Model Safeguarding
Supervision Toolkit for
Registered Early Years
Childcare and Out of
School Settings in Sheffield
Second Edition
September 2014
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Contents
Introduction
Page 3
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the
Model Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit for Registered
Early Years Childcare and Out of School Settings in
Sheffield
Model safeguarding supervision setting assessment
tool: Who would you talk to?
Page 4
Model supervision statement
Page 9
Model supervision policy
Page 10
Model Individual Supervision Agreement
Page 18
Model supervision meeting record
Page 20
Model supervision record: Discussion of an individual
child
Page 22
Safeguarding Supervision Audit Tool: Do you provide
effective child focussed supervision in your setting?
Page 23
Page 8
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Introduction
This Toolkit was produced by a partnership of organisations concerned with Early Years
safeguarding and child protection in Sheffield; the Pre-School Learning Alliance; the Out of
School Network (now About Play) and the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Service in
August 2013.
It has been updated in August 2014 to reflect changes in national statutory guidance in
safeguarding children, in particular Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013 and the
Early Years Foundation Stage 2014.
We hope that it will help registered Early Years settings in Sheffield, including childcare,
out of school settings and childminders, to meet their safeguarding supervision
responsibilities under the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) safeguarding and welfare
requirements (2014).
We hope that settings will use this Toolkit to develop their own supervision documents. We
encourage settings to incorporate the parts that they find useful into their own policies and
procedures.
August 2014
Sheffield
Your feedback is important
We would be pleased to hear your feedback about this Toolkit. Please contact Val Linnett
(Safeguarding Advisor, Early Years) at val.linnett@sheffield.gov.uk or 0114 273 5484
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
about the Model Safeguarding Supervision
Toolkit for Registered Early Years Childcare
and Out of School Settings in Sheffield
Introduction
We launched this Toolkit on 4 July 2013 at two workshops for early years’ childcare and
out of school settings.
Here are the questions raised at the workshop, with answers.
In light of suggestions made at the workshops we have made some revisions to the model
supervision policy and individual supervision agreement as outlined in the answers below.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Is any training available in reflective supervision?
Pre-school Learning Alliance and About Play may provide training in reflective supervision
that is designed specifically for registered early years childcare and out of school settings.
You can contact them directly for more information:
South Yorkshire Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA)
Tel: 07804191556 Email: sheffield@pre-school.org.uk
About Play (formerly Sheffield Out of School Network)
Tel: 0114 249 4941 Email: info@osn.org.uk
Inexperienced settings may find the model supervision policy scary and
intimidating and either ignore it or accept wholesale without understanding why
That is why we have developed follow-on supervision training to support settings who
would like more help to develop their own supervision processes.
Is safeguarding supervision the same as ordinary supervision?
Safeguarding supervision is similar to ordinary supervision so long as the supervision is
child focussed and children’s welfare is at the heart of the process.
The model of safeguarding supervision that we have used in the Toolkit has four main
functions:
 Management
 Learning and Development
 Support
 Mediation
Safeguarding supervision is a reflective process, not just a way of checking on what
supervisees are doing. If a caseload audit is required, this should be done outside of the
supervision setting.
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Is there a cross over here with a mentoring process?
 The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘mentor’ as:
o
o
an experienced and trusted adviser:
an experienced person in a company or educational institution who trains and counsels new
employees or students
and ‘mentoring’ as: to advise or train (someone, especially a younger colleague)
 Mentoring can form part of the learning and development and support functions of the
supervision process.
 Mentoring support to develop a specific skill may be provided by someone who is
not the individual’s supervisor.
It is not clear how the safeguarding supervision policy fits with the overall
framework of performance management
The model supervision policy has a section called ‘Definition of supervision within the
performance management framework’ that sets out how supervision fits within the
performance management framework.
Should committee members be included in supervision/ safeguarding training?
 It is helpful for management committee members to be included in supervision and
safeguarding training so that they are clear what is required of staff.
 They may also benefit from specific training to help them understand their safeguarding
responsibilities as committee members. PLA and About Play may be able to provide
this.
