Caring with Dignity – the importance of supervision in delivering good care

In a previous blog I have mentioned the Ofsted report, High Expectations, High Support and High Challenge, where the importance of supervision in delivering good outcomes for children was highlighted. I was reminded of this listening to Lord Justice Munby talking about the importance of dignity in how services are provided to those most vulnerable and dependent in society affected by issues of capacity .  If carers can be cared about and looked after by the provision of good reflective supervision and support in undertaking the demanding work that is asked of them then they rise to the tasks and deal with service users with dignity. If carers are treated disrespectfully themselves then perhaps we should be less surprised that this gets passed on to service users.

Obviously I do not condone poor practice and situations where people are treated inhumanely. However there needs to be greater understanding of the dynamics that affect providing good care. Support for staff is an essential element. From the cradle to the grave human beings respond better to praise and encouragement than bullying and harassment.

As the title of the Ofsted report makes clear the key ingredients to effective performance are “High Expectations, High Support and High Challenge”. It’s not living with complacency or expecting an easy life, it’s about helping people to develop and improve,  being supported to work with service users, their families and other professionals to give the best possible care and treatment and expecting to be challenged about how to maintain those standards .

If you would like to know more about the centrality of supervision to good practice;

Practice Matters is running an Effective Supervision Skills workshop on 5th December 2012 in Dorchester

Aims:

. To improve the supervision and management practice of Managers and other staff who may have
supervisory responsibility
. To explore what we mean by supervision and the expectations of those who are being supervised
including at different aspects of the Skills for Care Performance Management continuum.
. Explore the benefits of supervision and how it fits into a performance management framework
. Increasing understanding of when and how to give appropriate constructive feedback to staff.
. Improve communication between senior staff and those they are supervising: assertiveness &
listening skills, empathy
. Formal supervision: contracting, setting agendas and record-keeping

If you are a registered manager or know of others who are or have staff working in senior positions within registered care providers and would welcome the opportunity to build on your knowledge and skills about supervision then please get in touch with Joy Kelly on 07590 661781 or email joy.kelly@ntlworld.com

When carers stop caring – the role of supervision in stopping carers burn out

Why are we continually surprised at the lack of care demonstrated by those expected to care when the care given to them is so neglectful? Menzies-Lyth researched the impact on nurses of working in stressful environments and emphasised the importance of supporting staff to enable them to care (1). Supervision is a method of caring about those who do the caring. Managers need to help staff keep their humanity in delivering care to others. In order to do that staff need to feel their workloads are manageable and that they have emotional support available to them. At its most simple, staff need to feel cared about in order to care for others.

Busy workloads and highly anxiety provoking situations diminish those capacities in us all for caring about anyone else, we revert to “how am I going to survive?” rather than “how can I care for others?” as our way of operating. Supervision is a tool akin to the valve on a pressure cooker, which regulates the working temperature so that care still reaches those on the receiving end of services.

Lack of good quality supervision has been a regular feature when there have been concerns about Children’s Services (2). However it is now beginning to show in reports about lack of care on offer in adult care settings. It is an expectation of the Health and Social Care Act that supervision is offered to all staff but may be a new concept to registered owners and managers, who have not experienced good supervision for themselves and need to promote it within their settings.

Practice Matters is running an Effective Supervision Skills workshop on 5th December 2012 in Dorchester

Aims:

. To improve the supervision and management practice of Managers and other staff who may have
supervisory responsibility
. To explore what we mean by supervision and the expectations of those who are being supervised
including at different aspects of the Skills for Care Performance Management continuum.
. Explore the benefits of supervision and how it fits into a performance management framework
. Increasing understanding of when and how to give appropriate constructive feedback to staff.
. Improve communication between senior staff and those they are supervising: assertiveness &
listening skills, empathy
. Formal supervision: contracting, setting agendas and record-keeping

If you are a registered manager or know of others who are or have staff working in senior positions within registered care providers and would welcome the opportunity to build on your knowledge and skills about supervision then please get in touch with Joy Kelly on 07590 661781 or email joy.kelly@ntlworld.com

Feedback from a previous Practice Matters workshop on Supervision is on this blog – Effective supervision – Feedback from Training.

(1) Menzies-Lyth (1988) Containing Anxiety in Institutions Free Association Books

(2) Munro, E (2011) The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report A child-centred system Department of Education

Effective Supervision – Feedback from training

Practice Matters recently ran a training day on Effective Supervision which was attended by social care workers and Registered Managers. Participants were very enthusiastic about the day and had high expectations of using the skills they had acquired in their work settings. The focus was on acquiring practical skills and provided an opportunity for people to practice their supervision skills in a safe environment.

