Supervision and De-briefing

Support & Develop staffManage and Improve performance

Kadushin’s Model of Supervision

Administrative – Management function which includes the clarification of job roles, the planning and assignment of work,the review and assessment of work and accountability and responsibility for supervisee’s work

Education – Involves the provision of knowledge and skills which are the worker’s necessary equipment for effective practice. It includes the development of self-awareness of their worker in relation to his/her work. Educational supervision is a core component in the professional development of the worker

Kadushin’s Model of Supervision

Support – This function of supervision is concerned with helping the supervisee deal with job-related stress and with developing attitudes and feelings conducive to maximum work performance. It helps sustain worker morale, gives the supervisee a sense of self –worth and a feeling of belonging in the agency

Functions and Tasks of Supervision

Support• Validation• Respect• Safe climate• Conflict -management

Managing Service DeliveryOrganisational policies, procedures and

protocols.Quality and quantity of work

Decisions and priorities

Focusing on practitioners work.Reflection upon and exploration of the practitoners work with clients.

Promote learning

Facilitating Professional Development. Ongoing professional development of

skills, knowledge and resources. Professional codes and best practice

Models of Supervision

• The case work model- This is a one to one relationship and the most widely used model. It encompasses all three functions of supervision

• Group Supervision. The supervisor functions as the group leader and encourages staff to share difficulties and insights. As it focuses on common needs, the group should not be too diverse in terms of training or experience. The balance of power is more equal

Models of Supervision

• Peer supervision model. There is no designated supervisor and all staff participate equally. Each staff member takes responsibility for their own work and there is no regular individual supervision. This type of supervision creates an atmosphere of mutual help and sharing. May not be a good choice for inexperienced staff

Models of Supervision

• Team service delivery model. The supervisor takes on the role of team leader but there is no regular supervision. The team focuses on the work and collective responsibility is used for decision making, although the team leader had final say.

• Responsibility for work assignment, performance monitoring and professional development rests within the team

Models of Supervision

• Autonomous practice. Staff are responsible for their own professional practice and professional development

Tsui and Ho ( 1989: 189-92)

Developmental ModelFive stages of performance development1. Novice – Rule governed. Needs rule and procedures to

follow so that performance can be done without experience

2. Advanced beginner – Seeking the external answer3. Competent –Personal analysis of each situation. Centres

action on a plan which is based on conscious, thoughtful, analytic reflection

4. Proficient – Having the big picture in focus5. Expert – Tacit understanding Butler ( 1996)

Reflective ModelKolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it” Kolb (1984,p 41)

Analysis

Conceptualisations

Action Plan

What Happened?

Reflective Model

Reflective approach tends to focus on the whole experience and the many dimensions involved

• Cognitive• Feelings• Meanings and interpretations from different

perspectives

Knowledge and Reflection

Handout

Types of Reflection

Technical Reflection• Reflecting on one’s actions against an existing standard

- External ( academic knowledge, other sources of knowledge ) or- internal ( declarative knowledge – theory of practice)

• No attempt to appraise the standard – it is not open to modification

• Reflection serves as a “ complacency monitor”, checking on bad habits that might have developed (Stedman & Dallos , 2009)

Questions

• What is the evidence based approach in this situation ?

• Is my theory of practice up to date with new research evidence?

• Do my decisions and actions comply with my theory of practice?

Evaluative Reflection

• Surfacing the theories/values ( procedural knowledge – theory in practice) that are implicit in ones practice ( doing , thinking, feeling) and theory in practice in relation to one’s theory of practice ( declarative knowledge) and visa versa

Both theory of practice and theory in practice are open to modification in response to the appraisals

Questions;• What does my account of the event imply about my theory• What are the implications of my implicit theory for my theory

of practice?

Critical Reflection

• Surfacing and critical appraisal of assumptions especially those regarding values and power ( socio-politico-cultural contexts )

• Both theory of practice and theory in practice are open to modification

Questions;What do my actions imply about my beliefs about

power?Be still , be quiet

General tips

• Handout – General Tips• Handout – Emap Template• Discuss

Four stage Cycle of Supervision

• Event• The first stage of the supervision considers

the item on the agenda which the supervisee identified as being the most important

• Locate item in context• Tell the story• Clarify the issue for supervision• Identify the goal for the issue

ExplorationThe exploration stage is divided into two parts; Impact

( reflection) and Implications ( conceptualisation)• Impact Reflection on and examination of the effect of the issue on the

supervisee in terms of • Feelings• Beliefs/Values• Behaviour• Intuition• Identify Patterns of behaviour• Transference• Links to the past• Resistance

Exploration continued

Implications;• Analyse the issue in terms of • Relationship dynamics• Roles/Authority • Professional practice standards, • theory and values• Organisational and socio political theory and context • Policy /Protocols• Practice wisdom

Experimentation

• This stage allows the “ solution “to be examined and tested.