We currently do safeguarding supervisions in teams. Should we be doing them
individually?
 As the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements do not stipulate how you should
do supervision, you can do it in the way that best meets the needs of your setting. This
should be clearly set out in your supervision policy.
 If you do team supervision in your setting, your supervision policy should also set out
the arrangements for staff members to raise issues individually e.g. if they are
unsuitable for team discussion or the individual feels unable to raise them in a group
session.
How often should each member of staff have supervision?
Is the 8 week minimum an actual legal requirement? If staff have regular informal,
face-to-face contact with their supervisor, could this be included alongside biannual or termly formal meetings?
 The EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements do not stipulate how you should do
supervision or set out any minimum requirements.
 You can do supervision in the way that best meets the needs of your setting; however it
is important that staff have regular and planned time to focus on their needs and
issues.
 Your supervision policy should set out how you have decided to organise supervision in
your setting.
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Personally we agree on an individual basis on arrangements for supervision and are
unable to commit to pre-arrangements
See answer to previous question.
Some of our staff have various job roles e.g. Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL),
SENCo, Behaviour Management specialist, Health and Safety officer. Does the
supervision cover every job role in one session?
 As the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements do not stipulate how you should
do supervision, you can do it in the way that best meets the needs of your setting. This
should be clearly set out in your supervision policy.
 If an individual has a number of job roles it may be helpful to agree to focus on
particular roles within an individual session.
 If an individual has a number of job roles they may require supervision on a more
frequent basis than someone who only has one role.
Who supervises the supervisors if there is no-one trained to do this on a voluntary
basis?
Your organisation is responsible for ensuring that your supervisors receive supervision
themselves. If there is no-one available within the organisation, it will be necessary to look
outside. Your organisation could purchase external supervision or set up a reciprocal
arrangement with another child care provider where supervisors provide supervision for
each other.
These are all lovely ideas but for small settings this will be extremely challenging.
We have a lack of facilities to have time for staff meetings outside our hours due to
constraints with our venue. Our manager is always part of ratios when on site and
we are not financially able to pay for extra time. We are wearing many other caps at
the same time!
 As the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements do not stipulate how you should
do supervision, you can do it in the way that best meets the needs of your setting. This
should be clearly set out in your supervision policy.
 However it is difficult to see how your setting will be able to meet requirements without
the capacity for your staff and manager to meet outside of the hours when you are
caring for children.
 It is important that the registered person at your setting is aware of the EYFS
requirement to provide supervision as they are responsible for ensuring that the setting
is meeting its registration requirements.
Where is the supervision handbook referred to in the policy?
 We included the idea of a supervision handbook in the policy because we thought it
was a good idea.
 You could adapt some of the tools that we have provided to develop a supervision
handbook for supervisees in your setting.
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Why is it necessary to have an Individual Supervision Agreement?
 The purpose of an Individual Supervision Agreement is to establish the basis for how
the supervisor and supervisee will work together during one to one supervision
sessions.
 Establishing the ground rules and clarifying the rights and expectations on both sides
from the outset, helps to create a safe, secure and effective supervisory relationship.
 Supervisory relationships are more likely to break down if there is a lack of clarity or
mismatch of expectations from the outset.
Why is it necessary to include the length, location and purpose in the Individual
Supervision Agreement if these are all changeable?
 It is important to include the length, location and purpose of supervision sessions so
that both the supervisor and supervisee are clear about the arrangements.
 These arrangements may be different for each supervisee. However the individual
arrangements for each supervisee should remain in place until the supervision
agreement is reviewed.
The supervision agreement does not refer to the procedures to be followed if a
disclosure was made that needed to be acted on e.g. child protection concern,
health issues, whistleblowing, breach of EYFS requirements etc. The agreement
doesn’t acknowledge that although supervision is a confidential space, some
concerns will need to be passed on
We agree that this should be included in the supervision agreement and have revised it
accordingly.
