1.5.1 Staff Supervision (including PRDI forms and A - B Progression)

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was amended in March 2006 to include A-B Progression - see Appendix IV - A-B Progression

1.	Policy Statement
2.	Definition and Purpose
3.	Objectives
4.	What is Supervision?
5.	Implementation of Practice
6.	Recommended Individual Supervision Targets
7.	Venue
8.	Agenda
9.	Recording
10.	Confidentiality
11.	Monitoring
12.	Reviews and Employee Development Interviews (EDIs)
		Appendices
	i.	Supervision Agreement
	ii.	Ground Rules
	iii.	Supervision Aide Memoire
	iv.	Appendix IV - A-B Progression
		Performance Review and Development Interview (PRDI) forms
PRDI 1:		Supervisee Preparation
PRDI 2:		Supervisor's Preparation Checklist
PRDI 3:		PRDI Record
PRDI 4a:		Individual Performance Action Plan (Dep. Manager/Supervisor)
PRDI 4b:		Individual Performance Action Plan (First Line Managers & above)
PRDI 5:		Individual Development Action Plan
PRDI 6:		Monitoring Form

1. Policy Statement

It is the Policy of the Children's Social Care, Directorate of Children's Services, Dudley MBC, that every member of staff will receive regular supervision in a form appropriate to their role. This will take the form of one-to-one formal supervision by the line manager.

It is the responsibility of the Line Managers to undertake this task, the training and development of the supervisor's role will constitute an integral part of the management training programme.

Supervision will operate within the Equal Opportunities Policy of this Authority.

2. Definition and Purpose

"The process of reflecting on work being undertaken with another person in order to improve that work".

"An organised activity encompassing staff support and development".

"Supervision is a dynamic and enabling process designed to assist one person learn and develop their skills and knowledge base, in order that they may be more effective at their job and thus enjoy job satisfaction"

3. Objectives

The purpose of supervision is achieved if there is recognition that the relationship between manager and staff is not static, it is an ongoing process. Responsibility does not end when the manager is satisfied that a new member of staff has been introduced to the work, or when they have acquired the essential basic skills and knowledge to carry out the job.

The manager's responsibility towards staff members within supervision has three inner-related aspects.

3.1 Management/Organisational

Reviewing and Evaluating work
Ensuring that staff are aware and familiar with policies and procedures
Making clear to staff their duties and responsibilities
Deciding priorities, distributing tasks
Ensuring continuity and consistency of care

3.2 Support

Acknowledging and encouraging the contribution of each individual
Promoting cooperation and teamwork
Recognising stress and helping staff to cope with it

3.3 Training and Development

Ensuring staff acquire the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
Appraising performance
Encouraging job satisfaction and motivation
Developing and using staff potential
Identifying training needs

4. What is Supervision?

4.1 Supervision

Should have written objectives which are mutually agreed upon
These objectives should be clear and specific to individual needs of staff
They should be tied to a time period
There should be flexibility and room for re-negotiation

4.2 Initial Contact in Supervision

To assess staff in theory and practice
To make an agreement
To identify staff's strengths and development needs
To ensure staff can 'take something away' (applies to all sessions)

4.3 Why Have Supervision?

To identify and manage stress in the Supervisee
To ensure staff feel valued (it must be a positive experience)
To give staff a sense of belonging
To have an opportunity to share feelings and build self esteem from positive areas
As a teaching exercise
To promote self-awareness in the work situation
To ensure individual practice continues to promote team, division and department's objectives.

4.4 What is discussed in Supervision?

Clarification of Policy (what are we doing and where are we going)
Management of the Client group and staff team
Consultation on methods and techniques of work with client groups (how do you relate - what effect you have on clients and they on you?)
Ability to cope with workload (too much or too little)
Professional development; internal and external training opportunities, development of special interests and skills
Personal difficulties and circumstances (where they impinge on functioning at work)
Supervisees' feelings and understanding

4.5 Strategies to Foster Supervision

Gain supervisee's support
- value staff by respecting them as individuals
Supervisor's self discipline
- have self awareness
- be assertive
- establish an agreement
Organisation
- supervisory timetable established - ensuring regularity
- agenda be prepared by each party for each individual session prior to its commencement
- room to be used to be prepared to avoid distractions
- signed records to be kept
- regular reviews

4.6 Recording

Responsibilities, content and structure and discussed in Section 4.10, Supervisor's Responsibilities and Section 9, Recording respectively.

