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Performance embedded in professional supervision - the wayforward for social work[thesis] /by Helen Teresa Anne Hanlon

Item type Thesis

Authors Hanlon, Helen Teresa Anne

Publisher University College Dublin (UCD)

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Link to item http://hdl.handle.net/10147/56860

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http://hdl.handle.net/10147/56860

PERFORMANCE EMBEDDED IN PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION –

THE WAY FORWARD FOR SOCIAL WORK

By

Helen Teresa Anne Hanlon Submitted in part ial ful f i lment of the requirement

for the degree of Masters of Business Administrat ion in Health Services Management

Thesis Supervisor: Ms. Anna Jennings, School of Appl ied Social Science, University Col lege Dubl in.

Graduate School of Business

University Col lege Dubl in &

Royal Col lege of Surgeons in I reland

Apri l 2007

Abstract

Th is s tudy exp lo res par t ic ipan t ’ s percep t ions o f the management func t ion o f superv is ion and how i t can be l i nked to a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem fo r soc ia l workers . The l i t e ra tu re rev iew g ives an overv iew o f the mean ing and purpose o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion . I t a l so cons iders the complex con tex t o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion work tha t superv ison takes p lace in . The key l i t e ra tu re re la t ing to the management func t ion and per fo rmance management i s examined . The research s t ra tegy emp loyed i s qua l i ta t i ve and exp lo ra to ry in na tu re and invo lves semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews w i th team leaders and soc ia l workers . Ana lys is i s ca r r ied ou t us ing a temp la te ana lys is approach . The key f ind ings rea f f i rm tha t the management func t ion i s the p redominan t agenda in superv is ion w i th case d iscuss ion and ac t ion p lann ing the cen t ra l ac t i v i t i es . The o rgan isa t ions s ta tu to ry and lega l requ i rements d r i ve cu r ren t superv is ion ac t i v i t i es . Key superv is ion de f i c i t s inc lude l im i ted t ime fo r re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce , fo rma l appra isa ls and s t ruc tu red and regu la r feedback on per fo rmance . A l l respondents iden t i f y tha t the cur ren t superv is ion po l i cy i s no t regarded as a l i v ing , work ing document and in some ins tances i s comp le te ly d iscoun ted . Fur thermore , respondents iden t i f y the requ i rement fo r an in tegra ted approach to superv is ion as se t ou t i n the superv is ion po l i cy , wh ich incorpora tes the Mor r i son mode l o f superv is ion . H igh quo tas o f s ta f f to be superv ised as we l l as o ther compet ing demands on team leaders a re key bar r ie rs to imp lementa t ion . There i s a cu l tu re o f recogn i t ion and accep tance to soc ia l work per fo rmance be ing embedded in p ro fess iona l superv is ion and team-based approaches to per fo rmance management . However fo r th i s to happen there i s an o rgan isa t iona l impera t i ve to reduce the case and work loads o f bo th team leaders and soc ia l workers . The research conc ludes w i th recommendat ions fo r the o rgan isa t ion to cu l t i va te an in tegra ted approach to the per fo rmance management o f soc ia l workers .

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Dedication

To my beloved mother who encouraged her chi ldren to value and cherish the importance of

education and learning as a worthwhile vehicle to achieving the best that this l i fe can give. Thank you for helping me to achieve the very best that

is possible.

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Declaration I he reby dec la re tha t :

Th is thes is has no t been submi t ted as an exerc ise fo r a degree in any o ther Un ivers i t y here in I re land o r in any o ther coun t ry .

Th is i s en t i re l y my own work .

The co l lec t i ve L ib ra r ies o f Un ive rs i t y Co l lege Dub l in ,

i ncorpora t ing The Gradua te Bus iness Schoo l and The Roya l Co l lege o f Surgeons may lend o r copy th is thes is , on reques t .

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Acknowledgements

My s incere thanks and apprec ia t ion to a l l my co l leagues in soc ia l work who k ind ly par t i c ipa ted in th i s s tudy . The i r t ime and in te res t in shar ing the i r knowledge and p ro fess iona l v iews i s g rea t l y apprec ia ted . Bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders work in a h igh ly f l u id , p ressur i sed and complex env i ronment on a day to day bas is w i th ch i ld ren , young peop le and fami l i es and ye t rema in deep ly commi t ted and mot i va ted in the i r work . Thanks to Ferga l McDona ld fo r fac i l i t a t ing me in s tudy ing fo r the Mas te rs in Bus iness Admin is t ra t ion in Hea l th Serv ices Management and fo r h is suppor t a round th is research p ro jec t . A lso to Den ise Keoghan fo r her adv ice and ass is tance in genera t ing research ideas . A spec ia l thanks to Ms . Anna Jenn ings , Schoo l o f App l ied Soc ia l Sc ience , Un ivers i t y Co l lege Dub l in , my superv iso r who p rov ided sound knowledge , gu idance and much encouragement dur ing the course o f th i s thes is . A lso to my fe l low s tuden ts who p rov ided a l i s ten ing ear when I needed one . A spec ia l thanks to my fami l y fo r the i r suppor t and gu idance and espec ia l l y to my s is te r Ph i l fo r her con t inued and re len t less op t im ism and en thus iasm. A spec ia l thanks to my f r iends fo r the i r cons tan t encouragement and pa t ience when I was bur ied in paper . A spec ia l thanks to Mena Doo ley fo r her exper t adv ice and gu idance in the techn ica l ed i t i ng o f th i s document .

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Table of Contents

ABSTRACT 3 DEDICATION 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 LIST OF EXHIBITS AND TABLES 11 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 13 1 .1 INTRODUCTION 1 .2 DEFINIT ION OF TERMS 14

1 .2 .1 P ro fess iona l Superv is ion 14 1 .2 .2 Per fo rmance Management 14 1 .2 .3 Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve 14 1 .2 .4 T rans fo rmat ion Programme 15

2007-2010 1 .2 .5 OPM 15 1 .2 .5 Management Func t ion o f 16

Superv is ion 1 .2 .7 Mento r ing , Coach ing and Persona l 16

Deve lopment P lann ing(PDP) 1 .2 .8 Soc ia l Care 16 1 .2 .9 Group Superv is ion 16 1 .2 .10 Team Based Superv is ion 17 1 .2 .11 Peer Superv is ion 17

1 .3 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 17 1 .4 OBJECTIVES 18 1 .5 RESEARCH QUESTION DEFINED 18

1 .5 .1 Ma in Research Ques t ion 18 1 .5 .2 Subs id ia ry Ques t ions 19

1 .6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES 19 1 .7 CHAPTER FORMAT 20

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CHAPTER TWO AGENCY AND POLICY CONTEXT 2 .1 INTRODUCTION 22 2 .2 KEY DRIVERS 23 2 .3 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 25 2 .4 HSE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME 28 2 .5 CONCLUSION 28 CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW 3 .1 SECTION A – INTRODUCTION 30 3 .2 WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION? 30 3 .3 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND MODELS OF

SUPERVISION 33 3 .4 MORRISON MODEL OF SUPERVISION 35 3 .5 MORRISON – SUPERVISION DEFINED AS A

STRUCTURED PROCESS 36 3 .6 MORRISON – SUPERVISORY PROCESSES 36 3 .7 MORRISON – SERVICE USER/CLIENT

OUTCOMES 36 3 .8 WHAT IS S IGNIF ICANT ABOUT SUPERVISION

IN CHILD PROTECTION AND WELFARE SERVICES? 37

3 .8 .1 E f fec t i ve De l i ve ry o f Serv ices 38 3 .8 .2 Organ isa t iona l Con ta inment o f S t ress ,

Anx ie ty and Burnou t 38 3 .8 .3 Manag ing S ta f f Re ten t ion and the

Psycho log ica l Impac t o f the Work 39 3 .8 .4 Qua l i t y Assessment Work w i th Ch i ld ren

and Fami l ies 40 3 .8 .5 Superv is ion in a H igh ly F lu id and

Turbu len t Env i ronment 40 3 .9 CONCLUSION 41 3 .10 SECTION B – THE MANAGEMENT FUNCTION

3 .10 .1 In tegra ted Approach to Superv is ion 42 3 .10 .2 The Management Func t ion – Def in i t i on 43

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3 .10 .3 The Management func t ion –

Compl iance w i th Agency Po l i c ies 43 3 .10 .4 Accoun tab i l i t y – The Predominan t

Agenda 44 3 .10 .5 H igh Rates o f A t t r i t i on 45 3 .10 .6 Compromised Prac t i ce 45 3 .10 .7 Ev idence o f inadequate Superv is ion 46 3 .10 .8 Va l ida t ing Superv i so ry Exper iences 48 3 .10 .9 Presc r ip t i ve Superv iso ry Prac t i ces 48 3 .10 .10 Tra in ing fo r Superv iso r Competence 49

3 .11 CONCLUSION 50 3 .12 SECTION C - MOVING TOWARDS

A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND MEASUREMENT SYSTEM – ORGANISATIONAL SYSTEMS AND CAPACIT IES 51

3 .12 .1 Supp lement ing Ind iv idua l Superv is ion and the L inkage w i th Work -Based Approaches to Per fo rmance Management 53 3 .12 .2 Work ing and th ink ing in a d i f fe ren t way 54 3 .12 .3 Towards team-based lea rn ing , pe r fo rmance management and

measurement 57 3 .12 .4 Per fo rmance ind ica to rs as a

measurement too l 60 3 .12 .5 Outpu t ve rsus ou tcome measurements 61 3 .12 .6 TBPM p i lo t s i tes – the lessons lea rned 62

3 .13 CONCLUSION 64 CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4 .1 INTRODUCTION 65

4 .2 A IM OF RESEARCH 65 4 .3 OBJECTIVES 65 4 .4 PHILOSOPHIES UNDERPINNING THE

RESEARCH 66

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4.5 METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND THE RESEARCH PROCESS 67

4 .6 PLACE OF STUDY 68 4 .7 RESEARCH DESIGN 68 4 .8 PRIMARY RESEARCH TOOL UTIL IZED 69 4 .9 SECONDARY DATA UTIL IZED 71 4 .10 ACCESS, CONSENT AND ETHICAL

CONSIDERATIONS 73 4 .11 P ILOTING THE INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 75 4 .12 ACCOUNT OF F IELDWORK 76 4 .13 DATA ORGANISATION AND ANALYSIS 76 4 .14 BRIEF REFLECTIONS ON THE RESEARCH

JOURNEY 78 4 .15 CONCLUSION 79 CHAPTER FIVE RESEARCH FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 5 .1 INTRODUCTION 80 5 .2 SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCES –

THE BIG PICTURE 80 5 .3 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT –

THE BIG PICTURE 81 5 .4 REQUIREMENT FOR AN INTEGRATED

APPROACH TO SUPERVISION 89 5 .4 .1 Lack o f a robus t o rgan isa t iona l

Mandate and capac i t y to meet po l i cy expec ta t ions 92 5 .4 .2 Compromised p rac t i ce and

I ncomple te Superv is ion 93 5 .5 ACCOUNTABIL ITY AND COMPLIANCE

WITH AGENCY POLICY – THE PREDOMINANT AGENDA 96

5 .6 . STRATEGIC REFOCUSING OF THE PROCESS OF SUPERVISION TO EMBED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 100

5 .7 . DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE MEASUREMENT TOOLS 103

5 .8 . CONCLUSION 107

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CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 108 6 .1 INTRODUCTION 109 6 .2 KEY F INDINGS 109 6 .3 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS 6 .3 .1 Requ i rement fo r an in tegra ted

approach to Superv is ion 112 6 .3 .2 Accoun tab i l i t y and compl iance

w i th agency po l i cy – the p redominan t agenda 113

6 .3 .3 S t ra teg ic re focus ing o f the p rocess o f superv is ion to embed pe r fo rmance management 113

6 .3 .4 Deve lop ing appropr ia te measurement too ls 113

6 .4 CONCLUDING REMARKS 114 . REFERENCES 115 APPENDICES 128

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List of Exhibits

EXHIBIT 1 KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN

SUPERVISION AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 27

EXHIBIT 2 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

CYCLE – HIGH LEVEL ACTIVIT IES 52 EXHIBIT 3 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

CYCLE – CORE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVIT IES 56

EXHIBIT 4 SUPERVISION OUTCOME CYCLE 58 EXHIBIT 5 THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

CYCLE – TRANSLATION OF NATIONAL PRIORIT IES TO UNIT /TEAM BASED ACTION AND PERFORMANCE PLANS 63

EXHIBIT 6 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 100 EXHIBIT 7 INTEGRATED MODEL FOR

SUPERVISION AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 102

EXHIBIT 8 EMBEDDING SUPERVISION IN

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 110

List of Tables TABLE 1 TEAM LEADER SUPERVISORY

EXPERIENCES 82 TABLE 2 SOCIAL WORKER SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCES 83 TABLE 3 TEAM LEADERS - PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCES 85 TABLE 4 SOCIAL WORKERS - PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 86

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Chapter 1

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.

–Aristotle- 1 .1 In t roduct ion Th is s tudy a ims to exp lo re soc ia l workers exper iences o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th in the I r i sh con tex t . There a re th ree c r i t i ca l s t rands to th i s research , wh ich examines (1 ) The percep t ions o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to the

management func t ion o f superv is ion , (2 ) Whether superv is ion exper iences re f lec t th i s co re

func t ion in l i ne w i th the superv is ion mode l se t ou t in the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion and

(3 ) How superv is ion can be l i nked to an overa l l robus t per fo rmance management sys tem w i th soc ia l workers .

P ro fess iona l superv is ion i s a we l l - recogn ized , es tab l i shed and accep ted p rac t i ce in the soc ia l work sec to r loca ted in I r i sh s ta tu to ry , vo lun ta ry and commun i ty se t t i ngs . Bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders engage in p ro fess iona l superv is ion on an on-go ing and regu la r bas is and i t i s used as a too l i n d iscuss ing p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce i ssues and in the overa l l management o f the work o f the soc ia l worker . Superv is ion as a p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce i s now we l l embedded in the d isc ip l ine and i s genera l l y seen as essen t ia l fo r bo th p rac t i t i oners and managers as a way o f manag ing casework i ssues , case load management , con t inuous p ro fess iona l deve lopment and manag ing the emot iona l impac t o f the work on the ind iv idua l . The core bus iness o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion mus t a lways be to improve c l ien t ou tcomes (Mor r i son , 2005) . Fur thermore the overa l l func t ions and respons ib i l i t i es o f the agency in genera l to the c l ien t o r se rv ice user mus t be cen t ra l , c r i t i ca l and a p r io r i t y in p ro fess iona l superv is ion . Ye t the re i s ve ry l i t t l e in fo rmat ion ava i lab le on the percep t ions and

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exper iences o f soc ia l workers on th is c r i t i ca l p rac t i ce 1 and spec i f i ca l l y in re la t ion to the management func t ion o f superv is ion . The purpose o f th i s s tudy i s to ob ta in a con temporary p ic tu re o f the management func t ion : the s t reng ths , de f i c i t s and cha l lenges invo lved , how th is m igh t be used to in f luence and in fo rm fu tu re bes t p rac t i ce in the de l i ve ry o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion by managers and con t r ibu te towards an e f fec t i ve per fo rmance management sys tem. 1 .2 Def in i t ion of Terms Th is research has been conduc ted w i th in the con tex t o f agreed de f in i t i ons and key concep ts u t i l i zed th roughout th i s research p ro jec t . Such te rms a re se t ou t here in o rder to o r ien ta te the reader to the i r spec i f i c mean ings . 1.2 .1 Profess ional Superv is ion Mor r i son (2001 , p .29) de f ines p ro fess iona l superv is ion as

“a p rocess in wh ich one worker i s g iven respons ib i l i t y to work w i th (an)o ther worker (s ) in o rder to meet ce r ta in o rgan isa t iona l , p ro fess iona l and persona l ob jec t i ves . These ob jec t i ves a re competen t , accoun tab le per fo rmance , con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment , pe rsona l suppor t and engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th the o rgan i sa t ion ” (Mor r i son 2001 , adap ted f rom Har r ies (1987) , R ichards and Payne (1990) and Bu t te rwor th and Faug ie r (1994) .

1 .2 .2 Per formance Management Per fo rmance management i s de f ined as a s t ra teg ic and in tegra ted approach to de l i ve r ing sus ta ined success to o rgan isa t ions by improv ing the per fo rmance o f the peop le who work in them and by deve lop ing the capab i l i t i es o f teams and ind iv idua l con t r ibu to rs ’ (A rmst rong and Bar ron , 2000) . I t i s essen t ia l l y a ph i losophy and a con t inuous p rocess to wh ich managers and emp loyees need to devo te a t ten t ion th roughout the work ing year . The c r i t i ca l a ims o f pe r fo rmance management a re to engage in sus ta inab le

1 Nordells’ small scale study (2005) discovered a marked disparity between the provision of the accountability and support functions of supervision, with an overriding emphasis placed on accountability by supervisors.

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per fo rmance , d r i ve mot i va t ion and commi tment th rough deve lop ing ind iv idua l and team po ten t ia l and ac t as a lever fo r cu l tu ra l change . 1 .2 .3 Hea l th Serv ice Execut ive The Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve (HSE) was se t up on 1 s t . January 2005 , fo l low ing the in t roduc t ion o f the Hea l th Ac t 2004 . The HSE is essen t ia l l y the merg ing o f e leven hea l th boards and hea l th au thor i t i es in to one na t iona l and un i ta ry body . The HSE has respons ib i l i t y fo r the p rov is ion o f hea l th and soc ia l ca re serv ices in I re land . The fundamenta l pu rpose o r m iss ion o f the HSE is to enab le peop le l i ve hea l th ie r and more fu l f i l l ed l i ves . 1.2 .4 Transformat ion Programme 2007-2010 The HSE Trans fo rmat ion Programme is a p rogramme o f p r io r i t i es se t ou t to gu ide s ta f f , managers , se rv ice users and a l l re levan t s takeho lders on bu i ld ing the momentum fo r change tha t has been ga ther ing w i th in the HSE dur ing the las t two years s ince the t rans i t i on f rom separa te hea l th p rov iders to one na t iona l and s ing le en t i t y . Th is p rogramme fo r change has been p repared fo l low ing consu l ta t ion among s ta f f du r ing 2006 and re f lec ts the v iews expressed dur ing a se r ies o f o rgan isa t ion - w ide even ts . 1 .2 .5 OPM The Of f i ce fo r Hea l th Management inv i ted OPM to p repare a repor t de ta i l i ng the na tu re o f o rgan isa t iona l change in the Nat iona l Hea l th Serv ice (NHS) over the pas t f i f t een years . G iven tha t the I r i sh Hea l th and Soc ia l Care Sys tem had rema ined la rge ly unchanged fo r over th i r t y years , the re was l i t t l e d i rec t exper ience w i th in i t on how to imp lement sys tem-w ide s t ruc tu ra l change . By con t ras t , the UK ’s NHS has undergone a number o f qu i te fundamenta l reo rgan isa t ions over the pas t f i f teen years . OPM’ repor t i nc luded an ana lys is o f the change management approaches tha t have been used in the reorgan isa t ion o f the NHS and a lso observa t ions tha t were fe l t use fu l fo r and app l i cab le to the I r i sh Hea l th and Soc ia l Care Sys tem in manag ing sys tem-w ide change .

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1 .2 .6 Management Funct ion of superv is ion Mor r i son de f ines the management func t ion o f superv is ion as “competen t , accoun tab le per fo rmance /p rac t i ce ” (2005 , p . 32) and i s one o f fou r superv iso ry func t ions . The o ther th ree func t ions a re descr ibed as con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment (deve lopmenta l / fo rmat i ve func t ion ) , pe rsona l suppor t ( suppor t i ve / res to ra t i ve func t ion ) and engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th the o rgan isa t ion (med ia t ion func t ion ) . 1.2 .7 Mentor ing , coaching and personal deve lopment p lanning (PDP) Mentors focus on the deve lopm ent o f the lea rner , g i v ing t ime and a t ten t ion beyond the ex ten t o f the manager . Deve lopment usua l l y takes p lace “as requ i red” a t a pace wh ich su i t s the ind iv idua l . Coach ing i s an in fo rma l bu t persona l on- the- job t ra in ing techn ique a imed a t deve lop ing persons ’ sk i l l s , knowledge and work per fo rmance . Persona l deve lopment p lann ing (PDP) i s a con t inuous deve lopmenta l p rocess tha t enab les peop le to make the bes t use o f the i r sk i l l s and he lps advance bo th the ind iv idua l ’ s p lans and the s t ra teg ic goa ls o f the o rgan iza t ion . 1 .2 .8 Socia l care The te rm soc ia l ca re i s now u t i l i sed by p rac t i t i oners and managers in naming the mu l t i tude o f se rv ices p rov ided to se rv ice users in a va r ie ty o f ca re se t t ings . Such serv ices inc lude soc ia l work , fami l y suppor t se rv ices , commun i ty jus t i ce , d i sab i l i t y se rv ices , menta l hea l th se rv ices and serv ices fo r o lder peop le . Key p r inc ip les f rom Mor r i sons ’ (2005) work on superv is ion can be app l ied and t rans fe r red ac ross a number o f t hese soc ia l ca re se t t ings . 1.2 .9 Group superv is ion Group superv is ion invo lves a fac i l i t a ted p rocess in wh ich a g roup o f p ro fess iona ls d iscuss w i th in a sa fe env i ronment aspec ts o f the i r work tha t i s caus ing d i f f i cu l t y o r has complex components . Th is se t t i ng i s less domina ted by the superv iso r and has the po ten t ia l to cha l lenge co l lus ions be tween the superv iso r and superv isee tha t may ex is t i n ind iv idua l superv is ion .

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1.2 .10 Team Superv is ion Team superv is ion invo lves work ing w i th a g roup who have no t come toge ther jus t fo r the purpose o f j o in t superv is ion , bu t who have an in te r re la ted work l i f e ou ts ide the g roup . 1.2 .11 Peer Superv is ion Peer superv is ion invo lves a g roup o f peers d iscuss ing aspec ts o f cases o r work tha t i s comp lex and d i f f i cu l t . In the absence o f a g roup leader the re i s a need fo r a f i rm and c lear s t ruc tu re and i t requ i res g rea te r commi tment f rom the g roup members . A sys tem is requ i red in such superv is ion fo r a t tend ing to p rocess so tha t i t s tays hea l th i l y suppor t ing the task o f superv is ion ra ther than d ive r t ing o r sabo tag ing i t . 1.3 Rat iona le for the s tudy The ra t iona le fo r th i s research i s to conduc t an exp lo ra to ry s tudy o f one c r i t i ca l s t rand o f superv is ion p rac t i ce w i th soc ia l workers w i th in the I r i sh con tex t a t a t ime when superv is ion po l i c ies and p rac t i ces has inc reas ing ly deve loped in mos t soc ia l work serv ices . Wh i le p rev ious sma l l - sca le s tud ies (Kenny , 1991 , McDa id , 1991 , McCau ley , 1991 , Norde l l , 2005) have been conduc ted on var ious aspec ts o f soc ia l work superv is ion and case management , the re has been a genera l l ack o f research in the I r i sh con tex t o f soc ia l workers v iews o f the management func t ion o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion . The in ten t ion o f th i s s tudy i s to con t r ibu te towards b r idg ing th is in fo rmat ion and knowledge de f i c i t . Th is research i s s ign i f i can t as i t comes a t a t ime o f cons iderab le change and t rans i t i on in the hea l th se rv ices w i th g rea te r pub l i c expec ta t ion fo r h igher s tandards o f ca re , t ransparency , va lue fo r money w i th added va lue and measurab le ou tcomes fo r se rv ice users . There i s a lso g rea te r pub l i c demand fo r a recogn ised f ramework fo r accoun tab le and s tandard ised p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce . In the pas t few years , the inc reased a t ten t ion to t he p rov is ion o f superv is ion , wh ich i s re levan t , access ib le and e f fec t i ve has h igh l igh ted the demand fo r gu ide l ines fo r i t s rea l i s t i c imp lementa t ion . Pr io r to 2003 p ro fess iona l superv is ion in the au thors agency had deve loped o f ten

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more in f luenced by ind iv idua l i n te rp re ta t ion than by in fo rmed unders tand ing o f superv is ion . Superv is ion i s abou t ge t t ing the bes t f rom s ta f f w i th in a suppor t i ve env i ronment and improv ing the qua l i t y o f se rv ices to users . These c r i t i ca l impera t i ves a lso re f lec t the key p r io r i t i es o f the newly un i f i ed Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve (T rans fo rmat ion Programme 2007-2010) . Fur thermore the lessons to be lea rned and the recommendat ions pu t fo rward f rom th is s tudy a re app l i cab le to soc ia l work se rv ices ac ross a range o f se rv ice p rov iders , in ch i ldcare serv ice p lann ing and dec is ion -mak ing p rocesses . 1.4 Object ives The spec i f i c ob jec t i ves o f th i s s tudy a re to cons ider :

Soc ia l work exper iences o f superv is ion w i th in the I r i sh con tex t .

The ma in themes emerg ing f rom a rev iew o f the I r i sh and in te rna t iona l l i t e ra tu re on superv is ion .

Lessons emerg ing f rom the imp lementa t ion o f the management func t ion iden t i f i ed th rough semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews and the l i t e ra tu re rev iew on per fo rmance management .

Recommendat ions emerg ing f rom the methodo log ies used , wh ich m igh t in fo rm the fu tu re d i rec t ion o f soc ia l work superv is ion and per fo rmance management ac ross soc ia l work agenc ies in I re land .

1.5 Research quest ion def ined There a re a number o f a reas o f i n te res t and fo r cons idera t ion in th i s s tudy , wh ich have been co l la ted and re f ined in to one ma in research ques t ion w i th a number o f subs id ia ry and re la ted ques t ions . The ma in research ques t ion i s f ramed in two par ts wh ich i s se t ou t be low. 1 .5 .1 Ma in research quest ion How do soc ia l workers perce ive the management func t ion o f superv is ion and how can i t be l i nked to a robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem?

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1.5 .2 The subsid iary quest ions are ident i f ied as: 1 . G iven the check l i s t o f ac t i v i t i es w i th in the management

func t ion , i s the re g rea te r emphas is and concen t ra t ion on some o f these than o thers? What m igh t be the exp lana t ions and d r i ve rs fo r these superv iso ry behav iours and approaches?

2 . A re soc ia l workers be ing superv ised in accordance w i th the o rgan isa t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion?

3 . What i s the impac t on the ro le o f the p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l worker?

4 . What needs to be pu t i n p lace by the o rgan isa t ion to s t reng then and bu i ld on the cu r ren t mode l and ex is t ing p rac t i ces?

5 . How can superv is ion be l i nked to a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem?