Quality assurance suggests some system whereby there are standards to monitor
against. Would this section be better titled as ‘self-evaluation?
 We have revised the quality assurance section on the basis of your comments. We
have included both a monitoring and quality assurance element.
I don’t find the Sheffield safeguarding website very user friendly. I have struggled to
locate documents in the past
 Don’t give up on us! We are sorry that you have had problems with the website in the
past but please give it another go. We have had a series of website problems this year
that hopefully are sorted now.
 We are also working on re-organising the documents so that they are easier to find. If
you are struggling to find something you can contact the Sheffield Safeguarding
Children Advisory Service on 0114 2053535 for help.
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Model safeguarding supervision
setting assessment tool
Who would you talk to?
Options
A
I wouldn’t talk to anyone at work about this
B
I would talk to a work friend or colleague
C
I would talk to the manager about this
E
I would talk to the person involved about this
F
I’m not sure who I should to talk to at work about this
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
1. You are diagnosed with a chronic health problem that could affect you at work e.g.
diabetes, epilepsy?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
2. Your child is in trouble at school and you are really worried about him/her?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
3. Your child has won an award for a sporting or artistic achievement?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
4. You feel that your talents are not appreciated at work?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
5. You are being bullied at work?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
6. You are worried about the performance of the manager; e.g. you have noticed that he/
she is not on top of things?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
7. You are worried about the performance of the manager; e.g. he/ she is not following the
organisation’s procedures in relation to safeguarding children?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
8. You are worried about the behaviour of a staff member towards a child in his/her care?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
9. You are worried about the behaviour of a member of staff towards other members of
staff?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
10. You are worried about the behaviour within the setting of a mother/ father/ carer of a
child that you care for?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
11. You want to suggest a new activity that the setting could do with the children?
Who would you talk to at work if ………….
12. You are worried that a child is not meeting his/her developmental milestones?
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Model supervision statement
Superstars Early Years setting
Adapted from an example in Providing effective supervision: a workforce development guide;
CWDC (2007)
It is now a legal requirement (EYFS 2014) that all members of staff in direct contact with
children receive regular supervision.
The aim of supervision is to support the supervisee and to encourage reflective practice
and development. It also enables the supervisee to raise any concerns.
Supervision is compulsory and must take place at least every x weeks (x times a year)
The supervision session will provide an opportunity to look at:
 All aspects of the supervisee’s roles and responsibilities in the setting
 How the supervisee’s work reflects the philosophy and meets the standards expected by
the setting
 The supervisee’s personal and professional development needs
 The supervisee’s learning and career development needs
The supervision session will also provide an opportunity for the supervisee to:
 Reflect on his/her experience and feelings about work in the setting
 Obtain support with any problems or difficulties
 Receive regular feedback about his/her performance
 Agree and review action plans linked to his/her job role and development needs
Supervision will always keep a focus on the best interests of the children in the
setting and promote their safety and well-being.
The supervision session must:
 Be planned and the supervisee must be aware of the objectives
 Have time set aside at a time and place agreeable to the supervisor and supervisee
 Not be interrupted unless absolutely necessary.
During the sessions the supervisor and supervisee will draw up and work to a supervision
agreement. The content and action points of each session will be recorded by the
supervisor. The supervisee will receive a written copy of the supervision notes.
In the event of a supervisee wanting to have a different supervisor, they should discuss
this with their existing supervisor wherever possible and then make this known to a
member of the Management Team.
For more information see the Superstars Early Years setting Supervision Policy.
Reviewed:
18/06/14
Next review:
18/06/15
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Model supervision policy
Superstars Early Years setting
Adapted from an example in Providing effective supervision: a workforce development guide;
CWDC (2007)
Introduction
It is now a legal requirement (EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements 2014) that all
staff in direct contact with children receive regular supervision.
The aim of this policy is to provide a framework for the one to one supervision of any staff
working for Superstars Early Years setting who are in direct contact with children.
The policy has been written, following consultation, to ensure it meets the needs of the
setting, the staff and their supervisors, regardless of their job role.