4.7 Barriers to Supervision

Lack of available time
Environment not generally conducive to supervision
Differing views regarding the philosophy and mechanics of supervision between supervisor and supervisee
Self-created barriers, supervisors not openly encouraging supervision
Reluctance of supervisee to contribute both to content and process of supervision

4.8 Common Excuses

Crisis gets in the way
No time
Forget sessions
Interruptions
Staff become angry
Waste of time
Avoidance

4.9 Supervisor/Supervisee Relationship

The supervisor has considerable authority, in terms of status, experience, qualification and behaviour. This authority can be used creatively or destructively.

The basis for relationships with other members of staff is in terms of all good working relationships i.e. respect for the individual, acceptance, self determination and confidence.

4.10 Supervisor's Responsibilities

Ensure brief notes of main points from the session are recorded
To draw up a Supervision Agreement

4.11 Shared Responsibilities

Preparation of agenda for supervision
Use of appropriate skills to optimise the outcomes of the supervision session
Give and receive feedback
To agree dates of supervision sessions
To act on decisions and plans made in supervision
To take part in the evaluation process

5. Implementation of Practice

5.1 Supervision Agreement

An agreement should be established between supervisor and supervisee. This should contain:

Times, dates and length of supervision
Place
Reason for cancellation
Style of supervision - ways of working
Agreed ground rules
Dealing with conflict
Confidentiality
Recording
Agenda
Review of Agreement
Ongoing issues to be explored i.e. anti-discriminatory practice

An example of a suggested Supervision Agreement is shown in Appendix 1

5.2 Frequency and Duration

These will vary according to the nature of the work undertaken by the supervisee and the level of competence in their performance of their duties. During the period of induction for new employees, more frequent and structured supervision sessions will be required.

Staff with onerous responsibilities, together with roles generating high stress levels (e.g. Senior Practitioners) will require more extensive and rigorous supervision than staff with relatively routine and straight forward tasks. Setting the frequency and duration of supervision sessions is the responsibility of the supervisor and a matter of judgement in consultation with the supervisee. Changes need to be re-negotiated by either party.

Guidance for a minimum requirement for frequency is illustrated in the following section.

6. Recommended Individual Supervision Targets

The frequency of supervision will necessarily vary according to the nature of the supervisee's job and individual competence levels. This will need to be negotiated between supervisor and supervisee and with the following guidelines identifying the minimum requirements:

All employees undergoing induction	1 hour per week
4th tier managers	2 hours per 4-6 weeks
5th tier managers	2 hours per 4-6 weeks
Administrative staff	1 hour per 6-8 weeks
Senior Practitioners	2 hours per 4 weeks
Social Workers & Social Work Assistants	2 hours per 2-4 weeks

Staff seconded into the division should receive a level of supervision consistent with social work staff of an equivalent grade. In addition to supervision requirements there may be the need for specialist 'supervision' to be provided for staff undertaking training e.g. more senior members of staff will have mentors for their specific and development needs. This should not be a substitute for the model recommended generally.

7. Venue

The supervisor should make arrangements for the venue for each session in consultation with the supervisee taking account of the following:

The suitability and comfort of the surroundings
Supervisors need for access to supervisee's work - documents etc.
The need to be uninterrupted
The value of supervisor's visits to the workplace

8. Agenda

The structure of the agenda will need to encompass the objectives of supervision, all of which should be addressed.

Both parties should prepare for supervision sessions.

Individual items may be brought by either party and the agenda constructed at the beginning of the session.

Either part may give prior notice of particular agenda items; supplying or requesting documentation where this would be helpful.

Agreed actions should be followed through to the agenda of subsequent meetings.

9. Recording

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to produce and retain brief notes in an agreed format, covering the key points and follow up actions of each agenda item. To assist supervision guidance and aide memoire can be found in Appendix iii.

Significant disagreements should be noted.

The supervisee should have sight of and access to their records and may add their own written comments.

Supervision notes should be signed as a true record and copies retained by both parties.

