Good quality supervision provides a safe and reliable space for SSW’s to reflect critically on their cases in order to ensure robust analysis and sound judgement and decision making.
Additionally, the purpose of supervision is to improve quality of practice in order to improve outcomes for children and young people as well as:
- administrative case management
- reflecting on and learning from practice
- personal support
- mentoring and mediation
- professional development
These SSW Supervision of Supervising of Social Workers Procedures must be read in conjunction with the Supervision of Staff policy.
Frequency and Planning Supervision Sessions
- Supervision sessions should take place regularly (monthly for supervising social workers or more frequently as and when needed). Supervision sessions should be arranged in advance.
- The length of the sessions should be agreed in advance, making sure there is sufficient time for supervision to be adequate.
- The SSW and Team Manager should each prepare for the session.
- An agenda for the session should be prepared in advance.
Carrying Out Supervision
- Supervision should be held in a private place, free of interruptions.
- A clear distinction must be made between supervision and capability or grievance procedures, especially when under performance issues are being addressed.
- SSW’s may need to consult their Team Manager over problems that cannot wait until the next supervision session. If important decisions are reached during ‘informal supervision’, they must be recorded. Informal supervision should not be allowed to substitute for formal supervision, as the latter covers a broader agenda, e.g. staff development.
- Both SSW and Team Manager should explore anti-discriminatory practice in relation to the supervisee’s work and in relation to the supervision process itself. The supervisor needs to be aware of how issues to do with race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability and class can affect interaction in supervision, and should encourage supervisees to examine their own values, assumptions and beliefs.
Responsibilities of Supervision
Supervision sessions should be based on a shared responsibility for:
- Accepting the requirement to be supervised and accountable.
- Giving supervision a high priority in the workload.
- Attending at the agreed time and place.
- Clarifying expectations of each other through a written agreement for supervision.
- Having an agreed joint agenda and participating fully.
- Clarifying and agreeing objectives and standards of practice based on objective outcomes and the agency’s procedures and guidelines.
- Identifying evidence that will demonstrate competent practice.
- Listening attentively.
- Being open and sharing information.
- Giving and seeking feedback, praise work well done, affirm and develop skills.
- Recognising experience and acknowledging contributions.
- Promoting anti discriminatory practice and behaviour.
- Reflecting, thinking through and exploring options.
- Developing action plans.
- In respect of current work.
- To address areas of work that are not up to the required standard.
- Timescales for action plans.
- Implementing action agreed in supervision.
- Discussing feedback on Observed Practices carried out at during the previous month.
- Keep the child at the centre of discussions about practice.
All supervision sessions must be recorded on the standard electronic template and will upload on the agency’s base. Both SSW and Manager must sign the Supervision Record to confirm it is an accurate reflection of what has been discussed and agreed. The electronic template will automatically be sent to HR where a copy is saved.