Staff Supervision Handbook and Supervisor’s Handbook
Practice guidance for supervisees can be found in the Supervision – Staff Handbook and
for supervisors in the Supervision – Supervisor’s Handbook.
Please note we have not included a supervision handbook in this document.
We included the idea of a supervision handbook in the policy because we thought it was a
good idea. You could adapt some of the tools that we have provided to develop a
supervision handbook for supervisees in your setting.
Promoting a safeguarding culture in the setting
Supervision will support and strengthen the safeguarding culture we are committed to for
our setting.
Supervision will promote and model the following indicators of a safe setting:
 Staff are respectful to all employees as well as children
 Staff are open about discussing good and poor practice
 Blame only occurs in extreme circumstances
 Leaders model the appropriate behaviour
 Staff are knowledgeable about the vulnerability of the children that they look after
 Staff are aware that abusers may already be in the employment of the organisation
 Children are listened to
 Staff are empowered to challenge poor practice
 Parents are encouraged to be involved in planning their child’s care and are welcomed
into the setting
 Whistle-blowing procedures are in place and staff know how to use them
(Cited in the Serious Case Overview Report in Respect of Nursery Z; Plymouth Safeguarding
Children Board 2010)
Supervision policy Statement
Superstars Early Years setting aims to provide appropriate, responsive and flexible
services for all the children in our care.
We can only do this if our staff:
 Understand what is expected of them
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
Have the skills, knowledge, behaviours, values and attitudes necessary to carry out their
role
 Are fully supported in their work and managed effectively.
Supervision is one of the ways that this can be achieved. This policy sets out how staff can
expect to be supervised and provides managers with the key elements needed to
supervise staff effectively.
Supervision will always keep a focus on the best interests of the children in the
setting and promote their safety and well-being.
Definition of supervision within the performance management
framework
Individual performance management within Superstars Early Years setting involves three
elements:
1. Supervision – a regular one to one meeting between the supervisor and supervisee in
order to meet organisational, professional and personal objectives.
2. Appraisal – an annual meeting (reviewed six monthly), where the individual and their
supervisor:
• review the individual’s performance and identify what has gone well, and what hasn’t
gone so well over the last year
• set measurable objectives and/or targets in line with their team objectives and/or
targets for the coming year
• have the opportunity to identify learning and development to help the individual carry
out his/her job better, both now and in the future.
3. Learning and Development Planning – this forms part of the appraisal process and
aims to encourage the individual to identify and evaluate learning that has taken place
during the previous year and plan for learning and development opportunities for the
coming year. A six monthly review will be conducted to ensure that the plans are still
relevant and up to date in accordance with any changes, e.g. in job role.
The supervision process is a key part of the performance management framework as
outlined above. Discussions held and recorded during supervision will form part of the
appraisal process.
Scope of this policy
This policy applies to all staff employed by Superstars Early Years setting that have direct
contact with children, whether on a temporary (including agency staff), permanent, full time
or part time basis
Functions of supervision
The four main functions of supervision are:
1. Management (Competent accountable performance/ practice)
2. Learning and Development (Continuing professional development)
3. Support (Personal support)
4. Mediation (Engaging the individual with the organisation)
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These four functions are interdependent and one function cannot be effectively performed
without the others.
An over-emphasis on, for example, management, will leave the supervisee feeling that
they are being overly controlled and that the only purpose of supervision is to “check up on
them”.
An over-emphasis on support will result in important discussions about workload, decisionmaking, and accountability being neglected leading to a danger of supervision becoming
counselling.
Each function is described in detail below.
1. Management (Competent accountable performance/ practice)
This function is to ensure that the work for which the supervisee may be held accountable
is carried out to a satisfactory standard. The management function will be achieved
through discussion of:
 The overall quality of the supervisee’s performance and work output/outcomes
 The policies and procedures relating to their work and that these are understood and
followed
 The roles and responsibilities of the supervisee and that these are clearly understood,
including the boundaries and limits of their role
 The development and monitoring of action plans/targets and objectives
 Monitoring of the supervisee’s workload.
