesinsupervisionandisbasedontheprinciplethateachparticipantcontributestothesupervisoryrelationship.Negotiatingthispartoftheagreementmightincludereflectingonexpectations;clarifyingwhateachpersonwouldliketogetfromthesupervisoryprocessandwhatasuccessfulsupervisionrelationshipwouldlooklike.Itmightalsoincludediscussionofhowthesuperviseelikestoreceivefeedback;whatwouldbethelikelywarningsignsiftheywereexperiencingstressoranxietyforexample.

Theparticulardesignandcontentofyoursupervisioncontractwillvaryaccordingtoyourworksettingandthepeopleinvolved.ThereareexamplesofsupervisioncontractsinbothMorrisonandWonnacott’spublications29andsomesuggestedcontentisbelow.JaneWonnacottobservesthevalueofacontractlieslessinthepaperworkproducedthanintheprocessthatparticipantshaveusedtocometotheiragreement.

Asupervisioncontractmightincludethefollowingareas(adaptedfromtheSocialCareInstituteforExcellencewebsite).

Arrangements for planned one-to-one supervision–includingthevenue,frequency,durationandwhatthearrangementsareifsupervisor/superviseehastocancelduetoanemergency.

Arrangements for complementary methods of supervision–forexampleadhocarrangements,phone,Skypeorgroup.

Link between supervision and other management processes–includingappraisal,personaldevelopmentplans,postregistrationtrainingandlearning(PRTL)arrangements(whererelevant)andabsencemanagement.

The purpose and content of supervision sessions–includingagendaitemswhichreflectthedifferentfunctionsofsupervision.Therewillbesomeroutineagendaitemsandotherspecificissuesbroughtbysuperviseeorsupervisor.Bothpartiesshouldbeclearhowthenegotiableaspectsoftheagendawillbeprioritised.

The expectations of the supervisee regarding supervision–whendrawingupsupervisioncontractsitcanbehelpfulforthesuperviseetoreflectontheirpastexperienceofsupervisionandhowthismayaffecttheircurrentexpectationsoftheprocess,alongwiththeirexpectationsofthesupervisor.

29Morrison,T(2005)SupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.Brighton,PavilionPublishingWonnacott,J(2014)DevelopingandSupportingEffectiveStaffSupervision:Areadertosupportthedeliveryofstaffsupervisiontrainingforthoseworkingwithvulnerablechildren,adults,andtheirfamilies,Brighton,PavilionPublishing


The expectations of the supervisor –includingtheirexpectationsofthesuperviseeandwhatthisisbasedon,includingexperienceandprofessionalexpertise.

Preparation by the supervisor–includingbecomingfamiliarwiththesupervisee’scurrentworkandpreviousexperiences.

Preparation by the supervisee–includinghowtheycancontributetotheagendabyidentifyingissues/practicesituationstheywishtodiscuss.

Factors that you may need to take into account in the development of this supervisory relationship–forexamplegender,disability,race,culture,age,sexualorientation.Itisalsohelpfultodiscussthelearningstyleofthesuperviseeandhowtogivefeedbackinawaywhichismosteffective.

Raisingandresolvingdifficulties–thisincludesconcernsaboutpracticeand/orwherethereareproblemsinworkingtogetherandthemethodsforresolvingthis.

Recording supervision–thisshouldclarifywhoseresponsibilityitistorecordsupervision;wheresupervisionwillberecorded;whatprocessesareinplaceforresolvinganydisagreementsaboutwhathasbeenrecordedandaccesstorecords.Aspartofthisdiscussion,thelimitstoconfidentialityneedtobeexplicit.

Appendix3includesalistofquestionsyoumightfindhelpfulwhendrawingup(orreviewing)asupervisioncontract.

Exercise 8

Thinkaboutyourcurrentexperienceofsupervision.

Doyouuseasupervisioncontract?Ifnot,whatbenefitsdoyouthinkitmightbringtoyoursupervision?Ifyoualreadyhaveasupervisioncontract,doyouthinkitaddressesallthreeelementsinaneffectiveway(administrative,professionalandpsychological)?

Asupervisionrelationshipwillchangeovertimeasyougainexperienceanddevelopinyourpractice.Youneedtoreflectthisinyoursupervisioncontract.Whenwasitlastreviewed?Arethereanychangesneededandwhatbenefitsmightthisbring?


5. Differentapproaches to supervision


Earlierintheresourceyouconsideredthedifferentfunctionsofsupervision,however,therearealsodifferentmodelsofsupervision.


• haveacriticalunderstandingofthescopeofsupervision,includingthedifferentformssupervisioncantake.

The StepintoLeadershipwebsitehasasectiononsupervisionwhichidentifiesanddefinesfourdifferentformsofsupervision.

One-to-one supervisionOne-to-onesupervisioniswidelyusedandthesupervisorisusuallythesupervisee’slinemanager.Sessionsareformallypre-arrangedandtakeplaceinaconfidentialsettingandprotectedplace.

Shared supervisionSharedsupervisionallowsteamstoshareresponsibilityforsupervisingindividuals.Sharedsupervisionisstillconductedone-to-onebutthesupervisorinthiscasewillnotbethesupervisee’slinemanager,insteadheorshewillbeapractitionerwhohasskillsandexperiencerelevanttothesupervisee’scurrentprojectsorcaseloadandsoisabletoprovidespecificallyrelevantsupportand/ormentoring.

Group supervisionGroupsupervisionisusuallyfacilitatorledviaaformal,pre-arrangedprocessthatisagreedbythesupervisorandsupervisees.Themake-upofthegroupdependson the goals of the supervision. Group supervision complements, rather than substitutes,individualsupervision,thoughitmayreducehowoftenyouneedone-to-onesupervision.

Professional supervisionProfessionalsupervisionisforprofessionallyqualifiedworkersinsocialservices.Professionalsupervisionsupportssuperviseestomaintainprofessionalidentity,knowledgeandmeettheirpostregistrationtrainingandlearningrequirements.

Thisisjustonewayofconsideringdifferentkindsofsupervision.Forexample,manypeoplemightviewsupervisionofallstaff,qualifiedandunqualified,asa professional activity.Andone-to-one supervision is the most common form of supervision for professionallyqualifiedworkers.

Insomesettings,suchasresidentialcare,shiftworkingcreateschallengesforstaffsupervisionandamodelofshared supervisionmaybeusedwheretwoormoremanagerssharethesupervisionofindividualstaff.Inthatsituationworkerswillreceiveone-to-onesupervisionbutnotalwayswiththesamesupervisor.


Someorganisationsmayofferpeer supervisionortheremaybeopportunitiestoconsultwithanexternalsupervisoraswellasthesupervisionprovidedbyalinemanager.Thereareavarietyofwaysofstructuringgroupsupervisionaswellasthemodeldescribedabove.Inparticular,group supervisionmaybenefitworkerswhoarethemselvesengagedingroupworkandcanusethesupervisionspacetoexploresomeofthedynamicsandchallengestheyencounterintheirpractice.

Dependingonyourroleandyourspecificworksettingyoumayhaveexperienceofdifferentformsofsupervisionoryoumayonlybefamiliarwithoneapproach.Ifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutothermodelsyoucanreadmoreabouttheseinthesectionon supervision on the StepintoLeadershipwebsiteortheresourceslistedattheendof this resource.


6. Different types of one-to-one supervision


Thisresourceclearlyexplainssupervisionisaprocess,notanevent.Intheprevioussection,weaskedyoutothinkaboutarangeofapproachestosupervisionandinthissectionyouwilllookinmoredepthatdifferentaspectsofone-to-onesupervision. Bytheendofthissectiontheaimisthatyouwillbeableto:

• criticallyreflectonthebenefitsanddrawbacksofanumberoftypesofone-to-onesupervisionandthepossibleimplicationswhereonemethodisusedtotheexclusionofothers.

