Inspecting social work supervision

There are two key elements to supervision, says Ofsted social care national director Yvette Stanley.

First, it is an important part of the process when it comes to making good decisions for vulnerable children. "Information about a social worker's worries, the child's risks and how they are being managed need to be shared between the social worker and their supervisor," she says.

Then, using appreciative enquiry, "the supervisor needs to enable the social worker to make the best decisions for the child and their family".

Second, supervision is also about ensuring social workers are supported to develop their skills and confidence.

"Really good supervision allows you to develop personally and professionally. It needs a trusted, honest, empathetic approach from the manager and when done really well it contributes to how staff performance is managed and practice development," says Stanley. "It is about teaching, coaching and helping everybody work to the highest professional standards, preparing the social worker to do this job really well and start thinking about their next step in children's services."

Supervision needs dedicated time and space and must take place regularly, she continues. "You need to know that you can rely on it - so social workers know they have got that regular outlet to reflect on the cases they are really worried about and on all cases over a period of time," she adds.

How regular will depend on caseloads and the level of risk being managed, but it should take place at least monthly and ideally within a two to three-week cycle.

"I'm often asked if every child's experiences should be explored at every supervision and the answer is ‘no'," says Stanley. "Supervision should always be proportionate to risk, so I expect social workers to prioritise the cases they are most worried about and supervisors to do that too. But then it is really important over a number of sessions to make space for all the children so we discuss each and every one of them over a cycle."

Case discussion

Discussion of cases and issues that need urgent attention will also take place outside formal supervision sessions.

"That's why it is important social workers have access to their team manager or practice supervisor because things happen that need discussion and feedback on the day," says Stanley.

So what are Ofsted inspectors looking for when it comes to supervision? Inspectors can look at records to check supervision is taking place regularly, but a fuller picture of the quality and impact of supervision comes from talking to social workers and their managers as well as looking at cases and case files, explains Stanley.

"In a child's file, we're looking at the impact of management oversight and supervision on decision-making," she says. "In the social worker's file, we're looking at the impact on their thinking, their decision-making, the courses they have decided to go on. If there are performance issues then how are those being recorded? Is the social worker clear about what needs to improve but also being supported in making that journey."

Stanley flags Bexley in south east London (see box), East Sussex and North Yorkshire - the first council to be rated outstanding in all areas - as authorities where inspectors were impressed by the quality of supervision.

"We're not looking for a sheep dip approach or inspecting templates, we're inspecting how supervision feels and the impact it has on the social worker and the decision-making," she says. "In North Yorkshire, we did comment in the inspection reports that the supervision records were in different formats. But actually they were all to a common standard with common expectations and led to high quality practice. So it is not about the template but the culture and environment."

Keeping good records of supervision is important, says Stanley who is keen to remind managers and frontline staff that children's records in particular serve a number of purposes.

How information is recorded will affect a new social worker's ability to pick up a child's case and understand how past decisions were arrived at and staff must not forget that children may also ask to see their files when older.

"When a social worker or manager is recording what came out of supervision on a child's case, they must always remember the child is part of the audience for that," says Stanley.

Supervisor support

Supervisors themselves need support and she is an advocate of the Department for Education-funded Practice Supervisor Development Programme, which aims to support up to 700 social workers as they move into the role.

"It is really important we invest time and energy in that important layer of infrastructure in social care so there is a common understanding of what good supervision is like and we prepare people who have stepped up to that role really well," she says.

Directors of children's services (DCS) and assistant directors have a critical role in ensuring good supervision takes place, she adds.

"Senior leaders have a key role as ambassadors for a culture that values supervision and values great decision-making for children," she says. "They need to be role models in the supervision they provide and exude conspicuous care for each and every child in interactions with heads of service, team managers and frontline practitioners."

Senior leaders are also responsible for keeping a close eye on pressures that may affect frontline practice and taking action, including making the case for extra resources.

"Managers must have a clear line of sight on the pressures and the risks at the front end," says Stanley. "I appreciate that it is a difficult financial environment, but unless you bring in additional capacity and try and stabilise early on, then it can be a speedy decline to running an unsafe service."

So who can senior leaders turn to when they need support and advice? External professional networks and fellow directors are important sources of reassurance and advice, Stanley says.

"As a DCS, I would keep my chief executive sighted on whatever I was worried about," she says.

"For that collegiate discussion of practice I would have conversations with my assistant director, head of quality assurance or principal social workers."

Bexley demonstrates ‘clear management oversight' of frontline practice

One area where supervision was found to be particularly good was the London Borough of Bexley, which is rated "outstanding" for overall effectiveness.

"Management oversight of frontline practice is systematic and purposeful. It is undertaken by confident and competent managers," says the authority's latest inspection report.

Inspectors, who visited Bexley's children's services in July last year, found supervision was a priority.

"Supervision is valued by practitioners, and is prioritised, regular, of good quality, well recorded in children's records and in the main is reflective," says the inspection report. "This results in consistently high-quality plans that are making a positive difference to children's lives."

What came through in the inspection was the fact there was "very clear management oversight of frontline practice", says Stanley.

"This didn't mean everything was recorded everywhere but we could see it across the minutes of meetings and supervision files," she adds.

"The essence was really captured in the children's files so you could be clear those discussions had happened, the outcome of those discussions and the decision-making approach. There were really confident social workers supported by confident managers who had very clear oversight."

According to the inspection report "courageous conversations are the norm" with great importance placed on "learning to collectively manage risk".

"This is making a real difference and contributes to staff remaining in Bexley because it is a safe and supportive place to work," says the report. "The nurturing conditions created by leaders have enabled social work to flourish."

INSPECTIONS SHORTS

SCHOOLS
About a quarter of teachers have experienced "off-rolling", where parents are encouraged to remove a child from school, according to new research commissioned by Ofsted. A survey of more than 1,000 teachers from primary and secondary schools in England found 24 per cent were aware of off-rolling in their current or previous schools and about two-thirds felt the practice was on the rise. In addition, 51 per cent said the main reason for schools to off-roll a pupil was to manipulate league tables.

OFSTED
Ofsted has launched a series of videos in which inspectors talk about their experiences of inspection. In one of the four new films, head teacher Damien Turrell, of Brownlow Primary School in Melton Mowbray, explains why he joined "the dark side". The series also features Ofsted inspector Christine Watkins talking about her time as an inspector while working as a head teacher.

HEALTH
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has called for in-depth reviews of all cases where children and young people on mental health wards and those with learning disabilities and autism are kept in segregation. An interim report of the use of restraint and prolonged seclusion found more than 60 people are currently segregated from fellow patients including 20 aged under 18. The CQC said there needed to be an independent review of all such cases over the next 12 months, which would include looking at the quality of care and assessments, staff training and skills, and whether segregation was absolutely necessary.

SOCIAL CARE
Ofsted has embarked on research into how to make good decisions for children in care to inform inspection practice. The first phase will focus on foster care and explore how matches are made, support for foster families and issues that can influence matching including the availability of carers. The regulator will visit several authorities over the summer and gather the views of foster carers, young people, birth families and independent fostering agencies.

YOUTH JUSTICE
An inspection of probation services in London found staff did not always take appropriate steps to protect children from harm by offenders. The inspection of the London division of the National Probation Service by HM Inspectorate of Probation found enquiries had not been made to children's services in more than one in three cases where this should have happened. However, the report did highlight good practice in Hackney where a social worker has helped raise awareness of the referral process among probation staff.