Pembrokeshire Supervision Guide for Social Services

of 24
SUPERVISION GUIDE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
Contents
1. Context
2. Policy Statement
3. Purpose of the Policy
4. Aims
5. Purpose of Supervision
6. Supervision Standards and Process
7. Frequency
8. Recording Supervision
9. Recording of Casework Supervision
10. Recording Informal Supervision
11. Recording Peer Group Supervision
12. Monitoring
13. Other relevant document guidelines
 Appendix 1: Strengths Based Supervision Guide Practice Framework
 Appendix 2: Code of Professional Practice for Social Care - What this means for Supervision
 Appendix 3: Supervision Agreement
 Appendix 4. Supervision Record
 Appendix 5. Group Peer Supervision
 Appendix 6. Supervision Aide Memoire
 Appendix 7. Storage and Confidentiality of Supervision Records
 Appendix 8. Occupational Therapy Professional Standards and Supervision
Social Services Revised Supervision Guide: June 2018
Pembrokeshire County Council Amended: October 2014
Supervision Guide Supersedes: Supervision Guide 2012
Last Reviewed: June 2011 – March 2012

of 24
1. Context
As an organisation Pembrokeshire County Council has a clear sense of purpose and vision on working
together and improving well-being. We are committed to ensuring that staff are effectively managed,
supported and developed to fulfil their responsibilities and achieve the best outcomes for the children and
adults we work with. Supervision is central to this process.
This policy defines the standards to be followed by managers and staff, supports the annual corporate
Performance Appraisal process and forms an essential part of continuing staff development, retention and
progression.
It aims to ensure that the individual and the organisation are congruent in terms of values, aims, task and
function.
2. Policy Statement
This policy applies to all employees working within Pembrokeshire County Council’s Social Services
Directorate. It reflects a move towards a more strengths based approach when working with service users
and individuals across the authority. This move supports the corporate aims and objectives that are
underpinned by the principles of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014. These principles
highlight the importance of putting the individual at the centre of their care by giving them a stronger voice
and control over services they receive, building on individual strengths to achieve their well-being outcomes,
earlier intervention with more preventative services and working together. These principles are reflected in
the authority Mission Statement: Working Together, Improving Lives.
3. Purpose of the Policy
The purpose of this Policy is to ensure strengths based practice is integrated throughout the Social Services
Directorate. It will ensure a consistent approach to supervision by all staff using the same Signs of Safety
strengths based approach used in the assessment and risk assessment of individuals. (Please see Appendix
1: Strengths Based Supervision Guide Practice Framework.)
4. Aims
The aims of this policy are to:
 Establish a clear policy on supervision for all levels of Social Services staff;
 Ensure that the voice of the individual and a focus on outcomes for that individual are at the centre
of all of our work;
 Ensure appropriate standards of support, personal and professional development needs and
performance are consistently managed;
 Ensure staff and workers across the department receive regular supervision with appropriate
guidance and direction;
 Ensure registered staff are supported to meet professional supervision requirements.

of 24
5. Purpose of Supervision
Supervision is the process through which managers and staff communicate with each other to ensure that
they are properly equipped and supported to meet organisational, professional and personal objectives to
discharge their duties and responsibilities to the required standard in Pembrokeshire.
This should include:
 Assessing experience, competence and development needs to undertake planned or allocated work
within the resources available;
 For social work supervision - making sure that the voice of the individual is actively sought and
recorded on the electronic case record and is regularly revisited in supervision;
 Providing a confidential and supportive setting for a two way exchange of information;
 Clarifying tasks, roles and responsibilities, ensuring work is purposeful and that all decisions are
recorded given the multi-agency nature of our work. Particular attention should be paid to issues of
joint working, investigations and joint decisions;
 Reviewing progress against agreed plans and ensuring actions are being carried out within agreed
timescales;
 Reviewing electronic case files and discussing any audit findings;
 Ensuring performance issues are identified at an early stage so that clear targets for improvement
with timescales can be put in place, in line with Pembrokeshire’s Performance Appraisal process;
 Acknowledging and recording any good practice;
 Reviewing progress, training needs and linking to annual performance appraisal objectives;
 Ensuring staff are clear about their role and responsibilities;
 Ensuring staff are meeting the organisation’s objectives;
 Ensuring work is planned and purposeful, and that progress is regularly monitored;
 Providing a supportive opportunity for critical reflection on practice.
Good supervision should result in positive outcomes for people who use services as well as similar
outcomes for the worker, the supervisor and the organisation as a whole. An example of a positive
outcome would be an improvement in the quality of life for a person, while for the organisation a similar
outcome would be an improvement in the quality of the service.
6. Supervision Standards & Process
a) Supervision should be on a one to one basis, in private, and apart from urgent reasons, free from
interruption. Both supervisor and supervisee need to be mindful of this at all times;
b) Supervision should be viewed as a priority. It should only be cancelled in an emergency and with
agreement of both parties. If it is agreed that supervision should be cancelled, the supervisor
should arrange a new session at a mutually agreed date;
c) Supervision sessions will be based on an agreement between the supervisor and supervisee. All
supervisees must have a supervision agreement, which will be covered in their first supervision
session, and should be reviewed annually or earlier if amendments need to be made;
d) Each supervision should be planned for, in order to ensure the maximum benefit and opportunity
for reflection can be achieved. In the event that a supervisor is not available supervision should be
carried out with a familiar supervisor who has a familiar relationship with the supervisee;
e) Supervision is an opportunity to discuss any issues that a supervisee is wrestling with, reflecting on
or worried about. It is the responsibility of the supervisee to ensure that anything of an urgent
nature is discussed with their supervisor in the first instance, however in the absence of a