1.6 Research methodologies Th is s tudy has invo lved two c r i t i ca l s t rands : 1 . The use o f p r imary research ga thered th rough a se r ies

o f semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews w i th p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers and team leaders , wh ich were comple ted over a th ree - week per iod in March 2007 . The purpose in in te rv iew ing soc ia l workers cen t red on de te rmin ing the i r pe rcep t ions and exper iences o f the management func t ion o f superv is ion and the impac t on the i r p ro fess iona l ro le . Soc ia l workers w i th more than two years exper ience in de l i ve r ing ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re serv ices were iden t i f i ed ac ross the reg ion fo r i n te rv iew purposes as they a re we l l p laced to in fo rm and d iscuss p ro fess iona l superv iso ry p rac t i ces and exper iences f rom a p rac t i t i oner perspec t i ve . The cen t ra l pu rpose in in te rv iew ing team leaders had a dua l focus wh ich was equa l l y to es tab l i sh percep t ions and exper iences o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion f rom a management perspec t i ve bu t c r i t i ca l l y on es tab l i sh ing how superv is ion can be embedded in a robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem fo r the p ro fess ion . The v iew taken by the au thor i s tha t team leaders a re we l l p laced w i th in the o rgan isa t ion to make purpose fu l and mean ing fu l con t r ibu t ions on per fo rmance management ac t i v i t i es g iven tha t they ho ld l i ne management respons ib i l i t i es in respec t o f the per fo rmance o f a l l s ta f f who repor t to them on the i r team. I t was fundamenta l to

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th i s research tha t the v iews o f th i s management g roup was e l i c i ted and cons idered in fo rmu la t ing any mode ls o r recommendat ions to be b rough t fo rward f rom th is s tudy .

2 . The usage o f secondary da ta sources th rough an

assessment and ana lys is o f the work o f o thers who have wr i t ten on s im i la r o r re la ted top ics . G iven tha t soc ia l work i s a re la t i ve ly new and evo lv ing p ro fess ion in I re land , the au thor has concen t ra ted on rev iew ing re levan t l i t e ra tu re ma in ly f rom coun t r ies such as The Un i ted K ingdom, Nor th Amer ica , New Zea land and Aus t ra l ia as we l l as I re land . The p ro fess ion o f soc ia l work in these coun t r ies shares somewhat s im i la r h is to r ies w i th recen t research hav ing been car r ied ou t on the top ic under inves t iga t i on . The work o f Mor r i son i s d rawn on cons iderab ly in th i s s tudy fo r a number o f reasons . Many o f the fo rmer hea l th boards now HSE, use the Mor r i son mode l o f superv is ion t ra in ing w i th the i r f ron t l i ne s ta f f and managers , adap t ing the mode l i n superv iso ry p rac t i ces . Th is mode l i s based on a sys tem Mor r i son has deve loped over a ten year per iod in a va r ie ty o f p ro fess iona l se t t ings , inc lud ing ch i ld we l fa re , commun i ty jus t i ce and hea l th (Mor r i son , 2001) . The mode l has a lso been used in a mu l t i -d i sc ip l ina ry con tex t in Eng land , New Zea land , Aus t ra l ia , Canada and the Un i ted S ta tes . Th is par t i cu la r mode l o f superv is ion t ra in ing was chosen in fo rmer I r i sh hea l th boards due in the ma in to i t s comprehens iveness bu t a lso because i t was suppor ted w i th t ra in ing manua ls , tex tbooks su i tab le fo r superv iso rs , superv isees and a “T ra in - the -Tra iners ” p rogramme. Hea l th boards used the mode l because the feedback f rom s ta f f was very pos i t i ve f rom in i t i a l t ra in ing days and they recommended tha t i t met the superv iso ry needs o f s ta f f i nvo lved w i th in the I r i sh con tex t o f soc ia l ca re de l i ve ry . G iven tha t the focus o f th i s s tudy i s on the management func t ion o f superv is ion , u t i l i z ing the Mor r i son mode l , a comprehens ive ana lys is o f Mor r ison ’s work i s fundamenta l to th is research p rocess .

1.7 Chapter format Th is in t roduc to ry chap te r has ou t l i ned the a ims , ob jec t i ves and the ra t iona le fo r th i s s tudy . I t has se t ou t c lea r l y the de f in i t i on o f te rms used th roughout the s tudy , the research ques t ions fo r cons idera t ion and iden t i f i ed how the research was conduc ted .

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Chapte r two w i l l f ocus on the o rgan iza t iona l con tex t fo r the s tudy and iden t i f y superv is ion po l i cy and per fo rmance management deve lopments w i th in the I r i sh con tex t . The l i t e ra tu re rev iew i s s t ruc tu red to in t roduce the reader to the b road concep t o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion by t rac ing i t s an teceden ts and impor tance th rough soc ia l work h is to ry w i th spec i f i c re fe rence to the management focus and i t s l i nkages to per fo rmance management . Th is rev iew i s p resen ted in th ree sec t ions in chap te r th ree . Chap te r fou r w i l l exp lo re the research ph i losophy and methodo log ies in de ta i l and w i l l o r ien ta te the reader to the research con tex t d iscuss ing e th ica l and p ro fess iona l i ssues and cha l lenges encoun te red dur ing the research jou rney . The wr i te r has conduc ted a number o f semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews w i th p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers and team leaders to de te rmine the i r v iews in re la t ion to the p r imary research ques t ion and subs id ia ry ques t ions fo r cons idera t ion in th i s s tudy . A themat ic ana lys is o f the da ta genera ted w i th in the con tex t o f the l i t e ra tu re rev iewed w i l l be se t ou t in chap te r f i ve . Chapte r s i x w i l l d i scuss the ma in conc lus ions and recommendat ions f rom the research . The nex t chap te r w i l l now cons ider the o rgan iza t iona l con tex t fo r the research and d iscuss the b road po l i cy deve lopments bo th a t na t iona l and loca l leve l in I re land in respec t o f superv is ion and per fo rmance management .

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Chapter 2

Agency and Policy Context 2.1 In t roduct ion Th is s tudy i s loca ted w i th in soc ia l work depar tments in two Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce Areas w i th in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve Dub l in -M id -Le ins te r Area . Bo th Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce Areas p rov ides persona l and soc ia l se rv ices to a popu la t ion o f 225 ,363 w i th a ch i ld popu la t ion (0 -17 years ) o f 63 ,666 (2002 Census ) . The soc ia l work depar tments p rov ide a range o f se rv ices to ch i ld ren and fami l ies in meet ing the i r s ta tu to ry du t ies o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re , fami l y suppor t and ch i ld ren in ca re , as se t ou t i n leg is la t ion , na t iona l s tandards and regu la t ions (Rev iew o f Adequacy o f Ch i ld Care & Fami ly Suppor t Serv ices fo r Dub l in M id -Le ins te r (Lao is /Of fa ly , Long fo rd /Wes tmeath ) 2005) . The Nat iona l Adv iso ry Group fo r Ch i ld ren F i rs t 2 fo l low ing on f rom the eva lua t ion o f the imp lementa t ion o f the ch i ld abuse and p ro tec t ion gu ide l ines es tab l i shed a work ing g roup in Sep tember 2002 . Th is g roup was tasked to deve lop na t iona l gu ide l ines on a superv is ion po l i cy fo r s ta f f work ing in hea l th board ch i ldcare serv ices . These gu ide l ines were i ssued in February 2003 . The fo rmer M id land Hea l th Board (now HSE) Ch i ldcare Care Group es tab l i shed a Mu l t i -d i sc ip l i na ry Ch i ldcare Superv is ion Po l i cy Group in February 2003 to oversee the deve lopment o f a Board-w ide superv is ion po l i cy , w i th a d isc ip l ine spec i f i c focus . Add i t iona l l y th i s g roup was tasked w i th imp lement ing superv is ion t ra in ing 3 fo r a l l p rac t i t i oners and

2 Children First is a set of national guidelines introduced in 1999 to assist everyone concerned with children in the identification, reporting and management of suspicions or allegations of child abuse. A national resource team was set up in 1999 to oversee the implementation of these guidelines in each of the 11 health boards. 3 Training for supervisors and supervisees was identified through the policy development process. In November 2002 two staff members, including the author attended a “Train-the-Trainers” programme with Tony Morrison, an independent social care trainer in England. The training was based on a model Morrison had developed over a ten year period in a variety of professional settings, including child welfare, community justice and health (Morrison, 2001). The model had also been used in a multi-disciplinary context in England, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. This particular model of supervision training was chosen because of its

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managers invo lved in the de l i ve ry o f ch i ldcare serv ices . Th is t ra in ing took p lace in la te 2003 and dur ing 2004 . The superv is ion po l i cy fo r soc ia l workers became e f fec t i ve f rom November 2003 (see append ix 1 ) . 4

2.2 Key dr ivers A number o f fac to rs in f luence the cu r ren t a t ten t ion and impetus g iven to p ro fess iona l superv is ion and i t s deve lopment o r in t roduc t ion ac ross a range o f d isc ip l ines , inc lud ing soc ia l work . The key d r i ve rs iden t i f i ed in sh i f t i ng the focus to superv is ion inc lude the fo l low ing : 1 . Var ious na t iona l s t ra tegy documents recogn ise the need

to superv ise and suppor t s ta f f such as the Nat iona l Ch i ld ren ’s S t ra tegy – Our Ch i ld ren , The i r L i ves (2001) and the Na t iona l Hea l th S t ra tegy – Qua l i t y and Fa i rness – a Hea l th Serv ice fo r a l l (2000) , Ch i ld ren F i rs t , (1999) , Repor t o f the Work ing Group on Fos te r Care (2002) , S tandards fo r Ch i ld ren in Res iden t ia l Care (2001) and Repor t o f the I r i sh Soc ia l Serv ices Inspec to ra te (2000) .

2 . Var ious inqu i ry repor ts wh ich have shown tha t no t a l l

p rac t i ce was as pos i t i ve o r indeed as sa fe as expec ted fo r those who used the serv ices . Ev idence f rom these inqu i r ies ind ica te :

Poor commun ica t ion be tween p ro fess iona ls (Repor t o f the K i l kenny Inces t Inves t iga t ion 1993 and the Weste rn Hea l th Board The Ke l l y F i t zgera ld Inqu i ry Repor t – Ke l l y , a ch i ld i s dead , 1996) .

Serv ices be ing expec ted to be a l l th ings to a l l peop le (Donoghue, Repor t o f the Inqu i ry in to the Opera t ion o f Madonna House , 1996) .

F ragmenta t ion in se rv ice p rov is ion and unc lear l i nes o f accoun tab i l i t y (Nor th Weste rn Hea l th Board Repor t

comprehensiveness and also because it was supported with training manuals, textbooks suitable for supervisors, supervisees and a “Train-the-Trainers” programme. Other health boards were also using the model with staff and provided positive feedback and recommendations in meeting the supervisory needs of staff involved. 4. The Report on Social Work Workload Management in Ireland (2002, p. 10) recognized that health boards were developing supervision policies based on the Tony Morrison model of supervision.

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of the Inqu i ry in to the West o f I re land Farmer Case , 1998) .

These repor ts h igh l igh t the absence o f regu la r , s t ruc tu red and cons is ten t superv is ion w i th a common recommendat ion fo r a superv is ion f ramework , par t i cu la r l y fo r those s ta f f emp loyed in a reas o f fe r ing ca re and p ro tec t ion . The Repor t o f the K i l kenny Inces t Inves t iga t ion (1993) was one o f the f i r s t repor ts in I re land to iden t i f y necessary components to e f fec t i ve superv is ion “superv is ion fac i l i t a tes lea rn ing , p rov ides an oppor tun i t y to p lan and eva lua te work and suppor t workers . Superv is ion a lso p romotes good s tandards o f p rac t i ce to the bene f i t o f the pub l i c ” . In 2003 Lord Laming in t he V ic to r ia C l imb ie Inqu i ry Repor t s t ressed the impor tance o f the respons ib i l i t y and accoun tab i l i t y o f everyone invo lved in the p ro tec t ion and we l fa re o f ch i ld ren and the i r fami l i es . Recommendat ion 45 se ts ou t tha t

“ D i rec to rs o f Soc ia l Serv ices mus t ensure tha t the work o f s ta f f work ing d i rec t l y w i th ch i ld ren i s regu la r l y superv ised” .

3 . Inc reas ing recogn i t ion by p ro fess iona ls themse lves o f

the ro le and va lue o f superv is ion . The impor tance o f superv is ion has been apparen t in soc ia l work se t t ings fo r a t l eas t the las t 30 years (Mor r i son , 2001 , p . 14 ) . Fur thermore , the re i s remarkab le cons is tency f rom a range o f o rgan isa t ions abou t the impor tance and ro le o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion such as the Br i t i sh Assoc ia t ion o f Soc ia l Workers , The Amer ican Nat iona l Assoc ia t ion o f Soc ia l Workers , The Ao tearoa New Zea land Assoc ia t ion and the I r i sh Assoc ia t ion o f Soc ia l Workers .

4 . S ta f f re ten t ion i s a lso a s ign i f i can t concern . F ron t - l i ne

workers a re less l i ke ly to leave a job where they fee l sa t i s f ied , wor thwh i le and respec ted . In research under taken by Fu lham (1997) on reasons why soc ia l workers were leav ing emp loyment the reasons c i ted were unmanageab le case loads , fee l ings o f wor th lessness as we l l as s t ress .

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2.3 Per formance management The in t roduc t ion o f a per fo rmance management sys tem in the I r i sh hea l th se rv ices i s a re la t i ve ly new deve lopment and i s one o f the key recommendat ions o f the Ac t ion P lan fo r Peop le Management launched in November 2002 . The Ac t ion P lan p rov ides a l l s takeho lders in the sys tem w i th the d i rec t ion and ac t ions requ i red to b r ing peop le management to the s tandard needed to success fu l l y ach ieve serv ice impera t i ves . As se t ou t by then Min is te r M ichae l Mar t in , M in is te r fo r Hea l th and Ch i ld ren , the Ac t ion P lan

“p rov ides the b luepr in t fo r improv ing the management o f peop le , and con t inu ing to fos te r the par tnersh ip approach o f work ing toge ther ” (Ac t ion P lan fo r Peop le Management , p .1 2002) .

Re fe rence to the need fo r a per fo rmance management sys tem is a lso made in Sus ta in ing Progress – Soc ia l Par tnersh ip Agreement 2003 –2005 , in the Commiss ion on F inanc ia l Management and Cont ro l Sys tems in the Hea l th Serv ice (2003) , re fe r red to as the Brennan Repor t and in the Repor t o f the Aud i t o f S t ruc tu res and Func t ions in the Hea l th Sys tem, 2003 ( the Prospec tus Repor t ) . The Nat iona l Hea l th S t ra tegy Qua l i t y and Fa i rness - A Hea l th Sys tem fo r You (2000) recogn izes tha t the de l i ve ry o f the changes env isaged fo r the hea l th serv ices requ i red a new approach to peop le management th roughou t the sys tem. One o f the seven themes in the p lan i s t o deve lop per fo rmance management . The f i r s t ac t i v i t y re la t ing to th i s theme as se t ou t i n the p lan was to “agree de f in i t i on and e labora t ion o f the management o f pe r fo rmance concep t and the opera t ion o f same" (HSEA, 2003) . The measure o f success was de f ined as

“hav ing an agreed de f in i t i on and per fo rmance management sys tem, inc lus ive o f a l l mate r ia l s , d ra f t p rocedures , fo rms and t ra in ing s t ruc tu res ” (HSEA, 2003) .

A Per fo rmance Management Agreement was deve loped in 2003 under the leadersh ip o f the Hea l th Serv ices

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Employers Agency (HSEA) . In the Nat iona l Pa r tnersh ip Agreement Sus ta in ing Progress (2003-2005) i t has been agreed tha t the Per fo rmance Management Sys tem in the I r i sh hea l th se rv ices w i l l i nvo lve a un i t o r team-based approach . The Per fo rmance Management Agreement s ta tes tha t :

“A t the hear t o f the concep t o f pe r fo rmance management i s the recogn i t ion tha t peop le a re the key resource in a l l o rgan iza t ions . The de l i ve ry o f h igh qua l i t y se rv ices and the ach ievement o f o rgan iza t iona l goa ls can be be t te r accompl i shed th rough mot i va ted and en thus ias t i c peop le ” (Hay Group , 2004) .

In th i s con tex t , pe r fo rmance management has been de f ined as :

“A s t ra teg ic and in tegra ted approach to de l i ve r ing sus ta ined success to o rgan iza t ions by improv ing the per fo rmance o f the peop le who work in them and by deve lop ing the capab i l i t i es o f teams and ind iv idua l con t r ibu to rs ” (Hay Group , 2004) .

As no ted by Joyce (2003) hea l th management w i th in the I r i sh Hea l th and Soc ia l Care Serv ices i s ex t reme ly complex . The Brennan Commiss ion on F inanc ia l Management and Cont ro l Sys tems in the Hea l th Serv ices (2003) s ta tes tha t compared to o ther pub l i c o r p r i va te en te rp r i ses , the hea l th se rv ices p resen t a un ique management cha l lenge due to the complex i t y o f se rv ices invo lved , the d ive rs i t y o f s ta f f i nvo lved , i ssues o f c l i n i ca l au tonomy, new and emerg ing techno log ies and the ever inc reas ing expec ta t ions and demands o f se rv ice users . Joyce (2003) asser ts tha t the re i s no r igh t way o f do ing per fo rmance management and the way the hea l th se rv ice has gone abou t i t i s re f lec t i ve o f the un ique charac te r i s t i cs o f the I r i sh hea l th se rv ices . The p rov is ion o f hea l th and soc ia l ca re se rv ices i s a peop le bus iness , w i th peop le se rv ing peop le . The qua l i t y o f the serv ice p rov ided i s dependent on the sk i l l s and commi tment o f f ron t l i ne s ta f f and hence how they a re mot i va ted and managed.

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Exh ib i t 1 se ts ou t the key s takeho lders invo lved in those peop le management ac t i v i t i es i .e . p ro fess iona l superv is ion and per fo rmance management , wh ich th is s tudy i s p r imar i l y concerned w i th . Exhib i t 1

SSEERRVVIICCEE UUSSEERRSS

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

WWOORRKKEERR

OOTTHHEERR AAGGEENNCCIIEESS

SSUUPPEERRVVIISSIIOONN

&& PPEERRFFOORRMMAANNCCEE MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT

AAGGEENNCCYY

Adapted from Morrison, Staff Supervision in Social Care, 2005 p. 21

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2 .4 HSE Transformat ion Programme The HSE have iden t i f i ed tha t i n bu i ld ing and manag ing a h igh per fo rming o rgan isa t ion o r ind iv idua l se rv ice leaders mus t t rea t peop le as the i r mos t impor tan t asse t . Imp lement ing s tandards based on per fo rmance measurement and management a re one o f the s ix t rans fo rmat ion p r io r i t i es to be ach ieved by the HSE over the nex t fou r years as a c r i t i ca l s t rand o f i t s s t ra teg ic d i rec t ion . In ach iev ing the s ix t rans fo rmat ion p r io r i t i es , the HSE w i l l f ocus on th i r teen d i f fe ren t t rans fo rmat ion p rogrammes. Examples o f s ign i f i can t p ro jec ts to be under taken inc lude deve lop ing and ro l l i ng ou t a per fo rmance management sys tem and es tab l i sh ing per fo rmance base l ines fo r the per iod o f the t rans fo rmat ion p rogramme (Trans fo rmat ion Programme 2007-2010) . OPM (2003 , p .1 ) in the i r cons idera t ions o f the lessons to be lea rned f rom organ isa t iona l change in the NHS in the UK over a f i f teen year per iod , wh ich cou ld be use fu l l y app l ied to the I r i sh Hea l th and Soc ia l Care Serv ices emphas is tha t

“ Cen t ra l l eadersh ip and d i rec t ion mus t be ba lanced w i th a hea l thy recogn i t ion o f the need to encourage loca l ownersh ip and innova t ion , and to focus serv ice improvements and per fo rmance management in te rven t ions on ou tcomes wh ich have mean ing bo th ac ross the sys tem and w i th in loca l hea l th economies” .

2 .5 Conclus ion Th is chap te r has se t ou t na t iona l po l i cy deve lopments in re la t ion to p ro fess iona l superv is ion and per fo rmance . I t has iden t i f i ed the key d r i ve rs in loca t ing bo th p ro fess iona l superv is ion and per fo rmance management cen t re s tage to the HSE’ o rgan iza t iona l agenda . The nex t chap te r w i l l c r i t i ca l l y examine the l i t e ra tu re w i th regard to p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th spec i f i c a t ten t ion to the fo l low ing themes:

De f in i t i ons o f superv is ion . H is to ry o f superv is ion w i th in the con tex t o f soc ia l work . Why p ro fess iona l superv is ion in ch i ld p ro tec t ion and

we l fa re work? The Mor r i son Mode l o f superv is ion .

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Superv is ion exper iences w i th in the con tex t o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ice de l i ve ry .

Mov ing towards a per fo rmance management sys tem - o rgan iza t iona l sys tems and capac i t i es .

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Chapter 3

Literature Review

Sect ion A

3 .1 In t roduct ion Th is l i t e ra tu re rev iew a ims to g ive a comprehens ive overv iew o f the top ics and concep ts fo r cons idera t ion in th i s s tudy . Th is chap te r i s d iv ided in to th ree sec t ions . Sec t ion A p rov ides a backdrop to the concep t o f superv is ion , d iscuss ing such i ssues as de f in i t i ons , h is to ry , descr ibes the Mor r i son Mode l o f superv is ion and the s ign i f i cance o f superv is ion w i th in ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ices . Sec t ion B spec i f i ca l l y examines the management func t ion w i th emphas is on recen t s tud ies o f soc ia l worker exper iences o f superv is ion . Sec t ion C conc ludes the chap te r w i th a d iscuss ion on the l i nkages be tween the management func t ion and per fo rmance management . 3 .2 What is profess ional superv is ion? The word superv is ion der i ves f rom the La t in words super (over ) and v idere ( to wa tch o r to see) , hence superv is ion i s unders tood as a p rocess o f wa tch ing over ano ther ’ s work and tak ing respons ib i l i t y fo r i t ’ s qua l i t y (Kadush in , 1992) . Th is de f in i t i on i s suppor ted by Iwan iec (1988) who iden t i f i es superv is ion as oversee ing the appropr ia te func t ion ing o f the worker w i th in spec i f i ed tasks g iven by the emp loy ing agency . There a re many types o f superv is ion as desc r ibed by Hawk ins and Shohet (2000) – tu to r ia l , t ra in ing , manager ia l and consu l tancy . A combina t ion o f these may be descr ibed as p ro fess iona l superv is ion (Noakes and Hearn , 2000) . Mor r i son (2005) makes a d is t inc t ion be tween ind iv idua l and g roup superv is ion . The te rm superv is ion has many mean ings and there i s no agreed de f in i t i on in the l i t e ra tu re . The mu l t i func t iona l

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aspec ts o f superv is ion a re re f lec ted in the fo l low ing de f in i t i on :

“Superv is ion i s a p rocess in wh ich one worker i s g iven respons ib i l i t y to work w i th (an)o ther worker (s ) i n o rder to meet ce r ta in o rgan isa t iona l , p ro fess iona l and persona l ob jec t i ves . These ob jec t i ves a re competen t , accoun tab le per fo rmance , con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment , pe rsona l suppor t and engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th the o rgan isa t ion ”

(Mor r i son 2001 adap ted f rom Har r ies (1987) , R ichards and Payne (1990) and Bu t te rwor th and Faug ie r (1994) . The concep t o f superv is ion i s an in t r ins ic par t o f p rac t i ce in the soc ia l ca re p ro fess ions (Har r i son , 2006) . In essence i t s purpose i s th ree fo ld , to ho ld the superv isee accoun tab le , to con t r ibu te to the i r p ro fess iona l deve lopment and to p rov ide suppor t (C la rke , 1996) . McHa le (Mor r i son , 2005) in the fo reword to Mor r i son ’s book iden t i f i es superv is ion as the bes t way to ach iev ing qua l i t y management sys tems. Such sys tems fac i l i t a te the deve lopment o f emp loyees in ways tha t a re l i nked to ou tcomes fo r se rv ice users . Ano ther use fu l way o f v iew ing superv is ion i s as a response to need (Noakes e t a l , 2000) . The worker ’ s needs and the o rgan iza t ion ’s needs mus t be focused on and th is shou ld be th rough a p rocess o f c r i t i ca l eva lua t ion w i th in a suppor t i ve re la t ionsh ip . O ’ Ne i l l (1999) s ign i f i can t l y inc ludes the needs o f the c l ien t and se ts ou t the needs o f the th ree key s takeho lders invo lved as fo l lows :

“ The need o f the c l ien t fo r sa fe , qua l i t y ca re . The need o f the worker to be suppor ted , cha l lenged and deve loped in a demand ing , complex and o f ten s t ress fu l env i ronment . The need o f the o rgan iza t ion to ensure bes t p rac t i ce and accoun tab i l i t y o f i t s emp loyees” .

O ’ Ne i l l (2004) fu r the r iden t i f i es p ro fess iona l superv is ion as a par tnersh ip p rocess be tween the superv iso r , superv isee and the o rgan isa t ion and as such p rov ides a regu la r , s t ruc tu red oppor tun i t y to d iscuss work , to re f lec t on p rac t i ce and p rogress on and p lan fo r fu tu re deve lopments . O ’Ne i l l (2004 ) sees the rea l i t y o f superv is ion as invo lv ing a t l eas t two par t ies , the superv iso r

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and superv isee , bo th o f whom have d is t inc t bu t a l so shared respons ib i l i t i es w i th in th i s par tnersh ip p rocess . P ro fess iona l superv is ion , the cen t ra l sub jec t o f th i s s tudy , can be cons idered a p rocess lead ing to the deve lopment o f s ta f f i n to e f fec t i ve and e f f i c ien t p ro fess iona ls who th rough re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce c r i t i ca l l y examine the i r work on a con t inuous bas is and ac t on th is lea rn ing w i th the i r c l i en ts . The deve lopment o f se l f -awareness and ins igh t a re c r i t i ca l to th i s p rocess . The anna ls o f admin is t ra t i ve sc ience have descr ibed soc ia l work as a superv is ing p ro fess ion (Sco t t , 1965) . Soc ia l work p rac t i ce was bu i l t on a founda t ion o f superv is ion . The be l ie f was tha t superv ised p rac t i ce wou ld resu l t i n be t te r ou tcomes fo r c l i en ts (Burns , 1958) . Mor r i son (2005) con tends tha t the superv iso ry p rocess ac ts as a power fu l mode l in the mind o f the p rac t i t i oner in shap ing a t t i tudes and approaches to p rac t i ce . Many wr i te rs share the v iew tha t i t i s on ly good superv is ion tha t adds to the capac i t y o f the p rac t i t i oner to engage in comp lex tasks , o f ten in d i f f i cu l t s i tua t ions . S ign i f i can t l y where the focus o f superv is ion in on the c l ien t be t te r ou tcomes a re ach ieved fo r bo th the c l i en t and the worker (Shu lman, 1979 , Harkness and Poer te r , 1989 , Harkness and Hens ley , 1991 , Wonnaco t t , 2003 , Cear ley , 2004) . In essence , O ’Ne i l l (2004 , p .19) v iews p ro fess iona l superv is ion as an ind iv idua l and o rgan isa t iona l response to meet ing the needs o f the serv ice user fo r sa fe qua l i t y ca re a t t imes o f need . Hawk ins and Shohet (2005 , p .51) descr ibe ap t l y the requ i rements o f workers a t the coa l face dea l ing w i th persona l d i s t ress , fami l y f ragmenta t ion , ch ron ic d isease o r i l l ness to be a l lowed and fac i l i t a ted to p rocess the persona l emot iona l baggage tha t th i s work ca r r ies . They d raw a compar ison w i th

“ the Br i t i sh m iners in the 1920 ’s (who) fough t fo r wha t was te rmed “p i t -head t ime” – the r igh t to wash o f f the g r ime o f the work in the boss ’s t ime , ra ther than take i t home w i th them” .