Asyouwillknowfromyourownexperienceworkinginsocialservicesinvolvesdealingwithsituationswhichcanbeunpredictableandchallenging.Asaresultitisimportantsupervisioncanberesponsiveandflexible.Thismeansthatalthoughstructuredplannedone-to-onesupervisionsessionsareimportant,therewillbetimeswhenanissueneedstobediscussedmoreurgently.Wonnacott30describesfourdifferenttypesofone-to-onesupervision(below),allhavebenefitsanddrawbacks.Whenreadingabouttheseyoumightfinditusefultoreflectonyourownsupervisiondiscussionsoverthelastfewmonthsandconsiderwhetheronekindofdiscussiontendstodominateandifso,whydoesthathappen?Thinkaboutthepossibleimplicationsofthisforyou,fortheorganisationandforpeoplewhouseservices.

Formal and informal supervision

30Wonnacott,J(2014)DevelopingandSupportingEffectiveStaffSupervision:Areadertosupportthedeliveryofstaffsupervisiontrainingforthoseworkingwithvulnerablechildren,adults,andtheirfamilies,Brighton,PavilionPublishing

Formal,planned,one-to-onesessions

Formalmeeting setupbetweenplannedsessions

Plannedinformal sessions

Ad-hocinformal discussion


• Formal planned one-to-one sessions

Theseprovideconsistency,predictabilityandregularityandarelikelytofacilitatethedevelopmentofapositiverelationship.Theyallowfortheongoingreviewofpracticeissueslinkedtosupervisionrecords(managerialfunction),aswellasmaintainingafocusondevelopmentalneeds.

Buttherearedrawbackstorelyingsolelyonformalsessions,particularlyinsituationswheretherearefastmovingpracticedevelopments.Theymaynotbesufficientlyresponsiveinunpredictable,challengingsituations.

• Formal meeting set up between planned sessions, often to discuss a specificissue.

Theseareresponsivetoimmediateneedandlikelytobeimportantindebriefingincidentsorwhenmakingurgentdecisions.Theyareanimportantaspectofmanagementaccountabilityandsupport.

Butrelyingonthisformofsupervisionaloneisunlikelytoaddressongoingprofessionaldevelopmentneedsandmayresultinlonggapsbetweensessions.

• Planned informal sessions for example arranging a discussion at the workers desk or speaking on the telephone after a visit.

Thismayprovidesupportincircumstanceswhereamoreformaldiscussionisnotpossible.

Butthereisatendencytorecordthesediscussionspoorly.Theremaybeissuesrelatingtothesupervisee’ssupportordevelopmentneedsthatneedtobenotedintheirsupervisionrecord.Itmayalsomeansignificantrisksandconcernsarenotformallyrecordedandtheremaybelackofclarityregardingroles,responsibilitiesandactions.

• Ad-hoc informal conversations (in his report into the death of Victoria Climbié, Lord Laming31 referred to these critically as ‘corridor supervision’)

Thesemayhavesomelimitedvalueingivingreassurancetothesuperviseethattheirissues/concernsareheard.

Butitisfarmorechallengingtorecordimportantissuesrelatingtothedevelopmentneedsoftheworkerand/orpracticeissues,maygetlost,withrepercussionsforplansanddecisionmakinginrelationtopeoplewhouseservices,carersand/orworkers.

Discussionsmaybreachconfidentialityanditislikelythatsuperviseeandsupervisormovestraighttoactionandoverlookreflectionandanalysis.Thismayleadtoflawed

31Laming,W.H.(2003)TheVictoriaClimbiéInquiry:reportofaninquirybyLordLaming


decisionmaking,withconsequencesforallstakeholders.Thestatusofthedecisionmaybeunclear.

Exercise 9

Doaninformalauditofthekindsofsupervisiondiscussionyouhaveatwork.

Thinkaboutthedifferentkindsofsupervisionyouexperience.Doesoneapproachtendtodominateandifso,why?

Thinkingaboutformalandinformalsupervisionandaboutplannedoradhocdiscussionswhatimpactdoeseachofthesehaveonoutcomesfor:

• thepeopleyouareworkingwith

• youasaworker

• yoursupervisor

• yourorganisation?

Howmightyouraisethisissueinsupervisionandwhatchanges,ifany,wouldyouliketomake?


7. Group supervision



• haveacriticalunderstandingofthebenefitsandlimitationsofgroupsupervision• havereflectedonhowyoumightusegroupsupervisiontocomplementone-to- one supervision.

Thereisincreasinginterestingroupsupervisionandwhatitcanoffer.Thissectionexploressomeaspectsofgroupsupervisionandconsidersthebenefitsofthisapproachaswellassomeofthechallengesinvolvedintakingpartin,orfacilitating,group supervision.

KadushinandHarkness32definedgroupsupervisionas:

‘theuseofagroupsettingtoimplementtheresponsibilities(orfunctions)ofsupervision’.

Theyspecificallynotedhowitdiffersfromotherorganisationalactivitieswhichmightinvolvegroupsbutarenotsetuptomeetthefunctionsofsupervisionforexampleateammeetingisnotaformofgroupsupervision.AnumberofauthorsincludingBrownandBourne33highlightthatgroupsupervisionmaynotaddressallthefunctionsofsupervisionbutmaybeused‘toimplementpartoralloftheresponsibilitiesofsupervision’.Oneoftheimplicationsofthisisthatgroupsupervisionismostoftenusedtocomplementone-to-onesupervisionandisrarelysufficientonitsowntomeetthesupervisoryneedsofindividualworkers.

Theliteratureonsupervisionhasidentifiedpositivefeaturesassociatedwithgroupsupervision.

• Groupsupervisionallowspractitionerstosharetheirexperienceswithothersinsimilarcircumstances,whichaimstoincreaseopportunitiesforlearning,newideasandemotionalsupport.

• Groupsupervisioncanbeapowerfulmeansofreducingisolation,whichisparticularlyrelevantforstaffworkingshiftsorworkfromhomeorontheirown.Itcansupportthedevelopmentofgroupcohesionandsharedvalues.

• Thegroupmayallowdifferentviewsandopinionstobevoiced.Thiskindofdiversity,includingideaswhichmaychallengethoseofthesupervisormaybemoredifficulttoachieveinone-to-onesupervision,sotheremaybemoredistributionofpoweringroupsupervision.

• Beinginvolvedingroupsupervisionmayhelpparticipantsdevelopskillswhicharetransferabletootherpracticesituations,manyoftheseinvolveworkinginteamsandgroups.

32Kadushin,AandHarkness,D(2002)SupervisioninSocialWork.4thed.,NewYork,33Brown,AandBourne,I.(1996)TheSocialWorkSupervisor,Buckingham,OpenUniversity


• Groupsupervisionmaybeseenasanefficientuseoftimeandresources.Issueswhicharerelevanttoanumberofstaff(forexample,concerningpoliciesandprocedures)canbecommunicatedanddiscussedinthegroupratherthanonaone-to-onebasis.

Howeveryouneedtoconsiderthebenefitsalongsidesomepotentialchallenges.

• Ingroupsupervisionitisdifficulttomeetthespecificneedsofindividualparticipantsandthereisariskdiscussionsremaingeneralisedanddonotmeetanyone’sneedsinasatisfactoryway.

• Inindividualsupervisionthereisaclearfocusonthesupervisee,whileinagroupsettingsomepeoplemayhideorhavetheirneedsoverlooked.

• Ingroupsupervisionthefacilitatorneedstobeconfidentinmanagingandrespondingtodifferentgroupdynamicsinaconstructiveway.Inmanyrespectsthisisamoredemandingrolethanone-to-onesupervision.