of 24
supervisor, a supervisee should bring any urgent concerns to the attention of the Team Manager
and/or another supervisor;
f) Supervisors have a responsibility to ensure they are providing supervisees with a reflective space
where cases and issues can be explored “systemically”. The supervisor needs to be prepared to lead
and encourage a strengths based approach to supervision discussions which includes discussing
strengths within any situation, considering what opportunities may be available to create a change
in the situation, encouraging the supervisee to consider what an improved situation would look like
and how they would know this. Additionally, a supervisor must also be mindful of the law, policy,
relevant professional codes and practices, research and development relevant to their area of
work;
g) Supervisors should be provided with appropriate training to gain confidence in adopting the
strengths based approach to supervision including Signs of Safety, Motivational Interviewing and
Appreciative Inquiry training and the Code of Professional Practice – What this means for
Supervision (Appendix 3);
h) The aim of supervision should be to encourage reflective thinking and solution focused discussion
highlighting strengths without ignoring the challenges that may exist also. A supervisee should
consider prior to supervision how they would wish to best use their supervision session and may
wish to create an agenda. Topics for discussion may include reflective case discussion, testing
hypothesis, prioritising workload tasks, identification of learning and developmental needs. The
supervisor needs to be prepared to be flexible with supervision and therefore supervision may
focus on specific issues, specific cases or it may evolve as a more process led session. This should be
led by the needs of the supervisee. Social workers should use the Signs of Safety three columns
which can be utilised for case discussions;
i) Supervisors should make the most of opportunities to observe and record good practice and to
encourage and facilitate individuals to share this with the rest of the team and other teams;
j) Supervisors should get into the habit of noticing things that the supervisee does well, and comment
on them.
7. Frequency
It is a requirement that managers and supervisors hold regular supervision sessions with each person(s)
that they manage directly. The frequency of supervision will vary according to the needs of the individual
and their work/caseload.
Managers have the discretion to undertake regular supervision as appropriate for the role – the
frequency below is only mandatory for social workers and occupational therapists:
 The minimum frequency for formal supervision will be monthly for approximately 1.5 - 2 hours,
unless the social worker or occupational therapist is within their first year of practice or new to a
specialist setting, in which case supervision should be more frequent. Informal supervision will not
replace formal supervision.
 Social Work Managers have a responsibility to supervise more frequently cases which require a
higher level of oversight.
In some instances managers/supervisors may wish to utilise different forms of supervision including
informal discussion or group supervision, in addition to the formal supervision outlined in the agreement.

of 24
8. Recording Supervision
1. All supervisees must have a supervision agreement (see Appendix 3) which will be
covered in their first supervision session.
2. A record of each supervision session will be made by the supervisor on a Supervision
Record Form and a signed copy provided to the supervisee. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to keep an
electronic signed copy safe.
The minimum information will include:
 Date and time of supervision
 Agreed agenda for the session
 Review of work/cases
 Workload management
 Continuous professional development review
 Link to performance appraisal objectives
 Targets/actions to be discussed at next supervision session
 A summary of the discussion, agreed action, by whom and by when
 Any disagreement with the record.
The supervisor should take responsibility for recording supervision notes ensuring that details are accurate
within 2 weeks of the supervision taking place. Casework discussions/decisions should be recorded on the
electronic record system under ‘observation’ as detailed in Figure 8.0 below.
Figure 8.0 How to record an electronic case work supervision discussion

