Regular, scheduled supervision is a requirement for funded family violence, sexual assault and child wellbeing agencies and reflects best practice. Where possible, supervision should be scheduled for a minimum of 60 minutes at a time. It should take place in a private space away from distractions.
Family violence, sexual assault and child wellbeing work is complex and can be challenging. The frequency and duration of supervision should be matched to individual needs and the nature of the work. It may change over time in consultation between the supervisor and supervisee.
Supervision is a key method of building and sustaining the workforce, but the nature of the work means that supervision cannot always occur when planned. It is important to schedule supervision in advance and prioritise it. If a session does need to be cancelled, ensure it is rescheduled in addition to the next regularly scheduled session. Particularly for new practitioners, more frequent supervision is important to support wellbeing and confidence.[1]
While informal supervision is helpful to respond to immediate issues, providing scheduled, formal supervision is a better use of resources over time.[2]
Minimum recommendations for frequency are described below.
Table 3: Recommended frequency and duration of supervision
| Level of experience | Recommended minimum requirements |
|---|---|
| Students | One hour of formal scheduled supervision a week, in addition to regular peer or group supervision, and weekly informal supervision and/or supervised practice. |
| Graduates and new practitioners (less than six months’ experience) | One hour of formal scheduled supervision a week, in addition to regular informal supervision, peer or group supervision. |
| More experienced practitioners (over six months’ experience) | One hour of formal scheduled supervision per fortnight, and a minimum of one hour of informal, peer or group supervision a month. |
| Supervisors and managers | Two hours of formal scheduled supervision per month and informal supervision as required. |
| Senior executives, administration staff | One hour of formal scheduled supervision quarterly, in addition to debriefing as required. |
For part-time staff and staff who work additional hours, supervision frequency should follow the above guidance on a pro rata basis. Staff members who provide phone or web-based support to clients should receive the same amount of supervision as staff who offer face-to-face services.
For staff who work after-hours, supervision can follow the above guidance. However, staffing models and the nature/intensity of the work for after-hours services varies across organisations and supervision can be adjusted to reflect this. For example, organisations may provide more one-on-one supervision versus group supervision or vice versa, depending on what works for the organisation and supervisee.
In addition to supervision, organisations must have critical incident management processes in place. All staff, including after-hours staff, need access to formal debriefing as required. These need their own policies and procedures.
References
[1] C Stewart and A Fielding, ‘Exploring the embodied habitus of early career social workers’, Australian Social Work, 2021, 75(1):1–13, doi: 10.1080/0312407X.2021.1980070.
[2] Egan et al., ‘Who is watching whom? Surveillance in Australian social work supervision’.
Updated