• Inanygroupthereistheriskpeoplewhoaremoreconfidentoroutspokendominateandthevoicesofquieterorlessexperiencedindividualsarenotheard.Althoughthepowerofthesupervisormaybemorelimitedthaninone-to-onesupervisionotherpowerdynamicsmayhaveanunhelpfulimpact.

• Thereareoccasionswheretheinteractioninagroupcandistractfromthetaskinanunhelpfulwayordoesnotfeelsafeforsome/allofthegroupparticipants.

• Ingroupsupervisionthefocuscanshiftfromthepeoplewhouseservicestotheneedsofgroupmembers.Althoughthiscanalsohappeninone-to-onesupervisionitrequiresparticularattentioninthecomplexdynamicsofagroup,particularlyifthereisasensethatpracticeissuesarebeingmirroredor‘playedout’intheinteractionsbetweenparticipants.

• Agroupwhichistoocohesiveandharmoniousmaymakeitdifficultforindividualmemberstoexpressdifferentviewsorchallengethegroupnorms.Thiscanleadtothekindofconformitywhichlimitsnewideas,constructivedebateandsounddecisionmaking.


ThepracticeexamplebelowfromClackmannanshireandStirlingCouncilshowshowithasintroducedgroupsupervisionaspartofitsoutcomesfocusedapproachtosupervision.

Clackmannanshire and Stirling Council: group supervision

ClackmannanshireandStirlingCouncilhasimplementedanoutcomesfocusedapproachtosupervisionandpracticedevelopmentplanning.Inthepracticeguidanceforthepolicyandpracticestandards,weidentifyandvalidatearangeofsupervisionmodelsusedacrosssocialservices.Thishasprovidedbothaframeworkandaclearerfocusforgroupsupervision.Previously,groupsupervisionhadamoreadhocstructureinarangeofformats.Staffsaidthesewouldoftentaketheformofbusinessmeetingsorsessionswhichfocusedonstaffdissatisfactionandwhichcouldsometimesfeelnegativeandunconstructive.Thenewrecordingtoolforgroupsupervisionhasbeensufficientlyflexibleformanagersinadultandchildren’sservicestoadaptittomeetstaffneedsinresidentialandcommunityservices.Thetoolincludespromptstosupportsupervisorstofacilitatemorereflectivediscussionswithafocusonimprovingoutcomesforpeopleusingservicesandcarers.Wehaveevaluatedcompletedrecordsandfeedbackgatheredfromsupervisors.Theyfoundtherecordingtoolprovidedaframeworkfordiscussionwhichallowsstafftoshareknowledgeandbestpracticeandleadstofuturefocusedplansforongoingworkwithpeopleusingservices.Wehaveusedthesecompletedrecordstosupportothersupervisors’learninganddevelopment.TherecordingtoolisinAppendix5.

Thepolicyrecognisesthatstaffwillrequireone-to-onesessionsattimestoexperiencemoreindividualisedadviceandsupport,attendtopersonalpracticedevelopmentplanninganddealwithsensitiveissuesofstaffwelfareorcompetence.Thepracticestandardssetoutexpectationsforindividualsessionstocomplementgroupsupervisionwherethatisthedominantmodel.

Clackmannanshire and Stirling Council’s Group Supervision Record

Appendix5highlightstheneedforclearrecordingsystems.Itisequallyimportantingroupsupervisionasinone-to-onesupervisiontoagreeclearstructuresandhaveaclearpurpose.Thisincludesnegotiatingandmakingclearthefollowingfactorsinagroup supervision contract or agreement.

1) Allparticipantsareclearaboutthepurpose,focusandtasksofthegroup.2) Theauthorityanddecisionmakingpowerofthegroup(includinghowthismightimpactonindividualsupervision)isclear.

3) Agreetheboundariesofthegroupincludinghowlongitwillmeetandwhetheritisopenorclosed.

34Proctor,B(2008)GroupSupervision:aguidetocreativepractice,London,Sage


4) Theroleandauthorityofthefacilitator(includingwhoperformsthisrole)andtheexpectationsofthegroupforexample,attendance,timekeeping.

5) Howtorecordsessionsandhowconfidentialityisunderstoodinthegroup.6)Whatmethodsareusedforexample,discussion,roleplay,actionlearningsets.

MoredetailedguidanceonappropriatecontractingisinBrigidProctor’s34bookongroup supervision. Appendix4offerspracticalguidanceonpreparingforgroupsupervision,makingclearthisisdifferentfromone-to-onesupervisionandthatparticipantsmayfindithelpfultoreflectontheirpreviousexperiencesofbeinginvolvedingroupssotheycanmakebestuseofsupervisioninagroupcontext.

Exercise 10

Whatdoyouthinktheparticularstrengthsandchallengesofgroupsupervisionare:

• foryouasaworker• forthepeoplewhouseyourservice• foryoursupervisor• foryourteamororganisation?


8. Supervision:a space and placefordifficultconversations



• haveincreasedyourawarenessofthedifferentkindsofchallengingconversationswhichbelonginsupervisionandhowyoumightbebetterpreparedforthese.

Earlierintheresourceyouconsideredthedifferentfunctionsofsupervisionandthewaysasupervisoryrelationshipshouldofferaspaceforcriticalreflectionon:

• practice issues• professionaldevelopment• roles in the organisation • thesupportworkersneedtodealwiththeemotionalimpactoftheworktheydo35.

Aspartofthiscriticalreflectivespace,supervisionwillsometimesincludedifficultortoughconversations.Thoseconversationsmaybedifficultbecausetheyexploreaspectsofpracticeandpainfulexperiencesinthelivesofpeoplewhouseservicesincludingloss,loneliness,neglect,abuse,conflict,traumaandillness.Theconversationsmayalsobechallengingbecausesupervisionisaspacewhereworkersshouldbeabletoexploretheimpacttheirworkishavingonthemandtheirownlivesandthismayincludecomplexandconfusingthoughtsandfeelings.Ifthewiderenvironmentandcultureoftheworkplaceisnotonewhichacknowledgestheimportance of emotions then it is all the more crucial that supervisors offer support andencouragementforworkerstorecognisewhentheirworkisaffectingthemonapersonallevel.Openingupthiskindofconversationallowsstafftounderstandthatexpressingfeelingsisnotasignofweaknessbutapartofbeingprofessional.Ithelpsthemmakesuretheirownemotionalreactionstotraumaticordemandingsituationsdonotspilloverinappropriatelyintotheirpractice.Equallyimportantlyitcanhelpreducetheriskofworkspillingoverintotheirpersonallifeinawaywhichisdamagingtotheirhealthandwellbeing.Althoughtheissuesdiscussedmaybedifficultorpainful,thequalityofthesekindsofconversationswillgenerallybesupportiveanddevelopmental.

Thereareotherdifficultconversationsinsupervisionwhichbelongmoreclearlytothemanagerialrole.Thesearesituationswhereasupervisor,aspartoftheirroleinoverseeingsafepracticeandqualitystandards,mayhavetoidentifyandchallengeinstanceswheretheconductorpracticeofaworkerisnotacceptableandcouldbeharmfultopeoplewhouseservices.

Thebestfoundationforsuchconversationsisaclearunderstandingfromearlyinthesupervisionrelationshipoftheperformancerequirementsforthepractitioner’srole.Thisformsthebasisforongoingdiscussionabouthowworkiscarriedoutand

35Ruch,G(2007)“Thoughtful”practice:Childcaresocialworkandtheroleofcasediscussion’,ChildandFamilySocialWork,12,pp.370–9Ruch,G(2008)‘Developing“containingcontexts”forthepromotionofeffectivedirectwork:Thechallengefororganisations’,inB.LuckockandM.Lefevre(eds.),DirectWork:SocialWorkwithChildrenandYoungPeopleinCare,London,BAAF


howitimpactsonthesupervisee.Itismorestraightforwardthentoraisedifficultissuesifproblemsarise.OveranumberofyearsRothwell36hasusedaperformanceframework(Appendix6)intrainingsessionswithsupervisorsfromarangeofpracticesettingstohelpthemthinkaboutandestablishapositiveapproachtomanagingstaffperformance.Itismucheasiertoaddressconcernsaboutperformanceiftherehavealreadybeenconversationsestablishingasharedunderstandingofrequiredstandardsofpractice.Whileindividualworkersmustbeaccountablefortheirownworkperformance,itisalwaysimportanttoconsiderthewidercontextandotherfactorswhichmayhavecontributedtounsatisfactorystandardsforexamplestaffshortages,poorcommunication.Responsibilitymaynotrestwithasingleindividualandtheremaybeteamororganisationalissueswhichyouneedtoaddress.