of 24
There should not be an unreasonable delay between the supervision session and recording in the
electronic record system, at least no later than 5 working days of the session.
9. Record of Casework Supervision, Decisions and Agreed Actions for Social
Work Supervision
Please refer to Appendix 4 Supervision Record and use the list below for guidance on what to record on the
document.
 e-number (not case name);
 Previous supervision date and “Actions/Decisions/Timescales” brought forward for sign off;
 What is working well? (Describe indicators of change, even small ones, and impact for the
child/young person/family);
 What progress is being made towards the goals for the adult/child;
 What still needs to change;
 What will you do differently if the change you want to see doesn’t happen within the timescales set
in the Plan? (Ensure you have access to the current Plan and directly refer to it);
 Direct work with the service user since the last supervision meeting including the service user’s
expressed wishes and feelings;
 Supervisor/supervisee’s reflections;
 Actions to be taken and by when.
10. Recording Informal Supervision
Informal supervision should also be recorded on the electronic record system such as CareFirst and the
supervisor and supervisee should always agree when informal discussions are taking place who will be
responsible for recording the discussion and any decisions.
11. Recording Peer Group Supervision
Group supervision should be captured in a form that demonstrates that the group met, the topic of the
discussion, key themes and outcomes. Where group supervision relates to an adult or child this should be
recorded on the CareFirst or Careworks system as an ‘observation’. If group supervision relates to many
children a case note should be entered on each individual child’s record summarising the thinking and
action for the individual child.
Please refer to Appendix 6 to follow the Signs of Safety peer supervision process to manage group
supervision.
12. Monitoring, Quality Assurance, Audit, Storage and Confidentiality
In order to ensure that supervision standards, procedures and processes are in place and conducted on a
regular basis the Statutory Director of Social Services will conduct an annual supervision audit on a sample
of mandatory supervision records for social workers and occupational therapists during each financial year.
Staff will be notified of the audit timeframe.
Managers of staff working with vulnerable children and adults are responsible for monitoring and
overseeing that supervision has taken place regularly on an ongoing basis and for checking the quality -
looking to identify what was good and what could be improved.

of 24
All staff should refer to Appendix 7 for guidance on storage of supervision records and confidentiality.
13.Other relevant guides to read in conjunction with this policy such as:
 Dignity at Work
 Employee and Manager Standards
 Capability Procedure
 Disciplinary Policy and Procedures
 Grievance Policy and Procedure
 Managing Sickness Absence
 Whistleblowing Code
 Data Protection
 Code of Conduct
 Equal Opportunities Policy Statement
 Health and Safety Procedures including Stress at Work: Policy and Procedure, Lone Working
Arrangements, Violence and Aggression Arrangements, Counselling Services etc.
 Social Care Wales Code of Practice for Social Care Employers 2018
 https://socialcare.wales/cms_assets/file-uploads/Supervising-and-appraising-well-social-care.pdf
 Social Care Institute for Excellence (2013) Effective supervision in a variety of settings
(SCIE Guide 50). London: SCIE. Available at:
https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide50/index.asp
https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide50/foundationsofeffectivesupervision/

of 24
STRENGTHS BASED SUPERVISION GUIDE: PRACTICE FRAMEWORK
BACKGROUND
Signs of Safety was developed in Western Australia in 1990s by Andrew Turnell and Steve Edwards in collaboration
with child protection practitioners. Signs of Safety has been adopted in a number of jurisdictions internationally. The
framework has and continues to evolve through the application of practice-based evidence and appreciative inquiry
into practitioner and recipient defined best practice.
The Signs of Safety Framework is used to determine:
 What supports are needed for service users and their families
 Whether there is sufficient safety around the individuals risk
 Whether the situation requires intervention
 What is needed to manage any risk
Signs of Safety seeks to create a more constructive culture around practice with both children and adults. Central to
this framework is the use of specific practice tools and processes where professionals and family members can engage
with each other in partnerships to address situations of potential abuse or neglect.
Signs of Safety is implemented in conjunction with creating a culture of appreciative inquiry around frontline practice.
Appreciative inquiry (AI) is a process of asking questions and focusing on successful behaviours and practice. Its aim is
to enhance practice depth amongst practitioners to deliver safer outcomes for vulnerable children and adults. AI will
be undertaken by all Signs of Safety Practice Leaders in the Districts in mapping meetings, case consultations and
supervision.
CORE PRINCIPLES
There are three core principles that underpin Signs of Safety including assessment and planning, safety planning and
working with adults, children and their families.
1) Working relationships – constructive working relationships between professionals and individuals/family members
or carers, and between professionals themselves, are the heart and soul of effective practice in situations where
adults/children suffer abuse and neglect.
2) Thinking critically, fostering a stance of inquiry – as soon as the professional decides they know the truth about a
given situation this begins to fracture working relationships with other professionals and family members, all of whom
very likely hold different positions. Munro (2008) says that the single most important factor in minimising errors (in
child protection practice) is to admit that you may be wrong.
3) Landing grand aspirations in everyday practice – finding and documenting practitioner and clients’ descriptions of
what on-the-ground good practice with complex and challenging cases looks like is a key to learning.
COMPREHENSIVE RISK ASSESSMENT
The purpose of using the Signs of Safety assessment and planning form is to generate adult/child protection practice
and decision making that is organised first and foremost around adult/child safety.
Signs of Safety utilises a comprehensive approach to risk that:

of 24
 Is simultaneously forensic in exploring harm and danger while at the same time eliciting and inquiring into
strengths and safety;
 Clearly articulates professional knowledge while also equally eliciting and drawing upon
 Family knowledge and wisdom;
 Is designed to undertake the risk assessment process with the full involvement of all
 Stakeholders including adults/children, families and professionals; and
 Is holistic as it includes input from professionals and family members.
The Signs of Safety assessment and planning form (and the questioning processes and inquiring stance that underpins
it) is designed to be the organising map for adult/child protection intervention from case commencement to closure.
At its simplest this can be understood as containing four domains for inquiry:
1) What are we worried about? (Observable behaviours that demonstrate harm/danger -past harm, future danger
and complicating factors/missing information).
2) What’s working well? (Observable behaviours that indicate existing strengths and safety).
3) Judgement – a range of scaling questions can be asked. These should be tailored to the purpose and context of the
circumstances. For example where are we on a scale of0 to 10 where 10 means there is enough safety for the
Department to close the case and 0 means it is certain that the adult/child will be (re) abused?
4) What needs to happen? (Immediate next steps to keep the adult/child safe and build future safety, family goals
and agency goals).
In addition, the assessment and planning form includes a section to articulate the reason for decision(s).
Specific tools for engaging adults/children and their families (refer to practice manual) are used to:
 Actively involve adults/children, families and professionals in adult/child protection assessments;
 Enhance adults/children’s and families’ understanding why professionals are intervening in their lives; and
 Facilitate safety planning.
DISCIPLINES FOR USING SIGNS OF SAFETY
1) A clear and rigorous understanding of the distinction between, past harm, future danger and complicating factors.
2) A clear and rigorous distinction made between strengths and protection. Strengths need to be demonstrated as
protection in relation to the danger, and over time.
3) Rendering all statements in straight-forward, rather than professionalised language, that can be readily understood
by service recipients.
4) As much as possible, all statements focus on specific, observable behaviours.
5) Skilful use of authority.
6) An underlying assumption that the assessment is a work in progress rather than a definitive set piece.
GROWING PRACTICE DEPTH
Growing practice depth in the use of Signs of Safety will be achieved through:
 Developing the expertise, skills and knowledge of Practice Leader Facilitators;

of 24
 Supporting the learning of Practice Leaders;
 Integrating Signs of Safety training in both generic and district based learning activities;
 Individual staff engaging in self-directed learning and reflective practice to enhance their expertise, skills and
knowledge in applying Signs of Safety in all aspects of child protection casework; and
 Ensuring opportunities to enhance practice depth are identified and implemented through the Reaching
Forward and supervision process.
LEGISLATIVE MANDATE AND PRINCIPLES
Signs of Safety is consistent with the principles under The Children Act 1989 and 2004 and SSWB (Wales) Act 2014.
The Acts are the legislative basis that underpin the Department’s mandate to safeguard or promote the wellbeing of
adults/children, individuals, families and communities, and to provide for the protection and care of adults/children
in circumstances where their carers/parents have not provided, or are unlikely or unable to provide, that protection
and care.
Munro, Eileen. (2008, p.125). Effective Child Protection. Sage Publications, Los Angeles. USA.

of 24
CODE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE - WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SUPERVISION
The Code of Professional Practice for Social Care states that each worker is responsible that your work meets the
standards. In terms of supervision this means that
a) The Supervisee and Supervisor both have a responsibility to know what these standards are and apply them
to their daily work.
b) The Supervisee should always prepare for a supervision session, identifying cases/ situations where they can
use the code to reflect on examples of their work, both through examples of good practice and examples
where there are learning outcomes to be identified
c) The Supervisor should ensure that they promote the use of the code, taking it into account when discussing
practice, responses and learning needs (Code 7, Professional Practice, SCW).
Section 1 Section 2
Respect the views and wishes, and promote the rights
and interests, of individuals and carers
Strive to establish and maintain the trust and
confidence of individuals and carers
 Have you worked in a person centred way – if not
what were the barriers, what could be done to
improve this, what resources are there, what
resources may need to be developed (both as a
practitioner and a service)
 Have you respected and promoted the rights, values
and beliefs, views and wishes of both individuals and
carers -if not what where the barriers, what could be
done to improve this, what resources are there, what
resources may need to be developed (both as a
practitioner and a service). Is this an issue in that
individual case, or a system/ process issue
 Have you been able to support the individual to
maximise decision and control- if not what were the
barriers, how could they have been overcome, what
have you learnt from this experience for yourself and
for other colleagues
 Have you worked with individuals and carers in ways
that respect their dignity, privacy, preferences,
culture, language and right- if not what were the
barriers- environment, capacity, resources? What
would you need to have/ know to do it differently?
 Have you ensured your actions promote equality,
diversity and inclusion- if not what were the
circumstances? What would you do differently?
 Have you been honest and trustworthy - where
there any difficulties in this;- communication,
pressure from other individuals
 Have you communicated in an appropriate, open,
accurate and straightforward way- where there
barriers to communication, did you have all the
answers, did you use jargon?
 Have you actively supported individuals/ carers to
communicate views/preferences using their
preferred method/language- if not, what were the
barriers, what could you do to overcome these,
are there any learning/ development needs
 Have you respected confidential information and
clearly explained the policies- have you had any
issues with explaining these and people not
understanding? What have you learnt from this?
 Have you been reliable and dependent? Have you
honoured work commitments and arrangement,
and when not able to do so, explained why? Have
you had to cancel/ postpone visits, have you given
reasonable time scales for action and delivered. If
not, what have you learned/ what have been
barriers
 Have you declared issues that might create conflict
of interests and taken steps to ensure they do not
influence judgement or practice- for example,
there may be individuals you find ‘challenging’ to
work with due to their views or actions- how do
you resolve this
 Have you adhered to polices about accepting gifts
from individuals and families- are you aware of our
policy, how do you react when in this situation
without causing offense