• Significance of understanding and /or• Flexibility and limitations of plan• Strategies for implementation • Contingency plan• Skill or resource requirements• Follow- up and recording• Review

Evaluation

• Reflection on process of discussion• Evaluation of achievement of the goal for the

issue• Identification of any other issue arising• Review of learning feedback

Apply to Case Studies (text page 96)

http://ncoss.org.au/projects/msu/downloads/resources/information%20sheets/10_profsupervision_MSU.pdf

De Briefing/ Promoting Professional Resilience

• Research indicates that supervision can provide some protection against the corrosive effects of exposure to demanding, stressful work and the impact of working closely with service users who have traumatic stories and are distressed by emotional, psychological and physical experiences ( Mor Barak et al. 2009)

Vicarious Trauma

• Definition and Reading ;• http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/wrap/

acssa_wrap4.pdf

Major Components to stress

• Emotional exhaustion• Depersonalisation &• Diminished personal responsibility

( Maslach 1978, p.58)Other Factors;• Lack of resources• Inadequate supervision• Inadequate de-briefing after critical incidents• Acceptance of high level of personal abuse from service users

(Beddoe 2003)

The Stress System

(Brown & Bourne 1996)

Additional Factors

• Dynamics of community expectations and relationships

• Pressures of interagency and inter professional work

• Impact of rapid policy change and political agendas

• Associated stress of working with stigmatised• groups

Some Useful Questions• Tell me about a time you were distressed and what

strategies you employed to manage this?• What do you thing are the major triggers of distress

for you in your job?• How will I know when you are stressed?• What’s helpful for you when you are stressed?• What is unhelpful for you when you are stressed?• What can we put in place to assist you to avoid

distress and strengthen your own good strategies?

Support and Develop StaffManage and Improve performance of Individual• Hand out Empowerment

Support – other means

Staff Workload- Do you keep an eye on staff workload- How are staff managing what is required of

them?- What sort of strategies might you employ to

monitor workloads and stress levels

Support cont’d

Boundaries and constraints- Be aware and make sure your staff is aware of the boundarie

and constraints which exist with regards to goal planning, delegation and execution of tasks . These might include

- Number of staff available- Time- Budget- The experience of available staff- Organisational policies - Duty of care

Support cont’d

Establishing routines- Staff have a sense of timing around meetings and

achievement of goals- Opportunities for discussion and goal setting are offered

routinely and regularly- There is a sense of working towards something and

incremental steps towards achieving larger goals are planned and reviewed

- As the supervisor you provide the big picture – the framework within which individuals shape their goals and their working days

Support cont’d

• Using existing skills. Be aware of what skills individuals bring to the work environment and use them

• Try where possible to utilise peoples strengths And minimise involvement in tasks they may be less

suited to• Encourage people to develop new skills, try new

tasks and develop a practical understanding of the range of roles in the organisation

Support cont’d

• Feedback is the “rudder” which keeps us on track by providing information required to make positive, constructive changes to our environment and behaviour

• Work Environment. Monitor the environment and be prepared to make adjustments . Your on going question should be “What could we do to make things work better?”

Support cont’d

• Dealing with conflict. Make the minor adjustments in terms of staff relations now,, to avoid having to make major adjustments( in response to crisis ) later.

• Individual and team –building. Develop and encourage positive and constructive relationships with/ between team members

Treat all tem members fairly, equally and with respect

Support cont’d

Recognise others. Consider the following• Thanking staff members• Creating rituals for formal meeting forums in which

successes and achievements are acknowledged and celebrated.

• Gifts of appreciation or in recognition of achieving a desired outcome

• Recognise not only concrete achievements, but individual skills and personal contributions

Support cont’d

Modelling high standards.Modelling is a tangible demonstration between “ what I

say and what I do”.Modelling behaviour says to others “ I can do that and

so can you”Modelling may be in person or by association , putting

others within the vicinity of examples of excellence eg through a mentoring or work shadowing relationship

Reading

• http://www.ncoss.org.au/projects/msu/downloads/resources/information%20sheets/18_managing_staff_performance.pdf