Insomeinstances,however,thesedifficultconversationsmayformpartofadisciplinaryprocess.Forsupervisors,aswellassupervisees,thesearestressfulsituationstodealwith.Ifyouareinvolvedinmanagingseriousconcernsaboutaworker’spracticeitisimportanttoseeksupportandguidancefromyourownmanagerandfromhumanresources(HR).YoumayalsowanttorefertotheSSSCCodesofPractice.

Ifyouareinasupervisoryroleandaddressingissuesofpoorperformancewithamemberofstaff,theprocessbelow37mayhelpyoutakeabalancedandsystematicapproach.

• Describe–whatthepersonisdoing(ornotdoing)thatisproblematic.• Explain–whytheirbehaviouroractionsareproblematic.Doesthisimpactonpeoplewhouseservices,colleagues,stafffromotheragencies,theprofessiontheyrepresentortheiremployingorganisation?

• Specify–whattheyshouldbedoinginstead.Dependingonthenatureoftheproblemthismayincludethekindofsupportneededtohelpbringaboutchange.

• Consequences–whatwilltheconsequencesbeiftheyareunableorunwillingtochange?Whoelsewillbecomeinvolvedforexample,HRandwhataretherequiredtimescalesforchangetohappen.

Morrison38proposesaneightstageprocesswhichissimilar.

1) Describeconcernsinclearandevidence-basedterms,includingwhatishappening (ornothappening),whoisaffected,whatstandards/policies/valuesapply.

36Rothwell,B(unpublished)adaptedfromandbuildingontheworkofTonyMorrisonandJane Wonnacott

37Scragg,T(2003)ManagingattheFrontLine:Ahandbookformanagersinsocialcare,Brighton,PavilionPublishing

38Morrison,T(2005)StaffSupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceuser,.3rded.,Brighton,PavilionPublishing

39ScottishSocialServicesCouncil(2008,updated2014)theContinuousLearningFramework,Dundee,SSSC,http://www.continuouslearningframework.com/?wpfb_dl=106


2)Listentotheworker’sresponse.3)Considerthecontextandcircumstances–doesthischangethenatureofthe concern.4) Seekagreementonthenatureoftheproblem.5)Jointlyagreedesirablealternatives.6)Establishanimprovementplan.7)Checktheworkerunderstandstheplan.8)Followthroughandevaluatewithinagreedtimescales.

AgenciesmayhavetheirowncompetencyframeworkormaymakeuseoftheContinuousLearningFrameworktosupportworkers’professionaldevelopment.Whenaddressingissuesofpoorperformanceitisimportantalsotoacknowledgeareasofstrength.


9. Making thetransition fromfrontlineworker to supervisor


Newsupervisorsoftentalkaboutfeelingunpreparedfortheirnewroleandresponsibilities.

‘Movingfromdirectpracticeintofirstlinemanagementinsocialservicesisa common transition. It is not a trivial change of role however and evokes challenges on both a personal and professional level.‘40

Oneofthefeaturesofthistransitionisthatformanypeoplemovingintoasupervisorypositioncanfeellikesteppingfromarolewheretheyfeltconfidentand‘accomplished’41,intoapostwheretheyfeelunsureofthemselvesandstillneedtofindtheirfeet.Forthosecontemplatingatransitionintoasupervisoryrole,orwhohaverecentlybeenpromoted,itmaybereassuringtoknowothersshareyourexperiences.


• havereflectedonthecomplexitiesinvolvedinshiftingprofessionalidentityfromapractitionertoasupervisoryrole

• haveconsideredhowyourlearninganddevelopmentneedsasanewsupervisormightbeaddressed.

DavysandBeddoe42highlighthowtherecanbeexpectationsthatpeoplewilllearnhowtosupervise‘byosmosis’andtheywillknowhowtosupervisebecause‘theyhavebeensupervised’.Theyidentifythedifferentphasesassociatedwiththistransitionasthoseinasupervisoryrolemovefromuncertainty,anxietyandpossibleambivalencetoaspacewheretheyaremoreabletotrusttheirownjudgement,beawareoftheirlimitsanduseauthorityappropriatelyandconsistently.

Inthefollowingexercisethinkaboutthekindoflearninganddevelopmentopportunitieswhichwouldsupportyourtransitionintoasupervisoryroleandhowyoumight progress these.

Exercise 11

Whatkindoflearninganddevelopmentopportunitiesmighthelpyouwiththetransitionintoasupervisoryrole?

Howwillyoutakethisforward?

40Patterson,F.(2015)TransitionandMetaphor:CrossingtheBridgefromDirectPracticetoFirstLineManager.BritishJournalofSocialWork,45(7)pp.2072-2088

41ScottishSocialServicesCouncil(2008,updated2014)TheContinuousLearningFramework,Dundee,SSSC42Davys,A.andBeddoe,L.(2010)BestPracticeinSupervision:AGuidefortheHelpingProfessions,London,JessicaKingsley


Someorganisationshavedevelopedtheirownlearninganddevelopmentprogrammesforpeoplemovingintoasupervisoryposition.Thismayincludementoringbymoreexperiencedsupervisors.Havingconductedasurveyofsupervisionexperiencesacrosstheservice,FifeCouncilhighlightedbelowandin(Appendix7)re-designedtheirtrainingtomatchtheprofessionaldevelopmentneedsofsupervisorswithdifferentlevelsofexperience.

Fife Council’s supervision training

Wedevelopedasuiteoftrainingforsupervisorswiththreeseparatemodules:

• ahalfdayfornewsupervisorsfocussingonthesupervisionpolicyandpaperwork forrecordingsupervisionsessions• ahalfdayfocussingontheperformancemanagementelementofsupervision, includingthebenefitsofperformancemanagementsystems,settingSMART objectives(specific,measurable,achievable,realisticandtimely),theimportance ofrecognisinggoodperformance• afulldaylookingatsupervisionpracticeskills.

Skillsidentifiedfortheonedaycoursewere:

• leadership:whatisthedifferencebetweenbeingamanagerandaleader,what arethedifferentleadershipstyles,identifywhatkindofleadertheyare,recognise theneedtousedifferentleadershipstyleswithdifferentstafforsituations,French andRaven’stheoryofpowerinrelationtothemselvesandtheinformalleadersin the team• communication:includingquestioningtechniques,activelistening,giving positiveandconstructivefeedbackratherthanaccoladesorcriticism,having difficultconversationsandbeingassertive• empathy• motivation:introducingmotivationaltheories,identifyingtheirownmotivation driversandhowunderstandingofother’sdriverscansupportmotivation• decisionmaking:beingawareofdifferentfallaciesandlookingatthedecision makingprocess• groupsupervision:discussiononthebenefitsofgroup.

Therearealsocontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentcoursesavailable,someaccreditedbyuniversitiesandrecognisedbytheSSSCasanapprovedawardforsupervisorsorforregisteredmanagers.Dependingonyourworksetting,yourspecificroleandtherequirementsforregistrationyouwillwanttoconsiderwhatkindofongoingprofessionaldevelopmentbestmeetsyourneeds,eitherasaneworanestablishedsupervisorinsocialservices.