2. Learning and Development (Continuing professional development)
This function is to encourage and assist staff in reflecting on their own performance,
identify their own learning and development needs and develop plans or identify
opportunities to address those needs.
The learning and development function will be achieved through:
 Helping supervisees identify their preferred learning style and barriers to learning,
 Assessing development needs and identifying learning opportunities
 Giving and receiving constructive feedback on performance
 Encouraging the supervisee to reflect on learning opportunities undertaken and applying
that learning to the workplace.
3. Support (Personal support)
This function is to provide support for staff to carry out their role. The nature of the work as
well as the effect of particular situations, incidents or personal issues may have an
emotional impact on the staff member. By offering support within the supervision context
supervisees should be given the opportunity to reflect on the impact of the work upon them
and prevent issues adversely affecting them and their work.
This will be achieved through:
 Creating a safe environment within supervision where trust and confidentiality are
maintained
 Clarifying the boundaries between support and counselling in the supervisory
relationship
 Enabling and empowering expression of feelings in relation to the work role
 Monitoring the health of the supervisee and referring to occupational health or
counselling when appropriate
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4. Mediation (Engaging the individual with the organisation)
This function is to ensure that the relationship between the supervisee, their team, the
organisation and other agencies with whom they work are effective. This will be achieved
through:
 Briefing senior managers about key issues raised by staff
 Dealing sensitively but clearly with concerns and complaints about colleagues and
others with whom they work
 Consulting and briefing staff on changes and developments that affect their area of work
 Advocating between worker or team and other parts of the agency or with outside
agencies
Links with caseload supervision
Supervision should provide an opportunity to reflect on practice rather than just act as a
tick-box to check on what practitioners are doing. Discussing individual cases is a
valuable part of the process so long as this is done in a way that encourages reflective
practice. However if an audit of the whole caseload is required, this should be done
outside of the supervision session.
If an individual case is discussed during supervision, this should be recorded in the child’s
individual record. The record should include:
 a summary of the discussion
 agreed actions and timescales
A proforma for individual case recording is included in the pro-forma for recording
supervision, attached at Appendix 1.
Supervision methods
This policy is concerned primarily with one to one supervision that takes place in private at
a pre-arranged time with an agreed agenda and preparation on behalf of both parties. All
staff within the organisation that have direct contact with children will have access to this
method of supervision.
It is recognised, however, that supervision is an on-going process that takes place in other
ways. The two other main methods are outlined below. They have a place but should not
replace planned, formal, recorded, one to one sessions.
Group supervision
This should not replace individual supervision but can be used to complement it. It will
involve a group of staff, all involved in the same task, meeting with a supervisor to discuss
issues about their work or the way they work together as a team. This may be done in the
context of a regular team meeting or as a separate session to look at specific issues.
Unplanned or “ad-hoc” supervision
The pace of work and change and the frequency of supervision means that staff often
have to” check something out” with a supervisor, obtain a decision or gain permission to
do something in between formal supervision sessions. In addition, staff who work closely
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with their supervisor will be communicating daily about work issues, problems arising,
changes in policies or procedures.
This form of supervision is a normal and acceptable part of the staff/supervisor
relationship. However the following points should be borne in mind when considering
unplanned or ad-hoc supervision:
• any decisions made with regard to a child or family should be clearly recorded on the
child’s records as appropriate
• where supervisees and supervisors work closely together this does not negate the need
for private one to one time together on a regular basis. The focus of these sessions is
wholly on the individual, their development, performance and any issues arising from their
work that do not arise on a day-to-day basis.
While the day to day supervisor for a particular member of staff may change according to
shift patterns and rotas, the one to one sessions should be carried out by the same
supervisor for a particular member of staff. If a supervisee is subject to frequent
changes of supervisor it is difficult for a relationship based on trust, openness and honesty
to be established and confidentiality may be, or may be perceived to be, compromised.
