This document provides an introduction to supportive supervision for mentor facilities. It defines supportive supervision as ongoing mentoring to ensure skills are applied in practice and develop public health capacities. The aim is to increase individual confidence through focused observation, mentorship and feedback. Six key areas of supportive supervision are identified: joint problem identification, joint problem-solving, training adults, time management, two-way communication, and coaching. The document outlines how supportive supervision differs from traditional supervision by emphasizing routine encounters, observation and feedback rather than fault-finding. It also details the supportive supervision cycle of informing workers, observing performance, improving skills and work conditions, and motivating workers. Finally, it discusses best practices for planning, conducting and following up

1. Introduction to
Supportive Supervision
TRAINING FOR MENTOR FACILITIES
19TH JULY 2018

2. At the end of this module, participants will :
✓ Understand what supportive supervision is
✓ Learn the key processes in supportive supervision and how to apply them

3. What is supportive supervision?
• Supportive Supervision is the ongoing mentoring of individuals,
often in follow-up to a training, to ensure translation of theory
into good practice and support sustainable development and
implementation of specific public health skills.
• The aim of supportive supervision is to increase the capacity and
confidence of the individual to take on the specific tasks
addressed via focused observation, mentorship, and feedback.
• Supportive supervision is helping to make things work, rather
than checking to see what is wrong.
• In supportive supervision, we emphasize mentoring, joint
problem solving, and two-way communication between the
supervisor and those being supervised.

4. Supportive supervision is different from the traditional supervisory role
Traditional Supervision Supportive supervision
Who performs
supervision
Designated internal and external
supervisors
Multiple players, including implementing staff
themselves
When supervision
happens
During periodic visits Routinely, team meetings and periodic supervisory
visits
What happens during
supervision
encounters
Inspection and fault finding, focus on
individuals rather than processes and
may not take into account other factors
that affect an individual's ability to carry
out her/his job. Also, supervisor makes
most decisions, reactive problem-solving
by the supervisor, little/no feedback
Observation of performance and comparison to
standards, provision of corrective feedback on
performance, provision of technical updates on
guidelines, on-site refresher training, use of data to
identify opportunities for improvement, Joint
problem solving
Follow-up on previously identified problems
What happens after
supervision
encounters
No follow-up or irregular follow-up Actions and decisions recorded, Joint action plan
with roles and responsibilities defined,
Copies shared with facility/individuals, routine
follow-up, ongoing monitoring and support

5. There are six focus areas in supportive supervision…
Supportive
supervision
Joint Problem
identification
Joint Problem-
solving
Training adults
Time
management
Two-way
communication
Coaching

6. There are six focus areas in supportive supervision.
Tools for Supportive Supervision:
• Joint problem identification:
Regular data review, comparison of
outcome & process data with
standards.
• Joint problem-solving: Aim-
setting and PDSA cycle, Root-cause
analysis tools
• Training Adults: training manuals,
textbooks, handouts, job-aids
• Time management: schedules and
timetable
Supportive
supervision
Joint Problem
identification
Joint Problem-
solving
Training adults
Time
management
Two-way
communication
Coaching

7. The supportive supervision cycle
Inform the worker
about the expected
standard
Provide feedback on
quality of performance
Improve required
knowledge and skills
Improve work condition
and required supply
Motivate worker and
create interest in work

8. An example of the supportive supervision cycle – Providing supportive supervision to Clinic X on
partograph use
Inform the labor ward
staff about importance
of partograph use
Observe labor &
delivery process and
provide feedback on
quality of performance
Provide training to
labour ward staff on
partograph use as
needed
Support facility to make
partograph copies and
make them accessible
to staff
Encourage their data
collection and celebrate
their wins

9. Exercise 1
• Design a cycle of providing supportive supervision to Hospital Z to improve management of Pre-
eclampsia/Eclampsia

10. Qualities of a good supervisor
Ability to listen, probe, and analyze situations
Ability to solve problems and propose solutions
In-depth technical knowledge of MNH
Indepth Quality Improvement knowledge
Committed to the concept of quality improvement (QI)
Ability to capacitate: teach, coach, mentor
MNH: Maternal and Neonatal Health

11. Planning a supervisory visit
• Contact the site to schedule the visit. Ensure you choose a time conducive for the facility. Be sure
to describe to them:
❖ What you will do during the visit, and why
❖ Which of their staff should be available, and how you will want them involved
❖ What tools you will use
❖ What will happen after the visit
❖ What data sources to have available for you
• Compile the applicable supportive supervision forms
• Prepare any training manual you will need

12. What to do during the supervisory visit:
Before leaving the site visit:
• Draft a quality improvement plan and share it
with the facility manager
• Meet with the facility head to:
❖ Thank them
❖ Inform them of preliminary findings
❖ Discuss methods for improved data
quality
❖ Discuss suggested next steps
Bring to the site visit:
• Applicable supervision forms
• Applicable training manual
• Applicable data collection tools
During the site visit:
• Be friendly, courteous, respectful of staff’s
time
• Help to be a positive and proactive
problem solver; these are not punitive
visits

13. What to do after the supervisory visit
• Fill up all forms
• Submit filled forms
• Follow-up with facility on action plan before next visit
• Plan for a timely follow-up visit to provide training, technical assistance, or other identified
support

14. How to give constructive feedback
• Listen and observe attentively, with an open mind
• Provide positive feedback when performance is good;
provide constructive feedback (strategies for how to improve)
when performance can improve
• Focus first on strength areas, then on those where there are
problems
• Focus on systems and processes, the performance or action, not on the person
• Ask questions. Those that you are supervising likely have the answers they need; they just need you to facilitate
finding them
• Document areas that need improvement; assist the supervisee to develop their own action plan and time line
• Always review the previous work plan; discuss progress, emerging needs, and areas for continued focus
• Be prepared to offer targeted training, skills-building, technical assistance, or mentoring—or to refer a technical
lead where applicable

15. Exercise 2: Giving constructive feedback
• You have gone through the labour ward register at Hospital XY4 and have discovered partograph
use in the past month is low- 37% - and most of the partographs are incompletely and/or
incorrectly filled.
• In 2 minutes, demonstrate giving constructive feedback to both the facility head and the head of
the labour ward.

16. Thank you for listening.
Any questions?
16