10. Evaluating and reviewingsupervision



• haveacriticalunderstandingoftherolethatreviewandevaluationplaysinthe supervisoryprocess• haveconsideredhowyoumightprepare,aseithersupervisororsupervisee,for theendingofasupervisoryrelationship.

Itisusefultobuildintimeattheendofeachsupervisionsessiontoreflectonwhataddedvaluesupervisionhasbroughtforallthoseinvolved:thesupervisee,thesupervisorandultimatelyforpeoplewhouseservices.HawkinsandShohet43 offer thefollowingquestionsasabasisforreflectivedialogue.

• Whathavewelearnedthatneitherofusknewbeforesupervision?• Whathavewelearnedthatneitherofuscouldhavearrivedatalone?• Whatdowethinkthiswillmeanforthepersonweareworkingalongside?

Youwillalsowanttoreviewsupervisionmoreformally,includingreviewingthesupervisioncontractsinplace.Whenasupervisioncontractisdrawnupthisisoneoftheareasthatshouldbecovered:whenandhowthesupervisioncontractwillbereviewedtomakesureitremainsmeaningful.

10.1 Endings

Althougheachplannedsupervisionsessionwillhaveabeginning,middleandendtherewillbemoreformalendings:forexample,wheneitherthesupervisororsuperviseemovestoanewpostorleavestheorganisation.Itisimportanttomarkthesetransitionsandacknowledgethesignificanceofthesupervisoryrelationship.Writinginrelationtopractice,WalkerandThurston44commentthat‘reviewsandendingsareoccasionslikebeginningsthatcansetthetoneforfuturecontactandactivity’andthesameistrueofsupervision.Reviewsandendingsareanopportunitytoevaluateandrecogniseprogressandidentifyareasforfuturedevelopment.Itislikelythatattheendofasupervisionrelationshipyouwillneedtodiscussthenatureandlimitsofconfidentialityagainsothesuperviseeisclearwhatinformationwillbepassedon,towho,howandwhy.Itmaybethepolicyinyourorganisationtoofferexitinterviewsandexploringexperiencesofsupervisioncanbeausefulpartofthisprocess.

43Hawkins,PandShohet,R(2012)SupervisionintheHelpingProfessions,4thed.,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPress44Walker,S.andThurston,C.(2008)Safeguardingchildrenandyoungpeople:Aresourcetointegratedpractice,LymeRegis,RussellHousePublishing


Exercise 12

Inyourroleassupervisor/superviseehowdidyouprepareforyourlastformalending(youmayhavebeenchangingjobsormovingtoanewrole)?

Isthereanythingyouoryoursupervisor/superviseecouldhavedonedifferentlywhichmighthavehelpedsetapositive‘tone’forfutureactivity?

Isthereanythingyouwilldodifferentlyinthefuturetoprepareforendingsinsupervision?

10.2Reflectingandlookingahead

NowyouareneartheendofthisresourceyoumayfindithelpfultogobacktoExercise 1whereyouimaginedyouwereexplainingtoanewcolleagueatworkwhatsupervisionisandwhatyourexperiencehasbeen.Thiswillallowyoutoreflectonyourlearningwhileworkingthroughtheresourceandanychangesthishasbroughttoyoursupervision.

Bynow,youwillbeawareofdifferentmodelsofsupervision,allidentifyingthatprofessionaldevelopmentisanimportantfunctionofsupervision.Youmaywanttoconsiderwhetherthereareaspectsofyourownprofessionaldevelopmentandpracticewhichyouthinkmightbenefitfrommoretrainingorlearningopportunitiesandhowyouwillraisethisinyourownsupervision.

Thekeyaimofthissupervisionresourceistosupportthedevelopmentofgoodpracticeacrosstheworkforceandcontributetoimprovingoutcomesforpeoplewhouseservices.Itispossiblethatyouhavebecomeawareofaspectsofpolicyandpracticeinrelationtosupervisionwhichareneworrelativelyunfamiliartoyou.Youmaywanttotakesometimetofindoutmoreabouttheseareas.Itmayalsobethecasethatreadingtheresourcehasenabledyoutoreconsiderandquestionareasofpolicyandpracticewhichyouarefamiliarwith.Forthoseofyouwhohavechosentokeepaformalrecordofyourlearningyouwillhaveacomprehensiveportfoliowhichcanbeusedaspartofyourcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentasasocialserviceworker.


References


Adamson,C,Beddoe,L,Davys,A(2014)BuildingResilientPractitioners:DefinitionsandPractitionerUnderstandings,BritishJournalofSocialWork,44(3),522-541

BASW/CoSW(2011)Researchonsupervisioninsocialwork,withparticularreferencetosupervisionpracticeinmulti-disciplinaryteams,BASW/CoSWEngland

Bradley,GandHojer,F(2009)Supervisionreviewed:reflectionsontwodifferentsocialworkmodelsinEnglandandSweden,EuropeanJournalofSocialWork,12(1),71-85

Brown,AandBourne,I(1996)TheSocialWorkSupervisor,Buckingham,OpenUniversityPress

Bucknell,D(2006)OutcomeFocusedSupervisioninH.L.Reid.,andJ,Westergaard(eds.)ProvidingSupportandSupervision:AnIntroductionforprofessionalsworkingwithyoungpeople,Oxon,Routledge

Carpenter,J,Webb,C,Bostock,LandCoomber,C(2012)Effectivesupervisioninsocialworkandsocialcare,Researchbriefing43,London,SocialCareInstituteforExcellence.www.scie.org.uk/publications/briefings/briefing43/

Cousins,C(2010)‘TreatMeDon’tBeatMe’….ExploringSupervisoryGamesandTheirEffectonPoorPerformanceManagement’,Practice,22(5),281—292

Davys,AandBeddoe,L(2010)BestPracticeinSupervision:AResourcefortheHelpingProfessions,London,JessicaKingsley

Ferguson,H(2011)ChildProtectionPractice,London,PalgraveMacmillan

Flynn,MandCitarella,V(2012)WinterbourneViewHospital:ASeriousCaseReview,SouthGloucestershireSafeguardingAdultsBoard,SouthGloucestershireCouncil

Gordon,RandHendry,E(2010)SupervisingAssessmentsofChildrenandFamilies:TheRoleoftheFront-LineManagers.InJ.Horwath(ed.)TheChild’sWorld:TheComprehensiveResourcetoAssessingChildreninNeed,2nded.,London,JessicaKingsley

Hawkins,PandShohet,R(2012)SupervisionintheHelpingProfessions,4thed.,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPress.

Hughes,LandPengelly,P(1997)StaffSupervisioninaTurbulentEnvironment:ManagingProcessandTaskinFront-lineServices,London,JessicaKingsley Kadushin,AandHarkness,D(2002)SupervisioninSocialWork,4thed.,NewYork,ColumbiaUniversityPress


Kettle,M(2015)Achievingeffectivesupervision,Insight30.Glasgow,IRISS,www.iriss.org.uk

Laming,WH(2003)TheVictoriaClimbiéInquiry:reportofaninquirybyLordLamingwww.gov.uk/government/publications/the-victoria-climbie-inquiry-report-of-an-inquiry-by-lord-laming

Morrison,T(2005)StaffSupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.,Brighton,PavilionPublishing

Munro,E(2011)TheMunroReviewofChildProtection:FinalReport,London,DepartmentforEducation

Noble,CandIrwin,J(2009)SocialWorkSupervision:AnExplorationoftheCurrentChallengesinaRapidlyChangingSocial,EconomicandPoliticalEnvironment,JournalofSocialWork,9(3),pp.345–358

O’Donoghue,K(2015)Issuesandchallengesfacingsocialworksupervisioninthetwenty-firstcentury,ChinaJournalofSocialWork,8(2),136-149

Ofsted(2012)Highexpectations,highsupportandhighchallenge,Manchester,Ofstedwww.ofsted.gov.uk