of 24
Section 3 Section 4
You must promote the well-being, voice and control of
individuals and carers while supporting them to stay
safe
You must respect the rights of individuals while
seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm
themselves or other people
 Have you worked in ways that maximise well-being
and participation that balances rights and
responsibilities- How have you done this, what were
the barriers, what are the conflicts, what are the
polices and legislation that supports this
 Have you worked in partnership with colleagues to
promote well-being, voice and control- where has this
worked well, what, if any obstacles, what resources
do we have, what resources do we need?
 Have you worked with individuals and carers to keep
themselves safe- what has worked well, what
resources did you use, have there been experiences
where there has been conflict between different
views of safety, if so, what could be used to resolve
this.
 Have you recognised and used sensitively the power
that comes from your work- what examples, how was
this used, what issues did it raise, any learning about
yourself/ your role
 Have you supported individuals and carers to express
concerns or make complaints, taking complaints
seriously and passing to appropriate person- are you
aware of the complaints procedure/ who to contact,
difference between someone wanting to make views
heard and a formal complaint. What conflicts may
arise where someone wants to make a complaint
 Have you used agreed systems and procedures to
share info with other professionals in a timely
manner- are you aware of policies and procedures in
info sharing. Have there been any issues- how
were/could they be resolved?
 Have you used processes/ procedures to challenge or
report dangerous, abusive or discriminatory
behaviour or practice- are you aware of processes,
what support would you need, what would the
barriers/ issues be in this situation, what would you
need to feel confident to do so if not already
 Have you raised concerns with appropriate authority
where practice of colleagues/ professionals may be
unsafe or adverse to standards- are you aware of
process/ what support would you require to do so,
what would barriers be
 Have you identified resource or operational
difficulties that may hinder delivery of care and
support and brought it to the attention of appropriate
authority- are you aware/ confident or ways of doing
this, what support would you need, what issues
would this raise?
 Have you worked with individuals to balance
rights, responsibilities and risks- what tools/
resources could you use, what have you learnt,
what are the issues/ barriers, what
policy/legislation underpins this
 Have you followed risk assessment policies to
assess if behaviour of individual causes risk of
harm to themselves/ others, and have you taken
necessary steps to minimise the risk- what tools/
policies, have they been effective, what have you
leant, any issues/ barriers and how to overcome
 Have you ensured that relevant
colleagues/agencies are informed about the
outcomes and implications of risk assessment-
how was this shared, what was result, any issues/
barriers or learning

of 24
Section 5 Section 6
You must act with integrity and uphold public trust and
confidence in the profession
You must be accountable for the quality of your work
and take responsibility for maintaining and
developing knowledge and skills
 This means not directly or indirectly abuse, neglect,
exploit, discriminate against or harm other individuals
(including carers and colleagues), their trust, the
access you have to information, form inappropriate
relationships.
 Neither should you condone discrimination, put
yourselves or others at risk, or behave in a way, in
work or outside, which would call into question your
suitability to work- what are the main issues here, e.g.
use of social media, where does office ‘joking’ or
‘teasing’ go into abuse or discrimination, how do we
set standards and identify where things may not be
meeting them, what are the issues/ barriers.
 Do you meet the standards of practice and work in
a lawful, safe and effective way- how can this be
discussed/ reflected in supervision
 Do you maintain clear and accurate records in
accordance with legal/ work requirements- do you
know the policy, what is the standard for records,
what is appropriate to be recorded where
 Are you open and honest with people if things go
wrong, including to your employer/appropriate
authority? Would you co-operate with
investigations into your own or others practice/
Are you comfortable Informing your employer
about any personal difficulties that may affect
ability or competence- do you feel confident you
could do this? What would stop you? What would
encourage this? Positives of being open and
honest – role of supervision
 Do you seek assistance if you do not feel able to
carry out any aspect of your work/ not sure how to
proceed- Do you have support/ resources, how
could you be supported better, what are the
implications and positives of seeking early
assistance
 Do you work openly and co-operatively with
colleagues and treat them with respect, do you
recognise and respect expertise and roles of other
professionals- importance of peer support and
team work- how can this be developed/ improved,
what is good currently
 Do you understand that you remain responsible
for work you delegate- do you delegate work?
How do you ensure it is carried out appropriately/
how do you support the person and get feedback?
 Do you undertake relevant learning and
development to maintain/ improve skills &
knowledge, and contribute to L&D of others- how
do you do this, do you feel it is effective, how
would you support individual and peer
development, are you happy to share your own
learning.

