The Serious Case Review report following investigations into the child protection case at Little Teds Nursery in Plymouth highlighted the need for all early years settings to have regular one-to-one staff supervision by a trained supervisor. This was discussed further by Dame Clare Tickell in her review of the Early Years Foundation Stage and led to her recommendation for a requirement to provide supervision.
The DfE's revised EYFS Framework states that:
- Providers must put appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of their staff. Effective supervision should support, coach and train the practitioner and promote the interests of children. Supervision should foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement which encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues, and the immediate reporting of any grounds for concern about a child's welfare and safety.
Supervision should provide opportunities for staff to:
- discuss isssues or difficulties
- identify solutions to address them
- be coached in tackling issues as they arise.
SUPERVISION IN PRACTICE
Supervision has different meanings for many in the sector. For some it is seen as supervising a staff member as part of their induction into a new role. Others may see supervision as an integral part of performance management and appraisal. Still others view supervision as the role of the room supervisor in observing and managing staff who are working with children. Without a clear definition and understanding of what supervision in the early years sector looks like, there is likely to be some concern as to how supervision will be inspected by Ofsted.
When I was teaching on care management and nursery nursing courses I would describe supervision as being just that - 'super' vision. Working in early years is a rewarding and privileged experience, but it can also be emotionally demanding at times. There are occasions when working with a child who exhibits challenging behaviour, or supporting a child whose father has just committed suicide, may leave a key person with uncomfortable feelings of doubt as to how well they have supported the child. Going home and worrying can then impact on the person's sense of wellbeing and capability.
This is where effective supervision plays a part in the emotional support that is much needed. These are times when stepping away from the situation to talk with an experienced colleague can help a key person to reflect on how the support they gave the child has helped, and to explore other approaches and strategies to further support the child and, in many cases, the family.
The experienced colleague, through facilitating reflective discussions, adds extra or super vision to the situation - an element which should boost the key person's self-esteem and equip them with further strategies to support the child.
When the key person and experienced colleague, whom we shall now refer to as the 'supervisor', next meet, the key person should then reflect on how these strategies have helped, and on the impact this has had on the child's learning and development.
Done effectively, this approach to supervision is an integral part of continuing professional development and growth. Over time, the need for supervision reduces as the key person becomes more empowered and grows in confidence in his or her work. Access to supervision should, however, remain available as and when the key person needs this. I would illustrate this as a cycle of reflective and reflexive support.
CPD AND WELLBEING
As director of early years at Bright Horizons, I provide colleagues in our early years team with supervision when managing complex situations. Feedback from these colleagues highlights that for them, supervision:
- Provides recognition of my work
- Provides a sense that I am doing something worthwhile that motivates me
- Gives me a feeling of having a status as a valued team member
- Provides me with many opportunities to reflect and evaluate options to help me make better decisions
- Emphasises my individual successes and gives recognition in many ways that are always sincere
- Helps me to understand that supervision is not just about face-to-face meetings but about listening, developing and, on occasions, counselling.
One practitioner says, 'Supervision gives me an opportunity to discuss how I am feeling within my role, allowing me to talk through frustrations or difficulties. It is an opportunity to give and receive open and honest feedback, which helps improve my practice and approach to work within the business. Through supervision I am able to talk about my future development and learning to develop not only myself but those who I also support in order to improve outcomes.'
At Bright Horizons we value one-to-one supervision as an important element of staff wellbeing and of continuing professional development.
WHAT SUPERVISORS HAVE TO OFFER
In defining the qualities of effective supervision, March and Triseliotis (1996) state that effective and satisfactory supervision depends on the supervisor:
- Being supportive (listening, encouraging, praising, sometimes advising)
- Offering feedback
- Offering challenging and constructive criticism
- Being interested in the person being supervised, in his/her personal development and in the impact of work on him/her.
Kadushin and Harkness (2002) speak of the supervisor-supervisee relationship as a system which is based on democracy, participation, co-operation and respect. They also view one of the aims of supervision as being educational, which they argue is a fundamental dimension of the process.
There is a strong culture of this type of supervision in the social work field and it is an integral part of training and support for social workers.
During this period of consultation on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and the work of the Early Years Co-Production Group at the Department for Education, now is the time for discussing what supervision for the early years workforce should be.
Further information
- A helpful starting point is the Providing Effective Supervision publication from the CWDC. This is a social care workforce development tool that has examples for organisations and managers to adapt for the development of their supervision practice.
References
- Kadushin, A & Harkness, D (2002) Supervision in Social Work (Columbia University Press)
- March, P & Triseliotis, J (1996) Ready to Practise? Social Workers and Probation Officers: Their Training and First Year of Work (Avebury)