Patterson,F(2015)TransitionandMetaphor:CrossingtheBridgefromDirectPracticetoFirstLineManager,BritishJournalofSocialWork,45(7)pp.2072-2088

Proctor,B(2008)GroupSupervision:aresourcetocreativepractice,London,SageRuch,G(2007)‘Thoughtful’practice:Childcaresocialworkandtheroleofcasediscussion,ChildandFamilySocialWork,12,pp.370–9

Rothwell,B(unpublished)adaptedfromandbuildingontheworkofTonyMorrisonandJaneWonnacott

Ruch,G(2007)“Thoughtful”practice:Childcaresocialworkandtheroleofcasediscussion’,ChildandFamilySocialWork,12,pp.370–9

Ruch,G(2008)Developing‘containingcontexts’forthepromotionofeffectivedirectwork:Thechallengefororganisations,inB.LuckockandM.Lefevre(eds.),DirectWork:SocialWorkwithChildrenandYoungPeopleinCare,London,BAAF

Scragg,T(2003)ManagingattheFrontline:Ahandbookformanagersinsocialcare,Brighton,PavilionPublishing

SCQF(2012)ScottishCreditandQualificationFramework(SCQF)www.scqf.org.ukScottishExecutive(2002)It’severyone’sjobtomakesureI’malright,www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/47007/0023992.pdf


ScottishExecutive(2002)“It’severyone’sjobtomakesureI’malright”,Edinburgh,ScottishExecutive

ScottishExecutive(2006)ChangingLives:Reportofthe21stCenturySocialWorkReviewwww.gov.scot/resource/doc/91931/0021949.pdf

ScottishGovernment(2015)SocialServicesinScotland:asharedvisionandstrategy2015-2020www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00473374.pdf.

ScottishSocialServicesCouncil(2016)CodesofPracticeforSocialServiceWorkersandEmployerswww.sssc.uk.com/about-the-sssc/codes-of-practice/what-are-the-codes-of-practice

ScottishSocialServicesCouncil(2008,updated2014)ContinuousLearningFrameworkwww.continuouslearningframework.com/?wpfb_dl=106

SocialCareInstituteforExcellence(2013)Supervisioninanintegratedsetting,SCIEwww.scie.org.uk/socialcaretv/video-player.asp?v=supervision03

SocialCareInstituteforExcellence(nodate)Supervisionresourcesandservices,SCIE,www.scie.org.uk/atoz/?f_az_subject_thesaurus_terms_s=supervision&st=atoz

Walker,SandThurston,C(2008)Safeguardingchildrenandyoungpeople:Aresourcetointegratedpractice,LymeRegis,RussellHousePublishing

Wonnacott,J(2012)MasteringSocialWorkSupervision,London,JessicaKingsley Wonnacott,J(2014)DevelopingandSupportingEffectiveStaffSupervision,Brighton,Pavilion


Appendices


Appendix 1: Functions of supervision45

Some aims of the management function

Some aims of the mediation function

• Theoverallqualityoftheworker’sperformanceismonitoredandassured.

• Agencypoliciesandproceduresareunderstoodandfollowed.

• Theworkerunderstandsher/hisroleandresponsibilities.

• Workisreviewedregularlyinaccordancewithagencyandlegalrequirements.

• Recordsaremaintainedaccordingtoagencypolicies.

• Linesofaccountabilityandlevelsofauthorityareclarified.

• Theworkerisgivenanappropriateworkload.

• Time-managementexpectationsoftheworkerareclearandchecked.

• Resources(includingstafftime)areallocatedeffectively.

• Staffneedsarerepresentedtomoresenior management.

• Staffarebriefedaboutorconsultedonorganisationaldevelopments.

• Mediationoradvocacybetweenworkers,withinorbetweenteams,orwithotheragenciesisundertaken.

• Staffarerepresentedoraccompaniedinworkwithotheragencies.

• Staffareinvolvedinteamdecisionmaking.

• Complaintsaboutstaffaredealtwith.

Some aims of the development function

Some aims of the support function

• Toassisttheworkertobuildprofessionalcompetenceandcapabilities.

• Appreciateandassesstheworker’stheoreticalbase,skills,knowledgeandindividualcontributiontotheagency.

• Exploretheworker’svaluebaseinrelationtorace,genderetcanditsimpactonhis/herwork.

• Supporttheworker’scapacitytosetprofessional goals.

• Enableaccesstoprofessionalconsultationinareasoutsidethesupervisor’sknowledge/experience.

• Providesummativeandformativefeedbacktotheworkeronallaspectsoftheir performance.

• Supporttheworker’sabilitytoreflect,generaliselearningandencouragecommitmenttoongoingCPD.

• Tovalidatethecomplexityoftheworker’sprofessionalandpersonalresponses.

• Toclarifyboundariesbetweensupportandcounsellingandthelimitsofconfidentialityinsupervision.

• Tocreateasafeclimatefortheworkertolookather/hispracticeanditsimpactonher/him.

• Debrieftheworkerandgivetheworkerpermissiontotalkaboutfeelings,especiallyfear,anger,sadness,repulsionor helplessness.

• Helptheworkertoexploreemotionalblockstothework.

• Toexploreissuesaboutdiscrimination,ina safe setting.

• Tomonitortheoverallhealthandemotionalfunctioningoftheworker,especiallywithregardtotheeffectsofstress.

• Helptheworkerreflectondifficultiesinrelationships,assistinresolvingconflict.

45Morrison,T.(2005)StaffSupervisioninSocialCare:Makingarealdifferenceforstaffandserviceusers,3rded.,Brighton,PavilionPublishing


Appendix 2: ENABLE Scotland: template used to record supervision

Support and Supervision for Personal Assistants May 2015

Thesignaturesconfirmagreementthatthisformisanaccuraterecord. PersonalAssistant’sname______________________________________________

PAsignature_________________________________________________________

LineManager’ssignature_______________________________________________

Areyouuptodatewithusingyourannualleavethisyear?Howmuchleft?

____________________________________________________________________

Dateofsession______________________________________________________

1. Choose areas that you would like to discuss.

Forexample:WorkorpersonalorprofessionalissuesthatmightaffectyouHowyoucontributetotheteamSupportyouwouldliketohelpyouachieveanyplanstodevelopTeamdynamics-howtheteamisworkingtogether.Anythingthatwouldhelpyoutobemoreconfidentandcompetentinyourcurrent role Ideasfortheteam,peopleyousupportSupportthatwouldbeusefultohelpyouresolve/copewithanyworkissues.Anythingelse?

PAcomments

Line manager comments


What have you tried? What are your successes?What are you pleased about?

2. Completed ACTION PLAN since the last individual supervision session

DoyouneedtoupdatetheServiceDesign,SupportStrategiesorRiskAssessmentsbasedonwhatyoulearnt?Putthisintoyouractionplanifyouneedtochangeanything.

3. An update on the person you support’s progress towards their personal outcomes.Anygoodstoriesofhowyou/othersaresupportingthepersontowardstheirpersonaloutcomes?(forexample,Supportingthepersontotakemorepowerandcontrol?)

Any concerns?

PAcomments:

Linemanagercomments:


Date Training/Learning that I completedAnyspecificlearningIdid(egread an article, tried a new approach at work/saw something on TV, went to learning/sharing session/attended training/heard something new at a team meeting)

How long did you spend? Eg 1 hour or half day

How do I use this learning in my practice?

4.Reflection/LearningLog

Whatothertraining/learning/supportdoyourequireforyourrole?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

(IfyouarecompletinganSVQorotherawardpleasebringalongyourcurrentprogressreportfordiscussionwithyourlinemanager)KeepasevidencefortheSSSC


Please write down any feedback you have received. (This could be from the person you support/family/other team members/other professionals/line manager)

5. Feedback


____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


Whatdidyoulookatsincethelastsession?:

Whatarethekeypoints?PAcomments

Pleasegiveexample(s)ofhowyouputthisintopractice?Anychallengeyouface?PAcomments

Whatsupportwouldhelpyouandyourteamtounderstandandputthis into practice at work?