By i t s na tu re much o f wha t i s under taken in soc ia l ca re a re non-s tandard ized tasks in uncer ta in and unpred ic tab le con tex ts towards the ach ievement o f d i f fuse and o f ten

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unambiguous ob jec t i ves . Such cond i t i ons o f work ing po in t towards the des i rab i l i t y o f superv is ion o f the worker (Kadush in , 1992) . 3 .3 The h is tor ica l context and models o f superv is ion There a re re fe rences to soc ia l work superv is ion da t ing back to the ear l y 1900s . The Char i t y Organ isa t ion Depar tment o f the Russe l l Sage Founda t ion in the USA o f fe red the f i r s t course in soc ia l work superv is ion in 1911 (Kadusk in , 1992) . As th ink ing and p rac t i ce a round casework became more soph is t i ca ted , espec ia l l y th rough the work o f p ioneers such as Mary R ichmond (1899 ; 1917 ; 1922) and demands fo r more pa id workers g rew, so superv is ion became more o f an iden t i f i ed p rocess w i th books on the sub jec t beg inn ing to appear in t he ear l y 1900s e .g . Je f f rey R . Bracke t t ’ s Superv is ion and Educa t ion in Char i t y (1904) . Much o f the academic work descr ibes the purpose and the p rocess o f superv is ion in soc ia l work ra ther than de f in ing the te rms. Theor ies and p r inc ip les on superv is ion have no t ac tua l l y changed much s ince f i r s t a r t i cu la ted in a soc ia l work con tex t by V i rg in ia Rob inson in 1930 (R ichards e t a l , 1990) . Much o f the ear l i e r work has de f ined superv is ion in te rms o f a th ree- func t ion mode l . The th ree core func t ions o f admin is t ra t ion , teach ing and he lp ing have been h igh l igh ted by Pe t tes (1979) . Kadush in (1976) , and Payne and Sco t t (1982) have added manag ing , suppor t ing o r enab l ing . Kadush in ’ mode l o f superv is ion (1992) t i gh tens up on Dawson ’s (1926) fo rmu la t ion o f superv is ion and p resen ts h is unders tand ing o f the th ree e lements in te rms o f the p r imary p rob lem and the p r imary goa l . In admin is t ra t i ve o r manager ia l superv is ion the p r imary p rob lem is concerned w i th the cor rec t , e f fec t i ve and appropr ia te imp lementa t ion o f agency po l i c ies and p rocedures . The p r imary goa l i s to ensure adherence to po l i cy and p rocedure where the superv iso r has been g iven au thor i t y by the agency to oversee the work o f the superv isee . Kadush in (1992) iden t i f i es the superv iso r ’ s u l t ima te ob jec t i ve as be ing to de l i ve r to agency c l ien ts the bes t poss ib le se rv ice , bo th quan t i ta t i ve ly and qua l i ta t i ve ly , i n accordance w i th agency po l i c ies and p rocedures . As no ted by Brown and Bourne , (1996 , p .10)

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“ th i s ca r r ies the respons ib i l i t y bo th to ensure tha t agency po l i cy i s imp lemented – wh ich imp l ies a con t ro l l i ng func t ion – and a para l le l respons ib i l i t y to enab le superv isees to work to the bes t o f the i r ab i l i t y ” .

In educa t iona l superv is ion the p r imary p rob lem fo r Kadush in (1992) i s worker ignorance and /o r inep t i tude regard ing the knowledge , a t t i t ude and sk i l l s requ i red under tak ing the job . The p r imary goa l i s to d ispe l ignorance and deve lop sk i l l . The key p rocess invo lved w i th th i s task i s to encourage re f lec t ion on , and exp lo ra t ion o f the work . In suppor t i ve superv is ion the p r imary p rob lem is worker mora le and job sa t i s fac t ion . The p r imary goa l i s t o improve mora le and job sa t i s fac t ion (Kadush in , 1992) . Workers a re seen as fac ing a va r ie ty o f j ob - re la ted s t resses , wh ich , un less they have he lp t o dea l w i th them, cou ld se r ious ly a f fec t the i r work and lead to a less than sa t i s fac to ry se rv ice to c l i en ts . Burnou t fo r workers can deve lop in such s i tua t ions . Kadush in (1992) a rgues tha t suppor t i ve superv is ion i s concerned w i th express ive needs whereas the o ther two fo rms o f superv is ion focus on the ins t rumenta l needs o f the worker . P roc to r (1986) descr ibes the ma in p rocesses in the superv is ion o f counse lo rs as fo rmat i ve (educa t i ve ) , res to ra t ive (suppor t i ve ) and normat i ve (manager ia l ) wh ich re f lec ts much o f the work o f Kadush in (1992) . More recen t l y R ichards e t a l (1990) and Mor r ison (2001) have added a four th d imens ion , med ia t ion , to re f lec t the pace o f change and the need to work co l labora t i ve ly and in par tnersh ip w i th o ther agenc ies , par t i cu la r l y in ch i ld p ro tec t ion work . O ’Ne i l l (2004) s ta tes tha t the re i s no requ i rement fo r th i s fou r th func t ion to be named exp l i c i t l y as she cons iders i t to be na tu ra l l y subsumed th rough the p rocess and p rac t i ce o f the o r ig ina l th ree superv iso ry func t ions o f manager ia l , suppor t and educa t ion . Sawdon and Sawdon, (1995) p laces emphas is on the assessment o f pe r fo rmance o f s ta f f as a f i f th func t ion where p rev ious ly i t was subsumed w i th in the o ther co re func t ions and can be seen as a po ten t ia l d r i v ing fo rce to p roduc ing measurab le ou tcomes and improved e f fec t i veness th rough a focus on s ta f f pe r fo rmance .

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3 .4 Morr ison model o f superv is ion Th is research i s p r imar i l y concerned w i th the Mor r i son mode l o f superv is ion and spec i f i ca l l y the percep t ions o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to the management func t ion . The ra t iona le fo r adop t ing th is mode l as d is t inc t f rom o thers has a l ready been se t ou t in chap te rs one and two . As no ted above , superv is ion has been based p r imar i l y on a th ree- func t ion mode l as o r ig ina l l y desc r ibed by Kadush in (1992) and Proc to r (1986) . Mor r i son ’s de f in i t i on o f superv is ion as se t ou t in chap te r 1 can be de f ined as

“a p rocess by wh ich one worker i s g iven respons ib i l i t y by the o rgan isa t ion to work w i th ano ther worker (s ) in o rder to meet ce r ta in o rgan iza t iona l , p ro fess iona l and persona l ob jec t i ves . He de l inea tes the func t ions as :

Competen t , accoun tab le per fo rmance /p rac t i ce . A lso re fe r red to as the manager ia l o r normat i ve func t ion . 5

Con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment . A lso re fe r red to as the deve lopmenta l / fo rmat i ve func t ion . Persona l suppor t . A lso re fe r red to as the suppor t / res to ra t i ve func t ion . Engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th the o rgan isa t ion . A lso re fe r red to as the med ia t ion func t ion (Mor r ison , 2001) .

Th is mode l sees superv is ion as be ing concerned w i th a number o f key e lements (2001 , p . 29 -30) (1 ) I t has a spec i f i c se t o f re la t ionsh ips mandated by the

o rgan isa t ion , (2 ) I t i s concerned w i th the per fo rmance o f a l l s ta f f , (3 ) I t i s concerned w i th mu l t ip le ob jec t i ves , wh ich a re

in te r - re la ted bu t can somet imes be in con f l i c t w i th each o ther ,

(4 ) I t i s a complex g roup o f ac t i v i t i es wh ich may be de l i ve red by one o r more persons ac t ing in d i f fe ren t ro les

5 Morrison sets out a list of tasks under the management function, which are discussed during the semi-structured interviews with social workers and team leaders. This checklist of tasks is set out in appendix 2.

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(5 ) I t i s a p rocess ra ther than an even t o r a sess ion , (6 ) I t can be de l i ve red in one- to -one o r g roup se t t ings . The Mor r i son mode l cons iders the key e lements o f s t ruc tu re , p rocess and ou tcome in superv is ion , s im i la r to Donabed ian ’s (1980) d imens ions to qua l i t y assurance . Mor r i son ’s (2001) mode l se ts ou t the s t ruc tu re in wh ich superv is ion shou ld take p lace , iden t i f i es the superv iso ry p rocesses invo lved and focuses cons iderab le a t ten t ion on the l i nkages be tween good super v is ion and the qua l i t y o f se rv ice and ou tcomes to the serv ice user . 3.5 Morr ison - Superv is ion def ined as a s t ructured process The core p rocess o f superv is ion takes p lace w i th in a regu la r , p lanned , t imed and s t ruc tu red con tex t wh ich ensures the s tandards o f ca re to those who use the serv ices and fac i l i t a tes the workers p ro fess iona l deve lopment and suppor t . In add i t i on to regu la r p lanned meet ings , c i r cumstances may a r i se fo r the p rov is ion o f superv is ion in response to a d i f f i cu l t y , concern o r c r i s i s . S ign i f i can t l y superv is ion i s mandated by the o rgan isa t ion and there fo re g iven recogn i t ion , respec t , p r io r i t y and ba lance w i th in the con tex t o f compet ing work load and case load management demands . 3.6 Morr ison - Superv isory processes The Mor r i son mode l p rov ides an unders tand ing o f the f rameworks and theory o f superv is ion w i th focus on p rocesses and tasks . There i s cons iderab le emphas is on re f lec t i ve p rac t i ces w i th an oppor tun i t y to cons ider how to cha l lenge b locked o r poor p rac t i ce o f workers . 3.7 Morr ison - Serv ice user / c l ient outcomes Morr i son d raws on the work o f bo th Wonnaco t t (2003) and McKeown (2000) in iden t i f y ing those fac to rs tha t a re e f fec t i ve to se rv ice user ou tcomes. Wonnaco t t ’ s (2003) research i s s ign i f i can t fo r d iscuss ion here g iven i t s re levance fo r soc ia l work se rv ices de l i ve r ing ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ices and a lso because i t appears to be the mos t recen t research on user ou tcomes. Wonnaco t t (2003) found tha t the s t ronges t l i nks be tween superv is ion , good p rac t i ce and good ou tcomes were tha t :

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1 . The superv iso r has an accura te assessment o f the

workers competence . 2 . The superv iso r has the emot iona l i n te l l i gence to engage

and ass is t the p rac t i t i oner when focus o r d i rec t ion i s los t , and to work on a reas in wh ich the superv isee i s weak .

Wonnaco t t ’ s research fu r ther p resen ted the s ix - fac to r mode l , wh ich iden t i f i es those c r i t i ca l success fac to rs , wh ich l i nks wha t happens in superv is ion to the qua l i t y o f se rv ice to the c l ien t . These f ind ings a re g iven fu r ther suppor t by McKeown ’s (2000) research on change w i th in the con tex t o f f ami l y suppor t se rv ices . Mor r i son (2005) conc ludes f rom bo th Wonnaco t ts and McKeowns research tha t superv is ion i s c r i t i ca l to se rv ice user ou tcomes in two d imens ions :

1 . The superv iso r ’ focus on the qua l i t y o f the worker ’ s assessment , knowledge and sk i l l s

2 . The superv iso rs ’ focus on the ab i l i t y o f the worker to es tab l i sh and sus ta in good work ing re la t ionsh ips w i th se rv ice users .

3.8 What is s ign i f icant about superv is ion in ch i ld protect ion and wel fare? The need fo r p ro fess iona l superv i s ion in t he a reas o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re has been iden t i f i ed repea ted ly by the many inqu i r ies in to t rag ic abuse o f ch i ld ren in bo th I re land and the Un i ted K ingdom. Key f ind ings f rom these inqu i ry repor ts have been c i ted ear l i e r in chap te r two . Wh i le t he recommendat ions f rom these repor ts have s ign i f i can t l y sh i f ted the focus on superv is ion as a c r i t i ca l too l i n t he p rov is ion o f sa fe p rac t i ce and management o f pe r fo rmance many na t iona l po l i cy documents have a lso emphas ized the need fo r superv is ion w i th in the con tex t o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re serv ice de l i ve ry . Many o f these po l i c ies have been iden t i f i ed in chap te r two as key d r i ve rs in the loca t ing o f superv is ion as cen t ra l to the deve lopment o f sa fe , qua l i t y and accoun tab le p rac t i ce in ch i ldcare se rv ices .

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3.8 .1 Ef fect ive de l ivery of serv ices Chi ld ren F i rs t -Na t iona l Gu ide l ines fo r the Pro tec t ion and Wel fa re o f Ch i ld ren (1999) mer i t fu r the r cons idera t ion g iven i t s s ign i f i cance in the de l i ve ry o f ch i ldcare serv ices in I re land . These gu ide l i nes emphas ize superv is ion , t ra in ing , adequate resources and the deve lopment o f fami l y suppor t se rv ices as essen t ia l components in the e f fec t i ve de l i ve ry o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion se rv ices . Superv is ion i s a l so c r i t i ca l i n the con tex t o f mu l t i -d i sc ip l ina ry , i n te r -agency work . Inadequate superv is ion can impac t on the jo ined-up work ing requ i red be tween d i f fe ren t p ro fess iona ls invo lved in cases o f ch i ld abuse and iden t i f i ed as be ing v i ta l to the ch i ld p ro tec t ion p rocess (S tevenson , 1989 , Reder , Duncan and Gray , 1993 , B i rcha l l and Ha l le t t , 1995 , Mor r i son , 1996 , Buck ley , Skeh i l l and o ’Su l l i van , 1997 , Buck ley , 2000 , Buck ley , 2002) . 3.8 .2 Organizat iona l conta inment o f s t ress , anx ie ty and burnout St ress and anx ie ty and i t s management th rough superv is ion rece ives cons iderab le a t ten t ion in the l i t e ra tu re (R ichards and Payne , 1990 ; Jones , F le tcher and Ibbe tson , 1991 ; Rush ton and Nathan , 1996) . Ch i ld ren F i rs t -Na t iona l Gu ide l ines fo r the Pro tec t ion and Wel fa re o f Ch i ld ren (1999) iden t i f y sources o f s t ress and anx ie ty in ch i ld p ro tec t ion work wh ich inc lude , the d is t ress ing na tu re and con tex t o f abus ive inc iden ts and c i rcumstances , the need to make p ro fess iona l j udgements and dec is ions qu ick ly w i th in an env i ronment f requen t l y s t rugg l ing w i th a lack o f scarce resources . Adequate and regu la r superv is ion i s c i ted as a c r i t i ca l s tep in a l lev ia t ing th i s s t ress . In a s tudy car r ied ou t by Fu lham (1997) in the fo rmer Eas te rn Hea l th Board and re fe r red to ear l i e r i n chap te r two , s t ress , unmanageab le case loads , lack o f resources and fee l ings o f wor th lessness were c i ted as the ma in reasons soc ia l workers le f t the o rgan isa t ion . Fur ther ev idence o f h igh ra tes o f s i ck leave and h igh leve ls o f s t ress were found in I r i sh soc ia l work depar tments in a s tudy by Kenny (1991) . Anderson (2000) in rev iew ing the work o f Baumann e t a l (1997) iden t i f y the bureaucra t i c p rocesses o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion work , pa r t i cu la r l y inadequa te superv is ion as lead ing d i rec t l y to burnou t and ex i t i ng o f s ta f f f rom the serv ice . Anderson (2000) based on the work o f Par ry

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(1989) sugges ts tha t suppor t f rom co l leagues and superv iso rs o f fe r p reven ts burnou t in ch i ld p ro tec t ion workers . Horowi tz (1998 , p . 372) in a t tempt ing to app ly res i l i ence theory to t raumat ised ch i ld p ro tec t ion workers , p roposes tha t se l f -es teem is enhanced when workers a re ab le to comp le te tasks in a va l ida t ing and suppor t i ve env i ronment . G ibbs (2001) in her s tudy o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion workers in the s ta te o f V ic to r ia ex t rapo la tes f rom her s tudy tha t an ear l y exper ience o f bo th a p roduc t i ve and a va l ida t ing superv iso ry re la t ionsh ip p rov ides the worker w i th some capac i t y to be t te r cope w i th subsequent advers i t y . F rogge t t (2000) iden t i f i es tha t de fens ive s ta tes o f workers can be managed in suppor ted env i ronments where anx ie ty can be acknowledged , exp lo red , shared and ma in ta ined w i th in accep tab le boundar ies . Good superv is ion func t ions as a con ta iner fo r qu i te severe o rgan iza t iona l anx ie t ies , wh ich enab le i t to p lay a v i ta l ro le in avo id ing the conso l ida t ion o f g roup de fenses . Th is i s re fe r red to la te r in G ibbs (2001) s tudy o f f ron t - l i ne ch i ld p ro tec t ion soc ia l workers where h igh leve ls o f anx ie ty and the persona l impac t o f the work can adverse ly impac t on qua l i t y assessment work . 3.8 .3 Managing s ta f f re tent ion and the psychologica l impact of the work Both O ’Ne i l l (2004) and Mor r i son (2005) iden t i f y a l i nk be tween e f fec t i ve p ro fess iona l superv is ion and s ta f f re ten t ion . G ibbs (2001) sugges ts tha t re focus ing superv is ion by deve lop ing re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce and p lac ing a va lue on workers may lower s ta f f a t t r i t i on ra tes . G ibbs ’ (2001) s tudy iden t i f i es the superv iso r as the cen t ra l messenger be tween the f ron t l i ne worker and the agency . What message i s sen t and how superv iso rs respond to what they rece ive a re c r i t i ca l i f the ob jec t i ve i s t o re ta in f ron t - l i ne s ta f f . In research car r ied ou t in the fo rmer M id Weste rn Hea l th Board (Underwood, 1999) on the impac t o f v io lence on p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce , the s t ress fu l env i ronment in wh ich p ro fess iona ls opera te a f fec ts the i r ab i l i t y to bo th judge r i sky s i tua t ions as we l l as recover ing f rom a v io len t s i tua t ion exper ienced . Underwood (1999) sugges ts tha t superv is ion i s a key p lace in wh ich to he lp p ro fess iona ls iden t i f y and dea l w i th the impac t o f c l i en t v io lence and aggress ion .

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3.8 .4 Qual i ty assessment work wi th ch i ldren and fami l ies Reder , Duncan and Gray (1993) in the i r rev iew o f ch i ld fa ta l i t i es in the UK emphas ise the l i nk be tween absen t o r inadequa te superv is ion and the qua l i t y o f assessments w i th fami l i es . Buck ley (2002) iden t i f i es the dangerous p ro fess iona l behav iours tha t can occur i f s ta f f a re le f t unsuppor ted and iden t i f i es tha t the comp lex i t y o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion work comb ined w i th o ther fac to rs such as scarce resources , con f l i c t i ng p r io r i t i es and o rgan isa t iona l change has the po ten t ia l fo r d is to r t ion o f rea l i t y and can u l t imate ly lead to a loss o f d i rec t ion fo r s ta f f i nvo lved . G ibbs (2001) sugges ts tha t th is complex a rea o f work has the po ten t ia l to evoke power fu l emot ions in s ta f f wh ich need to be con ta ined and managed by the o rgan isa t ion . Lack o f sys temic a t ten t ion and response by the o rgan isa t ion to the o f ten unconsc ious de fence mechan isms adop ted by ind iv idua ls to su rv ive in t he face o f h igh leve ls o f anx ie ty and d is t ress , leads to damage o f the ind iv idua l and po ten t ia l l y dangerous fo r the ch i ld ren and fami l ies who come w i th in the remi t o f p ro tec t i ve se rv ices . 3.8 .5 Superv is ion in a h ighly f lu id and turbulent env i ronment . Pro fess iona l superv is ion does no t take p lace in i so la t ion , indeed there i s a w ider con tex t in wh ich i t happens (Hawk ins and Shohet , 2000) . Mor r i son (2005) descr ibes the complex and o f ten amb iguous na tu re o f the soc ia l ca re task embedded in a wor ld o f changes and demands wh ich inc lude inc reased government accoun tab i l i t y , pe r fo rmance management , i nspec t ion , r i s ing pub l i c expec ta t ions and inc reased use o f l i t i ga t ion by serv ice use rs . The “ tu rbu len t env i ronment ” i s the te rm used by Hughes and Penge l l y (1997) , o r ig ina l l y co ined by Emery and Tr i s t (1965) to descr ibe the cha l lenge o f manag ing the inev i tab le tens ions be tween needs and resources a t the hear t o f the soc ia l ca re o rgan isa t ion . Th is h igh ly demand ing env i ronment i s re i te ra ted by Buck ley (2002 , p .237) who iden t i f i es the in f luences on ch i ld p ro tec t ion work as p reva i l i ng po l i t i ca l i deo log ies , gender and soc ia l c lass i ssues , con f l i c t i ng and compet ing p r io r i t i es and somet imes c lashes be tween the persona l va lue sys tems o f the worker and requ i rements o f the agency . By i t s na tu re the work invo lves ba lanc ing scarce resources , no t on ly o f the phys ica l , human o r

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f i nanc ia l d imens ions bu t mere ly t ime i t se l f . In add i t i on , workers a re inc reas ing ly dea l ing w i th o rgan isa t iona l change , bo th a t an in te rna l and ex te rna l l eve l . In essence , superv is ion i s the key p rocess th rough wh ich workers can be ass is ted to dea l e f fec t i ve ly w i th the emot iona l impac t o f the work by enab l ing them to share the i r though ts and fee l ings abou t i t , as we l l as p rov id ing the admin is t ra t i ve func t ion o f ensur ing the job i s done (Mor r i son , 2001) . 3 .9 Conclus ion Th is sec t ion has se t ou t the reasons why superv is ion i s c r i t i ca l i n ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re work . I t p rov ides de f in i t i ons o f superv is ion , se ts ou t a b r ie f h i s to ry o f superv is ion , the Mor r i son mode l and the s ign i f i cance o f superv is ion in the e f fec t i ve de l i ve ry o f se rv ices . Th is sec t ion a lso iden t i f i es superv is ion , as a too l i n ensur ing o rgan isa t iona l con ta inment o f s t ress , bu rnou t , and anx ie ty . I t he lps to manage the persona l impac t o f the work on an ind iv idua l and suppor ts s ta f f re ten t ion . Superv is ion a lso leads to qua l i t y assessment work w i th and be t te r ou tcomes fo r se rv ice users . The nex t sec t ion o f the l i t e ra tu re rev iew concen t ra tes on the management func t ion o f superv is ion .

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Sect ion B – The Management Funct ion

3.10 in t roduct ion The l i t e ra tu re search es tab l i shed tha t the re a re no pub l i shed s tud ies spec i f i ca l l y ca r r ied ou t on the management func t ion o f superv is ion . S tud ies have cons idered the phenomena o f the good superv iso r , good soc ia l work superv is ion and the s t reng ths o f soc ia l work superv iso rs (Davys , 2002 ; Kadush in and Harkness , 2002 ; Kadush in , 1992) . Two na t iona l su rveys in t he Un i ted S ta tes and New Zea land have spec i f i ca l l y cons idered the v iews o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to the i r exper iences o f wha t i s bes t abou t superv is ion (Kadush in , 1992 ; O ’Donoghue , 2006) . However severa l o ther s tud ies have cons idered the exper iences o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to superv is ion in genera l and these a re c i ted in the fo l low ing d iscuss ion . The key theme emerg ing f rom a rev iew o f these s tud ies po in ts to an emphas is by o rgan iza t ions and the i r respec t i ve managers on the management func t ion w i th spec i f i c emphas is on accoun tab i l i t y . Soc ia l work p rac t i t i oner ’ s exper iences o f the management func t ion w i l l be d iscussed w i th in th i s con tex t . 3.10 .1 In tegrated approach to superv is ion O’Ne i l l (2004) suppor ts the v iews o f ear l i e r wr i te rs (Kadush in 1976 ; Proc to r 1986 ; R ichards and Payne 1990 ; Mor r i son , 2001) in the i r ana lys is o f superv is ion and iden t i f i es p ro fess iona l superv is ion as a s t ruc tu red channe l fo r the func t ions o f accoun tab i l i t y , suppor t and lea rn ing to be met . Hawk ins and Shohet (2000) a rgue tha t the th ree func t ions need to be inc luded in a ba lanced way over t ime o r o therw ise there i s a r i sk o f superv is ion becoming focused on one aspec t w i th the l i ke l ihood o f check l i s t superv is ion tak ing p lace . Mor r i son (2005) re i te ra tes tha t wh i le i t i s c r i t i ca l tha t the accoun tab i l i t y aspec ts a re addressed th is shou ld happen w i th in a con tex t wh ich recogn izes tha t the four func t ions a re in te rdependent and tha t they a l l need to be addressed w i th the worker . Mor r i son (2005) po in ts to the fac t tha t the superv iso r may de lega te to o r co l labora te w i th o thers in address ing superv isee ’s needs bu t may no t abd ica te the i r

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respons ib i l i t i es in th i s regard . In par t i cu la r he sugges ts tha t superv is ion by one person can p rov ide fo r a more in tegra t i ve approach to the func t ions wh i le a d isadvan tage i s tha t th i s mode l i s un l i ke ly to p rov ide the range o f sk i l l s and p rac t i ce knowledge the p rac t i t i oner needs . 3.10 .2 The management funct ion – def in i t ion Ear l i e r re fe rence was made to competen t , accoun tab le per fo rmance and /o r p rac t i ce , wh ich Mor r i son (2005) a lso re fe r red to , as the manager ia l o r normat i ve func t ion . The word accoun tab i l i t y cons is ts o f two words account and abi l i ty and i s de f ined in t he d ic t ionary as “ l iab i l i ty and/or responsib i l i ty” and “able to be expla ined” . Be ing accoun tab le re fe rs to be ing “responsib le to someone or for some act ion” wh i le words tha t a re used in te rchangeab ly inc lude “answerable , l iab le and obl igated” (Co l l i ns , 1991) . 3.10 .3 The management funct ion – compl iance wi th agency pol ic ies O ’Ne i l l ( 2004) s ta tes tha t emp loyers have a respons ib i l i t y to ensure tha t emp loyees a re he ld accoun tab le fo r no t on ly wha t they do bu t a lso how they do i t . As c lea r l y se t ou t by An Bord A l t rana is , (2000) the p rac t i t i oner mus t be ab le to iden t i f y and jus t i f y the reasons fo r dec is ions made in the con tex t o f l eg is la t ion , p ro fess iona l s tandards , ev idence-based p rac t i ce and p ro fess iona l and e th ica l conduc t . O ’Ne i l l ( 2004) a rgues tha t the u l t ima te accoun tab i l i t y i s to the peop le who use the serv ices and tha t emp loyers can fac i l i t a te accoun tab le p rac t i ce th rough s t ruc tu red oppor tun i t i es fo r p ro fess iona l superv is ion . A na t iona l su rvey o f soc ia l workers exper iences o f superv is ion was conduc ted by O ’ Donoghue (2005) in Ao tearoa New Zea land , wh ich invo lved a one- th i rd sys temat ica l l y se lec ted sample f rom the Ao tearoa New Zea land Assoc ia t ion o f Soc ia l Workers . Survey resu l t s re f lec t wha t O ’Donoghue descr ibes as a psycho-bureaucra t i c parad igm o f soc ia l work superv is ion in , wh ich there i s a dominan t agency casework emphas is tha t g ives l i t t l e cons idera t ion to w ider po l i t i ca l concerns p resen t w i th in superv is ion p rac t i ce . He con tends tha t agency o r manager ia l superv is ion i s par t o f the leadersh ip and con t ro l l i ng func t ions o f management and invo lves a

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superv iso r oversee ing the worker ’ s work fo r the purpose o f comp l iance w i th agency po l i cy and the ach ievements o f the agency (O ’Donoghue,1999) . A d is t inc t ion i s d rawn in some o f the l i t e ra tu re be tween manager ia l and c l i n i ca l superv is ion . The Br i t i sh Psycho log ica l Soc ie ty , fo r ins tance , iden t i f y management superv is ion as a l ign ing the worker w i th the o rgan isa t ion to meet o rgan iza t iona l ob jec t i ves wh i le c l i n i ca l superv is ion i s iden t i f i ed as p romot ing bes t c l i n i ca l p rac t i ce (PAC document , 2000 , p .2 ) . Mor r i son (2001) p roposes tha t where c l in i ca l and manager ia l f unc t ions a re separa ted tha t c la r i t y abou t d i f fe ren t ro les , i ssues o f accoun tab i l i t y and per fo rmance feed-back needs to be addressed by the o rgan isa t ion . Ra ther than d iv id ing superv is ion in to two d i f fe ren t t ypes o r hav ing two separa te foc i O ’Ne i l l (2004) sugges ts tha t superv is ion requ i res a Dua l Focus approach cons is t ing o f an Opera t iona l Focus and a Deve lopmenta l Focus , bo th o f wh ich w i l l co inc ide and ove r lap . The Opera t iona l Focus i s concerned w i th the overa l l task o f the d isc ip l ine concerned and w i th the work tasks iden t i f i ed wh i le the Deve lopmenta l Focus i s on the ind iv idua l person who car r ies ou t the tasks . 3.10 .4 Accountabi l i ty - the predominant agenda Rather than concen t ra t ing on the deve lopment o f e f fec t i ve superv is ion s t ruc tu res to ass is t workers to func t ion in such a persona l l y and p ro fess iona l l y demand ing f ie ld , the l i t e ra tu re ind ica tes tha t pub l i c ch i ld we l fa re o rgan isa t ions have concen t ra ted more on the i ssue o f accoun tab i l i t y , w i th the ex tens ive deve lopment o f po l i c ies and p rocedures as be ing the p redominan t response (Howe, 1992 ; B ing ley , M i l l e r and F isher , 1992) . Indeed B ing ley , M i l l e r and F isher (1992 ,p .136) sugges t tha t wh i le po l i c ies and p rocedures have va lue they canno t usua l l y ass is t w i th the impac t on workers percep t ions and ac t ions o r gaps in the i r knowledge and sk i l l . Rush ton and Nathan (1996) query whether ch i ld p ro tec t ion superv iso rs can p rov ide the tw in func t ions o f wha t they re fe r to as the “ inqu is i to r ia l ” o r accoun tab i l i t y func t ion and the “empath ic -con ta in ing” o r suppor t func t ion . Wh i le they a rgue tha t these func t ions shou ld no t be sp l i t , comb in ing these func t ions i s ex t raord inar i l y d i f f i cu l t , w i th o rgan isa t iona l p r io r i t i es demand ing focus on accoun tab i l i t y .

