Supervision arrangements in all Agencies

The Local Safeguarding Children Board’s core principle for safeguarding children services in Bath and North East Somerset is that they are based on the use of professional judgement within the framework of agreed guidance and procedures.

This is underpinned by the quality of consultation and supervision to staff working in safeguarding children services.  Each member agency has detailed and shared their supervision practice and policy arrangements.  From this, the previous Area Child Protection Committee compiled a statement of core principles for supervision arrangements in safeguarding children work which each agency signed up to and determined how to implement within their agency.  This statement was adopted by the Local Safeguarding Children Board and each member agency.

The core principles are:-

• Supervision is a meeting that provides staff with the opportunity to reflect upon their work and decision making.
• Each agency will have a written policy for supervision of staff working in safeguarding children that is known to, and used by, all staff.
• All staff should have access to appropriate advice and support to deal with any immediate safeguarding children issues.
• All staff will receive regular supervision from their manager to develop their skills and ensure high standards of service delivery.
• A formal record of supervision sessions should be made for each party.
• Supervision will include a focus on the inter-agency aspects of safeguarding children work.
• Supervision will be used to identify development and training needs.
• Agencies will (annually) review the implementation and effectiveness of their supervision arrangements and practice.

The implementation of these supervision arrangements has been audited and reviewed in 2007/2008.