of 24
SUPERVISION AGREEMENT
Name of employee:
Name of supervisor:
Pembrokeshire County Council’s minimum standards for supervision:
 All employees will have a supervision agreement and supervision will comply with the
Directorate policies and procedures;
 Social workers and Occupational Therapists to be supervised at monthly intervals or at
more frequent intervals if the employee is a newly qualified within their first year of post
qualification experience. This is also relevant to any employee who is new to practice
within a specialist setting; is new to the organisation or is experiencing difficulty;
 Computer records and case files will be used in supervision
 Managers have the discretion to undertake regular supervision as appropriate for the role.
The principle functions of the supervisory process are to:
 develop a working supervisor and supervisee relationship that promotes reflective
practice influenced by appreciative inquiry, consequently providing evidence when
decision making;
 develop trust and respect in the workplace modelling the same strengths based
approach with the practitioner and client;
 ensure capacity and accountability is maintained through self-reflection;
 support the employee develop professionally and identify training needs;
 provide regular and constructive two-way feedback;
 contribute to the performance review;
 ensure services demonstrate consideration of the codes of professional practice;
 ensure professional supervision is undertaken for those registered with Social Care
Wales and Health & Care Professions Council.
Frequency
Duration
Venue
Supervision sessions will be recorded in
accordance with the Directorate’s Supervision
Guidelines and will be recorded by
Supervision records will be Handwritten * Typed * (*delete as appropriate)
There will only be interruptions or cancellation
of our supervision session if
Designated stand-in supervisor for unexpected
absences will be
Ground rules agreed

of 24
The content of supervision will include:
 agenda (see below)
 planning, decision making, administration, policy and procedures manual, recording,
report writing, skills, knowledge and value base, training/developmental needs,
resources, the opportunity to reflect on the experience/feelings associated with work,
exploring coping strategies, raising issues associated with discrimination, and the
giving of constructive two-way feedback
 a summary of the discussion and agreed action, by whom and by when.
As an employee, my expectations of supervision are:
My responsibilities for supervision, and for preparation prior to each supervision session, will be:
As a supervisor, my expectations of supervision will be:
My responsibilities for supervision, and for preparation prior to each supervision session, will be:
The agenda we will set for each supervision session will be:
a review of the previous supervision record, review of current work or cases, workload
management, continuous professional development/training, link to performance appraisal
objectives, other issues, sickness absence, targets/actions to be discussed at next supervision, any
disagreement with record.
Any disagreements or difficulties between us will be dealt with by:
The format of our supervision sessions will be reviewed on
(supervision agreement to be reviewed at least annually)
Date:
Signature of employee: Date:
Signature of supervisor: Date:

of 24
To support social workers with structuring supervision records please refer to Appendix 6
SUPERVISION RECORD
(This template is GENERIC and can be adapted to fit any role)
Name of employee:
Name of supervisor:
Date of supervision: Duration:
Supervision agenda / checklist    
 What recent achievement(s) are you most proud of?
 What are you most worried about and what can we do to resolve it?
1. Review of previous supervision
record.
5. Link to performance appraisal
objectives.
2. Review of current work/cases
 new work/cases allocated
 work/cases agreed to be completed/
closed.
 review of active cases/workload.
6. Other issues.
7. Sickness absence; attendance;
HFX and/or annual leave.
3. Workload management. 8. Targets/actions to be discussed at
next supervision.
4. Continuous professional development
/ training.
New staff - completed/aware of:
Corporate/Social Services Induction
9. Any disagreement with record
noted/signatures completed.
All numbered topics must be covered as above and details given in the table below.
Issue and action to be taken
Note: service user details to be recorded on the appropriate record (e.g.
careFirst/careworks/FLARE/SX3 etc.). They are not to be recorded on this form.
By whom By when
Critical Analysis/Reflection
Risk statement (core worries, why are we involved) Safety Goal (intended
outcome of intervention),Scale.
Next Steps
Safety Planning
Other actions eg step up, step down, case closure or transfer.
Experience/Facts
 What has happened, experience and voice of the child/adult, observations,
update on child/adult and family circumstances, impact on child/adult
 What are you worried about? (Harm, Danger, Complicating Factors)
 What is working well (Strength, Safety).
Progress on actions from last time
1. Review of previous supervision record
2. Review of current work/cases
 new work or cases
 cases or work agreed to be closed or completed
 review of active work/cases

of 24
3. Workload management
4. Continuous professional development and/or training
New staff – completed/aware of Corporate/Social Services
Induction
5. Link for performance appraisal objectives
6. Other Issues
7. Sickness absence; attendance; HFX and/or annual leave
8. Targets/actions to be discussed at next supervision
9. Any disagreement with record noted/signatures completed
Signature of employee: Date:
Signature of supervisor: Date:
Next supervision session: Date:

of 24
Group Supervision Process using the
Signs of Safety Approach to practice
Getting to the analysis quickly:
1. Choose who is going to facilitate the session.
2. Choose who is presenting the case.
3. Facilitator – scribe genogram (scan, date and put on document management DM).
4. Facilitator asks the presenter – in 4 minutes, describe why the department is
involved in this case (NB, group do not contribute at this stage).
5. Facilitator to scribe the case.
6. Facilitator asks the presenter what the worker wants to achieve from the session
(this could be an opportunity to explore the case, help with risk assessment & safety
planning etc.
7. Facilitator clarifies the critical issues within the case description (NB, It is important
that only the facilitator asks questions to help clarify critical issues. The Group to
observe. Whilst tempting to share knowledge on the case or ask questions, this will
disrupt the process).
8. The whole group, on your own develop a danger statement for one of the critical
issue’s (Facilitator, ensure that all critical issues are covered in the group).
9. Group – share your danger statement with the group.
10. The whole group, on your own develop a safety goal to your danger statement
(Facilitator, ensure that all danger statements are paired with a safety goal).
11.Group – share your safety goal with the group.
12.The whole group – develop scaling questions for each DS & SG pair and share these
with the group.

of 24
Social Work Supervision Aide Memoire
What are you worried about? What’s working well? What needs to happen?
Past Harm/Risk/Issues
Has DSL opened a safeguarding file?
What are you worried about? Worries
since last supervision
What is your main worry?
Complicating Factors what makes this
more difficult to solve – action of
family?
Danger Statement – what do you
think might happen for the person if
nothing is done?
Voice of the person
What are the person’s worries and, if
professionals are involved, do they
understand why?
Have you or would you consider using
‘Three Houses’ or ‘Wizards and
Fairies’ with the people?
How is the person’s attendance?
Do the people and the parents/carers
understand why we’re worried?
Is there anything in the person’s
behaviour/development which
suggests that they are unhappy or
that they are being harmed?
What is the parent or carer saying
about the concerns?
Outstanding actions from last
supervision/reason for delay.
Strengths
People, plans, action that
contribute to the person’s
wellbeing/safety.
Thinking about your danger
statement, is there anything
that has changed since you
wrote it that tells you things
have improved for the person?
Voice of the person – what is
the person saying has changed
in terms of positives?
Significant meetings/Case
Conference/Core
Group/Reviews (Safeguarding)
Progress of the needs on the
person’s plan
Thinking about the support you
have offered, what, when and
how did it make a difference to
the person?
What needs to happen to change the
scale rate?
What do you need to see to be sure
that person or people are safe or that
things have improved for them?
Do we need to know more about the
person’s voice?
 Does this case need more
complete mapping>
 Who do we need to think
about in this family?
 Does that include other
significant people?
 Tell me about the family in 3
minutes;
Other professional agencies involved
Are there any newly identified future
goals to be added to the plan? (Include
who does what, by when).
Any concerns that indicate the need to
escalate up or down the Continuum of
Need? (eg children and schools, adults
or children’s social care?
Date of next significant meeting/Case
Conference/Core Group/Review
(Safeguarding)/home contact as
appropriate
For the purposes of generic use this aide memoire refers to the term Person = Child, Young Person or
Adult and/or People = Children or Family.

of 24
EARS Appreciative Inquiry turning questions into conversations
WORRIES STRENGTHS GOALS
ELICIT
First
Questions
What are you worried
about?
What harm has happened
to any child or individual in
the care of these adults?
What is the danger to this
child or individual if left in
the care of this mother or
these adults?
What makes this situation
more complicated?
What’s working well here?
What are the best attributes of this
mum/dad’s or carer’s parenting or
care?
What would the child or individual
say are the best times they have had
with their mum/dad/carer(s)
When has the mum fought off the
depression and been able to focus on
the child?
What needs to happen?
What do you need to see to
be satisfied the child or
individual is safe enough we
can close the case?
Where would the teenager
say he wants his life to be at
18?
What would the mum say
that would
AMPLIFY
Behavioural
detail:
What would
you see?
When has that harm
happened?
How often? How bad?
How did the incident affect
the child or individual?
What language can we use
to say that, so the mum and
child or carer and adult can
understand?
How long has this abuse
been happening?
Give me the first, worst and
most recent examples of
the abuse?
When has that good thing
happened? How often?
How did the mum fight off the
depression? How else?
How else?
How does the neighbour or other
people close to the situation help?
How did you get the child or
individual to open up?
How is the parenting programme
making things better for the child?
What else did the dad do to make
those contact visits really enjoyable
for his children?
Describe the details of the
behaviour you would want
to see that would tell you
this child or individual is
safe?
How many people do you
think should be involved
with this safety plan?
What is the father’s
willingness/capacity to do
this?
Is the plan written up in a
way the child would
understand?
How will the mental health
services involvement help
make this plan work?
REFLECT
Meaning
Which of the danger
statements do you think is
the most important (or
easiest) to deal with first?
Which danger would worry
the parents most?
Of all the complicating
factors which do you think
is most important to deal
with?
Which of the strengths are most
useful in terms of getting this
problem dealt with?
Which aspects of their
parenting/family life would mum and
dad be most proud of?
Where do you rate the
child’s or adult’s safety with
this mother (or carer) on 0-
10 scale?
Is this a plan that the
parents (or carer’s) believe
in? What confidence on a 0-
10 scale would they say they
have in it keeping the child
safe?
START
Over
Are there any other worries
that we have missed?
Are there any other good things
happening in this family or adult’s life
that we have missed?
Are there any other
important things that we
have missed in the plan?