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3.10 .5 H igh ra tes of a t t r i t ion Indeed where o rgan isa t ions cons ider such an approach to manag ing the superv iso ry task , they may fu r the r perpe tua te the h igh ra tes o f tu rnover and a t t r i t i on f rom ch i ld p ro tec t ion teams. G ibbs (2001) sugges ts tha t wh i le the expressed needs o f these workers rema in unmet , s t ress leve ls w i l l con t inue to esca la te over t ime , w i th workers choos ing to leave ch i ld p ro tec t ion work to emp loyment perce ived as less s t ress fu l and be t te r suppor ted p ro fess iona l l y . The imp l i ca t ions in re la t ion to h igh a t t r i t i on ra tes a re fe l t a t a l l l eve ls th roughout the o rgan isa t ion , by se rv ice users , s ta f f and those who work in par tnersh ip w i th ch i ld p ro tec t ion agenc ies . 3.10 .6 Compromised pract ice Richards and Payne (1990) be l ieve tha t to s t ruc tu ra l l y ignore the deve lopment and suppor t func t ions and on ly focus on the management o r accoun tab i l i t y func t ion i s de t r imenta l to good p rac t i ce . P r i t chard (1995) suppor ts th i s v iew and con tends tha t the qua l i t y o f the serv ice de l i ve red o f ten depends cons iderab ly on the lea rn ing and deve lopment o f i t s ma in resource – the s ta f f , hence connec t ing the accoun tab i l i t y func t ion . O ’Donoghue (1999) asser ts tha t the s ta tu to ry reg is t ra t ion o f soc ia l workers in New Zea land now prov ides the p ro fess ion w i th the oppor tun i t y to reasser t the i r ro le as the guard ians o f p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce and p ro fess iona l superv is ion in p re fe rence to an agency o r new wes te rn manager ia l cons t ruc t . In essence , t rad i t i ona l no t ions o f superv is ion a re becoming very vu lnerab le to inc reas ing p ressures on f ron t l i ne managers as they come to g r ips w i th the modern iza t ion agenda. These p ressures can resu l t i n a fo rm o f superv is ion tha t i s a t cons iderab le va r iance w i th tha t descr ibed ear l ie r . Focus on the accoun tab i l i t y func t ion a lone

“ whereby a superv iso r fu l f i l l s a dua l func t ion o f check ing what they ( the worker ) had done on cases and g iv ing ou t the nex t se t o f i ns t ruc t ions ”

compromises the capac i t y o f soc ia l workers to re f lec t and lea rn f rom the i r p rac t i ce (G ibbs , 2001 ,p .329) .

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3.10 .7 Ev idence of inadequate superv is ion Mor r i son (2005 , p . v i i ) has been invo lved over the pas t f i f t een years in t ra in ing , coach ing and consu l t i ng to many hundreds o f superv iso rs in soc ia l ca re , hea l th , vo lun ta ry and commun i ty jus t i ce se t t i ngs , bo th in I re land , the UK and overseas . H is own unders tand ing o f superv is ion has expanded based on l i s ten ing to the i r i ssues , approaches and s t ra teg ies in superv is ing s ta f f , o f ten in ve ry d i f f i cu l t c i r cumstances . Mor r i son (2001) con tends tha t many superv isees ’ repor t the accoun tab i l i t y func t ion domina t ing the superv iso ry p rocess , leav ing too l i t t l e t ime fo r the deve lopmenta l aspec t . R ichards and Payne (1990) concur w i th th i s v iew, comment ing tha t f ron t - l i ne management i s o f ten v iewed as con t ro l l i ng and resource mon i to r ing w i th ve ry l i t t l e nur tu r ing and suppor t o f s ta f f . In a sma l l - sca le s tudy car r ied ou t by Norde l l (2005) in the fo rmer Nor thern Area Hea l th Board a marked d ispar i t y was found be tween the p rov is ion o f the accoun tab i l i t y and suppor t func t ions . A focus on case management was iden t i f i ed , as the key p r io r i t y by superv iso rs desp i te be l iev ing the mos t s ign i f i can t need o f the i r workers was suppor t . Th is tens ion be tween the e lements o f ca re and con t ro l i n superv is ion i s no t a new d i lemma. Noakes and Hearn (2000) have p rev ious ly iden t i f i ed the danger o f the manager ia l func t ion domina t i ng the superv is ion agenda to the de t r iment o f o ther aspec ts . In Norde l l s s tudy (2005 , p . 62 ) one respondent comments

“Superv is ion i s ve ry task o r ien ta ted in the Hea l th Board . I suppose now I (as superv iso r ) wou ld be more aware o f tha t so I t r y to inc lude more o f the o ther b i t s – l i ke t ra in ing and he lp ing peop le access in fo rmat ion and I suppose g iv ing peop le more feedback as we l l ” .

I t wou ld seem wh i le superv iso rs repor ted , a t i n te rv iew, tha t they were a t tempt ing to address the fou r func t ions o f superv is ion in a more ba lanced way , the exper ience fo r superv isees in th i s s tudy was tha t the accoun tab i l i t y func t ion rema ined s ign i f i can t . A s tudy by G ibbs (2001) invo lv ing twen ty - two ch i ld p ro tec t ion workers f rom two ru ra l a reas in the S ta te o f V ic to r ia , Aus t ra l ia p rov ides s ign i f i can t ev idence o f

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i nadequa te and insu f f i c ien t superv is ion w i th responden ts repor t ing the i r d i ssa t i s fac t ion a lso w i th the qua l i t y o f superv is ion p rov ided . S tud ies car r ied ou t by Gadsby Wate rs (1992) in the f i e ld o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion , and Marsh and Tr i se l io t i s (1996) on newly qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers cons iders the d i f fe ren t percep t ions o f superv is ion be tween superv iso rs and superv isees . Wh i le the re was l i t t l e d i f fe rence in the i r unders tand ing o f the impor tance o f superv is ion and i t s func t ions , a g rea te r emphas is was p laced on the manager ia l func t ion by superv iso rs , i n compar ison to the f ie ld workers . In con t ras t soc ia l workers ( f i e ld workers ) wan ted more t ime to exp lo re the i r though ts and fee l ings and re f lec t on p rac t i ce , bu t they d id no t fee l they cou ld do tha t w i thou t the suppor t o f the i r superv iso r . The na tu re o f the bureaucra t i c agency and ch i ld p ro tec t ion work i s tha t dec is ions , ac t ions and min im is ing r i sks a re o f more impor tance than cons ider ing the emot iona l responses to cases and the we l lbe ing o f the worker . As descr ibed by Ferguson (2004) cover ing the o rgan isa t iona l bases i s o f ten seen as the key p r io r i t y by managers . Th is i s re f lec ted in the Repor t o f the Fo l low Up Inspec t ion o f Oakv i l l e Res iden t ia l Cen t re (2006) in wh ich the lack o f team leaders has impac ted on the ab i l i t y o f the HSE to ca r ry ou t s ta tu to ry rev iews and spec ia l s ta tu to ry rev iews fo r a l l ch i ld ren in ca re . No re fe rence i s made to the la rge numbers o f s ta f f tha t ex is t ing soc ia l workers superv ise desp i te the na t iona l l y accep ted superv is ion quo ta o f 1 :5 . 6

Fur ther ev idence i s p rov ided by one responden t in Norde l l s ’ (2005) s tudy and re f lec ted in the fo l low ing comment

“ I fee l suppor ted say in te rms o f dec is ions and s tu f f – by do ing the case management s tu f f – and s ign ing o f f on them, tha t ’ s huge because we a re bo th s ign ing o f f on them – I fee l suppor ted in tha t way and tha t ’ s enough fo r me. I t wou ld be good to have the o ther s tu f f , bu t I ce r ta in l y don ’ t l ook fo r i t ” .

Th is s tudy f i rm ly iden t i f i es the t rend o f accoun tab i l i t y tak ing p r io r i t y in the p rocess o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion in ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re work . The consequences o f th i s fo r key s takeho lders i .e . the agency , the superv iso r , the superv isee and the c l ien t have been p rev ious ly 6 The Report of Social Work Management in Ireland (2002, p. 10) outlines than an ideal supervisory span of 1:5 has been in principle agreed between HSE management and IMPACT.

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i den t i f i ed in Sec t ion A . Mor r i son (2001) sugges ts tha t d ia logue in re la t ion to the func t ions o f superv is ion and the expec ta t ions o f bo th superv iso r and superv isee i s v i ta l i f superv is ion i s to be a shared and mean ing fu l p rocess . 3.10 .8 Va l idat ing superv isory exper iences As no ted ear l i e r , Horow i tz (1998 , p . 372) p roposes tha t se l f -es teem is enhanced when workers a re ab le to comple te tasks in a va l ida t ing and suppor t i ve env i ronment . G ibbs (2001) suppor ts Horow i tz ’ (1998) v iew and ex t rapo la tes f rom her own s tudy tha t an ear l y exper ience o f bo th a p roduc t i ve and a va l ida t ing superv iso ry re la t ionsh ip p rov ides the worker w i th some capac i t y to be t te r cope w i th subsequent advers i t y . Cear ley (2004) in her s tudy o f e igh ty - f i ve ch i ld we l fa re workers in the US conc luded tha t workers perce ived the i r superv iso r ’ s he lpg iv ing behav iours as the on ly fac to r tha t in f luenced the i r pe rce ived empowerment w i th the i r c l i en ts . Empowered workers , who be l ieve in the i r ab i l i t y to make a d i f fe rence in the i r own l i ves as we l l as in o thers , a re more l i ke ly to pass th is sk i l l on to those w i th whom they work (Ga lan t , T r i ve t te and Duns t , 1999) . Har r i son (1980 , p .41) iden t i f i es ro le amb igu i t y as a s ign i f i can t s t ressor fo r ch i ld p ro tec t ion workers . Workers rece ive amb iguous messages f rom superv iso rs abou t wha t cons t i tu tes a job we l l done and there fo re f i nd i t d i f f i cu l t to fee l va lued o r a sense o f job sa t i s fac t ion . As no ted ear l i e r , G ibbs (2001) sugges ts tha t o rgan isa t ions fa i l to send messages tha t ind ica te and a f f i rm tha t workers a re va lued and in par t i cu la r f ron t - l i ne managers a re neg l igen t in th i s regard . G ibbs (2001 , p . 331) no tes tha t

“ v i ta l oppor tun i t i es a re be ing missed to deve lop a g rea te r sense o f se l f -es teem, se l f -e f f i cacy and res i l i ence in workers and fa ta l i n the a t tempt to a t t rac t o r re ta in exper ienced f ron t - l i ne s ta f f ” .

3.10 .9 Prescr ip t ive superv isory pract ices Gibbs (2001) research w i th new rec ru i t s ra ised s ign i f i can t ques t ions abou t how superv is ion was de l i ve red . She no tes tha t

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“ The p redominan t opera t iona l mode l appeared to be one o f t rans fe r o f knowledge f rom the “exper t ” to the “nov ice ” who s imp ly absorbs what they a re be ing to ld ra ther than one where the superv iso r i s encourag ing the worker to ana lyse , unders tand and apprec ia te the s ign i f i cance and o f fe r in te rp re ta t ions o f wha t i s be ing d iscussed” (2001 , p . 329) .

For the ma jo r i t y o f pa r t i c ipan ts in G ibbs s tudy (2001) , the superv is ion they descr ibed took no accoun t o f adu l t l ea rn ing theory and the four components o f the exper ien t ia l l ea rn ing cyc le (Ko lb , 1988) . For adu l t s to lea rn e f fec t i ve ly , they mus t be p rov ided w i th oppor tun i t i es to th ink and fee l as we l l as ac t (Mor r i son , 2005) . I t i s a l so c r i t i ca l tha t workers can lea rn w i th in the con tex t o f re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce (Ye l lo l y and Henke l , 1995) . Learn ing d id no t appear t o encompass the emergence o f p ro fess iona l competence and judgement bu t mere ly cen t red on be ing to ld wha t to do . Ano ther s ign i f i can t i ssue fac ing ch i ld p ro tec t ion agenc ies re la te to the h igh case loads faced by p rac t i t i oners and the assoc ia ted s t ress and anx ie ty . In G ibbs s tudy (2001 , p . 331) workers c lea r l y s ta ted tha t the i r message abou t case load ac t i v i t y was o f ten no t heard o r wen t unheeded . Th is approach to superv is ion has been con f i rmed by o ther s tud ies (G ibbs and Po l le t t , 2000) . The over r id ing p r io r i t y fo r superv iso rs seems to be ensur ing tha t the work i s comple ted and con fo rms to accep tab le s tandards . Wh i le th i s i s unders tandab ly an o rgan isa t iona l impera t i ve , the consequences a re immense i f the on ly message rece ived by workers i s abou t task and ge t t ing on w i th the job w i thou t much compla in ing and w i th l i t t l e pos i t i ve feedback . Th is same theme emerges in Norde l l s ’ s tudy (2005) d iscussed above . A key message fo r superv iso rs to de l i ve r i s t he va lue o f i nd iv idua l workers to the o rgan isa t ion , lead ing to inc reased se l f -es teem and se l f -e f f i cacy (G ibbs , 2001) . 3.10 .10 Tra in ing for superv isor competence Cr i t i ca l l y , those tasked w i th the job o f superv is ion mus t be g iven an o rgan isa t iona l message tha t they have a c r i t i ca l ro le to p lay in respond ing to the h igh leve l o f anx ie ty exper ienced by f ron t - l i ne workers . I t mus t be recogn ised tha t the capac i t y to superv ise in a cha l leng ing ye t ca r ing way requ i res acknowledgement as a h igh ly sk i l l ed task , wh ich requ i res spec ia l i sed t ra in ing and suppor t . G ibbs and

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Po l le t t (2000) iden t i f y superv iso rs themse lves as need ing suppor t sys tems to ensure the i r own ongo ing emot iona l respons iveness and res i l i ence . G ibbs (2001) a rgues tha t the re i s a s ign i f i can t a rgument fo r re focus ing superv is ion , wh ich invo lves sys tem changes bo th a t the leve l o f o rgan isa t iona l p r io r i t i es and cu l t u re , and a t the ind iv idua l l eve l o f educa t ion and exper ience . Changes in superv is ion p rac t i ce a lone w i l l no t fu l l y and comp le te ly address h igh a t t r i t i on ra tes in ch i ld p ro tec t ion . Re focus ing shou ld incorpora te a sys tem or mode l o f superv is ion , wh ich ex tends beyond task to the emot iona l i n te l l i gence and capab i l i t i es o f the superv iso r . 7 Mor r i son (2006) no tes tha t i t i s i ron ic in a p ro fess ion so s teeped in re la t ion -based theor ies tha t such a rguments need to be re -s ta ted . In Norde l l ’ s s tudy (2005) bas ic requ i rements such as a su i tab le loca t ion and t ime were c i ted as common bar r ie rs to superv is ion . Hughes and Penge l l y (1997) conc lude tha t the resources necessary fo r superv is ion shou ld be f i rm ly po in ted ou t to sen io r management and tha t mak ing such demands may be the mos t impor tan t use o f a superv iso rs p ro fess iona l au thor i t y . 3.11 Conclus ion Th is sec t ion has iden t i f i ed tha t w i th in ch i ld p ro tec t ion agenc ies , the p redominan t superv iso ry agenda i s one concen t ra ted on accoun tab i l i t y w i th the spec i f i c focus on casework management . Wh i le an in tegra ted approach to a l l fou r func t ions i s cons is ten t l y recommended in the l i t e ra tu re , casework and cover ing the o rgan iza t ion ’ bases appear to be g iven p r io r i t y and s ign i f i cance . Th is has c r i t i ca l imp l i ca t ions in respec t o f i ncomple te superv is ion , p resc r ip t i ve and compromised p rac t i ce , h igh leve ls o f a t t r i t i on ra tes w i th soc ia l workers hav ing incons is ten t and in f requen t va l ida t ing superv is ion exper iences . T ra in ing fo r superv iso rs i s essen t ia l i n ensur ing tha t they have the p ro fess iona l knowledge , sk i l l s , emot iona l competence and indeed bas ic resources to engage in superv iso ry p rac t i ces tha t incorpora te a l l fou r func t ions wh ich takes fu l l accoun t o f the to ta l i t y o f the workers needs in such a h igh ly demand ing work env i ronment .

7 The Office for Health Management developed a management competency framework in 2001 for managers of health and social care professional groups. A critical component of the management competency wheel considers the management of self. This wheel is set out in appendix 3.

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SECTION C

3 .12 Moving towards a per formance management and measurement system - organizat iona l systems and capaci t ies Morr i son (2005) c lea r l y advoca tes tha t fo r superv is ion to be e f fec t i ve i t mus t be loca ted w i th in an overa l l pe r fo rmance management f ramework . He h igh l igh ts the impor tance o f superv is ion as a per fo rmance management too l bu t cau t ions tha t i t canno t be the on ly too l . He fu r ther adv ises tha t w i thou t the o ther per fo rmance management e lements , superv is ion w i l l s tumb le when cha l lenged w i th ma jo r competency and poor per fo rmance i ssues . Append ix 4 se ts ou t the Mor r i son per fo rmance management f ramework . Superv iso rs in ch i ld p ro tec t ion serv ices d i rec t l y in f luence the na tu re o f team and ind iv idua l s ta f f pe r fo rmance . The superv iso r i s the person th rough whom the agency ’s m iss ion s ta tement , po l i c ies gu id ing serv ice de l i ve ry and p rac t i ce gu ide l ines a re commun ica ted to soc ia l workers . C la r i t y in commun ica t ion be tween the par t ies gu ides team and ind iv idua l p rac t i t i oner per fo rmance . Superv iso rs p lay a c r i t i ca l ro le in bu i ld ing s ta f f capac i t y . They ho ld the key to oppor tun i t i es fo r pos i t i ve g rowth among s ta f f (Mor ton and Sa lus , 1994) . A team or se rv ices ’ pe r fo rmance takes i t s cue f rom the persona l per fo rmance o f the superv iso r . A c r i t i ca l superv iso ry p rac t i ce i s t he mon i to r ing o f ach ievement o f case ou tcomes and ac t i v i t i es by ind iv idua l soc ia l workers and by the team. Mon i to r ing i s necessary so tha t in te rven t ions can take p lace to red i rec t p rac t i ce when cur ren t methods and p rocedures a re no t ach iev ing the overa l l resu l t s tha t the agency requ i res . Through mon i to r ing in superv is ion success fu l pe r fo rmance can be recogn ised and encouraged (Mor ton and Sa lus , 1994) . Fur thermore Mor ton and Sa lus (1994) iden t i f y tha t superv iso rs w i th the bes t records o f per fo rmance focus the i r p r imary a t ten t ion on the human aspec ts o f the i r workers p rob lems and on endeavour ing to bu i ld e f fec t i ve teams w i th h igh per fo rmance goa ls . Exh ib i t 2 se ts ou t the h igh leve l ac t i v i t i es engaged in by superv iso rs in re la t ion to ind iv idua l o r team based per fo rmance .

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Exhib i t 2 – H igh Leve l Act iv i t ies

PLAN

ACT

MONITOR

REVIEW

THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Armstrong ,M. & Baron, A. (2000) The Essence of Performance Management in Performance Management-the New Realities, London, CIPD.

As no ted ear l i e r i n th i s paper , t rad i t i ona l no t ions o f superv is ion a re becoming very vu lnerab le to the inc reas ing p ressures on f ron t - l i ne managers as they g rapp le w i th sys tem dr i ven over load . These p ressures a re fo rc ing we l l -mean ing managers to engage in a fo rm o f superv is ion tha t i s a t cons iderab le va r iance w i th the we l l - respec ted tex ts on the sub jec t d iscussed ear l i e r (Hawk ins and Shohe t , 1989 ; Kadush in , 1992 ; Mor r i son 2005 ; Brown and Bourne , 1996 ; Hughes and Penge l l y , 1997) . F ron t - l i ne managers a re now loca ted cen t ra l s tage in o rgan isa t iona l expec ta t ions as be ing c r i t i ca l to imp lement ing the a r ray o f new po l i cy deve lopments and re fo rms tha t emerge f rom the change agenda. Such managers a re seen as v i ta l cogs in the mach inery o f modern isa t ion and per fo rmance management . As no ted by Den ise P la t t i n her f i r s t annua l repor t as Ch ie f Inspec to r o f Soc ia l Serv ices :

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“What makes a s ign i f i can t d i f fe rence to the per fo rmance o f an o rgan isa t ion i s the qua l i t y and competence o f i t s f i r s t l i ne managers ’ (Depar tment o f Hea l th , 1999 , p . 7 ) .

Th is demand ing agenda has s tead i l y reduced superv is ion as a veh ic le fo r accoun tab i l i t y , suppor t and deve lopment to becoming ma in ly concerned w i th a nar row vers ion o f pe r fo rmance management , focus ing on ensur ing tha t p rocedures have been fo l lowed and tha t soc ia l workers a re p rac t i s ing w i th in agency expec ta t ions . A re l iance on superv is ion as the p r imary veh ic le fo r work -based lea rn ing i s o rgan isa t iona l l y m isp laced and i f a l l owed to con t inue w i l l r i sk the sa fe ty and we l l be ing o f ch i ld ren and the repu ta t ions o f soc ia l workers . ( Jones and Ga l lop , 2003) . 3.12 .1 Supplement ing ind iv idual superv is ion and the l inkage wi th work-based approaches to per formance management Many repor ts h igh l igh t (London Borough o f Green ich , 1987 ; Na t iona l Ins t i tu te fo r Soc ia l Work , 1996 ; Reder and Duncan 1999) tha t l ea rn ing th rough re f lec t ion on p rac t i ce i s a bas ic requ i rement fo r a l l p ro fess iona ls and no t a luxury fo r those who happen to work in we l l - resourced teams. Jones and Ga l lop (2003) a rgue tha t a new approach to work based learn ing mus t be cons idered and they h igh l igh t the bene f i t s o f mu l t i -agency ac t ion lea rn ing and research p ro jec ts des igned to improve serv ice de l i ve ry to ch i ld ren and fami l i es . Ac t ion research i s desc r ibed by Randa l l e t a l , (2000) as invo lv ing peop le as co- researchers shap ing the i r i nqu i ry as the g roup o r team moves be tween ac t ion and re f lec t ion , exp lo r ing and eva lua t ing ways o f improv ing the i r p rac t i ce . I t has the po ten t ia l to p rov ide a suppor t i ve lea rn ing env i ronment fo r the g roup o r team as a who le and fo r the ind iv idua ls w i th in i t . Randa l l e t a l (2000 , p . 343) s t ress the impor tance o f

“ho ld ing env i ronments to p romote e f fec t i ve lea rn ing” and “ re - inv igora t ing mode ls o f superv is ion tha t can sus ta in h igh qua l i t y p rac t i ce ” .

Such mode ls o f f e r teams a va luab le way fo rward fo r the p rac t i ce ev idence base to be a r t i cu la ted , and fo r the p rocess i ssues w i th in fami l i es , fami l y -p ro fess iona l sys tems and the p ro fess iona l sys tems themse lves to be exp lo red

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and addressed w i th in an enr i ched lea rn ing env i ronment . Norde l l (2005 , p . 81) iden t i f i es the same concerns and recommends tha t a re -ba lanc ing o f the p rocess o f superv is ion mus t take p lace to meet the co re func t ions w i th a l te rna t i ve fo rums fo r the p ro fess iona l deve lopment and suppor t func t ions o f s ta f f to be met . Such fo rums cou ld inc lude peer suppor t g roups , g roup superv is ion , team learn ing and ac t ion lea rn ing se ts . 3.12 .2 Work ing and th ink ing in a d i f ferent way G iven tha t they c rea te what the agency o r o rgan isa t ion se l l s , Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve emp loyees a re i t s mos t va luab le asse t (Downey-Enn is and Har r ing ton , 2002 . ) S ta f f a re be ing asked to embrace the ongo ing s t ruc tu ra l and cu l tu ra l re fo rm agendas des igned to rea l i se the hea l th s t ra tegy goa ls o f equ i t y , qua l i t y , accoun tab i l i t y and peop le -cen t red hea l th and soc ia l se rv ices (Qua l i t y and Fa i rness , 2001) . The HSE in success fu l l y adap t ing to change and rea l i s ing i t s s t ra teg ic goa ls mus t garner the suppor t and en thus iasm o f i t s emp loyees fo r th i s to happen. In essence , th i s w i l l requ i re a change in the m indse t and behav iour o f workers ac ross the o rgan isa t ion to , i n essence th ink , behave and work in a d i f fe ren t way . Per fo rmance management i f imp lemented appropr ia te ly , can fac i l i t a te the requ i red o rgan isa t iona l and cu l tu ra l change w i th in the HSE. Per fo rmance management i s essen t ia l l y a s t ra teg ic management techn ique , wh ich l i nks bus iness ob jec t i ves and s t ra teg ies to ind iv idua l goa ls , ac t ions , per fo rmance appra isa l and rewards th rough a de f ined p rocess . To the ex ten t tha t per fo rmance management sys tems a re capab le o f incorpora t ing a l l o f these l i nks , then they can p rov ide a power fu l too l fo r d r i v ing change th rough the o rgan isa t ion . The mos t impor tan t fea tu re o f e f fec t i ve per fo rmance management i s i t s ab i l i t y to be seen as a method o f con t inuous ly secur ing improvements in the per fo rmance o f teams and ind iv idua ls aga ins t p rede f ined bus iness s t ra teg ies and ob jec t i ves (Spar row and H i l t rop , 1994) . The essence o f per fo rmance management i s the deve lopment o f i nd iv idua ls w i th competence and commi tment , work ing towards the ach ievement o f shared mean ing fu l ob jec t i ves w i th in an o rgan isa t ion , wh ich suppor ts and encourages the i r ach ievements .

