People who are self-fundingYou may

People who are self-funding
You may wish to check the processes in place to support good supervision as an
indicator of the quality of service for which you will be paying.
Supervision in a variety of settings
Supervision in joint and integrated settings
You may wish to read the core piece of research that links to this guide [2] and from
which some of its recommendations have been drawn. The research is based primarily
on supervision in joint and integrated team settings. What made a difference to
supervisors and supervisees in relation to supervision is highlighted in the
recommendations. One key message is that clear lines of accountability and
communication are necessary if different aspects of supervision are delivered by
different people. This should ensure that significant information about a particular case
is managed appropriately. What is clear from this is that supporting effective supervision
through the organisation’s culture and through leadership is critical. One way this can
be achieved is through effective internal governance both vertically and horizontally
through the organisation.
You may wish to consider the following resources that are based on practice in England
and Northern Ireland respectively.
• Social care governance (SCIE)
• Clinical and social care governance (Department of Health, Social Services
and Public Safety, Northern Ireland)
• Social Care TV: Supervision in an integrated setting (SCIE)
Supervision in a changing organisational context
Organisations going through changes should consider that good supervision is even
more critical in order to engage, support and quality assure practice. In order to make
the most of what seems inevitable, you may wish to see the changes as an opportunity
to improve supervision practice and embed it in the culture of the organisation. The
work on governance from the bottom to the top of the newly-reformed organisation will
be critical because the key outcomes from this work, if done properly, are the
empowering of staff, greater understanding of each other’s roles, ownership of the
actions relating to each role and improvements in practice and service delivery.
Supervision in outsourced services
There is little if any research in this area. However, all aspects of developing and
sustaining good supervision will apply. Accountability will be a key issue and you should
consider the work on social care and clinical governance carried out in Northern Ireland
and in England. Taking responsibility and ownership of the actions that relate to your
role is an important outcome in this work and supervision is a process that can support
this.
Supervision and service inspection
In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) looks at supervision under Regulation
23 (Outcome 14: supporting workers) which relates to the Health and Social Care Act
2008. While there may be variability in the level of detail inspectors consider,
supervision records could well be something they ask to see. The state of care report
[27] has some commentary on staffing and supervision.
Similarly, Ofsted, in its inspections under The Education and Inspections Act 2006 will
expect to see evidence of quality supervision in organisations providing children’s
services. Inspection criteria do not always clarify how quality will be judged but the
following examples are indicative of expected practice.
• Staff receive regular supervision of a good quality. (Inspection of Children’s
Homes Evaluation Schedule and Grade Descriptors February 2012)
• Management oversight is consistently challenging and results in reflective
practice and learning. (Evaluation schedule of the inspection of child protection
services January 2012)
Providers must put appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of staff who
have contact with children and families. Effective supervision provides support,
coaching and training for the practitioner and promotes the interests of children.
Supervision should foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous
improvement which encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues. [28]
Sector expectations regarding supervision
It is important to recognise that each of the four countries in the UK has distinct
standards in relation to supervision and it will be important for you to check with the
individual care council where you are working. The reason the standards are framed
differently in each country is due to the different legislative framework each has in place.
These in turn reflect the different circumstances each country sees itself faced with. The
underlying principle in relation to supervision, however, is that it is seen as a process in
which you, the individual worker, take an active part and has ownership of. Its purpose,
as noted earlier, is for workers to maximise their practice and in turn provide the best
outcomes for people who use services.
For those who have to deliver or receive induction, Common Induction Standards (Skills
for Care) say that workers should be aware of sources of support available and a
suggested source of support is supervision.
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
There are a number of national occupational standards in relation to selected roles.
• General: Make use of supervision. This identifies the skills and knowledge
you need to make the best use of supervision.
• Care and support workers (children and young people): Make use of
supervision. This suggests that workers should make the most of their supervisor and supervisory sessions to enable them to develop their
competence, reliability and effectiveness.
• Support workers: Develop your practice through reflection and learning.
This describes how practice develops through reflection.
• Managers: Manage and develop yourself and your workforce within care
services. This and Provide supervision to other individuals speak for
themselves.