Effective supervision will play a critical role in ensuring a clear focus on a child’s welfare and safety […] Supervision should be regular, consistent and reflective to support practitioners in their practice, development and wellbeing, enabling practitioners to work effectively with children, young people and families.
Families First Partnership (FFP) programme guidance, 2025
It has long been recognised that reflective supervision is ‘the cornerstone of effective practice’. A reformed social care system will require greater investment in supervisors and leaders to drive change and lead practice.
Research in Practice offers a range of high-quality development programmes and resources to support practice supervisors and their senior colleagues to build the quality of supervisory practice:
- Reflective supervision learning hub packed with tools and resources.
- Individual pay per places on programmes for practice supervisors and middle/senior leaders.
- Reflective supervision and practice leadership multi-level programmes for organisations to commission.
Supervision is ‘one of the best supportive mechanisms available’
As Louise Grant and Lisa Bostock set out in forthcoming guidance on understanding the quality of reflective supervision, its purpose is to shape practice to meet an organisation’s primary objectives.
The role of supervisors is central to the experiences of practitioners working directly in communities. When supervision goes well, it can support with the emotional demands of practice, critical thinking, effective decision making, and retention. Poor supervision can contribute to practitioner burnout, job dissatisfaction and poor retention. Supervisors also have an important role in supporting equitable professional development of workers including support for Black and Global majority social workers, who continue to face significant barriers to progression.
A reformed social care system requires more of supervisors and supervision
Social work supervisors will be vital in supporting the government’s vision for a reformed social care system, for example in:
Multi-disciplinary working is fundamental to the children’s social care reform programme. Social work within both family help teams and multi-agency child protection teams will interface closely and directly with colleagues from different backgrounds in assessing and responding to family needs and safeguarding concerns.
The value of triangulating different professional perspectives is implicit in the reform agenda and evident in evaluation of the work of multi-agency safeguarding teams. We can draw on tools informed by evidence on interprofessional supervision to prepare for this way of working.
Download a practice tool to support interprofessional supervision
Resilient teams have a shared mission, vision and purpose. Within a reformed system, new teams and new colleagues need to feel connected and have a collective sense of purpose. Practice supervisors can help build team identity and cohesion.
Download the practice tool: What motivates your team to keep going?
Family Help assessments and plans will be jointly accessed by all agencies working with a family. They should provide ‘clear, measurable outcomes’ and ‘set expectations for families’.
Assessments can be led by a range of practitioners. Developing a consistent body of knowledge and skills will be supported by supervision that enables practitioners to critically reflect and explore possibilities in a safe space.
The supervisor role is foregrounded by the Department for Education (DfE) in consultation documents on the post-qualifying standards (PQS) due to be introduced for child and family social work. It is important that supervisors are well supported in this.
Purchase individual places on a supervisor development programme
The DfE notes the potential value of multi-agency reflective group supervision. Group supervision supports emotional containment, team cohesiveness, and practice and professional development (Bogo et al., 2004; Bostock et al.,2019; DiMino & Risler, 2012; Lees & Cooper, 2019; Ravalier et al., 2023; Staempfli & Fairtlough, 2019).
There is uncertainty surrounding adult social care reform. There are significant changes happening to integrated care boards and the abolishment of NHS England. The government has also asked Baroness Louise Casey to chair an independent commission on adult social care reform, but that will not begin to report back until 2026. These changes may impact on mental health social workers and others working in adult social care.
How can organisations support supervisors?
Build a positive culture of supervision
Effective supervisors need an organisation-wide commitment to reflective supervision practice at every level. Attention must be paid to the broader organisational system and the positive role of senior leaders in establishing a strong culture of supervision.
Download a briefing and quality assurance tool for leaders
Meet the supervisory needs of practice supervisors
Practice supervisors need their own supervision to be consistent, thoughtful and containing. Managers of practice supervisors should model the reflective, relationships-based supervision they wish to see across the organisation.
Download a briefing on meeting the supervisory needs of practice supervisors
Provide supervisors and leaders with learning and development
Moving from practitioner to supervisor to leader is a significant shift in role and identity, often occurring with limited preparation and training. Supervisors and leaders need time and investment in their own learning and development.
Communities of practice offer a great opportunity for people to get together to develop their understanding and skills about a topic, address practice challenges and support innovation.
Research in Practice offers a range of high-quality programmes and workshops to support both practice supervisors and their senior colleagues. This can include one day workshops, programmes for practice supervisors and middle/senior leaders and reflective supervision and practice leadership multi-level programmes for organisations to commission.
Beddoe, L., & Wilkins, D. (2019). Does the consensus about the value of supervision in social work stifle research and innovation?. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 31(3), 1-6.
Bogo M., Globerman, J. and Sussman, T. (2004). Field instructor competence in group supervision: Students’ views. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24, 199-216.
Bostock, L., Patrizo, L., Godfrey, T., Munro, E., & Forrester, D. (2019a) 'What is the impact of supervision on direct practice with families?', Children and Youth Services Review, 105, p. 104428. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740919303640 (Accessed: 20 January 2025).
Bostock, L., Patrizo, L., Godfrey, T., Munro, E., & Forrester, D. (2019b). How do we assess the quality of group supervision? Developing a coding framework. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 515–524.