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Per fo rmance management i s de f ined by Smi th (2002 , p .104) as

“a se t o f manager ia l i ns t ruments des igned to secure op t ima l pe r fo rmance o f the hea l th ca re sys tem, over t ime in l i ne w i th po l i cy ob jec t i ves ” .

There i s a lso an emphas is on deve lop ing the capab i l i t i es o f teams and ind iv idua l con t r ibu to rs (Kearney e t a l , 2004) . Exh ib i t 3 se ts ou t the core per fo rmance management ac t i v i t i es , wh ich can take p lace w i th in the con tex t o f i nd iv idua l , g roup o r indeed team based superv is ion . Per fo rmance management i s shown as a p rocess , no t an even t . I t opera tes as a con t inuous cyc le and i s b road ly in l i ne w i th Deming ’s (1986) mode l fo r con t inuous qua l i t y management . One method o f measur ing ind iv idua l per fo rmance i s th rough persona l deve lopment p lann ing . Th is p rov ides an ac t ion p lan fo r ind iv idua ls w i th the suppor t o f the i r manager and the o rgan isa t ion . I t may inc lude fo rma l t ra in ing bu t , more impor tan t l y , can incorpora te a w ider se t o f deve lopment ac t i v i t i es such as se l f -managed lea rn ing , coach ing , p ro jec t work , j ob en la rgement and se l f assessment by the ind iv idua l . Th is fac i l i t a tes the pe rson to ge t in to ac t ion so tha t they can ach ieve p lanned and agreed resu l t s . Essen t ia l l y good per fo rmance management sys tems have the fo l low ing qua l i t i es (Tor r ing ton and Ha l l , 1998) (1 ) L ine managers own the sys tem. Per fo rmance

management i s l i ne d r i ven so th is requ i res the deve lopment o f a shared v is ion o f the o rgan isa t ion ’s a ims and goa ls .

(2 ) Top managers a re v i s ib l y commi t ted to the sys tem. (3 ) To the g rea tes t poss ib le ex ten t , emp loyees a re

consu l ted abou t the des ign o f the sys tem.

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Exhibit 3

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE

DETERMINING PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

REVIEWING AND APPRAISING PERFORMANCE

MANAGING

PERFORMANCE

STANDARDS

Exhibit 2 from Torrington and Hall (1995)

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3 .12 .3 Towards team based learn ing, per formance management and measurement One s ign i f i can t and c r i t i ca l aspec t o f the per fo rmance management p rocess be ing in t roduced in the I r i sh hea l th se rv ice i s i t s team-based approach . Th is d i f fe rs f rom mos t ex te rna l o rgan isa t ions , wh ich invar iab ly use the i r pe r fo rmance management sys tem fo r bo th teams and ind iv idua ls . In the hea l th se rv ice , the approach i s exc lus ive ly focused on teams (HSE, 2007) . I t i s recogn ised tha t the in t roduc t ion o f Team Based Per fo rmance Management (TBPM) i s on ly one o f a number o f peop le re la ted deve lopments tak ing p lace cur ren t l y w i th in the hea l th serv ices ( in te rna l document fo r TBPM t ra in ing , HSE, 2007) . The p rocess a ims to he lp teams and team members c la r i f y wha t i s expec ted f rom them in the con tex t o f the o rgan isa t ion as represen ted in se rv ice and opera t iona l p lans and the re la ted ob jec t i ves o f the loca l team. Append ix 5 se ts ou t wha t TBPM invo lves in the I r i sh hea l th se rv ices . Append ix 6 iden t i f i es the l i nkages be tween per fo rmance management and superv is ion w i th in soc ia l work se rv ices wh i le exh ib i t 4 se ts ou t how the superv is ion cyc le can p roduce be t te r ou tcomes fo r the agency , the worker and serv ice user .

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Exhib i t 4 – F rom Mor r i son ’s S ta f f Superv is ion in Soc ia l Care , 2005 , P . 60 .

1. EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION: CLEAR, SAFE AND ENABLING. SUPERVISOR HAS ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF WORKERS COMPETENCE.

8. WORKER MORE OPEN IN SUPERVISION.

7. WORKER FEELING MORE REWARDED AND CONFIDENT.

6. BETTER AND MORE SHARED PLANS.

5. CLEARER MORE EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT. WORKER AND USER CLEAR ON NEXT STEPS AND MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS. 4. INCREASED CLARITY, TRUST,

OPENESS, SHARING OF INFORMATION, REDUCED ANXIETY, STRONGER PARTNERSHIP BASE.

3. USER HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE WORKER.

2. WORKER CLEAR AND CONFIDENT ON ROLE AND TASK.

SSUUPPEERRVVIISSIIOONN OOUUTTCCOOMMEE

CCYYCCLLEE

58

In rev iew ing in te rna l HSE documenta t ion (2007) on TBPM c lear l y i t s in t roduc t ion shou ld no t be seen as an “add on” to the re la t ionsh ip be tween a team leader (o r l i ne manager ) and the team concerned . Ra ther the p rocess i s seen as s imp ly pu t t ing more s t ruc tu re and focus on wha t i s a l ready an in tegra l team leader / l i ne management ro le such as :

He lp ing team members c la r i f y wha t the i r j obs a re abou t and what the i r ob jec t i ves a re .

P rov id ing feedback on ach ievement . Se t t ing in p lace ac t ions to suppor t pe r fo rmance . improvement such as coach ing , mento r ing , persona l deve lopment p lann ing , ac t ion research e tc . 8

In essence each team w i l l dec ide , based on year l y se rv ice p lans o r opera t iona l p lans , the key p r io r i t i es to be met fo r the i r pa r t i cu la r a rea o f work . Each team w i l l rev iew i t s p rogress under the leadersh ip o f the team leader every quar te r . Teams w i l l pe r fo rm to the i r op t imum when members a re c lear wha t i s requ i red o f them. Good per fo rmance w i l l be fac i l i t a ted by hav ing c lear ob jec t i ves , and these need to be c lear l y unders tood by the team (Har r i son , 2006) . A t the hear t o f the TBPM process i s the g iv ing and rece iv ing o f feedback as a means o f lea rn ing by everyone invo lved . Th is concep t o f the lea rn ing team is a lso no ted by Horwath and Mor r i son (1999 , p . 154) . They sugges t tha t deve lop ing the lea rn ing team is o f ten more v iab le than the lea rn ing o rgan iza t ion , as the team may be more in con t ro l o f the i r own des t iny and c leare r o f the i r own learn ing needs . Th is de l ibe ra te lea rn ing f rom exper ience fac i l i t a tes workers to lea rn con t inuous ly f rom prob lems , cha l lenges and successes inheren t in peop le ’s everyday ac t i v i t i es . Such re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce i s based on the p remise tha t every task ind iv idua ls under take p resen ts them w i th a lea rn ing oppor tun i t y . I t a l l ows them to d raw conc lus ions on what they need to do when they a re nex t p resen ted w i th a s im i la r o r have to under take a d i f fe ren t task requ i r ing the use o f the newly acqu i red sk i l l . 8 Mentors focus on the development of the learner, giving time and attention beyond the extent of the manager. Development usually takes place “as required” at a pace which suits the individual. Coaching is an informal but personal on-the-job training technique aimed at developing persons’ skills, knowledge and work performance. Personal development planning (PDP) is a continuous development process that enables people to make the best use of their skills and helps advance both the individual’s plans and the strategic goals of the organization. Action research as a performance management tool has been discussed earlier in this paper.

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Senge (1992) sees the lea rn ing o rgan isa t ion as one , wh ich p romotes movement towards

“an o rgan isa t ion where peop le con t inua l l y expand the i r capac i t y to c rea te the resu l t s they t ru ly des i re , where new and expans ive pa t te rns o f th ink ing a re nur tu red , where co l lec t i ve asp i ra t ions a re se t f ree , and where peop le a re con t inua l l y lea rn ing how to lea rn toge ther ” .

Senge (1992) de f ines the essen t ia l charac te r i s t i cs o f a lea rn ing o rgan isa t ion . One o f these charac te r i s t i cs o r d isc ip l ines he re fe rs to as team learn ing wh ich invo lves ra is ing the co l lec t i ve IQ o f an o rgan isa t ion above tha t o f anyone in i t . Th is d isc ip l ine inc ludes d ia logue and ta lk ing and th ink ing toge ther . Senge (1992) iden t i f i es team learn ing as v i ta l because teams, no t ind iv idua ls a re the fundamenta l l ea rn ing un i t i n an o rgan isa t ion . Un less the team can lea rn , the o rgan isa t ion canno t lea rn . 3.12 .4 Per formance ind icators as a measurement too l I t i s no t easy to measure e f fec t i veness in soc ia l ca re se t t ings because there i s no t a lways c la r i t y abou t wha t cons t i tu tes a des i rab le ou tcome. Har r i son (2006 , p . 33 ) no tes tha t i t i s impor tan t to c la r i f y wha t i t i s tha t one i s t r y ing to ach ieve and tha t i t i s poss ib le to deve lop per fo rmance ind ica to rs . Per fo rmance ind ica to rs a re a c r i t i ca l e lement g iven tha t every th ing e lse in the o rgan isa t ion f lows f rom them (Brumback , 2003) . Bu t le r e t a l (2000) no tes tha t the use o f pe r fo rmance ind ica to rs in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve i s s t i l l i n i t s ear l y s tages . As iden t i f i ed by Byrne (2005 , p .9 )

“g i ven tha t mos t emp loyees have dua l l i nes o f accoun tab i l i t y wh ich invo lves bo th p ro fess iona l and admin is t ra t i ve aspec ts , reduc ing per fo rmance to a sequence o f measurab le , t ime-bound techn ica l tasks neg lec ts the qua l i ta t i ve in fo rmat ion impor tan t to them, o f ten t ransmi t ted v ia fo rma l commun ica t ion ne tworks ” .

By rne (2005 , p . 9 ) fu r ther iden t i f i es tha t i npu t and p rocess measures such as suppor t o f team process , con f l i c t reso lu t ion , par t i c ipa t i ve dec is ion -mak ing , f l ex ib i l i t y and the team’s re la t ionsh ips w i th in te rna l and ex te rna l agen ts a re po ten t ia l pe r fo rmance ind ica to rs to cons ider . Devaney

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(2004) con t r ibu tes to th i s deba te by iden t i f y ing tha t s imp l i s t i c measurements o f pe r fo rmance a re inadequa te to unrave l the in te rp lay be tween p rac t i ce , sys tems and po l i cy in ch i ld p ro tec t ion serv ices . In such sys tems in the UK a p reoccupa t ion w i th per fo rmance ind ica to rs and ra t ing sys tems may in fac t be coun te rp roduc t i ve by focus ing on how the sys tem manages the p rocess (Quan t i ta t i ve measures) ra ther than the e f fec t i veness o f the p rocess (Qua l i ta t i ve measures ) . 3.12 .5 Output versus outcome measurements Devaney (2004) concurs w i th By rne (2005) in iden t i f y ing tha t the re i s a rea l danger in focus ing on techn ica l measurements o f the per fo rmance and ou tpu ts o f the sys tem, ra ther than on the exper ience and impac t o f se rv ices on ch i ld ren and the i r fami l i es . Such an approach leaves the ch i ld p ro tec t ion sys tem even more removed f rom the rea l l i ves o f peop le . Devaney (2004 , p . 36 ) iden t i f i es the sys tem as becoming a

“Se l f - re fe ren t ia l one , p reoccup ied w i th i t s own in te rna l opera t ion and ru les – ta rge ts can be good servan ts , bu t they a re poor mas te rs ” .

Fur thermore Devaney (2004) suppor ts the v iew tha t the re i s a requ i rement fo r more qua l i ta t i ve research to ac t i ve ly embrace the l i ved exper iences o f se rv ice users to shed l i gh t on the measures o f pe r fo rmance tha t a re cu r ren t l y a t the cen t re o f pe r fo rmance management . Devaney (2004) conc ludes f rom h is s tudy o f e leven Commun i ty Hea l th and Soc ia l Serv ices T rus ts in Nor thern I re land tha t per fo rmance measurement i s p r inc ipa l l y des igned to mon i to r the opera t ion o f the sys tem ra ther than the impac t o f se rv ices and in te rven t ions on the l i ves o f ch i ld ren and the i r fami l i es . In Nor thern I re land the cur ren t ou tcome measures a re ac tua l l y ou tpu t measurements . They measure the sys tem’s th roughpu t o f work ra ther than improvements in e i the r the sa fe ty o r we l lbe ing o f ch i ld ren . Such ind ica to rs fa i l t o re f lec t the impac t o f i nd iv idua l se rv ices on ind iv idua l users and shed no l i gh t on the psychosoc ia l improvements fo r ch i ld ren th rough in te rven t ions by ch i ld p ro tec t ion se rv ices .

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3.12 .6 TBPM Pi lo t s i tes – the lessons learned The cur ren t Team Based Per fo rmance Management (TBPM) sys tem in I re land was p i lo ted in 19 s i tes ac ross the coun t ry commenc ing in January 2004 . The na tu re o f the serv ices / func t ions de l i ve red a t the p i lo t s i tes were de l ibe ra te ly d ive rgen t cover ing a b road span o f the func t ions de l i ve red th roughout the serv ice . One o f the s i tes in wh ich TBPM was p i lo ted was the Ch i ld ren and Fami ly Care Group in the fo rmer Eas t Coas t Area Hea l th Board ( in te rna l document fo r TBPM t ra in ing , HSE, 2007) . Feedback f rom HSE p i lo t s i tes has ind ica ted tha t l i ne manager ownersh ip , sen io r management suppor t , advance t ra in ing , a focus on serv ice de l i ve ry , ded ica ted team meet ing t imes and ach ievab le ob jec t i ves p romote the success o f pe r fo rmance management in i t i a t i ves (Kearney e t a l 2004) . Feedback f rom s ta f f i n genera l who took par t i n the p i lo t p ro jec t has been very pos i t i ve (www.hsea.ie). By rne (2005) iden t i f i es and ou t l i nes the founda t iona l charac te r i s t i cs requ i red fo r the imminen t expans ion o f per fo rmance management beyond these s i tes wh ich a re iden t i f i ed as :

P rov id ing gener i c (and uncond i t iona l ) suppor t fo r l i ne management buy- in .

Se l l i ng the concep t o f per fo rmance management to l i ne managers .

Subs t i tu t ing a cu l tu re o f con t ro l w i th consensus and co-opera t ion .

Cha l leng ing ex is t ing manager ia l s ty les . Requ i rement fo r ongo ing t ra in ing . Ac t i ve ly manag ing emp loyee mot i va t ion . Deve lop ing t rus t ing re la t ionsh ips . Appropr ia te ly manag ing expec ta t ions .

In essence TBPM is abou t suppor t ing s t ra teg ic change th rough

“Deve lop ing a mean ing fu l and e f fec t i ve enab l ing ro le – a sk i l l ed and c r i t i ca l f r i end , c lose to the cen t re bu t no t o f i t , who can suppor t l oca l i nnova t ion , share lea rn ing and suppor t managers th rough demand ing t rans i t i ons ” (OHM, 2003 , p .3 ) .

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Exh ib i t 5 shows how ob jec t i ves and p r io r i t i es se t ou t by the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve a t na t iona l l eve l th rough the deve lopment o f na t iona l se rv ice and opera t iona l p lans a re t rans la ted in to mutua l l y agreed ac t ion p lans a t depar tmenta l o r team/un i t l eve l w i th in the o rgan isa t ion . Bo th ind iv idua l and g roup o r team based superv is ion , focus ing on the management func t ion can suppor t th is evo lv ing p rocess th rough regu la r rev iew o f t eam and ind iv idua l per fo rmance . Exhib i t 5 . 1. LEVEL 1 SERVICE PLAN - NATIONAL

PRIORITIES, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE ARE SET OUT ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.

PPEERRFFOORRMMAANNCCEE MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT

CCYYCCLLEE 3.LEVEL 3 SERVICE PLAN LOCATED AT DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL SETS OUT KEY PRIORITIES, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR DEPT. SHARED EXPECTATIONS ARE AGREED.

2. LEVEL 2 SERVICE PLAN - NATIONAL HOSPITAL AND PCCC PROGRAMME PRIORITIES, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE IDENTIFIED.

7. BOTH WORKER AND TEAM MORE OPEN TO INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISION AND TEAM BASED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.

5. S THE

6. INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE APPRAISED THROUGH INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISION. INDIVIDUAL WORKER FEELS MORE REWARDED AND CONFIDENT IN THEIR WORK. SERVICE USER MORE CONFIDENT IN WORKER.

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4. TEAM BASED PRIORITIES, OBJECTIVES AND GOALS ARE IDENTIFIED AND AGREED FROM DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE PLAN.SHARED EXPECTATIONS ARE AGREED. BETTER AND MORE SHARED PLAN

ARE IDENTIFIED AND AGREED BY
TEAM. GROUP/TEAM BASED SUPERVISION CAN ENABLE THIS PROCESS AND FACILITATE PERFORMANCE REVIEW.

3.13 Conclus ion The l i t e ra tu re rev iew p rov ides an overv iew o f per t inen t top ics o f re levance to th i s s tudy . I t summar ises the na tu re and con tex t o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion in ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ices , d iscusses the management func t ion , iden t i f i es the ma in exper iences o f soc ia l work superv is ion and due to inc reas ing compet ing demands on the f ron t l i ne manager , the need to cons ider o ther mode ls o f work based lea rn ing and eva lua t ion . Per fo rmance management i s de f ined and cons idered and l i nked to a mode l o f pe r fo rmance management cu r ren t l y be ing ro l led ou t in the I r i sh Hea l th and Soc ia l Care env i ronment . Exper iences o f and d i f f i cu l t i es w i th per fo rmance measurement a re a lso h igh l igh ted . The nex t chap te r w i l l cons ider the methodo log ica l f ramework emp loyed in th i s s tudy and d iscuss the ma in cha l lenges exper ienced a long the research jou rney .

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Chapter 4

Research methodology 4.1 In t roduct ion The p rev ious chap te r d iscusses themes emerg ing f rom the l i t e ra tu re in re la t ion to the management func t ion o f superv is ion w i th in the con tex t o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re serv ice de l i ve ry and i t s l i nkages to a per fo rmance management sys tem. Th is chap te r w i l l gu ide the reader th rough the research jou rney focus ing on the fo l l ow ing ; a ims o f the research ; ma in ph i losophy underp inn ing the p rocess ; methodo log ica l f ramework ; research des ign inc lud ing ga in ing access and in fo rmed consen t ; the ma in research too ls emp loyed w i th an accoun t o f the f ie ld work ; the e th ica l cons idera t ions ; l im i ta t ions o f the s tudy and f ina l l y da ta o rgan isa t ion and ana lys is . 4.2 A im of research Th is s tudy a ims to exp lo re soc ia l workers exper iences o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th in the I r i sh con tex t . There a re th ree c r i t i ca l s t rands to th i s research , wh ich examines 1 The percep t ions o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to the

management func t ion o f superv is ion , 2 Whether superv is ion exper iences re f lec t th i s co re

func t ion in l i ne w i th the superv is ion mode l se t ou t in the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion and

3 How superv is ion can be l i nked to an overa l l robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem w i th soc ia l workers .

4.3 Object ives The spec i f i c ob jec t i ves o f th i s s tudy a re to cons ider :

Soc ia l work exper iences o f superv is ion w i th in the I r i sh con tex t .

The ma in themes emerg ing f rom a rev iew o f the I r i sh and in te rna t iona l l i t e ra tu re on superv is ion .

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Lessons emerg ing f rom the imp lementa t ion o f the management func t ion iden t i f i ed th rough semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews and the l i t e ra tu re rev iew on per fo rmance management .

Recommendat ions emerg ing f rom the methodo log ies used , wh ich m igh t in fo rm the fu tu re d i rec t ion o f soc ia l work superv is ion and per fo rmance management ac ross soc ia l work agenc ies in I re land .

4 .4 Phi losophies underp inning the research The research ph i losophy in th i s s tudy re f lec ts a combina t ion o f the in te rp re t i v i s t and g rounded theory approaches to research . The fo rmer approach wh ich i s dea l t w i th here i s in fo rmed by in te rp re t i ve soc io log is ts who recogn ize tha t mean ing emerges th rough in te rac t ion and i s no t s tandard ized ac ross soc ia l and cu l tu ra l g roups (S i l ve rman, 2001) . Weber (1964 ,1979) suppor ts th i s a rgument th rough iden t i f y ing tha t peop le a re c rea t i ve agen ts in soc ie t y and do no t s imp ly respond in the same way accord ing to i t s s t ruc tu re . In te rp re t i v i sm advoca tes tha t i t i s necessary to unders tand d i f fe rences be tween humans in our ro le as soc ia l ac to rs . The metaphor o f the thea t re sugges ts tha t as humans we a l l p lay a par t on the s tage o f human l i fe . In thea t r i ca l p roduc t ions , ac to rs p lay a par t , wh ich they o r the i r d i rec to rs in te rp re t i n a par t i cu la r way and ac t ou t the i r pa r t i n accordance w i th th i s in te rp re ta t ion . In the same way we in te rp re t our everyday soc ia l ro les in accordance w i th the mean ing we g ive to these ro les . In add i t i on , we in te rp re t the soc ia l ro les o f o thers accord ing to our own se t o f mean ings . Pos i t i v i s t t rad i t i ons shape many o f the methods o f research on hea l th and hea l thcare and the way the research ins t ruments a re admin is te red . In te rv iews tend to be s tandard ized and s t ruc tu red in o rder to m in im ize the in f luence o f the ins t rument and the in te rv iewer on the respondent . There has been an overemphas is on the exper imenta l method , w i th l i t t l e a t tempt to comb ine i t w i th qua l i ta t i ve methods be t te r ab le t o p rov ide r i ch ins igh ts in to human behav io r and soc ia l p rocesses (Bowl ing , 2002 , p . 126) .

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Cruc ia l t o the in te rp re t i v i s t approach i s tha t the researcher has to adop t an empathe t i c s tance . The cha l lenge i s to en te r the soc ia l wor ld o f the research sub jec ts and unders tand the i r wor ld f rom the i r po in t o f v iew. As no ted by Wa l l iman (2005 , p .206) the imp l i ca t ion i s tha t the observers o r in te rp re te rs canno t be separa ted f rom the con tex t o f the i r i nves t iga t ions . They b r ing the i r own mean ings and unders tand ings to the inves t iga t ion and mus t recogn ize and acknowledge the perspec t i ve f rom wh ich they make the i r observa t ions . These l im i ta t ions a re d iscussed fu r ther in th i s chap te r w i th in the con tex t o f the wr i te r ’ s own pos i t i on in the o rgan iza t ion and cur ren t and p rev ious re la t ionsh ips w i th the research respondents . In soc ia l sc ience research i t i s common to deve lop “g rounded theory ” wh ich re fe rs to a p rocess o f d iscover ing theory f rom da ta tha t have been sys temat ica l l y ga thered and ana lyzed . Grounded theory re fe rs to the genera t ion o f a theory f rom da ta . I t means tha t mos t hypo theses and concep ts no t on ly come f rom da ta , bu t a re sys temat i ca l l y worked ou t in re la t ion to the da ta dur ing the course o f the research . In th i s t ype o f research as i t i s no t a lways poss ib le to con t ro l the cond i t ions under wh ich soc ia l phenomena a re observed , the re i s a g rea te r need to bu i ld theory induc t i ve ly f rom severa l observa t ions be fo re a p red ic t i ve , exp lana to ry theory can be a r r i ved a t (Bowl ing , 2002) . Induc t i ve reason ing beg ins w i th observa t ions and bu i lds up genera l s ta tements and hypo theses f rom them fo r tes t ing . 4.5 Methodologica l f ramework and the research process Th is research i s a qua l i t a t i ve exp lo ra t ion o f the percep t ions and exper iences o f a g roup o f hea l th ca re p ro fess iona ls , bo th p rac t i t i oners and f ron t - l i ne managers who a re engaged in p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th in the work con tex t . As no ted by Robson (2002 , p . 59 ) an exp lo ra to ry s tudy i s a va luab le means o f f i nd ing ou t “wha t i s happen ing” , to seek new ins igh ts , to ask ques t ions and to assess phenomena in a new l igh t . I t i s pa r t i cu la r l y use fu l i n c la r i f y ing unders tand ing o f a p rob lem or a cu r ren t s ta te o f rea l i t y . Exp lo ra to ry research can be l i kened to the ac t i v i t i es o f the t rave l le r o r exp lo re r . I t s g rea t advan tage i s tha t i t i s f l ex ib le and adap tab le to change and p rov ides oppor tun i t y fo r new d i rec t ion as a resu l t o f new da ta genera ted o r new ins igh ts deve loped . In the op in ion o f

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Babb ie (1998 , p .90) exp lo ra to ry research can be conduc ted when a researcher i s examin ing a new in te res t and w ishes to ob ta in a be t te r unders tand ing o f the sub jec t a t hand . Babb ie (1998) fu r ther a rgues tha t the f lex ib i l i t y inheren t in an exp lo ra to ry research approach does no t mean the absence o f d i rec t ion to the enqu i ry . Ra ther wh i le the focus i s in i t i a l l y b road , i t becomes p rogress ive ly nar rower as the research p rogresses . In fo rmed by the research ph i losophy adop ted qua l i ta t i ve research methods were chosen as they a re cons idered to be par t i cu la r l y e f fec t i ve a t examin ing and deve lop ing theor ies tha t dea l w i th the ro le o f mean ings and in te rp re ta t ions (Ezzy , 2002 , p . 3 ) . The au thor sough t to hear the rea l l i f e s i tua t ions regard ing the p rov is ion and p rac t i ce o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion in an e f fo r t to unders tand the complex i t y o f bo th the task and the con tex t i n wh ich i t takes p lace in , i n o rder to in fo rm per fo rmance management ac t i v i t i es in the o rgan iza t ion . Th is approach i s a lso cons t ruc t i v i s t i n na tu re as iden t i f i ed by Ezzy (2002 ,p .3 ) who sees tha t mean ings a re cons tan t l y chang ing , and a re p roduced and reproduced in each soc ia l s i tua t ion w i th s l i gh t l y d i f fe ren t nuances and s ign i f i cance depend ing on the na tu re o f the con tex t o r p rob lem as a who le . The au thor be l ieves tha t th i s par t i cu la r approach adop ted and parad igm o f fe red a re bo th use fu l and appropr ia te in cons ider ing and answer ing the research ques t ions loca ted in th i s s tudy . 4.6 P lace of s tudy Th is s tudy i s loca ted in soc ia l work depar tments in two Loca l Hea l th Of f ice Areas in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve . The con tex t and background i s de ta i led in Chapte r two . 4.7 Research des ign As no ted in chap te r one the research cons is ts o f p r imary and a rev iew o f ex is t ing l i t e ra tu re on re la ted i ssues . Pr imary da ta was co l lec ted th rough semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews . These in te rv iews invo lved face- to - face encoun te rs w i th respondents as sugges ted by Babb ie and Mouton (2001 , p .249) and invo lved the in te rv iew ing o f ten soc ia l work p rac t i t i oners and four f ron t - l i ne managers i .e .

