1.7.1 Children’s Services Supervision Policy

Supervision is one of the ways that this can be achieved. This policy sets out how staff can expect to be supervised and provides managers with the key elements needed to supervise staff effectively.

It should be read with the accompanying guidance and procedures of the City Council

• Code of Conduct
• Policy on Health and Safety
• Dignity at Work
• Disciplinary Procedure
• Capability Procedure
• Prevention and Management of Stress at Work
• Grievance Procedure

This policy is informed by the requirements set out in the GSCC Code of Practice, which states that employers have a duty to:

1. Give staff clear information about their roles and responsibilities, relevant legislation and the organisational policies and procedures they must follow in their work'
2. Manage the performance of staff and the organisation to ensure high quality services and care' 
3. Effectively manage and supervise staff to support effective practice and good conduct and support staff to address deficiencies in their performance

Supervision refers to part of a participative process whereby managers /             supervisors ensure that employees are performing their role to a satisfactory standard, and have the appropriate support and training to do so in accordance with the policy and procedures of the Coventry City Council.

The Children's Workforce Development Council¹ definition states that -

Effective supervision performs four key functions² (See Appendix 2 - The four functions of Supervision)

• Management (ensuring competent and accountable performance/practice);
• Development (continuing professional development);
• Support (supportive/restorative function)
• Engagement/mediation (engaging the individual with the organisation)
  
  

Models for Supervision

The diagrams below illustrate a range of options, none of which are mutually exclusive. It may be entirely appropriate to use a mixture of the options, as long as you have clearly identified in your plan how they meet the policy requirements.

Whatever the model of supervision, the purpose of supervision is to:

• Keep a focus on the child
• Proactive care planning and avoid drift
• Maintain a degree of objectivity and challenge fixed views
• Test and assess the evidence base for assessment and decisions
• Address the emotional impact of work.
• Assist in the delivery of safe practice
• Ensure staff take a proactive approach to safeguarding children
• Encourage effective working relationships with families and other agencies
• To ensure that the supervisee is clear about roles and responsibilities
• To ensure that the supervisee meets the Department's objectives and standards
• To assist the provision of quality services to users
• To assist professional development
• To ensure accountability through the line management system
• To promote identification and solution to work problems
• To identify and manage risk
• To support and encourage reflective practice

The duration and frequency of supervision sessions will depend on the setting, type of work involved and any current operational considerations. 

• The normal range of frequency should be every 4 weeks and no less than six weekly
• Sessions should be no shorter than 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours in duration
• All staff should receive a minimum of 10 supervision sessions per year

It also ensures that everybody involved has the same understanding of the supervisory process operating within their work area. The agreement should reflect the range of supervisory arrangements applicable to that individual.   

The agreement should be drawn up using the Proforma (Appendix 1) and whatever is agreed should be made explicit and recorded.

1. Names of the parties to the agreement
2. Types of Supervision
3. Frequency and duration as well as practical arrangements
4. Roles and responsibilities are understood.
5. Diversity and Equal Opportunities issues
   • Ensuring reasonable adjustments are in place to enable supervisee to perform their role
   • Ensuring supervisees are aware of support available to assist them at work.
   • Respect for individual beliefs.
   • Promoting flexible working practices where appropriate.
   • Ensuring that work with all service users is undertaken in line with Coventry's Standards in Equality and Diversity.
6. Statement re confidentiality
7. Clarity of expectations
8. Agenda and content of supervision: the following should be covered
   • Health and Wellbeing
   • Case work planning and decisions
   • Workload management
   • Prioritisation of work
   • Standard setting
   • Monitoring and evaluation of quality and performance
   • Development and support
   • Team development
   • Communication (top-down and bottom-up )
9. Recording arrangements
10. Review arrangements, the agreement will be reviewed annually
11. Appeal arrangements (i.e. who supervisees can go to if the agreement is not being fulfilled)
12. Provision for signatures and dates. A copy of the agreement will be held by the Supervisor and Supervisee.

General:

Responsibilities of Supervisors and Managers

The checklist below sets out the Department's expectations of Managers/ Supervisors to ensure that Supervision is effective and that it encompasses those elements set out above.  Furthermore it reflects the core principle that the process should be a participative one which is based on mutual acceptance of rights and responsibilities