Collins-Camargo, C., and Royse, D. (2010). A study of the relationships among effective supervision, organizational culture promoting evidence-based practice, and worker self-efficacy in public child welfare.’ Journal of Public Child Welfare, 4(1), 1–24.
Department for Education. (2022). Seven features of practice and seven outcomes: Based on findings drawn from the evaluation of round one of the Children’s social care innovation programme. Department for Education.
Department for Education. (2025). Post-qualifying standards and induction for child and family social workers: Government consultation. Department for Education.
DiMino, J. L. and Risler, R. (2012). Group supervision of supervision: A relational approach for training supervisors. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 26(1), 61-72.
Grant, L., Kinman, G., Alexander, K., & Sharples, A. (2022). The Social Work Organisational Resilience Diagnostic (SWORD) tool and workbook (2nd edition). Research in Practice; University of Bedfordshire; Birkbeck University of London. https://sword.researchinpractice.org.uk/media/xobpd3eq/sword-tool-workbook-2nd-edition-2021.pdf
Kinman, G., & Grant, L. (2016). Building Emotional Resilience in the Children and Families Workforce: An evidence-informed approach. Research in Practice.
Laming, W. H. (2003). The Victoria Climbie inquiry: Report of an inquiry by Lord Laming (Cm 5730). The Stationery Office.
Lee, J., Weaver, C., and Hrostowski, S. (2011) Psychological empowerment and child welfare worker outcomes: A path analysis. Child and Youth Care Forum, 40(6), 479–497.
Lees, A., & Cooper, A. (2019). ‘Reflective practice groups in a children’s social work setting - what are the outcomes, how do they work and under what circumstances? A new theoretical model based on empirical findings.’ Journal of Social Work Practice, 35(3), 1-17.
London Improvement and Innovation Alliance (2023). Report on the Big Listen Survey 2022-2023: A survey of social workers across London and the South-East. https://www.liia.london/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/29.06.23-Big-Listen-Report.pdf
Mack, B. (2022). Addressing Social Workers’ Stress, Burnout, and Resiliency: A Qualitative Study with Supervisors. Social Work Research, 46(1), 17–28.
Manthorpe, J., Moriarty, J., Hussein, S., Stevens, M., and Sharpe, E. (2015). Content and purpose of supervision in social work practice in England: Views of newly qualified social workers, managers and directors. British Journal of Social Work, 45(1) 52–68.
McFadden, P., Campbell, A., and Taylor, B. (2014). Resilience and burnout in child protection social work: Individual and organisational themes from a systematic literature review. British Journal of Social Work, 45(5),1–18.
Mena, K., and Bailey, J. (2007). The effects of the supervisory working alliance on worker outcomes. Journal of Social Service Research, 34(1), 55–65.
Mithran, S., (2025, March 17). Black social worker representation halves between front line and management, data shows. Community Care. https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/03/17/black-social-worker-representation-halves-between-front-line-and-management-data-shows/
Mor Barak , M. M., Travis, D., Pyun, H., and Xie, B. (2009). The impact of supervision on worker outcomes: A meta-analysis. Social Service Review, 83(1), 3–32.
Robbin, C., Faller, K., Ortega, R., and Tropman, J. (2009). Exit interviews of child welfare workers. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 3(1), 40–63.
Patterson, F. (2025). Meeting the supervisory needs of practice supervisors. Research in Practice.
Ravalier, J. M., Wegrzynek, P., Mitchell, A., McGowan, J., Mcfadden, P. and Bald, C (2023). A Rapid Review of Reflective Supervision in Social Work, The British Journal of Social Work, 53(4), 1945-1962. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcac223
Rodger, J., Allan, T., Elliot, S., & York Consulting LLP. (2020). Family Safeguarding Evaluation report. Department for Education. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/932367/Hertfordshire_Family_Safeguarding.pdf
Staempfli, A. and Fairtlough, A. (2019). ‘Intervision and professional development: an exploration of a peer-group reflection method in social work education’. The British Journal of Social Work, 49(5), 1254-1273.
Sturt, P. & Domakin, A. What motivates your team to keep going? Research in Practice.
What Works for Children’s Social Care. (2022). Outcomes focused supervision: a pilot and feasibility study. https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WWCSC_Outcomes-Focused-Supervision_full-report.pdf
What Works for Children’s Social Care. (no date). Supervision in Child Welfare Practice. https://whatworks-csc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Technical-summary-Supervision.pdf
Yankeelov, P., Barbee, A., Sullivan, D., and Antle, B. (2009). Individual and organizational factors in job retention in Kentucky’s child welfare agency. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(5), 547−554.
Deadline for booking individual places on Leadership Development Programmes
Register for our next wave of Leadership Development Programmes by 23 July. Aimed at developing practice supervisors and practice leaders who support adults, children and families, or communities across social care.
Leadership Development Programmes
Individual places for practice supervisors and practice leaders on dedicated multi-organisational leadership programmes.
Reflective supervision: Learning Hub
An open access resource hub to support practice supervisors and middle leaders who are responsible for the practice of others and supports organisations to develop a positive culture of supervision. Resources are relevant to both children's and adults services.