One minute guide: Supervision

What is supervision

Supervision is the name for the regular, planned and recorded sessions between staff and their line manager. It is sometimes known as formal supervision. It is a partnership between the supervisee, the supervisor and the setting. It is a key task that supports the development of staff skills and practices in work with and safeguarding children, young people and families.

Some practitioners have specific child protection supervision, for example health colleagues, and this is often provided by someone who is not their usual line manager.

Informal supervision often happens in the most effective teams, as staff seek advice and help in situations that they deal with on a daily basis. This is good practice - but should not replace a formal supervision session.

What we have in Leeds

Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) developed the Supervision: Minimum standards for the supervision of staff and volunteers working with children, young people and families, which provide a framework for and explanation of the minimum requirements and processes of supervision within any service. The policy encourages practitioners to appreciate a restorative approach to supervision, which recognises benefits for both supervisors and supervisees.

Services may adopt this policy or use their own service specific policy, which should adhere to relevant professional standards. For example, the Children and Families directorate of the local authority have adopted the Supervision framework.

Why supervision is important

Supervision should be outcomes focused, in line with the Leeds Practice Model, with the supervisor holding the supervisee to account for plans put forward for any given family.

Supervision helps both the supervisee and the supervisor to:

• reflect and build on good practice, and thoroughly explore and check the supervisee's rationale and thinking behind each plan
• ask the fundamental question of whether the plan is likely to achieve the desired outcome. And if not - why not, and how does this affect the overall understanding of the case?
• ensure that performance and practice, including safeguarding, is competent, accountable and soundly based in research and practice knowledge
• provide a reflective space to analyse work with children, young people and their families as well as exploring specific incidents and assessing risk and need
• support professional development needs, including safeguarding practice
• provide a reflective space for the staff to discuss and work through the personal impact of their role and responsibilities. This should include support to address the emotional impact of the work, where required

The key functions of supervision

Good supervision involves three functions; whilst the three won't be covered in every session, they should be addressed across the course of the supervision sessions.

Personal support, and the encouragement of reflection

To provide a reflective space for the supervisee to discuss and work through the personal impact of their role and responsibilities. This should include support to address the emotional impact of the work where required.

Quality assurance

• ensure that practitioner performance and practice, including safeguarding, is competent, accountable and soundly based in research and practice knowledge
• ensure that practice in relation to safeguarding children is consistent with the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership, West Yorkshire Consortium safeguarding procedures and relevant policies and procedures within the practitioner's organisation
• ensure that practitioners fully understand their roles, responsibilities and the scope of their professional discretion and authority
• to provide a space to analyse ongoing work and specific incidents, to identify good practice and how this can be used within other situations, to assess risk and need and to provide a check and balance on decision making and planning

Professional development

To ensure that professional development needs, including in relation to safeguarding practice, are considered and supported.

The common principles for supervision

All supervision should:

• involve a two way relationship between supervisor and supervisee
• ensure accountability for the role, responsibilities and work undertaken
• be based on the principles of high support and high challenge, with regard to action, progress and outcomes for children, young people and families
• support open and honest discussions
• be restorative in nature
• provide a balance of work and personal support
• be accurately and clearly recorded, with records shared with the supervisee
• be structured within an agreed supervision contract
• be regular; the frequency should be agreed between supervisor and supervisee, and will be informed by the practitioner's role, their level of experience and any relevant organisational and statutory requirements

More information

The Leeds Supervision: Minimum Standards for the Supervision of Staff and Volunteers Working with Children, Young People and Families can be found on the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership website. It includes sample supervision contracts and supervision recording templates.

The local authority children and families supervision framework.

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