10. Confidentiality

All information between the two parties will normally be private and confidential. Exceptions may include:

where there are disciplinary or grievance implications or where line management requires access in relation to a complaint
where there is need to check or monitor that supervisory responsibilities are being fulfilled
for the purposes of staff development, competency levels and training needs

Supervision records will normally be kept for 2 years and in a confidential and secure setting.

11. Monitoring

Where there is consistent failure to provide satisfactory formal supervision, the supervisee has a right to contact the supervisor's line manager.

The supervisor should routinely receive supervision from his/her line manager, during which the meeting of their supervisory responsibilities should be discussed and monitored.

Additionally, line managers should take a pro-active stance in the monitoring of the quality delivery of formal supervision sessions.

12. Reviews and Employee Development Interviews (EDIs)

It is a requirement of this Division that in the first instance all staff are accorded the right to an annual EDI as a means to ensure their growth and development within their role.

Where is occurs, supervision should take place in parallel to the EDI, and although there are differences in terms of the purposes of these meetings it may be appropriate for the common areas to be linked.

Supervision reviews should occur, as with EDIs, annually. It is therefore necessary to consider their timing so as to meet the purposes of each and maintain clarity.

The EDI provides an opportunity to focus on and identify annual professional development plans. The supervision review will consider revising the supervision agreement and will include who supervision has and can assist in identifying and meeting and individual's professional development.

Appendix i: Supervision Agreement

Supervisor
Supervisee

We agree that supervision will take place on a ....................................................

basis, unless we need to meet more often for a specific reason

The supervisor agrees to complete a record of supervision for each session

The supervisee agrees to read and confirm this record at the beginning of each session

We agree that sessions will ideally take place in ..................................................

We agree that sessions will last for between .......................................................

We agree that, wherever possible, sessions will be uninterrupted

We are accountable to line management and understand that they may have access to our records of supervision

The record will not be shared with anyone else without our knowledge

The content of supervision is confidential and we agree that it will not be discussed informally without our consent

The Ground Rules* will be observed and adhered to by each person during supervision sessions

We agree that dates and times for supervision will be mutually agreed by us both and that they will be given a high priority in our workload for that date

We recognise that some of our duties may occasionally have to take priority over an agreed supervision session. If this happens, we agree to set an alternative date as soon as is practicable.

Signed ......................................................... Supervisor

Signed ......................................................... Supervisee

Date .........................................................

Review Date .........................................................

*See Appendix ii. - Ground Rules

Appendix ii: Ground Rules

Suggested areas for Ground Rules to be observed and adhered to by each person during supervision sessions.

Respect the confidentiality of the meeting (see Section 10, Confidentiality)
Remain alert to and avoid any oppressive language or behaviour
Work towards building a trusting environment by respecting each other's gender, race, culture, values, beliefs, feelings and abilities
Endeavour to create an environment which allows and encourages each person to be assertive
Show each other understanding whilst endeavouring to be open and frank in a positive and non-threatening manner
Actively listen to each other, offering constructive and positive feedback
Make constructive contributions and try to be assertive and challenging as well as accepting and supporting
Each take responsibility for own feelings, opinions and actions and take a collective responsibility for team maintenance (putting back together)
Ensure commitment to the team through:
- prioritising time for meetings and discussions
- punctual and regular attendance
- prior information of non-attendance or lateness
- taking fair share of responsibility of work
- meeting deadlines

Appendix iii: Supervision Aide Memoire

Introduction

The attached aide memoire has been drawn up in line with the Division's Policy and is provided to assist staff in the consistent provision of quality supervision.

It has been drawn up to allow flexibility during supervision (acknowledging that supervision styles may differ), whilst recognising that certain core requirements, as contained within the Division's Policy document, are necessary in the provision of effective and consistent supervision.

Guidance

A copy of the aide memoire can be kept attached to the inside front of the supervisee's file, by the supervisor, for ease of reference when making a record of each session.

The supervisor, in making a separate record of the session, can use the aide memoire to record items covering each of the core requirements as appropriate.

It is then good practice for the record to be typed, and a copy forwarded to the supervisee.

Once 'Matters Arising and Accuracy' have been dealt wit the supervisor and supervisee sign the final (amended) record for the file and the supervisee is provided with a copy.

See Appendix IV - A-B Progression.

Appendix iv: A-B Progression

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