If a supervisor is absent from work for a long period (over one month) the senior
manager should ensure that effective arrangements are in place for the supervision of the
staff in that section.
Frequency of supervision
The frequency of supervision should reflect:
 The supervisee’s level of experience and competence (not necessarily length of service,
although staff new to a role may require more frequent supervision)
 If the supervisee is in the probationary period (i.e. first six months of service) supervision
should take place fortnightly. These may be quite short supervision sessions but they
will enable the supervisor to assess the supervisee’s suitability for permanent
employment and ensure an effective relationship is formed in the early days of the
supervisee’s employment
 Particular circumstances that apply to the supervisee may mean they may require more
frequent supervision (e.g. a difficult piece of work, the level of risk associated with work,
personal difficulties or relationships, performance issues or levels of stress)
 Staff in direct contact with children should be supervised at no less than 8 weekly
intervals (once every half term)
 The actual frequency for individuals should be agreed between the supervisor and
supervisee when negotiating the terms of the Individual Supervision Agreement
 Any deviation from the recommended frequency detailed above, as a permanent
 feature, should be by agreement between the two parties and should be clearly recorded
in the Individual Supervision Agreement
 Agency and temporary staff should receive supervision in the same way as permanent
staff as detailed above.
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Supervision records
The recording of supervision sessions is the responsibility of the supervisor. The
supervisor must adhere to the following standards of recording; this will be checked during
the quality assurance process
Recording standards:
 The detail included in the supervision record is a matter of judgement for the supervisor.
In general the record should be detailed enough so that the issue can be revisited, if
necessary, at a later date and still be understood. A short summary of the discussion
and the decisions or action points arising from it should be sufficient in most cases.
 Where possible supervision records should be typed. If the supervisor prefers to
handwrite them this is permissible providing it forms part of the Individual Supervision
Agreement and the supervisor’s writing is legible
 Supervisors should aim to give a copy of the record to the supervisee for signature
within two weeks. If this is not possible they should be with the supervisee before the
next supervision session. This should form part of the Individual Supervision Agreement
 Records should clearly detail any decisions that have been made, and the reasons for
these, any agreed actions including who will take responsibility and the timescale for
carrying out these actions
 The records should be signed and dated by both parties. If there is disagreement as to
the content of the record this should be recorded by the supervisor. A copy should be
retained by both parties
 Whilst it is recognised that many staff prefer to keep records on computer systems, in
the case of supervision records hard copies must be taken. This is to both safeguard the
supervisor and supervisee in the case of investigations (e.g. disciplinary or complaints
investigation) and to ensure that records are not altered in any way.
A proforma for the recording of supervision is attached at Appendix 1.
Confidentiality and Access
Supervision is a private but not a confidential process. This means that the records
are the property of the organisation, not the individual. From time to time
supervisors will need to discuss the content of supervision sessions with others,
e.g. their own line manager, this should always be with the knowledge of the
supervisee.
Access to supervision records should be controlled and all records should be locked away
so that others who do not have a legitimate right to see the records cannot access them.
Supervisees should be aware, however, that other than themselves and their supervisor
others will, from time to time, access records.
These might include:
 Senior Managers(e.g. for quality assurance purposes)
 Investigating officers(e.g. for disciplinary or case review purposes)
 Inspectors(e.g. Ofsted inspectors)
 Performance staff(e.g. for audit and quality assurance purposes)
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Storage and Retention
The Individual Supervision Agreement and the supervision records will be kept on the
supervisee’s file held by the supervisor or in an agreed place, in a locked cabinet. It is a
matter for the supervisor what other documents are held with the supervision records,
these may include appraisal documents, sickness documents and correspondence.
When a supervisee leaves the organisation the records should be retained for two years
after the member of staff has left and then shredded. Where a member of staff transfers to
another section or supervisor within the organisation their records should be passed onto
the new supervisor.
Individual Supervision Agreements
The process of developing an Individual Supervision Agreement (ISA) is as important as
the written document itself. This process should be begun at the first supervision session
though it may not be completed in one session.