Themes that emerged included the confusion between supervision and appraisal. What is the difference between supervision and performance appraisal? Certainly a key part of supervision is facilitating staff to do a good job. This involves supporting them and encouraging their development to become better practitioners . It might mean that there are developmental issues that become part of a performance appraisal but the formal process of performance appraisal needs to remain separated from the ongoing process of supervision. Everyone needs to know they are doing a good job and it should never be “taken for granted”. It is crucial to the validity of supervision that staff are supported and valued for the work they are doing.

Another dilemma was how do you know you are providing good supervision when you have never received it? Registered Managers reflected on how hard it can be to provide staff with supervision and yet not to receive it themselves. Finding support as a Registered Manager was a theme that emerged during the day. Owners while  supportive of the aims of providing good care may not always appreciate the need for training and supervision for Registered Managers as well as the staff team. This echoes the finding highlighted by Community Care on 04/05/2012 that social care managers are committed yet undervalued. The Registered Manager’s role can be an isolated one. In some areas there are support groups running for Registered Managers either with external facilitators or that Registered Managers organise themselves in trying to address this gap; www.coachingwithcare.co.uk/new-shoots-events/

Working in social care, staff need to feel appreciated, skilled and able to deal with the emotions arising in the work. Many care homes are offering their residents a loving environment to approach the end of their lives. To carry out sensitive and attuned care requires staff to have reflective space to deal with their emotions so having supervision as a highly valued element within the care home ensures this can happen. Residents and their families may not know what makes the difference in care homes but the participants on our training day were able to identify the role supervision plays for them in feeling able to continue to work in palliative care.

Resources

Skills for Care / CWDC Providing Effective Supervision http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk

Hawkins, P and Shohet, R 1989 Supervision in the Helping Professions Open University Press

Morrison, T 1993 Staff Supervision in Social Care Longman

Wonnacott, Jane 2012 Mastering Social Work Supervision Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Supervision – High expectations, high support and high challenge

“High expectations, high support and high challenge”, Ofsted’s report (February 2012) about what makes a difference to the outcomes for children involved in the child protection process concluded that good reflective supervision was a crucial part of the process as it enabled social workers “to be emotionally resilient and to be able to use their emotional reactions positively to assist in analysis and assessment” p.22.

Supervision is a method of support offered to staff working in social care settings providing care and emotional support to a range of people some of whom may be acutely distressed. Supervision is a regular space for reflection.  Although Ofsted were addressing their report at Child Protection services, supervision offers important functions to  social care and social work providers. Supervision is a good method of supporting staff and ensuring they develop and support their emotional intelligence (Goleman 1996). Supervision should  support and encourage staff, motivate them in continuing their professional development, help them in mediating the demands of their job with the expectations of the organisation and also allow managers to make sure that they are getting the best out of their staff to deliver good quality services to the people requiring them.

If you manage staff in a private or voluntary organisation working in the provision of services to children or adults and would like to find out more about what supervision is and learn some skills and techniques about becoming a supervisor. You maybe interested to know about a one day course being offered by Practice Matters in Salisbury on 26th April 2012.

PRACTICE MATTERS

Effective Supervision

 

A practical day to develop the supervisory skills of managers and senior staff working in social care and health services within the private and voluntary sectors

Thursday 26^th April 2012

10am-4pm

Red Lion Hotel, Milford St Salisbury

Cost: £85 per person (please note that Lunch is not included but refreshments will be available throughout the day)

Aims:

• To improve the supervision and management practice of Managers and other staff who may have supervisory responsibility
• To explore what we mean by supervision and the expectations of those who are being supervised including at different aspects of the Skills for Care Performance Management continuum.
• Explore the benefits of supervision and how it fits into a performance management framework
• Increasing understanding of when and how to give appropriate constructive feedback to staff.
• Improve communication between senior staff and those they are supervising: assertiveness & listening skills, empathy
• Formal supervision: contracting, setting agendas and record-keeping
• To give supervisors tools to enhance reflective supervisory practice

 

PRACTICE MATTERS is a collaborative venture between Penny Sturt and Joy Kelly, both of whom are experienced, registered social workers and care professionals with experience of working in a variety of settings with both adults and children.  In addition to direct work with service users Penny and Joy have experience in training, coaching, inspection and management. Both are committed to supporting services improve their practice and thereby the quality of service provided.

To request a booking form please email Penny –      penny_pendrew@btinternet.com

References

Goleman, D. (1996)  Emotional Intelligence

Ofsted (2012) High Expectations, High Support and High Challenge