National programme to raise quality and consistency of supervision is officially launched at today's Joint Principal Social Workers Conference hosted by Skills for Care
High quality supervision is essential if we are to support social workers to think through the issues, dilemmas, interventions and approaches which best support people and those who care for them.
Supervisors have been crucial to the success of the Assessed Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme and their role in quality-assuring practice, supporting career pathways and improving morale is helping develop and retain the social work workforce.
To be effective, practice supervisors need to have the right knowledge, skills and capabilities to carry out their role and to support and challenge decisions with other professionals – particularly important given the integrated, multi-professional settings where social work practice is increasingly located.
The Department of Health and Social Care published post-qualifying standards for adult social work supervisors at the end of 2018, setting out, for the first time, the standard we expect a supervisor to meet. And our work over the last year with Skills for Care and the sector to design a skills development and evaluation pathway and the materials and support required will support employers to ensure the standards are applied consistently.
Improving practice
As part of our drive to raise the quality and consistency of supervision, we are introducing a national programme for local authorities and other social work employers to ensure their supervisors are supported to reach and maintain the required capability.
Using a train the trainer approach, the programme is aimed at Principal Social Workers, practice development leads and other senior social workers in adult services responsible for delivering and overseeing effective supervision.
The programme will be led by Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA) and has been informed by the Department for Education’s programme for child and family social work supervisors. The supervisor standards will be the foundation for this programme, providing a clear approach to practice supervision and the support required to enable supervisors to carry out their role effectively.
I hope you will support this programme and help us provide supervisors with the skills and capabilities needed to ensure best practice and outcomes for people and carers.
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