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Contents

1. Supervision - Rights and Responsibilities
2. Where, when and how
3. New Staff
4. Recording Supervision - Discussions and Decisions
5. Supervision Contracts
6. Links to Performance Appraisal
7. Making Supervision more Effective
   
   Appendix 1 - Supervision Contract
   
   Appendix 2 - Guidance for Recording Supervision and Management Decisions
   
   Appendix 3 - Haringey Council Newly Qualified Social Worker Policy
   
   Appendix 4 - Supervision Recording Template - Non Case Work Issue
   
   Appendix 5 - Supervision Recording Template (case work)
   
   Appendix 6 - 3 Monthly Case Review Summary Template for Supervisors

1. Supervision - Rights and Responsibilities

All staff must receive supervision in order to carry out work effectively and efficiently. Supervision is the process by which the organisation ensures that front line work with vulnerable children is of good quality and consistent with local and national guidance. Supervision is the process to ensure that staff are professionally challenged and developed, that helps build their social work career and that helps them to improve the quality of their work. It is also the primary source of support to staff undertaking work that can at times be demanding and stressful.

All staff have a right to receive supervision and a responsibility to ensure that it happens. Both supervisors and supervisees need to understand supervision as a long term process that develops over time as the relationship between them develops and that over the course of a period ensures that not only are all cases reviewed and directed as required, but that practice themes for individual practitioners  are identified and addressed.

2. Where, when and how

Supervision will involve an individual face - to - face meeting between a staff member and their manager or practice supervisor in a quiet space away from distractions and interruptions. 

Frequency of supervision will vary according to the level of seniority and experience of the supervisee and the type of work that they are undertaking. Ordinarily this will be of a frequency not less than once every four weeks.

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring supervision sessions will be booked annually in advance and are entered on Outlook.  In the event of the supervisor leaving the service the dates and times will then be available to their manager, who will ensure interim arrangements are made and the dates transferred to the new supervisor's diary.

3. New Staff

Newly qualified social work staff and any newly appointed staff must be seen more frequently than established and more experienced staff members. This is particularly important for new starters at Haringey, who will need additional support and monitoring to pass their probation period satisfactorily. Ensuring that staff are competent in the use of Frameworki and are maintaining adequate case recording is an essential benchmark for all new probationers to meet in order to be considered ready to be a permanent employee.

There is a separate policy governing the management and support of newly qualified social work staff attached which must be read and followed by line managers.

Please refer to the Personnel Management section on Harinet for full information on Probation, support and development.

4. Recording Supervision - Discussions and Decisions

Supervisors are required to make notes of supervision sessions on the forms that have been attached to this guidance. A copy must be given to the supervisee.

The supervision record is to evidence that supervision has taken place, summarise any, issues raised and  record which cases, tasks and projects have been discussed and importantly to keep a record of the actions that are to be taken and the timescale that has been agreed for those actions.

Where individual cases are discussed and decisions made, the manager must record these on Framework -I under case notes  type; Supervision and print off a copy for themselves and the employee to review at the next meeting. The  template found in the Forms Library should be used to record the supervision, which is copied onto the Frameworki case note.

Supervision notes are the property of the council. They may be shown to another manager if there are issues about performance or conduct to be considered. They can also be used if required as part of the documentation in the event of any formal proceedings being undertaken.

5. Supervision Contracts

A supervision contract must be agreed between each supervisor and supervisee - a pro forma contract is attached. This supervision agreement must be reviewed at 6 - monthly intervals.

This is particularly important in the event of things going wrong in the supervisory arrangement - either in terms of disagreements over arrangements or performance by either party or failure of the supervision to take place at all.

• When supervision doesn't take place - the contract for supervision will specify what happens when supervision doesn't happen. If either the supervisor or the supervisee fails to attend a scheduled session or is unable to agree a session within the guidance timescales - then either party can refer the matter to the supervisor's line manager for advice.
• If a session is missed - Staff and managers should first attempt to schedule a date for the next meeting - if no date is forthcoming or that meeting then fails to take place, the supervisee and supervisor are both required to report this matter to the supervisor's line manager within 2 weeks of the initial missed session.

