Conference notes from Tony Morrison

The following was written by Tony in preparation for a conference on supervision that he was planning with In-Trac for 2010. We hope this day will fulfil his expectations.

Effective supervision is critical to the quality of practice, skills, knowledge and confidence of practitioners and the outcomes for children and families receiving statutory services. Supervision is part of the intervention. Despite the fact that weaknesses in supervision have repeatedly figured in case reviews and inquiries, and there has been considerable rhetoric over the past two decades about its importance, the state of supervision is not good. Lord Laming’s recent review of child protection stated:

There is concern that the tradition of deliberate, reflective social work practice is being put in danger because of an over-emphasis on process and targets, resulting in a loss of confidence amongst social workers. Currently not enough time is dedicated to this and individuals are carrying too much personal responsibility with no outlet for the sometimes severe emotional and psychological stresses that staff involved in child protection often face. (2009)

Whilst his remarks were addressed to social work, his concerns apply to a wider range of disciplines. The reality is that for both supervisors and supervisees, it is too frequently a dissatisfactory experience that fails to meet the needs of either. More worryingly, it may also fail to identify risks or enable workers to act with professional competence and authority.

This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Too much is at stake for supervisors, practitioners, service users, and their organisations for supervision to remain a lottery. The publication of the Social Work Task Force and the revision of Working Together provide a trigger for a national debate on what we need from supervision and how we can make this work.

This conference will provide the opportunity for all those concerned about this critical issue to explore how we can reclaim the reflective and analytic elements of supervision in the context of a performance management culture.

The conference will bring together speakers and workshop leaders with wide experience of researching, teaching and providing supervision across a range of statutory settings. The aim is to explore and inspire delegates about opportunities and frameworks for supervision that can truly make a difference to staff and service users.

Tony Morrison, January 2010

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