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team leaders . L i te ra tu re sources a re descr ibed la te r in th i s chap te r . 4 .8 Pr imary research too l u t i l i zed As S i l ve rman (2001 , p . 87 ) no tes , in te rv iew sub jec ts cons t ruc t no t jus t na r ra t i ves , bu t soc ia l wor lds . For researchers in th i s t rad i t i on ,

” the p r imary i ssue i s to genera te da ta wh ich g ive an au then t i c ins igh t in to peop les exper iences ” (p . 249) .

Respondents a re no t perce ived so much as “ repos i to r ies o f knowledge – t reasures o f in fo rmat ion awa i t ing excava t ion – as they a re cons t ruc to rs o f knowledge in assoc ia t ion w i th in te rv iewers ” (S i l ve rman, 2004 , p . 141) . K ing (2005) re fe rs to semi -s t ruc tured in te rv iews as qua l i ta t i ve research in te rv iews . Us ing the semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iew fo rmat the researcher had a l i s t o f themes and ques t ions to be covered . An in te rv iew gu ide and schedu le was used to conduc t the in te rv iews (see append ix 7 ) . Wi th the in te rv iew schedu le , the in te rv iewer has more d isc re t ion in tha t he /she can p robe more deep ly and there fo re ge t more de ta i led in fo rmat ion (Be l l , 2002) . Wi th in the l i ve research jou rney the in te rv iews p roved c r i t i ca l i n o f fe r ing the researcher the oppor tun i t y to p robe more and c la r i f y ce r ta in aspec ts w i th regard to superv is ion wh ich wou ld no t be necessar i l y ava i lab le w i th in quan t i ta t i ve methods . Th is i s impor tan t in te rms o f adop t ing an in te rp re t i v i s t ep is temo logy concerned to unders tand the mean ings tha t respondents asc r ibe to va r ious phenomena. In te rv iewees cou ld use words o r ideas in a par t i cu la r way and the oppor tun i t y to p robe these mean ings add s ign i f i cance and dep th to the da ta ob ta ined . Each in te rv iewee was a lso a f fo rded an oppor tun i t y to hear h imse l f o r he rse l f “ th ink ing a loud” abou t i ssues no t p rev ious ly cons idered o r though t abou t . The resu l t o f th i s methodo logy enab led the wr i te r to co l lec t a r i ch and de ta i led se t o f da ta . The se lec t ion o f the respondents fo r in te rv iew took p lace accord ing to spec i f i c charac te r i s t i cs as we l l as the i r w i l l i ngness to par t i c ipa te . Doo ley (1995 ,p .136) re fe rs to th i s as the purpos ive sampl ing method . Par t i c ipa t ion in qua l i ta t i ve research requ i res a cons iderab le commi tment o f t ime and energy and , o f ten , the w i l l i ngness to commi t to re f lec t ion on deep ly persona l i ssues . As iden t i f i ed by

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Dar l ing ton and Sco t t (2002 , p . 53 ) researchers o f ten have to take par t i c ipan ts they can ge t w i th in the cons t ra in ts o f t ime and o ther resources . The respondents were there fo re se lec ted on the fo l low ing bas is :

They were in te res ted in in fo rming research on p ro fess iona l superv is ion and per fo rmance management th ink ing and ac t i v i t i es in the HSE.

P rac t i t i oner respondents had a t leas t two years o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th in the con tex t o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re serv ice de l i ve ry . Ten p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers were in te rv iewed as th is number was iden t i f i ed as represen t ing abou t one-th i rd o f the to ta l i t y o f soc ia l workers tha t work spec i f i ca l l y in de l i ve r ing ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ices in the two Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce research s i tes . Th is quo ta o f soc ia l workers in te rv iewed was we l l geograph ica l l y d is t r ibu ted ac ross the research s i tes and deemed to be we l l p laced because o f the i r respec t i ve pos i t i ons to in fo rm research on superv iso ry p rac t i ces . T ime cons t ra in ts in under tak ing the research a lone p reven ted fu r ther in te rv iews w i th o ther po ten t ia l responden ts . Overa l l the sample chosen and researched was deemed to be represen ta t i ve fo r research purposes .

L ine manager respondents had a t l eas t one years ’ exper ience o f superv is ing p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers . Four soc ia l work team leaders were in te rv iewed due to the sma l l quo ta o f team leaders emp loyed in bo th Loca l Hea l th Of f ice Areas 9 who p rov ide l i ne management respons ib i l i t i es to ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re teams. Due to the l im i ta t ions on the research s i tes ava i lab le to the au thor , i t was no t poss ib le to in te rv iew a team leader co l league 10 in her own work loca t ion g iven the r i sk o f b ias be ing in t roduced to the da ta co l lec ted . Cogn izance was a lso g iven to ensur ing va l id i t y and re l iab i l i t y in p r imary da ta co l lec t ion .

9 There are currently seven team leaders employed by the Health Service Executive in managing child protection and welfare services in both Local Health Office areas. 10 The author ordinarily shares an office with a team leader colleague. Both the Childcare Research Committee and the Ethics Committee requested that the research would be conducted in social work sites outside of the authors own work location in order to reduce the likelihood of bias being introduced and to ensure reliability and validity in the primary data generated from the semi-structured interviews with social workers and team leaders.

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4.9 L i tera ture accessed Secondary sources o f da ta a re inva luab le in t he ear l y s tages o f research , when one i s exp lo r ing a sub jec t and seek ing ou t the ex ten t o f p rob lem areas (Wa l l iman , 2005) . As no ted in the in t roduc to ry chap te r and l i t e ra tu re rev iew, the sub jec t under inves t iga t ion i .e . the management func t ion o f superv is ion does no t seem to have rece ived spec i f i c a t ten t ion p rev ious ly in soc ia l work l i t e ra tu re . There fo re , as pu t fo rward by Wa l l iman (2005 , p . 243)

“ I t i s d i f f i cu l t to see how anyone cou ld d ive s t ra igh t in to e f fec t i ve research us ing on ly p r imary da ta sources and ignor ing the theore t i ca l o r emp i r i ca l work o f o thers in the same or s im i la r a rea o f s tudy” .

Secondary sources canno t be descr ibed as o r ig ina l and do no t have a phys ica l re la t ionsh ip to the top ic under inves t iga t ion (Wa l l iman, 2005) . Ev idence Based Hea l th Care (EBHC) i s based on the p r inc ipa l tha t every dec is ion on the sub jec t under cons idera t ion i s based on a sys temat ic appra isa l o f the bes t ev idence ava i lab le . In cons ider ing s t reng th o f ev idence sys temat ic rev iews o f mu l t ip le we l l -des igned randomized con t ro l t r i a l s o r we l l -des igned con t ro l t r i a l s a re recogn ized as the “go ld s tandards ” o f ev idence . However in th i s research p rocess because no such s tud ies cou ld be found a judgement had to be made abou t t ypes o f sources u t i l i zed and the i r re l iab i l i t y . Two ma in c r i te r ia were u t i l i zed . Pr imary cons idera t ion was g iven to ev idence f rom we l l -des igned non-exper imenta l s tud ies , p rev ious theses on re la ted a reas and the op in ion o f we l l - respec ted au thor i t i es . Repea ted c i ta t ion in recogn ized , we l l - respec ted and es tab l i shed tex ts / jou rna ls on the sub jec t a reas under cons idera t ion was a lso cen t ra l to the se lec t ion o f mate r ia l s fo r rev iew. 4.10 Access, consent and e th ica l considerat ions The access ob ta ined in th is s tudy may be desc r ibed as over t (S i l ve rman, 2001) in wh ich par t i c ipan ts were in fo rmed abou t the research in wr i t i ng and agreement was ga ined w i th the permiss ion o f a ga tekeep ing p rocess . The le t te r wr i t ten inv i t i ng po ten t ia l i n te rv iewees to take par t i n the research i s se t ou t i n append ix 8 . Th is le t te r was fo l lowed up by a phone ca l l to ve r i f y tha t each respondent was agree ing to be in te rv iewed and to make a r rangements fo r the in te rv iew i t se l f . Ind iv idua l consen t was secured p r io r to

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i n te rv iew th rough the use o f consen t fo rms (see append ix 9 ) . C la r i t y , b rev i t y and f rankness a re key a t t r i bu tes in p rov id ing in fo rmat ion on wh ich consen t i s based (Wal l iman , 2005 , p . 364) In fo rmed consen t as se t ou t by Cohen and Man ion , (1994) was a t ta ined th rough d iscuss ion w i th ind iv idua l par t i c ipan ts , ques t ions cons idered and then s igned o f f . An e th ica l l y sound approach to research i s based on the p r inc ip le o f hones ty (Wa l l iman , 2005 , p . 350) . Commi tments were g iven to in te rv iew respondents in respec t o f the fo l low ing :

Anonymis ing da ta co l lec ted , ana lyz ing and wr i t i ng up in the f i na l repor t

S to rage o f da ta mate r ia l s ou ts ide o f the o rgan iza t ion . Con f iden t ia l i t y in respec t o f i n fo rmat ion and da ta shared

and spec i f i ca l l y tha t ana lys i s o f p r imary da ta ga thered wou ld no t be used to eva lua te e i the r ind iv idua l l i ne managers in the p rov is ion o f p rac t i t i oner superv is ion o r soc ia l work p rac t i t i oners in the i r use o f superv is ion . Assurances were g iven tha t the in te rv iew was no t regarded , as some sor t o f a tes t o r i ndeed tha t any d iscuss ion wou ld take p lace w i th ind iv idua l l i ne managers in respec t o f any aspec t o f the in te rv iew p rocess .

There wou ld be no requ i rement on ind iv idua l responden ts to par t i c ipa te in the research and there wou ld be no pena l i sa t ion in the i r op t ing ou t a t any s tage in the research p rocess .

The ava i lab i l i t y o f the Employee Ass is tance Serv ice i f requ i red by any o f the par t i c ipan ts .

Respondents wou ld be g iven the oppor tun i t y to v iew the p resen ta t ion o f p r imary da ta in the f ind ings and ana lys is chap te rs p r io r to the f i na l i sa t ion and comple t ion o f the d isser ta t ion in o rder tha t respondents were sa t i s f ied tha t the i r con t r ibu t ions were re f lec ted accura te ly and hones t l y . A commi tment was made to mak ing any amendments iden t i f i ed by the respondents .

These commi tments were made a lso to ensure compl iance w i th the HSE Ch i ldcare Serv ices Research and E th ics Commi t tees . Consen t to engage in the research was sough t f rom two separa te o rgan iza t iona l ga tekeepers . Cor respondence to bo th the Ch i l dcare Serv ices Research Commi t tee and the Hea l th Serv ices Execu t i ve E th ics

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Commi t tee wh ich was sen t in December 2006 i s se t ou t in append ices 10 and 11 . In te r im approva l to commence the beg inn ing s tages o f the research p rocess f rom the E th ics Commi t tee was g iven on the bas is tha t a more deve loped in te rv iew gu ide , schedu le and in fo rmat ion le t te r to po ten t ia l responden ts was fo rwarded to the commi t tee fo r cons idera t ion . F ina l approva l was g ran ted in ear l y March 2007 . The p rocess to secur ing e th ica l approva l invo lved a c lear sequence o f even ts invo lv ing submi t t i ng a comple ted app l i ca t ion fo rm, as se t ou t in append ices 11 , deve lop ing an in te rv iew gu ide , in te rv iew schedu le , l e t te r o f i nv i ta t ion / in fo rmat ion to po ten t ia l research respondents and consen t fo rm fo r those invo lved in the p r imary research p rocess . The p rocess to secur ing approva l f rom the Ch i ldcare Serv ices Commi t tee invo lved cor respondence to the commi t tee as se t ou t in append ices 10 . Th is commi t tee re fe r red the p roposa l to t he E th ics Commi t tee on the bas is tha t tha t au thor had been invo lved in bo th superv is ion t ra in ing and po l i cy deve lopment w i th in the o rgan iza t ion and there fo re ca re fu l cons idera t ion needed to be g iven to how any such research wou ld o r cou ld p roceed w i th po ten t ia l research respondents . The app l i ca t ion to the E th ics Commi t tee was fo rwarded on th is bas is by the au thor . 4.11 Bias and l imi ta t ions There i s a lways danger o f b ias c reep ing in to in te rv iews , la rge ly because in te rv iewers a re , a f te r a l l human be ings and no t mach ines (Be l l , 2002 , p .139) . The au thor ho lds a re la t i ve ly h igh p ro f i l e amongs t the soc ia l work teams in the s tudy loca t ion , ma in ly due to p rev ious invo lvement in the p rov is ion o f s ta f f t ra in ing , inc lud ing superv is ion t ra in ing w i th soc ia l work managers and p rac t i t i oners . The au thor was a lso invo lved in d r i v ing the deve lopment o f the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy documen t on superv is ion and there fo re cou ld be po ten t ia l l y perce ived as hav ing a par t i cu la r o rgan iza t iona l agenda o r ves ted in te res t . G iven the spec i f i c in te res t in superv is ion and poss ib le percep t ions he ld the au thor was consc ious o f her own s t rong ly he ld v iews on the top ic and watched care fu l l y how ques t ions were f ramed to respondents to ensure tha t lead ing ques t ions were no t asked to sa t i s fy the au thor ’ own

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research agenda . Respondents were regu la r l y reassured o f the a im and ob jec t i ves o f the in te rv iews and tha t the research exerc ise was no t abou t eva lua t ing p ro fess iona l p rac t i ces e i the r w i th workers o r indeed c l ien t g roups . The in te rv iewers ’ own behav io rs and tone o f vo ice was a lso con t inuous ly checked and eva lua ted th roughou t the in te rv iew p rocess . As h igh l igh ted by Douce t (1998 , ) the r i sks inheren t in qua l i ta t i ve research methods such as in f luences f rom ones own persona l l i f e , p ro fess iona l exper iences , cho ice o f academic tex ts tha t f rame research and ana lys is and the o rgan iza t iona l con tex t gu ides and in f luences a par t i cu la r way o f “ see ing” and “hear ing ” responden ts ’ accoun ts . G iven tha t the au thor cu r ren t l y p rov ides p ro fess iona l superv is ion to a team o f s i x soc ia l workers , i t became c lear tha t i n o rder to avo id obv ious b ias respondents were se lec ted f rom teams e lsewhere in the reg ion . A dec is ion was a lso made no t to engage in any d i rec t d ia logue w i th those s ix p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers abou t any aspec t o f the research p rocess g iven the i r own work ing re la t ionsh ips w i th par t i c ipa t ing co l leagues . Th is was one o f the permiss ion c r i te r ia se t ou t by the Ch i ldcare Research Commi t tee and a lso iden t i f i ed by the HSE Eth ics Commi t tee . The fo l low ing l im i ta t ions in the s tudy were exper ienced :

Due to the sma l l numbers invo lved in the semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews the genera l i za t ions o f the f ind ings a re l im i ted and any ex t rapo la t ion mus t be cons idered w i th cau t ion . Such a sma l l - sca le s tudy shou ld no t be cons idered ind ica t i ve o f the who le o rgan iza t ion o r indeed the na t iona l s i tua t ion per ta in ing to superv is ion .

Bo th t ime and budge ta ry cons t ra in ts p reven ted the au thor conduc t ing a more b road ly based survey o f percep t ions and exper iences o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion and per fo rmance management such as a reg iona l su rvey o f a l l soc ia l workers and team leaders in Dub l in -M id Le ins te r Loca l Hea l th Of f ice a reas .

As ou t l i ned ear l i e r d i f f i cu l t i es were exper ienced in ob ta in ing randomized con t ro l led t r i a l s and sys temat i c s tud ies on the a reas under inves t iga t ion . The l i t e ra tu re search found no p rev ious s tud ies spec i f i ca l l y on the management func t ion o f superv is ion .

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Due to the au thor ’ s own pos i t i on as a l i ne manager , respondents cou ld on ly be se lec ted f rom four research s i tes and as no ted above th is l im i ted the number o f team leaders who cou ld be in te rv iewed.

G iven the researchers “ ins ider ” p ro f i l e in the o rgan iza t ion cons idera t ion mus t be g iven as to whether respondents gave a t rue and accura te accoun t o f the i r pe rcep t ions and exper iences , desp i te repea ted assurances .

The da ta ga thered in th i s s tudy was f rom the perspec t i ve o f i nd iv idua l p rac t i t i oners and f ron t - l i ne managers . Superv is ion records were no t cons idered . Key s takeho lders in the p rocess such as c l ien ts , mu l t i -d i sc ip l i na ry teams, a l l i ed agenc ies and the o rgan iza t ion in genera l were no t consu l ted .

However , desp i te the l im i ta t ions iden t i f i ed above , the numbers o f research respondents in te rv iewed and the na tu re o f the research i t se l f w i l l con t r ibu te s ign i f i can t l y t o knowledge in respec t o f soc ia l workers percep t ions o f superv is ion and per fo rmance management , g i ven tha t such knowledge i s in t he ear l y s tages o f deve lopment in I re land . As ap t l y pu t by B lax te r e t a l (2001 , p .15)

“no research p ro jec t can rea l i s t i ca l l y asp i re to do more than advance our unders tand ing in some way” .

4.12 P i lo t ing of the in terv iew guide The f i r s t s tage o f any p r imary da ta ga ther ing shou ld be a “dummy run” as th i s fac i l i t a tes the iden t i f i ca t ion o f the inev i tab le p rob lems o f conver t ing the des ign in to rea l i t y (Robson , 2002 , p . 383) . The au thor p i lo ted the semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iew gu ide w i th a coup le o f co l leagues loca ted ou ts ide the immed ia te geograph ica l research a rea bu t who a re emp loyed as a soc ia l work p rac t i t i oner and team leader w i th in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve . I t was on the i r sugges t ion tha t the de f in i t i ons o f superv is ion and per fo rmance management were inc luded a t the s ta r t o f the in te rv iew. The in te rv iew was descr ibed as be ing jus t l ong enough and re levan t . Sugges t ions were g iven in te rms o f i n te rv iew techn ique and par t i cu la r l y on reassurances o f da ta management g iven the sens i t i v i t y o f i n fo rmat ion tha t cou ld po ten t ia l l y emerge dur ing the in te rv iew s tage . Th is feedback was ac ted upon when under tak ing the f ie ldwork .

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4.13 Account o f f ie ldwork The f ie ldwork fo r th i s s tudy took p lace dur ing the f i r s t th ree weeks o f March 2007 . The semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews took p lace p redominan t l y in the workp lace o f the par t i c ipan ts and were be tween fo r ty to f i f t y m inu tes in dura t ion . Each in te rv iew was recorded w i th the par t i c ipan t ’ s permiss ion . Subsequent to each in te rv iew the researcher b rough t the tape fo r t ranscr ip t ion to an independent t yp is t . The t ransc r ip t ion was made ava i lab le a day la te r w i th the au thor commenc ing the p rocess o f da ta o rgan iza t ion , cod ing and in te rp re ta t ion wh i le the con ten t o f the in te rv iew was s t i l l f resh in the mind o f the in te rv iewer . 4.14 Data organizat ion and analys is As iden t i f i ed by Wal l iman (2005 , p . 301) l i t t l e sense can be made o f a huge co l lec t ion o f da ta and there fo re ana lys is i s a c r i t i ca l pa r t o f the research p rocess . The advan tage o f a focused in te rv iew i s tha t a f ramework i s es tab l i shed be fo rehand and so ana lys is i s g rea t l y s imp l i f i ed and par t i cu la r l y impor tan t fo r t ime- l im i ted s tud ies such as th is research p ro jec t (Be l l , 2002 , p .138) . In the p re l im inary s tages ana lys is invo lved a s tandard ized se t o f head ings ma in ly emerg ing f rom the l i t e ra tu re rev iew wh ich p rompted the o rder ing o f the in fo rmat ion . However , the ma in approach u t i l i zed in th i s s tudy invo lved temp la te ana lys is , wh ich i s cons idered su i tab le fo r use p r imar i l y w i th in te rv iew t ranscr ip ts . The s teps o f temp la te ana lys is a re ou t l i ned as fo l lows by Robson (2002 , p .458) :

Key codes a re de te rmined e i the r on a p r io r i bas is (der i ved f rom theory , research ques t ions o r l i t e ra tu re rev iewed) o r f rom an in i t i a l read o f the p r imary da ta genera ted .

These codes then serve as a temp la te o r b in fo r da ta ana lys is . The temp la te may be changed as ana lys is con t inues .

Segments o f tex t , wh ich i s c lass i f i ed as emp i r i ca l ev idence fo r temp la te ca tegor ies , a re iden t i f i ed .

Typ i f i ed by mat r i x ana lys is , where descr ip t i ve summar ies o f the tex t segments a re supp lemented by mat r i ces , ne twork maps , f l ow char ts and d iagrams.

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In temp la te ana lys is i t i s common to iden t i f y and expec t in advance o f the research p ro jec t tha t ce r ta in themes w i l l emerge f rom the p r imary da ta genera ted and tha t ce r ta in aspec ts o f the phenomena under inves t iga t ion shou ld be focused on (K ing , 1998) . K ing a rgues fo r the usage o f p re iden t i f i ed a p r io r i themes in these c i rcumstances as the impor tance o f ce r ta in i ssues in re la t ion to the sub jec t under cons idera t ion a re so we l l es tab l i shed tha t the researcher can sa fe ly expec t them to a r ise in the p r imary da ta genera ted . K ing (2005) no tes tha t in i t i a l temp la te deve lopment can vary and can beg in e i the r a f te r an in i t i a l read ing o f two to th ree t ranscr ip ts to a s tage where a l l t ranscr ip ts have been coded par t i cu la r l y in the case o f phenomeno log ica l s tud ies . Hav ing regard to the t ime cons t ra in ts invo lved and the v iews o f K ing as se t ou t above in re la t ion to the o rgan iza t ion o f da ta in to mean ing fu l and purpose fu l banks (o r b ins ) o f i n fo rmat ion , a l l o f the t ransc r ip ts were read tw ice . Hav ing fu l l y cons idered the research ques t ions the au thor p roduced an in i t i a l temp la te , wh ich was rev ised on a th i rd read ing o f the p r imary da ta genera ted th rough the in te rv iew p rocess . Each t ranscr ip t was separa ted ou t in to ind iv idua l da ta o r in fo rmat ion se ts th rough co lour cod ing and a l igned accord ing to the p re - iden t i f i ed a p r io r i de f ined th rough the in i t i a l read ing and re - read ing s tages o f the t ransc r ip ts . H igh l igh te r markers were u t i l i zed to iden t i f y and separa te ou t the ind iv idua l accoun ts o f pa r t i c ipan ts . The a p r io r i themes emerg ing a re as fo l lows : 1 . Requ i rement fo r an in tegra ted approach to superv is ion

de l i ve ry 2 . Accoun tab i l i t y and comp l iance w i th agency po l i cy – the

p redominan t agenda 3 . S t ra teg ic re focus ing o f the p rocess o f superv is ion to

embed per fo rmance management 4 . Deve lop ing appropr ia te measurement too ls Sub themes under w i l l a l so be fu r ther iden t i f i ed and deve loped in the f ind ings and ana lys is chap te r .

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4.15 Br ie f re f lect ions on the research journey Th is research jou rney has invo lved a cons iderab le amount o f l ea rn ing in how to conduc t use fu l , pu rpose fu l and mean ing fu l research in o rder tha t i t cons t ruc t i ve ly in fo rms and bu i lds on ex is t ing knowledge in re la t ion to p ro fess iona l superv is ion and i t s l i nkages w i th per fo rmance management . S ign i f i can t l y i t a l so c rea ted an awareness o f the need fo r th i s research to connec t w i th and re f lec t on the rea l l i f e exper iences o f soc ia l workers a t the coa l face o f p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce de l i ve ry . Cr i t i ca l l y th i s research has rea f f i rmed tha t per fo rmance management can be we l l embedded in in tegra ted and qua l i t y focused superv iso ry p rac t i ces . Throughou t th i s p rocess the au thor (as a l i ne manager ) has had an oppor tun i t y and space to re f lec t on the c r i t i ca l ro le o f the l i ne manager in manag ing per fo rmance bu t in equa l measure suppor t ing and cons is ten t l y encourag ing soc ia l workers in the i r p ro fess iona l p rac t i ces w i th se rv ice users in a f requen t l y h igh ly f l u id , p ressur i sed and uncer ta in work env i ronment . The accoun ts f rom bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders o f the i r s t rugg les and cha l lenges w i th superv is ion h igh l igh t the need fo r more and be t te r ways o f manag ing and suppor t ing bo th the work and the worker . A key p r io r i t y mus t be to bu i ld on ex is t ing sys temic p rocesses tha t suppor t bo th p rac t i t i oners and l i ne managers in manag ing the persona l impac t o f the work . Desp i te be ing in the pos i t i on o f i ns ider researcher , pa r t i c ipan ts we lcomed the oppor tun i t y to have some t ime to re f lec t and repor t on the i r exper iences bu t equa l l y to have the i r pe rcep t ions and v iews cons idered and heard in he lp ing to in fo rm, re focus and reshape the management o f the work o f the soc ia l worker . The cha l lenge now rema ins fo r the au thor , o ther management co l leagues and indeed soc ia l workers themse lves in how to bes t t rans la te th is re in fo rced knowledge and lea rn ing in to be t te r sys tems, p rocesses and ways o f work ing and th ink ing no t on ly w i th s ta f f g roups bu t equa l l y those who use and come in to con tac t w i th the p ro fess iona l se rv ices o f soc ia l workers .

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4.16 Conclus ions Th is chap te r has ou t l i ned the key ph i losoph ies , approaches and ac t i v i t i es invo lved in th i s research jou rney . The p r imary research i t se l f was qua l i ta t i ve and exp lo ra to ry in na tu re us ing semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews . Ana lys is o f da ta was car r ied ou t us ing a temp la te ana lys is approach . The s tudy se t ou t to exp lo re par t i c ipan t ’ s percep t ions and exper iences o f a par t i cu la r d imens ion o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th spec i f i c re fe rence to in f luenc ing per fo rmance management th ink ing and ac t i v i t i es in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve . The nex t chap te r w i l l se t ou t the ma in f ind ings and cons ider these w i th in the con tex t o f t he l i t e ra tu re and po l i cy deve lopments on superv is ion and per fo rmance management .