The purpose of the Individual Supervision Agreement is to establish a basis for which the
supervisor and supervisee will work together during one to one supervisions. This
establishment of ground rules should be through negotiation and should clarify the rights
and expectations on both sides to create a safe, secure and effective supervisory
relationship. It is worth noting that when the supervision relationship breaks down, or is
less than satisfactory for either party, it is usually because of a lack of clarity or a mismatch
of expectations from the outset.
When establishing the supervision agreement the following should be discussed:
• The purpose of supervision
• The frequency of supervision
• The venue for the supervision sessions (note: this should always be in a private room
where others cannot easily overhear)
• Any specific responsibilities of both supervisor and supervisee
• The recording of supervision, including where records will be kept to safeguard
confidentiality, whether records will be typed or handwritten, how quickly records will be
given to the supervisee for signature
• The arrangements for any ad-hoc or unplanned supervision
• The complaints and review process
• The practical arrangements (e.g. the process if supervision has to be cancelled or
rearranged, an agreement that supervision will be uninterrupted, the anticipated length of
time for each session)
• The arrangements for agenda setting (e.g. both parties to submit agendas before the
session, at the start of the session etc.)
Each Individual Supervision Agreement will be different and should be regarded as a
“living” document that is changed according to the changing needs of the supervisee. An
example of this may be where the frequency of supervision has been agreed and this
subsequently changes as the member of staff gains confidence in their role. As a minimum
it should be reviewed annually.
A proforma Individual Supervision Agreement is attached at Appendix 2. Supervisors and
supervisees should agree if this will be utilised or if a more individual document should be
developed to meet their particular needs.
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Monitoring and Quality Assurance
In order to be effective the supervision process requires monitoring and quality assurance
arrangements. These processes enable the organisation to check that:
 The standards of supervision as outlined in this policy are being followed
 Staff are being supervised professionally and effectively
 Supervision sessions are being recorded,
 Individual Supervision Agreements are being developed, reviewed and used
 The supervision process promotes equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.
The monitoring arrangements involve regular discussion during supervision, for
example, between a service manager and a team manager, about the team manager’s
practice in supervising their staff. The senior manager may request copies of supervision
records as evidence of practice and to use as a tool where there are developmental needs
on behalf of the team manager.
The quality assurance arrangements involve the auditing of a random selection of
supervision files on a six monthly basis by senior managers using the Safeguarding
Supervision Audit Tool that is attached at Appendix 3.
Complaints
Supervisees should be clear about whom they should contact if they feel the terms of their
supervision agreement are not being met. How supervisees make a complaint and who to
(named manager) should be included in the Individual Supervision Agreement.
Supervisees should always discuss any complaints or dissatisfaction in the first instance
with their supervisor and endeavour to reach an agreement within the normal supervision
process.
If the complaint cannot be resolved by discussion with the supervisor the supervisee
should raise the issue with their supervisor’s manager.
List of Superstars Early Years setting’s appendices (not included here)
Appendix 1: Pro forma for recording supervision
Appendix 2: Pro forma Individual supervision agreement
Appendix 3: Quality assurance documentation
N
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Model Individual Supervision
Agreement
Adapted from Morrison :T Staff Supervision in Social Care (2001)
Superstars Early Years setting
Between Supervisor
And Supervisee
Expectations of Supervision
EXAMPLE
Superstars Early Years setting Expectations of Supervision
We expect supervisees to be supervised at no more than eight weekly intervals
The key areas that the supervision will focus on are:
1. To enable the supervisee to perform to the standards specified by Superstars Early Years
setting
2. To make sure that the supervisee is clear about his/her roles and responsibilities
3. To ensure accountability for the supervisee’s work
4. To assist in the supervisee’s personal and professional development
5. To be a primary source of support for the supervisee
6. To provide regular and constructive feedback to the supervisee on his/her performance
To review the supervision contract
Arrangements agreed for supervision
Frequency
Length
Location
Recording of supervision
Purposes for which
supervision can be used
Storage of supervision
records
How we will agree the
agenda for sessions
Interruptions will only be
permitted if…
Procedure to be followed if
information shared in
supervision needs to be
passed on e.g. a child
protection concern, health
issues, whistleblowing etc.