• Establish and maintain suitable arrangements for supervision (planned and uninterrupted), set out in the Supervision Agreement
• Ensure the process is integrated into service planning, objective setting and individual performance plan
• To set standards in relation to work performance and practice in line with departmental procedures and requirements
• To ensure that staff are provided with relevant and appropriate information to meet those standards.
• Ensure that all statutory and other relevant obligations are met e.g. registration requirements, National Occupational Minimum Standards, Health and Safety, Key Performance Indicators, GSCC and any other relevant Code of Practice,  Care Standards, Data Protection Act and compliance with Health and Safety regulations
• Support employees subject to professional registration to fulfil the eligibility criteria and any requirements for continued registration;
• Set, monitor and review individual work objectives and targets and agree how these will be achieved
• Be competent in setting smart targets/objective, identifying personal development and interpersonal skill, knowledge and behaviours required to perform in a job role;
• To provide effective and sensitive Supervision
• To encourage staff participation in the process, ensuring that they are listened to, that their experience and contributions is acknowledged
• To promote reflective practice, explore options and to learn from their mistakes
• To treat staff in line with respect and dignity, and in a way which acknowledges and values areas of difference and which addresses discriminatory issues.
• Be knowledgeable regarding the supervisee and their job description and work issues;
• Ensure that written records pertaining to the supervisee are kept up to date and securely filed;
• To ensure that electronic records are kept up to date and where inputting requirements are linked to I.T. systems e.g. PROTCOL, to be responsible for checking accuracy and timeliness of record input as a mandatory part of the supervision process;
• If the supervisee's performance at work is affected by personal issues or vice versa, the supervisee should be offered support through their line manager, Employee Support Services or occupational health. 
• Access training and development as necessary to ensure competence and encourage staff to take responsibility for their own learning and development.
  
  

Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs)

• Complete appraisal meetings/assessments within the required corporate timescales
• Competently use the appropriate skills to appraise and provide feedback
• Conduct appraisals fairly and without discrimination
• Prepare adequately for discussions/assessments
• Base performance assessments on evidence
• Share responsibility with their staff for ensuring that training needs are met
• Ensure that an accurate agreed record of the discussion is produced, in the corporate format, including agreed targets and training needs
  
  

Responsibilities of staff in relation to supervision

The following checklist sets out the Department's key expectations of all staff in relation to Supervision. It may be added to as appropriate

• to share responsibility for making Supervision work
• to negotiate the Supervision Agreement
• to ensure that Supervision time is used effectively
• to participate actively in the process and in setting the Supervision agenda
• to attend regularly and on time
• to meet standards set i.e. Departmental, Legal, Professional, etc.
• to promote the best interests of those who receive a service .
• to be open and share information with their supervisor
• to seek and use guidance and knowledge
• to be clear and honest in seeking any assistance
• to implement agreements and plans within the timescales agreed / required
• to inform their manager/supervisor if plans cannot be implemented
• to address issues of discrimination in respect of service delivery and employment
• to accept responsibility for their own work performance
• to participate in problem-solving, reflecting and thinking through and exploring options.
• to be responsible for their own learning and active in pursuit of their own development
• to give and accept constructive feedback and to learn from mistakes.

Supervision records should then be placed in the supervisee's personal file. The main purposes of recording supervision sessions are:

• To aid accountability of the work and the way it is undertaken.
• To set, review and evaluate targets and performance measures.
• To ensure accountability between supervision sessions
• To record decisions and issues related to the across the four key functions (Appendix 2)

Confidentiality - In normal circumstances, confidentiality between supervisor and supervisee will be maintained. The content of supervision records should not normally be made known to others outside the supervisory relationship except for circumstances above.

While confidential in nature, the written record is not the property of the supervisor or supervisee, but of the organisation. Members of the organisation's Senior Management Team and the supervisor's line manager have a right of access to them at any time to enable them to carry out their duties.

Training, refresher training and coaching is offered at a number of different levels to ensure that all staff who will be undertaking supervision consistently achieve a minimum level of understanding of the Policy itself as well as the basic interpersonal, management and communication skills required.

In order to be effective the supervision process requires monitoring and quality assurance arrangements. The quality assurance process ensures that the standards of supervision as outlined in this policy are being followed;

• Staff are being supervised professionally and effectively
• Supervision sessions are being recorded
• Individual Supervision Agreements are being developed, reviewed and used
• The supervision process promotes equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.

The quality assurance arrangements involve:

• The auditing of a random selection of supervision files on a six monthly basis by Managers
• Discussion during supervision, for example, between integrated service manager and team manager, about the team manager's practice in supervising their staff.
• The senior manager may request copies of supervision records as evidence of practice and to use as a tool where there are developmental needs on behalf of the team manager.
• Sampling of records should be undertaken and the expectation is that the supervisor's line manager will record the sampling in their own supervision records.
  
  

Supervision of Team Managers

1. Each month Integrated Service Managers will select a supervision file from the workload of one of their Team Managers for examination inline with agreed audit tools.
2. This will be noted, signed and dated on the supervision record along with written details of any action required to bring the record up to required standards.
3. Supervision sessions will include a recorded examination of computerised workload reports to ensure that data is being accurately maintained.
4. Supervision sessions will include an ongoing review of workload management arrangements which are in place to maximise the availability of staff to practise to the required standards.
   
   

Supervision of Integrated Service Managers

1. On a quarterly basis the responsible head of service will select a supervision file from the workload of each ISM for examination. This will be noted, signed and dates on the supervision record along with written details of any action required to bring the record up to required standards.
2. Supervision sessions will include a recorded examination of computerised workload reports in order to identify anomalies and review resource allocation.
3. Supervision sessions will include an ongoing review of workload management arrangements which are in place to maximise the availability of Children's Social Care staff to practise the required standards.