PAcomments


6. Progress in, for example, using a Policy (or SSSC Code of Practice/part of a Service Design or Support Strategies)

7. FUTURE ACTION PLAN that you are now going to work onLeavethisblankuntilyoursupervisionsession.

Based on what we know, what should you do next?What will you focus on to help the person/people move towards personal outcomes?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


Engaged: I showed in my work that……

You sign

Line Manager sign-off

Established: I showed in my work that

You sign


Iamcommittedtomakingapositivedifferencetothelivesofthe people I support

I notice the strengths, knowledgeandex-pertise of the people I supportandcarers

IamcommittedtomakingsurethatthepeopleIsupportdirecttheirownlivesandachieve their personal outcomes.

Ideliversupportinawaythathelpsthepeople I support to achieve their personal outcomes

Ivaluethecarersandfamilies of the people Isupportasequalpartners

IworkwiththepeopleI support, their carers andotherstopromotepositiverisktaking

I recognise the strengthsofindividuals,familiesandcommunities.

I help people to connectwiththeirlocal communities or communities of interest

IamawarethatImustmakesurethatchildrenandadultsareprotectedfrom harm

Iremainfocusedonthe personal outcomes of the people I support whenfacedwithconflictingpriorities.

8. Professional Development:

My Strengths/Competencies: Fillupthispageovertimeattheendofsupervisionsessions/teammeetings/observations.Whenyouandyourlinemanageragreethatyoushowedthestrengththroughaspecificpieceofwork–bothsignit.Whenthestrength/competencyissignedoffyouhaveachievedit–congrats!

EMPOWERING PEOPLE - enabling people to lead their own lives



You sign



You sign


Iunderstandtheimportance of relationshipsandvalueotherpeople’sdifferentideasandperspectives

I recognise the positive valueofdiversityanduse it to improve the qualityofmyownpractice

IbuildpositiverelationshipswiththepeopleIsupportandcarers

IconstantlycheckthebalanceofpowerinmyrelationshipswiththepeopleIsupportandIworktomakesurethattheyhavethepowerandcontrol

Ibuildgoodworkingrelationshipswithpeoplefromdifferentbackgrounds,withpeopleindifferentrolesinENABLEandcolleagues in partner organisations.

Itakeactivestepstobuildpositiverelationshipstodevelopnetworksandpromotepartnershipworking.

I put the personal outcomes of people supportedbyENABLEfirstandknowthatIneedtoworkwithcolleagues in other organisations to achieve this.

I put the personal outcomes for people supportedbyENABLEfirst.Iworkwithcolleagues in other organisations to overcomeanyareasofconflicttoachievethis.

Iunderstandtheimportance of relationshipsandvalueotherpeople’sdifferentideasandperspectives

I recognise the positive valueofdiversityanduse it to improve the qualityofmyownpractice

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP - working together with the people I support and other partners.



You sign



You sign


Itakeresponsibilityformyownlearninganddevelopment.

Ithinkabouttheeffectthatmyactions/words/approacheshavehad

Ithinkabouthowmylearningmakesadifferencetomypractice.

Iactivelythinkaboutwhatformalandinformallearningwouldhelpmeatmywork

Iactivelyparticipateinlearning opportunities withinandoutwithmyworkplace

IshowhowIhaveusedmylearningtoimprovewhatIdoatwork

Icontributetothelearninganddevelopmentofothers.

I promote the learning anddevelopmentofothers

Ikeepmyrequiredlearninguptodate

Isharegoodpracticeandgoodstoriesaboutwhatworks

LEARNING/REFLECTING – actively involved in continuous learning and improvement

Checkwww.continuouslearningframework.comtochooseanothercompetencywhenyouhaveshownthatyouusealloftheaboveonessuccessfully.

©ENABLEScotland2015.Pleasecontactl&[email protected]/quote


Appendix 3: Some questions to help the contracting process46

Howwillyouknowthatyouaregettingwhatyouwantfromsupervision?

HowwillIknowthatsupervisionisusefultoyou?Howwillyouletmeknowthatsupervisionisontrackforyou?

Supposingwe’vebeenmeetingforthreemonths,whatelsewillyouhopetobegetting from supervision?

Howhaveyoumadesupervisionusefulforyourselfinthepast?

Howwouldyouletmeknowifweneedtodosomethingdifferent?

WhatdoIneedtoknowaboutyourwayofworking?

Howwillyouknowthatyourwayofworkingismovingforward?(thiscanleadtolookingatstrengthsandhowtheydevelopandinfluenceclientoutcomes)

Whatkindsofcases/situations/problemsareyougoodatworkingwith?Whatwouldpeopleusingservicessayaboutyourwayofworking?

Whatsituationsaretoughestforyouandhowwillyouknowthatyouaremovingforward?

Whatdoyouknowabouthowyouarewhenyouare:

•stressedordistressed•bored•confused•isolated•overwhelmed?

WhatisthemosthelpfulwaythatIcouldrespondtoyouasasupervisorwhenthishappens?

IfIweretofeelanxiousaboutwhatIhearaboutthewayyouwereworkingwithaparticularcase,howwouldyoulikeustohandlethatsituation?Ifsuchathinghashappenedtoyoubefore,whathaveyouappreciatedaboutthewayyoursupervisorhasdealtwiththesituation?

46Rothwell,B(unpublished)


Appendix 4: Preparing for group supervision

Group supervisionisnotasubstituteforindividualsupervision.Itisasupplementtotheone-to-onesessionyoumayhaveonaregular,ifnotfrequent,basisandcanbeausefulwaytoachieveimportantconnectionswithyourcolleagues. Groupsupervisionhasanumberofformsanditisveryimportantbeforeanyoneparticipatestheyunderstandandagreewiththearrangementsforcreatingasafeandusefulenvironmentforthegrouptodoitswork.Groupsupervisionwilloftenbefacilitatedbyamanager/supervisor,althoughtheextenttowhichtheywillleadthegroupwillvary.

Thispaperworkisintendedtohelpyouthinkaboutyourownparticipationingroupsupervision,soyoucanmakethemostoftheopportunity.Thinkaboutthequestionsandwritedownyouranswerssowhenthegroupcreatesasetofrulestooperatebyyouareabletocontribute.

1. Whenhaveyoubeenpartofagroupthatyoufeltyoubenefittedfrom? (Thismightnothavebeenaworkbasedgrouporaformalgroup).2. Whatwerethebenefits?Whatdidyougainfrombeingpartofthegroup? Forexamplefeelingunderstood;knowingotherswerehavingthesameexperience.

3. Howdidgroupmembersbehavesothatyoubenefitted? Forexamplelisteningtoyou;sympathising.4. Howdidyoubehavesothatyoubenefittedfrombeingpartofthegroup? Forexamplelisteningtoothers;askingforadvice;sharingexperiences.5. Whatwouldhavemadeitdifficulttobenefitfromthegroup? Forexamplenotattendingregularlyenough;notknowingeachotherwellenough.

Nowspecificallythinkaboutagroupoperatingatwork.

6. Whatwouldyourbesthopesbeforasupervisiongroup?Howcouldyoubenefitfrom participating in one?

7. Whatcouldyoudotohelpothersbenefitfromthesupervisiongroup?8. Whatcouldthefacilitatingmanager/supervisordotohelpeveryonebenefitfrom

the supervision group?9. Whichofthefollowingactivitieswouldyoulikethegroupsupervisiontoinclude?