6. Links to Performance Appraisal

Supervision must be more than just a list of tasks and is clearly linked to employee development and Performance appraisal - supervision should consist of a review of an individuals work - including a review of reports and case files, a review of any projects or activities that an individual is responsible for; there should be a discussion of actions and plans with a review of targets. Supervision should look at training and development needs and professional and career goals; there should be space for reflection of the staff members experience and feelings about work with an opportunity to review any health and safety at work concerns and agree strategies for management of these. Supervision should include constructive feedback and review of performance.

The annual Performance Appraisal and 6 monthly reviews should include a review of the supervision records; this will enable effective planning for training and development needs and inform the discussion about strengths and areas for improvement and learning which will have been discussed previously with the supervisee.

7. Making Supervision more Effective

Supervision should ordinarily last for about 1 - 2 hours.  Both supervisor and supervisee need to be prepared to make effective use of that time.

• Prepare for the meeting and agree your agenda beforehand.

Supervising managers should ensure that prior to each supervision meeting they have obtained an overview of the workers caseload plus any visits / reviews/ reports etc. that are due, in order to effectively review workload and performance. In addition they should identify any non casework and personal development issues for the agenda.

At each supervision meeting managers should be reviewing at least 2 case files in depth - checking both the quality of the assessment and case planning and the quality of the case file recording and documentation.

Supervisee's should ensure that prior to each meeting they undertake a review of their cases and identify both case work and non casework /personal development issues consideration.

Appendix 1 - Supervision Contract

Please use the 'Forms Library' button on the left of your screen to access staff supervision forms.

Appendix 2 - Guidance for Recording Supervision and Management Decisions

1.	Recording of Management Decisions and supervisory discussions Management decisions and supervisory guidance to staff on case work issues should be recorded directly onto the case notes section of Framework-i on the client file by the manager using  Case Work Supervision Template (see Forms Library)  This should be done either during or directly after the supervision meeting and then printed off for both the manager and the worker to check and follow up prior to the next supervision meeting. The record of supervisions should be typed onto the template and then copied on to the frameworki case note. The printed instructions/decisions should then form part of the agenda for the next supervision meeting for review, or reviewed sooner by the manager if the decision has a more urgent action required by the worker.
2.	Management Over sight and Review of Allocated Cases Casework supervision procedure requires managers to review case files on a minimum three monthly basis.  At this three monthly review, managers must check that all case recording has been updated and that the care plan, protection plan, support plan or child in need plan is effective and relevant to the needs of the child or family and that risks are being managed and leading towards the required outcomes.
3.	Three Monthly Case file Reviews Template for managers can be viewed via the 'Forms Library' button to the left of your screen
	3.1	The three monthly check should include a review of visits records, of Child in Care  Review or Child Protection conference recommendations, ensuring that Peps, health plans, contact arrangements, permanency planning, needs assessment, Pathway plans, episodes of missing from Care or CP missing and risk assessments  are all in place and being worked on as directed.
	3.2	Each allocated case must have an up to date chronology and the three monthly review activities should check that this work has been completed.
	3.3	The Three month review must include review of progress made against any Case file Audit recommendations or management decisions and actions to be taken.
4.	Identifying inadequate standards of recording and taking appropriate action
	4.1	Where the case file review identifies lack of required recording, inadequate protection or care plans, drift or inaction by the allocated worker, a clear management instruction outlining the tasks or actions required with an agreed timescale for completion must be added, printed off for the worker and then reviewed at the appropriate time.
	4.2	Failure by staff to undertake appropriate case recording must be addressed promptly by managers.  Issues of competence or caseload management difficulties should be addressed by additional training, supporting staff with time and workload management input by the manager and other training as identified necessary.
	4.3	Maintaining proper casework records is a professional and council procedural requirement of all staff and where there is a repeated failure to do so; managers must take firm and prompt action using council disciplinary or capability procedures.
5.	Newly Qualified or Newly Appointed Staff
	5.1	A review of all casework recording undertaken by newly appointed/NQ staff is an essential part of the Probation Review.  Staff must evidence competence in recording in order to successfully complete the Probation period.  Where compliance is inadequate, consideration must be given to either extension or failure of the probationary period which can result in dismissal from service.
	5.2	The policy governing the management and supervision of newly qualified staff must be adhered to by all staff. A copy is attached for reference.
6.	Recording of Non Casework Issues
	6.1	Supervision meetings will have an agenda consisting of both casework and non casework matters. The non casework element of the supervision meeting will address issues such as: Training and development Caseload/ workload A list of the cases discussed Annual leave Sickness absence/Staff well-being Overall performance
	6.2	The template for SUPERVISION RECORDING - non casework issues is in the Forms Library . This should be completed by the manager either during or immediately after the meeting and a copy kept by both supervisor and staff member for review at the next meeting. These records can then be used when undertaking annual staff appraisals or appraisal reviews.
7.	Extract from the guidance on Recording from the report of the Victoria Climbie Enquiry
	7.1	' the role of supervisors is specifically delineated in relation to practice, accountability, competency and case oversight.  Supervision should not take place isolated from individual cases.  Records and recording should be routinely sampled by managers, who need to see and record on file the action they have approved or authorised.  They also need to provide proper time-scales and prioritise the work, which needs to be done. Recording is succinct and legible.  It is a pre-requisite of basic communication.  It should include a typed front-sheet with the details of the family easily accessible, to be retyped when there are changes.  Front sheets of all agency files should include all names by which the child or family might be known. Decisions, plans and time-scales are fully and clearly recorded.  It is equally important to record changes made to agreed plans to safeguard a child or to make enquiries about a child's safeguarding needs.  Records of such changes should be clear about who has been involved in the decision making process.'