of 24
Recording Sheet to Support you with Structuring Supervision Records
Person’s name: Date:
What are you worried
about?
What’s working well? What needs to happen?
From evidence and assessment on a scale of 0-10 where would you place the safety of this child/ren or
adult? (0 being unsafe – 10 being safe)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
From evidence and assessment on a scale of 0-10 where would you place any change for the parents/carer
to meet the child or adult’s needs (0 being no change – 10 being adequate change)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

of 24
STORAGE OF SUPERVISION RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY
1. Supervision records for all supervisees must be kept in a safe and secure place and in accordance
with the Data Protection Act. The organisation is committed to agile working and a paperless policy
procedure – all supervision records should be kept electronically.
2. Supervision records relating to staff working with vulnerable children and adults should be kept for
seven years for each supervisee and only after this time period can they be destroyed.
3. When a supervisee permanently leaves the authority, the leaver’s supervision records must be kept
by the authority for 93 years from the DOB. After the time period has elapsed the records should be
destroyed.
4. When a supervisee moves to another post within the Directorate or transfers to any other
Directorate in the authority, their supervision records should be passed to their new manager.
5. The content of supervision generally remains confidential to the supervisor and supervisee.
However, the supervision notes are owned by Pembrokeshire County Council, and there may be
circumstances in which they may be shared with other relevant personnel, including the Human
Resources Department and/or others noted in point 6 below.
6. Access to supervision records might include senior managers (for quality assurance purposes);
investigating officers (for disciplinary purposes); inspectors (for Care Inspectorate Wales, CIW);
performance staff (for audit and quality assurance purposes); complaints and compliments.
7. The supervisor has the right to share information if the supervisee’s:
 Actions place a customer at risk;
 Work falls below agreed standards of practice;
 Behaviour gives cause for concern;
 Physical or emotional health requires a referral to a medical or employee care professional.
8. The supervisee can breach confidentiality if: there are concerns about the standard of supervision,
or standard of practice and/or if the supervisor does not keep the supervision agreement.
9. In cases as in paras 2 and 3, the supervisor/supervisee raising the concerns must do so with their
line manager, and inform the supervisor/supervisee of their intention to do so. The line manager
must take the appropriate action.
10. Both the supervisor and the supervisee can apply for access to the supervision notes in the event of
disciplinary or grievance proceedings. The decision regarding access will be taken by a senior line
managers (usually Head of Service).
11. Staff can refer to the Retention and Disposal Schedules policy on the INTRANET to ensure they have
the most current and up to date information:
http://intranet.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/en-gb/ChiefExec/audit-risk-
info/Pages/default.aspx?RootFolder=%2Fen%2Dgb%2FChiefExec%2Faudit%2Drisk%2Dinfo%2FData%20Prot
ection%20Documents%2FData%20Retention%20and%20Disposal&FolderCTID=0x012000397490B9FCE6D44
D9E9EF82F26931589&View=%7B7D280C51%2D1A84%2D4743%2D9F2B%2D936B46C6C145%7D

of 24
Occupational Therapy Professional Standards and Supervision
Occupational Therapists employed in Local Authorities are registered with the Health & Care Professions
Council (HCPC) and are required to adhere to HCPC registration standards as well as;
 Royal College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct (2015)
 Royal College of Occupational Therapists Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice
(2017).
These standards are supportive of occupational therapy staff receiving as well as providing regular
professional supervision and appraisal, where systematic, critical reflection is used to review practice.
Professional supervision is a means to provide support and allow reflection & learning to develop skills,
knowledge and promote good practice.
Supervision Guidance for Occupational Therapists and their Managers (Royal College of Occupational
Therapists, 2015) provides further guidance related to the supervision of occupational therapy staff.
Newly qualified occupational therapists are supported within their first year of practice via a preceptorship
programme.
Preceptorship is a structured development process, including observed practice and feedback
against agreed standards, to support newly qualified practitioners to build their professional
identity and competence in order to facilitate their successful adaptation into the workplace.
(Preceptorship Handbook for Occupational Therapists, 2012).
This will be delivered as part of the supervision process for newly qualified occupational therapy staff,
employed within Pembrokeshire County Council.

Pembrokeshire Supervision Guide for Social Services

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Pembrokeshire Supervision Guide for Social Services

Similar to Pembrokeshire Supervision Guide for Social Services (20)

More from Alex Clapson

More from Alex Clapson (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Pembrokeshire Supervision Guide for Social Services