Beingabletoshareideasaboutworkingwithpeopleusingserviceswithotherswhodoasimilarjobtoyou.Beingabletotalktoothersabouttheimpactoftheworkonyou.Beingabletocompareyourexperiencesoftheorganisationwithyourcolleagues.Beingabletohelpotherswithproblemsolvingorgeneratingideas.Hearingfromyourmanager/supervisor–expectationsandfeedback.Hearingfrompeoplewhocanhelpyoulearnandimproveyourpractice.Beingabletoraiseissuesabouttheworkyoudoanddiscusshowto resolve or manage them.Beingabletofeedbacktotheorganisationaboutwhatisworkingwellandwhatisnot.

10.Whichofthefollowingimpactswouldyoulikegroupsupervisiontohave?

Feelingconnectedtothewiderteam.Feelingthatyourworkisnoticed,understoodandappreciated.Beingclearaboutwhatyouaredoingandhowyouaredoingit.Knowingthatyouareworkingintherightways.Feelinglikeyou’vehadabreathingspace.Understandingwhattheorganisationexpectsofyou.Feelingthatyourconcernshavebeenheard.Beingclearaboutwhatactionswillbetakenbyothers.Understandingthewidercontextoftheworkyoudo,anditsimpactonyouandyourclients.


Appendix 5: Clackmannanshire and Stirling Council’s template

Group Supervision Record

Practice Standard:•Eachsupervisionsessionwillbeformallyrecordedandheldassupervisionrecordbylinemanager,casediscussionanddecisionwillberecordedinserviceuserfiles.

Service/Team:

DateandTime:

Supervisor/GroupFacilitator:

Staffpresent:


Agenda(IncludePlanforSessionandOutlineofGroupLearningMethods)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Issues Noted: Actions Agreed: Outcome:

Review of Previous Session – Decisions, Actions and Progress Made

Key Information Shared:


Issues Noted: Outcome: Actions Agreed: Outcome:

Practice/Service Discussion


Presenter Description of Practice

Discussion Points

Learning Points

Actions Timeline

ReflectivePracticeDiscussion


Learning and Development:

Staff Safety/Welfare:

Date of Next Session:


Appendix 6: Performance management framework48

48Rothwell,B(unpublished)adaptedfromandbuildingontheworkofTonyMorrisonandJane Wonnacott

Performance area Evidence and comments

Clearon(professional)role(includingvaluesandethicsofrole).

Hasanappropriaterelationshipwith(theright)serviceuser

a)Usesownauthorityappropriately.b)Respondsappropriatelytotheauthorityofothers.

Engageswith/addressesissuesofdiscrimination/oppression.

Isself-awareandself-regulating.

Isaccuratelyempathic/engages/cantakeotherperspectives.

Demonstratesaccuracyandrelevanceinobservationandinformationgathering.

Isabletoanalyseandsynthesiseinformation.

Devisesandexecutesappropriateplans(caseworkandworkload).

Interventionsareskilful,thoughtfulandpurposeful.

Progressestasksappropriately.

Demonstratesefficiencywithadministration,includingrecording.

Haspositivea)teamandb)multidisciplinaryrelationships(includingtoleranceofdiversity;motivationandsocialskills).

Makesappropriateuseofsupervision

Isadaptable/responsivetotheneedforchange.


Appendix 7: Fife Council Supervision Training

InMay2012aworkinggroupofmanagersandsupervisorsfromacrossthesocialworkservicedevelopedanewprocessandrecordingformatforsupervision.Theaimwastoprovideconsistencyinthesupervisionprocess,createarecordingprocessthatsupportedcleardecisionmakingandaccountabilityforactionsandencouragediscussionoutwithdirectcasemanagement.

Thegroupagreedthesupportingdocumentationforsupervision.Thisconsistedofasupervisioncontractandformstorecordthedifferentelementsofsupervision:PartAfocusingonperformancemanagement,PartBcoveringthemainsupervisionagendawithafocusonthestaffmemberandPartCtorecordspecificcasediscussionsanddecisions.TherewasalsoanagreedTransferSummaryFormforwhenstaffhadachangeinsupervisor.Thiswouldallowthenewsupervisoranoverviewofanykeyareas,inparticularinregardtoattendance,performanceandanyagreeddevelopment.

Briefingsessionswereheldandaonedaytrainingcoursedevelopedtosupportsupervisorswiththenewprocessandrecordingformat.

Review of training needs

InNovember2013asurveywascarriedouttogainanoverviewofstaff’sperceptionoftheirsupervisionandtoascertainhowconsistentlythesupervisionprocesswasimplemented.Thesurveywasdistributedto3,670staffandachieveda9.6%return.Resultswereanalysedinserviceareasandreportedbacktoservicemanagers.Thisallowedmanagerstoconsiderwhetherfurthersupportoractionwasrequired.Attendanceattraininghaddroppedasthemajorityofsupervisorswerenowfamiliarwiththeprocess.This,togetherwithfeedbackfromthesurvey,madeitapparentthatthetrainingneededtoberedevelopedtomeetchangingneeds.Trainingsessionshadtobeadaptedtobeeffectivewithsmallergroups.Commentsfromthesurveyhighlightedtheneedforafocusonsupportingthe‘quality’ofsupervision.Itwasapparentthatqualitysupervisioncouldnotbeachievedthroughformsorprocessesbutneededsupervisorstouseparticularskillsandapproaches.

Withthisinmind,anewsuiteoftrainingforsupervisorswasdeveloped,consistingofthreeseparatemodules:

• ahalfdayfornewsupervisorsfocussingonthesupervisionpolicyandpaperworkforrecordingsupervisionsessions

• ahalfdayfocussingontheperformancemanagementelementofsupervision,includingthebenefitsofperformancemanagementsystems,settingSMARTobjectives,theimportanceofrecognisinggoodperformance

• afulldaylookingatsupervisionpracticeskills.


Thefollowingskillswereidentifiedfortheonedaycourse.

• Leadership–whatisthedifferencebetweenbeingamanagerandaleader,whatarethedifferentleadershipstyles,identifywhatkindofleadertheyare,recognisetheneedtousedifferentleadershipstyleswithdifferentstafforsituations,FrenchandRaven’stheoryofpowerinrelationtothemselvesandtheinformalleadersinthe team.

• Communication–includingquestioningtechniques,activelistening,givingpositiveandconstructivefeedbackratherthanaccoladesorcriticism,havingdifficultconversationsandbeingassertive.

• Empathy.• Motivation–introducingmotivationaltheories,forexampleequitytheoryandHerzberg,anopportunitytoidentifytheirownmotivationdriversandhowanunderstandingofother’sdriverscansupportstaffmotivation.

• Decisionmaking–beingawareofdifferentfallaciesandlookingatdecisionmakingprocess.

• Groupsupervision–discussiononthebenefitsofgroupsupervisionandwherethiscanbeeffective.

Current position

Feedbackonthenewsupervisionskillstraininghasbeenpositive.Commentshaveincluded:

‘I found the information helped me to have a clearer understanding of good supervision.’‘This allowed me to think through how to deal with different situations within supervision.’‘It has helped to focus and get more from my team’s supervision. I am now considering the impact of group supervision as a tool.’

AfurthersurveywascarriedoutinMay2015.Thiswasmorein-depththanthe2013surveyandsupervisorshadtheopportunitytocommentonprovidingsupervisionaswellasonthesupervisiontheyreceive.Italsorecognisedsupportoutwithformalsupervision.Thissurveyresponserateincreasedtoa26%return.

The2015surveyhighlightedthatalthoughtherewasstillroomforimprovement,generally,therehasbeenanincreaseintheimplementationofthesupervisionpolicyandprocessaswellasthequalityofsupervision.Therewasa28%increaseinthenumberofstaffwhoinresponsetothequestion‘Overall,howusefulandvaluedissupervisiontoyou?’chosethestatement‘Very,Ifeelverypositiveaboutmysupervision’.


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