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Content of supervision
EXAMPLE
The content of each supervision session will be based on:
 Agreeing the agenda
 Reviewing your work via discussion, reports and observation
 Agreeing and monitoring action plans
 Developing your skills, knowledge and understanding by reflecting on your performance
 Identifying your development needs, interests, goals and action plans
 Providing space for you to reflect more generally on your experience of and feelings
about the work
 Reviewing this supervision agreement including your feedback about the process of
supervision
Making supervision work: what each agrees to contribute
What I want from you as my
supervisor
What I will contribute as the
supervisee to make this work
What I want from you as a
supervisee
What I will contribute as the
supervisor to make this work
Permissions we have agreed
e.g. The supervisor doesn’t
always have an answer
e.g. It is ok for the supervisee
to say ‘I am stuck – I don’t know
what to do’
What we will do if we have
difficulties working together
Signed
Supervisor
Date
Signed
Supervisee
Date
This agreement will be
reviewed at (frequency)
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Model supervision meeting record
Superstars Early Years setting
Adapted from an example in Providing effective supervision: a workforce development guide;
CWDC (2007)
Date
Supervisee
Supervisor
Review of previous supervision session
Review of last supervision and
progress on actions
Notes of discussion
Management e.g.
 Reviewing supervisee’s
performance and work
output/outcomes
 Policies and procedures relating to
their work
 Roles and responsibilities of the
supervisee
 Development and monitoring of
action plans/targets and objectives
 Monitoring of the supervisee’s
workload.
Learning and development e.g.
 Identifying supervisee’s preferred
learning style and barriers to
learning,
 Assessing development needs and
identifying learning opportunities
 Giving and receiving constructive
feedback on performance
 Reflecting on learning opportunities
undertaken and applying that
learning to the workplace.
Support e.g.
 Creating a safe environment within
supervision where trust and
confidentiality are maintained
 Enabling and empowering
expression of feelings in relation to
the work role
 Discussion of personal issues
impacting on performance at work
 Monitoring the health of the
supervisee e.g. annual leave, flexi,
sickness
 Health and safety
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Mediation e.g.
 Consulting and briefing supervisee
on changes and developments that
affect their work
 Dealing with concerns and
complaints about colleagues and
others with whom they work
including team issues and worker
relationships,
Names of individual children
discussed
The details of a discussion of an
individual child should be recorded
in the child’s individual record.
Actions agreed
Performance
management
Agreed actions
By whom
By when
Learning and
development
Agreed actions
By whom
By when
Support
Agreed actions
By whom
By when
Mediation
Agreed actions
By whom
By when
Date of next
meeting
Supervisee’s
signature
Supervisor’s
signature
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Model supervision meeting record
Discussion of individual child
Superstars Early Years setting
Name of child
Supervisee
Supervisor
Date
Summary of discussion
Agreed actions (including timescales)
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY
Safeguarding Supervision Audit
Tool
Do you provide effective child focussed supervision in your
setting?
(Adapted from Safeguarding through Effective Supervision; Pre-school Learning Alliance 2013)
Completed by
Date
Yes
No
Action
Does your organisation have a supervision policy
that clearly sets out the expectations of
supervisors and supervisees?
Have your supervisors received training in
reflective supervision?
Have your supervisors received training in
safeguarding children?
Do you have confidential space available to be
used for supervision?
Do you have protected times available for
supervision?
Are all supervision meetings held at least every
six to eight weeks?
Have all supervisees contributed to the content of
their supervision agreements?
Are supervision meetings structured to be child
focused?
Is the supervisee able to share his/her feelings
and anxieties in supervision?
Do all supervision notes indicate the actions to be
agreed?
Do all supervision notes have timescales for
actions?
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Sheffield Early Years Safeguarding Supervision Toolkit Second Edition September 2014 SAEY