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Chapter 5

Findings and Discussion 5.1 In t roduct ion Th is chap te r p resen ts qua l i ta t i ve f ind ings ga thered f rom a to ta l o f fou r teen semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews he ld w i th team leaders and soc ia l workers in two Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce a reas in the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve . A la rge amount o f da ta was ga thered f rom the f ie ldwork s tage o f th i s s tudy . Due to i t s l im i ted s ize no t a l l o f the da ta can be repor ted on . However , the da ta has been ana lyzed and p resen ted in themes cap tu r ing the s ign i f i can t recur r ing i ssues . The da ta i s repor ted and d iscussed under the fo l low ing four themes:

Requ i rement fo r an in tegra ted approach to superv is ion

Accoun tab i l i t y and compl iance w i th agency po l i cy – the p redominan t agenda

S t ra teg ic re focus ing o f the p rocess o f superv is ion to

embed per fo rmance management

Deve lop ing appropr ia te measurement too ls An overa l l and overa rch ing descr ip t ion o f the f ind ings f rom th is s tudy i s se t ou t be low to o r ien ta te the reader to the b roader imp l i ca t ions emerg ing f rom these f ind ings . 5.2 Exper ience of superv is ion – the b ig p ic ture De l i ve r ing ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ices invo lves ba lanc ing scarce resources , no t on ly o f the phys ica l , human o r f i nanc ia l d imens ions bu t mere ly t ime i t se l f and th is i s c lea r l y the s i tua t ion re f lec ted by bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders who par t i c ipa ted in th i s research p ro jec t . The da i l y task o f de l i ve r ing soc ia l work in te rven t ions to ch i ld ren , young peop le and fami l i es in need o r in c r i s i s con t inues to be exper ienced as h igh ly s t ress fu l desp i te inc reased resources over the las t number o f years . P ro fess iona l superv is ion does no t take p lace in i so la t ion and there i s a w ider con tex t to be cons idered such as con t inuous serv ice de l i ve ry changes , inc reased

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accoun tab i l i t y i n respec t o f p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce , he igh tened pub l i c awareness and expec ta t ions a round qua l i t y se rv ice de l i ve ry by a mu l t i tude o f s takeho lders coup led w i th inc reased use o f l i t i ga t ion . Wi ths tand ing a l l o f these compet ing demands and p ressures there i s c lea r ev idence tha t workers and managers a re aware o f the i r respons ib i l i t i es in re la t ion to p ro fess iona l superv is ion . Prac t i t i oners and l i ne managers a re fami l i a r w i th the expec ta t ions o f the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion . Wh i le th i s po l i cy document has been in ex is tence s ince 2003 i t s imp lementa t ion i s var ied ac ross soc ia l work loca t ions . The management func t ion o f superv is ion as a co re p rocess to per fo rmance i s genera l l y be ing addressed on a s t ruc tu red and cons is ten t bas is . Ind iv idua l superv is ion i s the p r imary t ype o f superv is ion p rov ided . Superv is ion t ra in ing has been p rov ided fo r bo th p rac t i t i oners and l i ne managers by the o rgan iza t ion and the ma jo r i t y o f respondents ’ repor t hav ing a t tended a once-o f f t ra in ing even t . The focus in superv is ion sess ions i s p redominan t l y on the management func t ion w i th cen t ra l d i scuss ions be tween bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders concen t ra ted on the core e lements o f case and work load management , ac t ion p lan fo rmu la t ion , and rev iew o f work in accordance w i th agency , lega l and po l i cy requ i rements . In essence bo th the agenda and cu l tu re i s one d i rec ted towards accoun tab le and ev idence-based approaches w i th se rv ice users . The th ree func t ions o f suppor t , med ia t ion and p ro fess iona l deve lopment wh i le no t the p redominan t focus o f th i s research bu t never the less iden t i f i ed and h igh l igh ted in d iscuss ions a re less we l l deve loped and addressed in the superv iso ry p rocess and var ia t ions ex is t on the ex ten t to wh ich these a re addressed w i th soc ia l workers . The o rgan iza t iona l capac i t y to manage and con ta in s t ress , anx ie ty and burnou t and ongo ing sys temic a t tempts to suppor t s ta f f i n manag ing the emot iona l impac t o f the work rema ins a s ign i f i can t cha l lenge . 5.3 Per formance management – the b ig p ic ture Superv is ion has a cen t ra l ro le to p lay in the management o f workers ’ pe r fo rmance and th is i s we l l recogn ized , acknowledged and accep ted by p rac t i t i oners and managers . The ma jo r i t y o f workers iden t i f i ed the ro le and

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va lue o f ind iv idua l superv is ion in suppor t ing them in the i r work and g iv ing them a focus in t he i r p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce w i th se rv ice users . L ine managers and p rac t i t i oners a l i ke iden t i f i ed va r ious ways tha t superv iso ry p rac t i ces and ac t i v i t i es cou ld embrace , enhance and complement a fo rma l per fo rmance management sys tem w i th in HSE soc ia l work depar tments . Cur ren t l y , the re i s no fo rma l appra isa l sys tem or p rocess to assess and eva lua te the per fo rmance o r p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce o f soc ia l workers once they have secured permanent emp loyment w i th the HSE. In genera l , respondents were no t aware p r io r to in te rv iew o f t he HSE’ p lan to in t roduce a fo rma l per fo rmance management sys tem such as TBPM. Whi le such a sys tem was genera l l y cons idered pos i t i ve in te rms o f i t s ph i losophy and approach , s ign i f i can t concern was ra ised in te rms o f the add i t i ona l respons ib i l i t i es p laced on a l ready over burdened l i ne managers and workers . Add i t i ona l resources to reduce ex is t ing heavy work loads and to suppor t the imp lementa t ion o f TBPM were cons idered a p re requ is i te in o rder fo r the p rocess to t rans la te e f f i c ien t l y and e f fec t i ve ly in to the work p lace fo r a l l s takeho lders invo lved . S ign i f i can t concern was ra ised a round how worker per fo rmance wou ld be measured and par t i cu la r l y when faced w i th under per fo rmance i ssues . D iscuss ion took p lace on iden t i f y ing spec i f i c measurement too ls to be app l ied by l i ne managers and teams in meet ing o rgan iza t iona l ob jec t i ves . The i ssue o f deve lop ing per fo rmance ob jec t i ves , measurement too ls and ind ica to rs tha t wou ld cap tu re and encapsu la te no t on ly ou tpu t measurements bu t a lso inpu t and p rocess measurements to incorpora te a l l s teps in the serv ice de l i ve ry p rocess . Per fo rmance measurement too ls cap tu r ing qua l i t y in fo rmat ion and da ta abou t e f fec t i ve in te rven t ions , c l i en t exper iences and pos i t i ve ou tcomes fo r se rv ice users were cen t ra l i n d iscuss ions . The fo l low ing tab les se t some o f the ma in f i nd ings f rom th is research s tudy : Tab le 1 - Team Leader Superv iso ry Exper iences Tab le 2 - Soc ia l Workers Superv iso ry Exper iences Tab le 3 – Team Leaders -Per fo rmance Management Tab le 4 – Soc ia l Workers – per fo rmance Management

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Supervisory Experiences – Team Leaders

Respondent 1 Respondent 2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4

1. Awareness of key Activities to be covered under management function

Yes Yes Yes Yes

2. What issues are substantively focused on

Work reviewed in accordance with legal and agency requirements. Formulation of action plans on cases. Case load management.

Work reviewed in accordance with legal and agency requirements. Formulation of action plans on cases. Case load management.

Case management. Anything that refers to the cases will dominate the supervision session.

Work reviewed in accordance with agency and legal requirements. Action plan formulation.

3. Explanations for these supervisory behaviours and activities

Agency and legal requirements. Time constraints on team leaders.

These are most closely linked and aligned to the performance of the duties in child protection services. Clarity of role and responsibilities is key to the delivery of good social work so that is why they are discussed in every single case discussion.

Statutory responsibilities, high levels of referrals and high caseloads. Time constraints and pressure on team leader.

Time constraints. Legal and statutory requirements. Need to know job is being done.

4. How can current model of supervision be strengthened and built on

Reduce ratios of staff to be supervised by team leaders.

Organisational mandate and clarity on how to conduct performance appraisals. Framework to evaluate performance. Manageable workload for team leaders. Need to consider how some of the functions may be addressed through group/team based approaches. Role of senior practitioner needs to be developed.

Supervision policy needs to take more account of case management duties on team leader and social workers. Reduction in workload for everyone. More time to facilitate comprehensive supervision.

Reduction in workload for T/Ls in order that all four functions can be adequately met.

5. Impact on the role of social workers

Clarity for workers on purpose of work and plans with families.

Could be perceived as a big checking up session and therefore negative. Important in how mgt functions are framed and approach taken. Need to refer back to client in discussions.

Everyone is caught up in case management priority of the work. Probably social workers on reflection would see that supervision is incomplete and inadequate in terms of meeting their emotional and educational needs.

Provides focus and structure in work. Provides a secure base for professional practice.

6. Are social workers being supervised in accordance with management function

Yes They are accountable for the work that they do and in taking responsibility in bringing cases for discussion. Supervision as a process is entered into in good faith and therefore social workers are being supervised.

Yes but some aspects are underdeveloped because the drive is on case management, case discussion and action planning. No formal appraisal but does provide feedback to staff on overall performance.

Yes

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Supervisory experiences – Social Workers

Respondent 1 Respondent 2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4 Respondent 5

1) Awareness of key activities to be covered under management function

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

2) What Issues are substantively focused on

Case discussion and planning


Clinical responsibility. Workload at any given time.



3) Explanations for these supervisory behaviours and activities

Time constraints on T/L. Statutory responsibilities of the HSE

Accountability. Fear. Media & public pressures.

Focus on best practice issues. Driven also by agency targets.

Agency, statutory and legal requirements.

Levels of experience of both social workers and team leader. Time constraints

4) How can current model of supervision be strengthened and built on

Team/group supervision. Group learning forums.

Supervision training. Review current practice. Make better use of team processes.

Need to tap into strengths of social workers. Integrated approach to supervision.

More time for reflective practice. More focus on other functions. Need for training on supervision for both social workers and team leaders. In-built techniques. On managing work related stress. Group learning forums

More dedicated time to the other functions. Peer support and group learning forums. Formal recognition of the heavy emotional component of the work. Prioritising supervision.

5) Impact on the role of social workers

Negative impact. Not enough reflective practice. Prescriptive in approach.

Prescriptive practice. Narrow professional experience

Tick boxing exercise. Covering the organisational responsibilities and bases.

Clear goals and tasks and focus in your work. No formal opportunity or space for reflective practice. Tend to rely on informal peer support.

Not a balanced approach to supervision. Not enough reflective practice time.

6) Are social workers being supervised in accordance with management function

Yes but no formal appraisal. Not fully. Prescriptive in approach. No time for reflective practice. No appraisal.

Yes. Yes overall. No formal appraisal.

Yes but no formal appraisal.

Table 2 Supervisory Experiences – Social Workers

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Supervisory experiences – Social Workers


1) Awareness of key activities to be covered under management function

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

1) What Issues are substantively focused on






3) Explanations for these supervisory behaviours and activities

Time constraints Needs guidance from T/L on how to proceed with complex cases.

Complexity of the work requires regular discussion.

Lack of Team Leader time due to high nos to supervise

Time. High levels of case loads and activity.

4) How can current model of supervision be strengthened and built on

More line managers and supervision

Reduce workload of T/Ls. Team supervision. Develop role of senior practitioner.

Separate out accountability function and hold separate supervision on other functions

Reduce workload of T/L. T/Ls need assistants. Group supervision. More group learning. Good supervision policy.

Reflective practice/time with T/L. Reduce caseloads. Training on supervision.

5) Impact on the role of social workers

Safety net for social workers

Safety net for social workers

Prescriptive practice. Not enough time for reflective practice.

Not enough reflective practice. Social workers told what to do. No flexibility around caseload allocation/suitability to the competence and skill base of the social worker.

Not enough reflective practice Prescriptive Practice.

Being supervised? Yes but no formal appraisal

Yes but no formal appraisal

Yes but no formal appraisal

No Yes when supervision takes place. Currently Infrequent. No appraisal

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Performance Management Team Leaders

Respondent 1 Respondent 2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4

1) Are you familiar with the HSE plan to introduce Team Based Programme Management

No Vaguely familiar with concept No No

2) What are your views on this?

Good idea. Needs to be specific to social work service. Need clear set of performance objectives and indicators. Need comprehensive induction programme

Likes the principle it is based on - team-based responsibility and ownership. Main difficulty may be where the team may set a different set of priorities to the HSE national priorities.

As a plan it is the way to go. However serious reservations in terms of the additional time and responsibilities involved. Seen as a whole new piece of work for team leader with a set of expectations. Needs to be resourced with people and time in order that everyone has a reduced workload to take this on. However good vehicle to address service deficits and identify community based approaches to addressing client needs. Has capacity to be creative and to utilise the different skills of staff.

Good development. Sees supervision as playing an important role in managing overall team objectives.

3) How can supervision contribute towards a robust Performance Management System

Team and group supervision. Clarity about role of supervision in meeting performance objectives and measurements. Personal development planning.

Where there is clarity about role and function, what one is meant to be doing and team have shared understanding, there will be consistency across the team and therefore better quality of service delivery.

Team/group based approaches to supervision in managing the teams work collectively including yearly targets. Appraising/monitoring performance in meeting responsibilities.

Not sure of linkages

Table 3 Performance Management – Team Leaders

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Performance Management Social Workers



No No No No No

2) What are your views on this

Need to develop tools that capture quality information

No reason why it should not work. Need appropriate processes and systems

Need clear performance objectives and indicators

Sounds good in principal. Measurement tools required that include quality dimensions.

Concerned how it will be implemented in practice

3) How can Supervision contribute towards a robust Performance Management System

More regular supervision. Less case loads. Tools that can apply in supervision

Regular supervision with manageable caseloads. Need system to deal with under performance.

Need integrated training strategy. Systems and processes that value the worker.

More reflective practice discussions. More emphasis on other functions. More training on specific issues presenting in cases.

Regular supervision. Need integrated approach to supervision. Prioritisation of supervision.

Table 4 Performance Management – Social Workers

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Performance Management Social Workers



No No No No No

2) What are Your views on this

Good idea. Empowerment model to decide priorities and targets. Will encourage collective thinking and practice and standardise service delivery .

Needs to be resource supported. Quality dimension to measurement is critical

Team focused in approach. Strengths focused. Issue of different levels of productivity. Individuals work production will be more scrutinised. Need to set realistic targets

Good idea in principle. Bottom up approach to target setting. Empowerment model. Concern regarding PIs. Need to capture quality dimension of the work.

Good idea in principle. Team and strengths based approach. Difficult to set standard performance targets and measurements with families. Quality dimension of the work needs to be captured.

3) How can Supervision contribute towards a robust Performance Management System

More time for integrated supervision. Less caseloads to focus more time on achieving yearly targets set. Better recording system in place. Performance measurements for supervision. Competency training for T/Ls. Supervision training for S/Ws.

Review case and workloads of social workers. Training for social workers and team leaders.

Mechanism for managing under performance. Regular and consistent supervision. Team/ group supervision. Mentoring, coaching. Group learning forums. Dedicated space to discuss the emotional impact of the work. Reduce workload of T/L.

Need performance indicators that reflect the quality dimension of the work. Review of supervision policy so it becomes a living, working document with supervision underpinned in it as a right. Supervision should be seen as

More support to manage under or poor performance. Mentoring and coaching opportunities. Group supervision.

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5.4 Requi rement for an in tegrated approach to superv is ion Soc ia l workers and team leaders were ques t ioned abou t the i r exper iences o f the management func t ion o f superv is ion and i t s l i nkages to a per fo rmance management sys tem fo r soc ia l work serv ices . A l l o f the respondents con f i rmed tha t the focus o f superv is ion i s p r imar i l y on imp lement ing the management func t ion check l i s t o f tasks and tha t the o ther func t ions a re g iven much less a t ten t ion overa l l . Bo th se ts o f respondents re fe r red to th ree key d r i ve rs wh ich led to th is s i tua t ion , namely the h igh ra t ios o f s ta f f to be superv ised , s ta tu to ry and lega l respons ib i l i t i es p redomina t ing and t ime cons t ra in ts due to the range o f compet ing demands on them. 11Team leaders iden t i f i ed the need to have a more ba lanced and in tegra ted approach to superv is ion bu t s ta ted tha t th i s cou ld no t rea l i s t i ca l l y happen in the cur ren t one-on-one approach ( ind iv idua l superv is ion ) to superv is ion in bo th Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce a reas g iven the h igh ra t ios to be superv ised and the compet ing demands on the i r t ime . The i r p redominan t concern in a superv is ion sess ion re la ted to case d iscuss ion and ac t ion p lann ing in o rder to meet s ta tu to ry , l ega l and good p rac t i ce requ i rements . One team leader re fe r red to her a t tempts to s t r i ke the ba lance

“ I do t ry to ge t a ba lance bu t I de f in i te l y th ink tha t no mat te r how much o f a ba lance you ge t , the management func t ion has to , i t has to come f i r s t ” .

Ano ther team leader iden t i f i ed the impac t on the qua l i t y o f superv is ion o f fe red to soc ia l workers

“ so o f necess i t y the qua l i t y o f superv is ion canno t be what i t shou ld be when you wou ld on ly have an appropr ia te number to superv ise , so there fo re , you know you have to focus on case management and the per fo rmance p iece … you don ’ t ge t the same oppor tun i t i es fo r p ro fess iona l deve lopment and t ra in ing so the management func t ion s tays up there ve ry much and maybe ge ts an over emphas is when

11 All respondents referred specifically to excessively high staff ratios to be supervised by team leaders which includes social workers, family support workers and community child care leaders.

you a re under p ressure to superv ise la rge numbers o f peop le ” .

Ano ther team leader iden t i f i ed

“…. tha t p robab ly i t l eaves the soc ia l workers fee l ing , maybe a l i t t l e b i t unsuppor ted emot iona l l y in the i r j ob and p ro fess iona l l y …” .

Th is i s fu r the r iden t i f i ed by a soc ia l worker

“ i t rea l l y comes down to s ta f f members fee l ing suppor ted and fee l ing va lued fo r the work they have done and tha t i s the b ig p rob lem. .s ta f f fee l qu i te undermined and they fee l qu i te unsuppor ted” .

The qua l i t y o f superv is ion i s dependen t on the ab i l i t y o f the superv iso r to fac i l i t a te the p rocess , wh ich a l lows fo r the deve lopment o f the worker in a suppor t i ve manner wh i le rema in ing focused on accoun tab le p rac t i ce . Organ iza t iona l capac i t y requ i res no t on ly sk i l l ed , ins igh t fu l superv iso rs who engage in superv is ion and t ra in ing themse lves bu t c r i t i ca l l y who a re g iven the t ime and space w i th in the work ing env i ronment (O ’Ne i l l , 2004) . Team leaders re fe r red to excess ive ly h igh work loads , wh ich s ign i f i can t l y reduced the i r t ime capac i t y to superv ise soc ia l workers in accordance w i th bes t p rac t i ce . As iden t i f i ed by one soc ia l worker “ . . any o f the team leaders pos ts tha t I can see , they a re ca r ry ing fa r too g rea t respons ib i l i t y . I th ink tha t fo r a team leader to be e f fec t i ve they need to ha lve the number o f s ta f f fo r whom they a re accoun tab le…” Soc ia l workers repor ted the need to fee l suppor ted in the i r work and par t i cu la r l y to be fac i l i t a ted to d iscuss the impac t o f the i r case load on them. Wh i le they accep ted tha t case d iscuss ion absorbs a cons iderab le amount o f superv is ion t ime, they fe l t the re was a c lea r need fo r each superv is ion sess ion agenda to take some accoun t o f the emot iona l component o f the work . One soc ia l worker cap tu red the concerns o f a l l he r co l leagues

“ maybe somet imes you wan t to be jus t heard , you know what I mean. The focus i s ce r ta in ly on the case

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management ; i t i s no t on the o ther i ssues . You sor t o f j us t have to ge t on w i th i t and go” .

Ano ther no ted “…. I suppose the re o f ten i sn ’ t a s t ruc tu re a round superv is ion to lend the t ime to focus ing on maybe the persona l o r deve lopmenta l needs o f the worker ” . Many commenta to rs recogn ize the need fo r superv is ion to take p lace w i th in a regu la r , p lanned , t imed and s t ruc tu red con tex t wh ich ensures the s tandards o f ca re to those who use the serv ice and fac i l i t a tes the workers p ro fess iona l deve lopment and suppor t (O ’Ne i l l , 2004 ; Mor r i son , 2005) . Hawk ins and Shohet (2000) re fe r to the work o f Winn ico t t (1965) who iden t i f i ed the concep t o f the “good enough” paren t who needs to be he ld and suppor ted in t imes o f cha l lenge and advers i t y . In o rder to su rv ive adverse o r d i f f i cu l t work encoun te rs the “good enough” soc ia l worker needs to be he ld w i th in and by the superv iso ry re la t ionsh ip . The superv iso rs ro le i s no t jus t to reassure the worker who has exper ienced a t raumat i c even t bu t fo r th i s to be fe l t w i th in the sa fe and secure se t t ing o f the superv iso ry re la t ionsh ip , where i t can be surv ived , re f lec ted upon and lea rned f rom. There fo re superv is ion p rov ides a con ta iner tha t ho ld toge ther the he lp ing re la t ionsh ip w i th in the therapeu t i c t r i ad (Hawk ins and Shohe t , 2000) . The dangers and r i sks to soc ia l workers work ing in poor l y , emot iona l l y suppor ted env i ronments have been h igh l igh ted by many commenta to rs and resu l t s in h igh leve ls o f a t t r i t i on , s t ress and burnou t (Rush ton and Nathan , 1996 ; G ibbs , 2001 ; Horow i tz , 1998) . H igh worker tu rnover in ch i ld p ro tec t ion has rece ived a lo t o f ment ion in the l i t e ra tu re (Sco t t e t a l , 1995 ; Mark iew icz , 1996 ; Goddard e t a l , 1999) . The cos t fo r an o rgan iza t ion i s h igh as exper ienced p rac t i t i oners ’ ex i t the serv ice fo r be t te r suppor ted work env i ronments w i th the o rgan iza t ion dependent on la rge numbers o f newly rec ru i ted and p redominan t l y inexper ienced soc ia l workers to ca r ry ou t more inc reas ing ly complex work . Leve ls o f a t t r i t i on can lead to reduced qua l i t y in te rven t ions to c l ien ts as ex is t ing workers can become complacen t , amb iva len t , f rus t ra ted and angry w i th bo th the o rgan iza t ion and serv ice users wh i le new workers s t rugg le w i th unders tand ing the i r ro le and func t ion w i th in an emot iona l l y tu rbu len t and h igh ly f l u id env i ronment .

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One team leader agreed tha t new and c rea t i ve approaches to address ing the suppor t func t ion was needed

“… the re may be scope fo r g roup type s i tua t ions tha t cou ld address some suppor t func t ions , some pro fess iona l deve lopment func t ions , no t case management , no t the management p iece because I th ink tha t i s someth ing tha t does need to be done on a one- to -one” .

5.4 .1 Sub theme: Lack of robust organizat iona l mandate and capaci ty to meet po l icy expectat ions A l l respondents repor ted var ia t ions in the imp lementa t ion o f the o rgan isa t iona l superv is ion po l i cy . Wh i le a robus t superv is ion po l i cy i s deemed necessary to p roper l y embed superv iso ry p rac t i ces (Mor r i son , 2005 , ) , c lea r ev idence emerged tha t the po l i cy i s no t seen as a l i v ing , work ing document and there fo re many respondents cou ld no t re la te to i t i n any mean ing fu l way , regarded i t s con ten ts as no t be ing ach ievab le in i t s cu r ren t fo rmat and in some areas i t was comp le te ly d iscoun ted . One team leader con f i rmed tha t

“…wi th the ra t ios o f team leaders to soc ia l workers , the re i s ve ry l i t t l e expec ta t ion tha t we wou ld meet the requ i rements o f tha t po l i cy , so as a po l i cy i t ex is ts , bu t we don ’ t use i t….apar t f rom the theory wh ich migh t he lp the superv iso r , the ac tua l , you know, the ac tua l commi tment tha t was made to i t i sn ’ t be ing met ” .

The con ten ts wh i le known by the ma jo r i t y o f respondents was no t ac t i ve ly re fe r red to by l i ne managers o r soc ia l workers to in fo rm superv iso ry p rac t i ces . Such po l i c ies mus t be c lear and rea l i s t i c and mus t be “owned” by a l l those invo lved in i t s imp lementa t ion i .e . by superv iso rs and superv isees . The po l i cy mus t be rev iewed regu la r l y by the o rgan isa t ion and upda ted regu la r l y (O ’ Ne i l l , 2004) . A s ign i f i can t ind ica t ion o f commi tment to bo th the p rac t i ce and p rocess o f superv is ion i s in how i t i s mon i to red and eva lua ted (O ’Ne i l l , 2004) . A po l i cy shou ld ensure equ i t y by ensur ing a l l s ta f f has equa l access to a s im i la r p rocess . A s tandard ized approach incorpora t ing i ssues such as f requency and dura t ion , con ten t , con f iden t ia l i t y , agenda se t t ing , records , con f l i c t reso lu t ion and eva lua t ion and rev iew (Har r i son , 2006) . The ma jo r i t y o f respondents

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i den t i f i ed a need to rev iew the cur ren t po l i cy document g iven i t s incomp le te s ta te o f imp lementa t ion . As pu t by one soc ia l worker

“ . .a good superv is ion po l i cy , i f i t was pu t in to p rac t i ce , wou ld ac tua l l y p reven t a lo t o f bu rnou t , a lo t o f peop le leav ing…”

5.4 .2 Sub theme: Compromised pract ice and incomplete superv is ion The need to engage in re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce in o rder to lea rn f rom exper ience was a s ign i f i can t i ssue fo r mos t soc ia l workers . T ime cons t ra in ts and la rge quo tas o f s ta f f to be superv ised were aga in iden t i f i ed as the key fac to rs lead ing to team leaders engag ing in p resc r ip t i ve p rac t i ce whereby soc ia l workers were be ing to ld what to do . I t i s the superv iso rs ro le and respons ib i l i t y to c rea te the capac i t y fo r g rea te r au tonomy (Mor ton and Sa lus , 2000) . One worker no ted

“ I th ink we a re a l l a t the s tage tha t superv is ion i s abou t you be ing checked up on and you be ing g iven some sor t o f adv ice in re la t ion to your cases and there i s no t much t ime fo r any th ing e lse ” .

One very exper ienced and long es tab l i shed team leader iden t i f i ed tha t subs tan t i ve ly focus ing on the management func t ion in every superv is ion sess ion

“cou ld have a nega t i ve impac t in tha t i f i t was conduc ted in a way tha t was perce ived to be check ing up on workers , i t cou ld be perce ived by s ta f f to say OK tha t was jus t one b ig check ing up sess ion , a t i ck box sess ion” .