Appendix 3 - Haringey Council Newly Qualified Social Work Policy

Haringey Council implemented a new Trainee Social Work Scheme in 2005. Upon appointment, trainees receive a two week induction as a cohort.  They are then placed in a social work team in Children's or Adults Services for 6-12 months before commencing completing their social work degree or Masters at Middlesex University. Upon qualification, trainees are required to complete 1 year of employment within the Council for each year of the degree that Haringey funds.

Over a year into implementation, with 20 trainees recruited, it has become apparent that recruitment is effective with a generally high caliber of trainees in post. As the first trainees of the new degree are about to qualify it is important that we also ensure we have an effective retention strategy so that we do not lose good quality social workers that we have invested so much in. For this reason the following newly qualified social worker (NQSW) policy is proposed for all NQSW in Haringey:

• NQSW on Haringey's Trainee Social Work scheme are informed by 1 April in any given year of the existing social work vacancies so that they can think about where they would like to go. Trainees must submit their original application form for the trainee scheme and a supporting statement. A panel will be convened in both Children's and Adults Services made up of Senior Team Managers and the Head of Practice Learning.  Trainees can express a preference as to where they would like to work but the final decision will rest with the panel.
• Trainees first 6 months in post will mirror the Council Probation procedure. Line managers of trainees will be required to ensure trainees are registered with the GSCC and HR will ensure new contracts are issued and that pay is adjusted following GSCC registration.
• NQSW will receive a structured and effective induction within the first 24 weeks of taking up their post, in line with the Common Induction Standards for Children's Social Care Workers or Adults Social Care Workers.
• NQSW are supervised every 2 weeks for the first 6 months by their line manager. There will need to be some observation and assessment of trainee's practice within the first 6 months against the National Occupational Standards for Social Workers and the Common Induction Standards for Children's or Adults Social Care Workers.
• NQSW will have a closely managed and protected caseload that reflects their newly qualified status. Complex or high risk cases will be co-worked with an established qualified social worker (of at least 1 years PQ) during the NQSW first year. Workloads will be weighted 20% less than established qualified social workers rising incrementally over the second six months of the first year.
• Individual staff development will be negotiated by mutual consent between managers and NQSW.
• NQSW are allocated a mentor who must be an established qualified social worker in the same team. They will meet with the NQSW on a fortnightly basis to provide informal support for the first three months.
• A Performance Appraisal must take place within 2 months of the NQSW taking up post which must include a development plan to incorporate core skills training and the Common Induction Standards for Children's or Adults' social workers.
• NQSW will attend support meetings bi-monthly with the Head of Practice Learning.
• NQSW must register and start a PQ award within 1- 2 years of qualifying.

Appendix 4 - Supervision Recording Template (non case work issues)

Please use the 'Forms Library' button on the left of your screen to access staff supervision forms.

Appendix 5 - Supervision Recording Template (case work)

Please use the 'Forms Library' button on the left of your screen to access staff supervision forms.

Appendix 6 - 3 Monthly Case Review Summary Template for Supervisors

Please use the 'Forms Library' button on the left of your screen to access staff supervision forms.

End