Th is f i nd ing re f lec ts the same exper iences o f soc ia l workers in G ibbs s tudy (2001) who s im i la r l y repor ted a p rocess whereby a superv iso r fu l f i l l ed a dua l ro le o f check ing what they had done on cases and g iv ing ou t the nex t se t o f i ns t ruc t ions . Th is ra ises se r ious doub ts abou t whe ther workers a re ac tua l l y lea rn ing f rom exper ience and enab led to engage in a p rocess to th ink c r i t i ca l l y abou t the i r pe rcep t ions and ac t ions . As no ted in G ibbs s tudy (2001) se r ious doub ts emerged on whether many o f the new rec ru i t s were do ing any th ing o ther than memor iz ing

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cop ious quan t i t i es o f i n fo rmat ion and p rocedures w i th in hav ing fac i l i t a ted oppor tun i t i es to cons ider the s ign i f i cance o f wha t they were do ing in fami l ies . However th is respondent a lso c la r i f i ed tha t

“By and la rge soc ia l workers want to do a good job , they a l l wan t to do a good job and i f they ge t a sense o f sa t i s fac t ion f rom de l i ve r ing on a p lan tha t makes sense to them abou t wha t the management func t ion i s abou t , i t ’ s abou t how you say and f rame i t fo r someone”

Th is respondent iden t i f i ed tha t the superv is ion con t rac t w i th the soc ia l worker shou ld c lea r l y se t ou t tha t the c l i en t i s cen t ra l to the de l i ve ry o f soc ia l work p rac t i ce in any d iscuss ions and tha t th i s i s then re fe r red back where the re i s a need to do so . Ano ther s ign i f i can t bar r ie r to engag ing in re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce and lea rn ing i s the la rge case loads o f soc ia l workers and par t i cu la r l y la rge b locks o f t ime be ing consumed o f ten on care /home p lacement b reakdowns w i th a s ign i f i can t lack o f appropr ia te resources to p rov ide an appropr ia te response . Leg is la t i ve p ressures and respons ib i l i t i es to engage o f ten in u rgen t in te rven t ions w i th ch i ld ren and fami l ies assessed as be ing a t immed ia te and ser ious r i sk was h igh l igh ted . One soc ia l worker no ted

“You a re no t g iven rea l l y , rea l l y g iven much oppor tun i t y o r space to rea l l y re f lec t on your cases and what ac t ions to take . I t i s rea l l y reac t i ve . You know, you ’ re cons tan t l y dea l ing w i th th ings a l l t he t ime and you ’ re go ing in to superv is ion and you a re more o r less , f i l l i ng in your team leader on what ’ s be ing go ing on….we a re no t ac tua l l y ge t t ing t ime to th ink abou t wha t we a re do ing a lo t o f the t ime” .

P rov id ing oppor tun i t i es f o r re f lec t i ve superv is ion needs to become an o rgan isa t iona l impera t i ve (G ibbs , 2001) where workers hav ing manageab le case loads can cons ider “ in dep th ” the mu l t i tude o f da i l y work encoun te rs and exper iences and the re levance to soc ia l work theor ies . Soc ia l workers in th i s s tudy iden t i f i ed the emphas is on a l loca t ion o f casework and the ongo ing p ressures to take on case management o f new fami l i es . I t i s summed up ap t l y

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by one worker and re f lec ts the dynamics and in te rp lay ev iden t in G ibbs s tudy (2001)

“Your capac i t y i s a lways be ing looked a t in a ve ry s ta t i s t i ca l way . I th ink i t s caused p rob lems fo r re ta in ing s ta f f . They ’ re loos ing them a f te r a coup le o f years when they a re ac tua l l y ge t t i ng to be va luab le to the o rgan iza t ion and tha t ’ s a shame” .

Another soc ia l worker re fe r red to the impac t o f th i s approach on soc ia l workers

“ . . I f ee l I am no t rea l l y lea rn ing any th ing and I rea l l y fee l l i ke , i t ’ s more l i ke , i t ’ s ve ry mon i to r ing k ind o f , i n tha t you go in and I fee l l i ke the re i s no t much t rus t…i t i s ve ry p resc r ip t i ve , the re i s no re f lec t i ve , I mean i t ’ s l i t e ra l l y p robab ly 10 minu tes a case , you know and what your do ing…i t ’s jus t con t inue as i s , nex t one ! ”

One exper ienced team leader d iscussed her a t tempts to p rov ide commensura te work load

“… what I have lea rned over the years i s tha t the re i s no po in t i n over load ing s ta f f , tha t you have to t r y and ma in ta in an appropr ia te work load to competence leve ls and exper ience leve ls… be ing care fu l abou t the qua l i t y o f the in te rven t ion , qua l i t y o f the in te rven t ion i s as impor tan t as quan t i t y… I do see i t as a ve ry c lear p iece o f respons ib i l i t y to ma in ta in manageab le work loads” .

Wh i le superv iso rs a t i n te rv iew repor ted tha t they were a t tempt ing to address the fou r func t ions o f superv is ion in a more ba lanced way , the exper ience fo r superv isees in th i s s tudy was tha t the tasks assoc ia ted w i th t he accoun tab i l i t y func t ion rema ined the cen t ra l focus . As no ted in an ear l ie r chap te r the na tu re o f the bureaucra t i c agency and ch i ld p ro tec t ion work i s tha t dec is ions , ac t ions and min im is ing r i sks a re o f more impor tance than cons ider ing emot iona l responses to cases and worker we l lbe ing . As iden t i f i ed p rev ious ly by Ferguson (2004) cover ing onese l f i s the embod ied metaphor fo r accoun tab i l i t y and th is i s re f lec ted in the responses f rom bo th team leaders and soc ia l workers whose p ro fess iona l behav iours and ac t ions were be ing d r i ven by a t tempt ing to cover the o rgan isa t iona l ,

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l eg is la t i ve , s ta tu to ry and bes t p rac t i ce requ i rements w i th assoc ia ted e leva ted fee l ings o f anx ie t y and p ressure a round meet ing such demands . Fa i lu re to fo l low agency p rocedures p resen ts the g rea tes t r i sk o f l i ab i l i t y because o f neg l igence (Mor ton and Sa lus , 2000) . Wh i le a l l respondents recogn ised the need to engage in accoun tab le p rac t i ce , the suppor t and p ro fess iona l deve lopment func t ions were deemed to be s ign i f i can t l y underdeve loped . Key fac to rs lead ing to th i s s i tua t ion such as h igh superv is ion ra t ios and the leg is la t i ve focus o f the work rema in a s ign i f i can t cha l lenge and need to be addressed as a p r io r i t y by the o rgan isa t ion in o rder tha t l i ne managers and p rac t i t i oners a l i ke can be t te r manage the work o f the agency and p ro fess iona l pe r fo rmance . Some recommendat ions to address these de f i c i t s a re pu t fo rward in chap te r s i x . These f ind ings a re s im i la r l y borne ou t by Norde l l s ’ (2000) sma l l - sca le s tudy and the repor ted exper iences o f soc ia l workers and team leaders dur ing superv is ion t ra in ing even ts in va r ious hea l th boards (Mor r i son , 2005) . 12 Wh i le one mus t ex t rapo la te w i th cau t ion these l i ved and fe l t exper iences o f l i ne managers and p rac t i t i oners a re l i ke ly to be rep l i ca ted in o ther ch i ld p ro tec t ion agenc ies in I re land . Th is imba lance may have fa r reach ing consequences fo r a l l s takeho lders in the superv is ion p rocess – the agency , the superv iso r , the superv isee and the c l ien t . Mor r i son (2005) sugges ts tha t d ia logue in re la t ion to the func t ions o f superv is ion i s v i t a l i f superv is ion i s to be a shared and mean ing fu l p rocess w i th assoc ia ted improved ou tcomes fo r se rv ice users . 5 .5 Accountabi l i ty and compl iance wi th agency pol icy – the predominant agenda As iden t i f i ed ear l i e r i n th i s chap te r bo th se ts o f respondents perce ived cur ren t superv iso ry p rac t i ces as be ing concerned p r imar i l y w i th the tasks and ac t i v i t i es iden t i f i ed under the management o r accoun tab i l i t y func t ion check l i s t . F rom the t ime an emp loyment con t rac t i s s igned a l l emp loyees o f an o rgan i za t ion o r se rv ice a re accoun tab le fo r the i r p rac t i ce . The management func t ion i s

12 Morrison has provided training to social workers and team leaders in various health boards in Ireland (now HSE) and has reported these experiences in his book Staff Supervision in Social Care, 2005.

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not jus t abou t wha t i s done bu t how i t i s done . The p rac t i t i oner mus t be ab le to iden t i f y and jus t i f y the reasons fo r dec is ions made w i th in the con tex t o f l eg is la t ion , p ro fess iona l s tandards , ev idence-based p rac t i ce and p ro fess iona l and e th ica l conduc t (O ’Ne i l l , 2004) . Superv iso ry exper iences i s la rge ly focused on case d iscuss ion , dec is ion-mak ing and ac t ion p lan fo rmu la t ion in re la t ion to cases a l loca ted to ind iv idua l soc ia l workers . Focus i s p r imar i l y on the management o f i n te rven t ions assoc ia ted w i th the soc ia l workers ass igned case load . The fac to rs d r i v ing these ac t i v i t i es a re iden t i f i ed ear l i e r and ap t l y represen ted by one team leader

“Tha t ’s because we a re a l l emp loyed by the HSE, you know, and obv ious ly the agency requ i rements rea l l y i s wha t comes f i r s t as opposed to someone 's persona l deve lopment , o r wha t t ra in ing they need . We have to meet our s ta tu to ry requ i rements f i r s t and the ma in way o f manag ing and rev iew ing s ta tu to ry requ i rements i s under the management func t ion ” .

The respondent fu r ther a f f i rmed

“ I th ink tha t i n the ro le tha t we have and the s ta tu to ry requ i rements tha t we have , I don ’ t th ink i t can be poss ib le bu t fo r the management func t ion to take number one” .

Another team leader c rys ta l l i zed why th is happens

“because they [po l i cy and p rocedure o f the agency , the worker unders tand ing the i r ro le and respons ib i l i t i es and the work be ing rev iewed regu la r l y in accordance w i th agency and lega l requ i rements ] are mos t c lose ly l i nked to the per fo rmance o f the du t ies , they a re the mos t c lea r l y a l igned func t ions tha t re la te d i rec t l y to the work….so c la r i t y abou t ro le and respons ib i l i t i es i s key to the de l i ve ry o f good soc ia l work , so tha t ’s why i t comes up in every s ing le case d iscuss ion”

Work ing w i th peop le , a t t imes o f vu lnerab i l i t y o r need in the i r l i ves demands p rac t i t i oners o f the h ighes t ca l ib re . P rac t i t i oners in soc ia l ca re se t t ings mus t be c lea r l y accoun tab le and he ld respons ib le fo r a l l aspec ts o f the i r p rac t i ce . P ro fess iona l superv is ion p rov ided by the

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organ iza t ion fac i l i t a tes accountab le p rac t i ce th rough s t ruc tu red oppor tun i t i es t o rece ive regu la r feedback , p lan the i r work and iden t i f y ongo ing deve lopmenta l i ssues (O ’ Ne i l l , 2004) . More and more superv iso rs a re he ld accoun tab le fo r the p ro fess iona l p rac t i ce and e f fec t i ve func t ion ing o f the i r team (Har r i son , 2006) . As ap t l y pu t by one team leader

“ I th ink tha t ’s [work be ing rev iewed regu la r l y in accordance w i th agency and lega l requ i rements ] probab ly the ma in b i t tha t we do cover and a very impor tan t b i t tha t we cover we l l i n superv is ion ” .

A l l respondents iden t i f i ed two key a reas under the management func t ion tha t a re s ign i f i can t l y underdeve loped . These inc lude regu la r and s t ruc tu red feedback and fo rma l appra isa l o f pe r fo rmance . Wh i le the over r id ing p r io r i t y o f superv iso rs i s abou t ensur ing tha t the work i s comp le ted and con fo rms to accep tab le s tandards the consequences a re immense i f the on ly message to s ta f f i s abou t task w i thou t d iscuss ing how we l l t hey per fo rm th is task in o rder to in fo rm the i r fu tu re p rac t i ce . The exper iences o f soc ia l workers in th is s tudy i s s im i la r l y re f lec ted in G ibbs (2001) s tudy where the ma jo r i t y o f the workers fe l t ne i the r ca red fo r nor suppor ted w i th in t he o rgan iza t ion and were more l i ke ly to be g iven favorab le comments when they ta lked abou t leav ing o r when they were be ing asked to take on more work . A key message fo r superv iso rs to de l i ve r i s the va lue o f i nd iv idua l workers to the o rgan iza t ion , l ead ing to inc reased se l f -es teem and se l f -e f f i cacy (G ibbs , 2001) . One team leader no ted

“….not an awfu l l o t o f d i scuss ion happens on i t [ feedback ] un less someth ing t r i ggers i t , so the re i sn ’ t a per iod in superv is ion where we ta lk abou t how we l l the person i s do ing , . . you wou ldn ’ t address i t [ feedback ] p robab ly as an i ssue un less someth ing p rompted i t . OK i f the re was someth ing tha t was par t i cu la r l y wonder fu l abou t the work i t m igh t p rompt i t o r someth ing tha t was a p rob lem” .

Fu r thermore , the re i s no ev idence tha t fo rma l appra isa l takes p lace w i th p rac t i t i oner respondents in th i s s tudy . Indeed respondents ind ica ted tha t once workers became permanent emp loyees , no fu r ther a t tempts were made to appra ise the i r work in any fo rma l way . One respondent w i t h

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f i f t een years o f soc ia l work exper ience , hav ing worked in a number o f soc ia l work se t t i ngs ou t l i ned tha t

“ I have never rece ived an appra isa l , ever , fo r a l l o f the p laces I have worked” .

Respondents re fe r red to the i r exper ience o f p roba t ionary appra isa l as inadequate and o f l im i ted use in the soc ia l work se t t ing . Appra isa ls tha t happen in i so la t ion to the ongo ing work o f the ind iv idua l a re o f l im i ted use . A tang ib le connec t ion to ongo ing p rac t i ce mus t be apparen t to ensure the bene f i t s o f appra isa l (O ’Ne i l l , 2004) . Har r i son (2006) re fe rs to appra isa l as be ing s im i la r to superv is ion bu t w i th less emphas is on persona l suppor t and w i th a sharper focus on measurab le per fo rmance . Appra isa l a f fo rds the manager an oppor tun i t y to se t measurab le goa ls and s tandards and to judge per fo rmance aga ins t these . I t a l so g ives oppor tun i t y to cons ider per fo rmance aga ins t co rpora te and loca l ob jec t i ves (Har r i son , 2006) . One team leader iden t i f i ed the need fo r an o rgan iza t iona l mandate to conduc t appra isa ls w i th bo th temporary and permanent s ta f f and fe l t tha t cu r ren t l y wh i le fo rma l appra isa l i s de f ined w i th in the management func t ion there i s no fo rma l po l i cy on how i t shou ld be imp lemented . Th is was iden t i f i ed as a s ign i f i can t o rgan iza t iona l gap in eva lua t ing per fo rmance .

However the ma jo r i t y o f soc ia l workers a lso iden t i f i ed tha t

“The accoun tab i l i t y focus p rov ides a sa fe ty ne t . A l i t t l e b i t o f a sa fe ty ne t . You know, you fee l sa fe tha t a t l eas t somebody e lse i s tak ing jo in t respons ib i l i t y . Maybe i t [ th i s approach ] doesn ’ t g i ve you enough persona l space to deve lop as a p ro fess iona l , you know you ’ re a lways under t ime cons t ra in ts bu t I suppose i t i s a sa fe ty ne t and in the end tha t i s wha t we need” .

Given the c r i t i ca l na tu re o f ch i ld p ro tec t ion dec is ions , many casework ac t ions and dec is ions a re made in consu l ta t ion be tween the superv iso r and caseworker . For the exper ienced caseworker , th i s consu l ta t ion shou ld emphas ize rev iew, feedback and coach ing as needed, ra ther than d i rec t dec is ion mak ing by the superv iso r (Mor ton and Sa lus , 2000) . Fur thermore , th i s suppor ts Cear ley (2004) f i nd ings , wh ich ind ica tes tha t workers

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perce ived the i r superv iso rs he lp g iv ing behav iours as the on ly fac to r tha t i n f luenced the i r pe rce ived empowerment w i th the i r c l i en ts . However wh i le t he re i s obv ious mer i t i n th i s approach emphas is mus t be p laced on adu l t l ea rn ing approaches (Mor r i son , 2005) and spec i f i ca l l y soc ia l workers embedd ing re f lec t i ve p rac t i ce in dec is ion -mak ing . As no ted by Ped le r e t a l (1997)

“We can a lways lea rn and do be t te r , no mat te r how we l l we th ink we a re do ing a t p resen t , “good enough i s no t good enough , we a lways need to be s t r i v ing to do even be t te r ” .

5.6 St ra teg ic re focusing of the process of superv is ion to embed per formance management Al l respondents iden t i f i ed tha t p ro fess iona l superv is ion i s the cen t ra l mechan ism to manag ing per fo rmance and spec i f i ca l l y the management func t ion was iden t i f i ed as the key veh ic le to address ing th is . Ind iv idua l o r one-on-one superv is ion was h igh l igh ted as the ma in fo rum in address ing the needs o f the soc ia l worker spec i f i ca l l y in respec t o f case d iscuss ion and management bu t a lso where s ingu la r and /o r sens i t i ve i ssues needed to be addressed such as under o r poor per fo rmance . I t was cons idered an impera t i ve tha t ind iv idua l superv is ion w i th soc ia l workers shou ld con t inue . However the ma jo r i t y o f respondents iden t i f i ed tha t cu r ren t superv is ion p rac t i ces need to be rev iewed by the o rgan iza t ion to take accoun t o f the emerg ing needs o f bo th the s ta f f and the demands on the serv ice i t se l f . For ins tance one team leader se t ou t tha t

“ . . even w i th in the superv is ion po l i cy the re i sn ’ t rea l l y exp l i c i t l y a s ta tement tha t says once a year the re shou ld be fo rma l appra isa l done… i t ’ s someth ing tha t w i thou t tha t agency mandate i s o f ten someth ing tha t you can ’ t rea l l y do” .

Whi le team leaders acknowledge tha t they engage in in fo rma l appra isa l ac t i v i t i es , pe r fo rmance management to be e f fec t i ve requ i res a fo rma l p rocess and s t ruc tu re wh ich i s exp l i c i t l y s ta ted by the o rgan isa t ion . As no ted ear l i e r a tang ib le connec t ion to ongo ing p rac t i ce mus t be apparen t to ensure the bene f i t s o f appra isa l . A f ramework , wh ich encompasses induc t ion , p ro fess iona l superv is ion and appra isa l w i l l ensure tha t t he bene f i t s o f each a re fu l l y

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i n tegra ted in to tang ib le p rac t i ce (O ’Ne i l l , 2004) . Th is Pro fess iona l P rac t i ce Deve lopment F ramework i s se t ou t i n Exh ib i t 6 . Exhib i t 6 : Profess ional Pract ice Development Framework Induct ion Profess ional Superv is ion Appraisa l Source : O ’ Ne i l l , 2004) Emphas is was p laced by the team leaders on ro le c la r i t y , ro le func t ion and ro le expec ta t ion in superv is ion and th rough th is p rocess shared unders tand ings o f p rac t i ce wou ld deve lop co l lec t i ve ly w i th team members and there fo re lead to cons is ten t soc ia l work p rac t i ce and per fo rmance . C lear job descr ip t ions w i th cons is ten t and s t ruc tu red superv is ion were iden t i f i ed as c r i t i ca l too ls in deve lop ing s tandard ized p rac t i ce and per fo rmance . Prac t i ce s tandards and cons is tency i ssues cou ld be fu r ther dea l t w i th th rough p ro fess iona l g roup lea rn ing and fac i l i t a ted by the s ta f f themse lves o r a sen io r p rac t i t i one r . G iven i t s cu r ren t l im i ta t ions sugges t ions were made abou t re focus ing the cur ren t superv is ion p rocess to inc lude g roup and team superv is ion in o rder to co l lec t i ve ly deve lop the sk i l l s and knowledge base o f s ta f f and p rov ide add i t iona l l ea rn ing oppor tun i t i es . Ind iv idua l sen io r p rac t i t i oners in te rv iewed repor ted tha t they cou ld no t meet the subs tan t i ve func t ions se t ou t in t he i r j ob descr ip t ions due to the p redominance g iven to case management ac t i v i t i es . Recommendat ions pu t fo rward by respondents inc luded fu r ther embedd ing the ro le o f the sen io r p rac t i t i oner on teams to inc lude ac t i v i t i es such as ro le mode l ing , coach ing , mento r ing , ex tens ive induc t ion t ra in ing fo r new s ta f f , assess ing the ongo ing t ra in ing and p ro fess iona l deve lopment needs o f soc ia l workers in con junc t ion w i th the team leader , engag ing in ac t ion research to deve lop

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prac t i ce requ i rements on teams and manag ing wa i t ing l i s t s w i th team leaders . 13 One team leader conc luded tha t

“ I am a f i rm be l iever in sen io r p rac t i t i oners in f luenc ing peop le by the i r ac t ions and by the i r p rac t i ce , ac tua l l y in p rac t i ce de l i ve r ing on a h igh qua l i t y se rv ice , wh ich means tha t the i r co l leagues can co-work w i th them and ge t the bene f i t o f tha t exper t i se and exper ience by see ing i t f i r s t hand . Tha t ’s where I see the i r ro le in te rms o f , I suppose , cement ing tha t good p rac t i ce mode l and then be ing ab le to de l i ve r by mento r ing and by encourag ing tha t w i th o thers . ”

Such ac t i v i t i es wou ld s ign i f i can t l y fac i l i t a te team leaders to p rov ide inc reased leve ls o f i nd iv idua l superv is ion to soc ia l workers . However , the s ta f f ra t ios tha t team leaders cu r ren t l y superv ise need to be s ign i f i can t l y reduced in o rder tha t bes t p rac t i ce in respec t o f superv is ion can be imp lemented accord ing to o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy . Exh ib i t 7 se ts ou t the c r i t i ca l components and p rocesses needed to suppor t i nd iv idua l superv is ion ac t i v i t i es . Th is mode l i s based on the p remise tha t the ra t ios o f s ta f f to be superv ised by team leaders i s as se t ou t i n the Repor t o f Soc ia l Work Work load Management in I re land . Th is in tegra ted mode l invo lves a m in imum o f one sen io r soc ia l work p rac t i t i oner in a team o f f i ve to s i x soc ia l workers o r a l l i ed soc ia l ca re co l leagues managed by a team leader .

13 These are the main activities and responsibilities set out in the job description. However one senior practitioner identified that the main focus currently was on complex case management.

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EXHIBIT 7: INTEGRATED MODEL FOR SUPERVISION AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT FUNCTION. FOCUS ONACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES. DEALTWITH THROUGH INDIVIDUALSUPERVISION WITH TEAM LEADER ONA MONTHLY BASIS. FOCUS ONREFLECTIVE PRACTICE/LEARNING.OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSULTATIONOUTSIDE PLANNED SESSIONS.YEARLY FORMAL APPRAISAL.

INTEGRATED MODELINTEGRATED MODELFOR SUPERVISIONFOR SUPERVISIONAND PERFORMANCEAND PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

MEDIATION FUNCTION.REGULAR STAFFMEETINGS OUTSIDE OFTBPM MEETINGS TODISCUSSORGANISATIONAL,RESOURCE AND POLICYDEVELOPMENT ISSUES.

EDUCATION AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTFUNCTION. A MINIMUM OF TWO SESSIONS PER YEAR TOINCLUDE PROCESS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNINGBY TEAM LEADER. SENIOR PRACTITIONER TO DEVELOP,PROVIDE AND IMPLEMENT INDIVIDUALISED TRAININGPROGRAMMES INCLUDING INDUCTION AND ADVANCEDTRAINING FOR STAFF TEAM IN MEETING ORGANISATIONALOBJECTIVES IN COLLABORATION WITH TEAM LEADER.ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN INFORMING CHILDCARE TRAININGSTRATEGY. INVOLVED IN COACHING , MENTORING ANDACTION RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. INVOLVED IN PEERCONSULTATION, PEER SUPPORT AND ROLE MODELING.

SUPPORT FUNCTION. A MINIMUMOF THREE YEARLY SESSIONS BYTEAM LEADER TO MONITOR THEOVERALL HEALTH ANDEMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING OF THEWORKER, ESPECIALLY WITHREGARD TO STRESS ANDBURNOUT. TO TAKE PLACEOUTSIDE OF OFFICEENVIRONMENT. MONTHLYDESIGNATED PEER SUPPORTSESSIONS TO DISCUSS COMPLEXCASES OR ASPECTS OF CASEMANAGEMENT /INTERVENTIONS.ACCESS TO PEER SUPORT ANDSTAFF WELFARE SERVICE.

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The ma jo r i t y o f soc ia l workers and team leaders were unaware o f the HSE’ p lan to in t roduce TBPM and wh i le th i s approach was cons idered to be “ the r igh t way to go” in devo lv ing serv ice p lann ing and fac i l i t a t ing ownersh ip o f per fo rmance and work to teams, concern was ra ised abou t how th is wou ld be imp lemented in p rac t i ce w i th them. One soc ia l worker commented

“ …I can imag ine us meet ing and pu t t ing a lo t o f ha rd work in to th ings and coming up w i th g rea t ideas and they jus t ge t t ing los t on the i r way up th rough a l l these leve ls . And maybe tha t ’s be ing over l y cyn ica l , bu t , I mean, I th ink i t ’ s a good idea i f we were to see our ideas ac tua l l y be ing l i s tened to a t the top leve l , I th ink i t wou ld be very bene f i c ia l to mora l and every th ing e lse . I t ’ s a good idea in theory ” .

Bo th se ts o f respondents iden t i f i ed tha t team leaders wou ld have a cen t ra l ro le bu t rea f f i rmed tha t th is wou ld need to be a l igned w i th a commensura te work load . One team leader no ted

“… I th ink i t wou ld p robab ly be a who le new p iece o f work anyway because i t w i l l be someth ing tha t w i l l be expec ted and w i l l have to be de l i ve red on , so I suppose I have a l i t t l e b i t o f concern when I hear abou t an ex tens ion to my work load” .

S ign i f i can t l y a l l responden ts repor ted tha t in o rder fo r “ team buy – in ” p re requ is i tes such as appropr ia te case and work loads fo r a l l team members wou ld be essen t ia l . As no ted by Byrne (2005) poss ib l y the b igges t fa i l i ng o f hea l thcare sen io r managers i s no t enough suppor t to l i ne managers to own per fo rmance management (PM) sys tems. When burdened w i th seeming ly more u rgen t o r p roduc t i ve tasks , in the absence o f f i nanc ia l suppor t and ded ica ted t ime to t ra in fo r and then manage the PM process (e .g . t ime fo r team meet ings ) mos t l i ne managers w i l l f ee l over loaded and demot iva ted (Brumback , 2003) . Consequen t l y , l i ne management lack o f commi tment to the PM sys tem may resu l t i n i t becoming jus t ano ther paper exerc ise . PM recogn izes tha t empowered emp loyees and teams w i th h igh leve ls o f t rus t pe r fo rm be t te r (B rumback , 2003) . However , wh i le the p r inc ip les a re eas i l y descr ibed ,

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the i r imp lementa t ion i s qu i te d i f f i cu l t . Respondents in th i s s tudy iden t i f i ed the need fo r a c lea r imp lementa t ion p lan , wh ich w i l l i ncorpora te space , and t ime fo r everyone to ge t invo lved in se t t ing and meet i ng ach ievab le and rea l i s t i c work ta rge ts . The “how- to ” o f imp lementa t ion w i l l i nvo lve a va r ie ty o f founda t iona l o rgan iza t iona l charac te r i s t i cs such as suppor t fo r l i ne management and emp loyee buy- in , a ph i losophy o f openness to cha l lenge , ex tens ive commun ica t ion , and a t rus t ing env i ronment (Byrne , 2005) . Ded ica ted t ime to the PM process may be the key ing red ien t in encourag ing a l l concerned to take PM ser ious ly (Byrne , 2005) . Th is has s ign i f i can t rami f i ca t ions fo r the cu r ren t con f igu ra t ion o f soc ia l work teams and w i l l requ i re add i t i ona l team leaders , w i th sma l le r s ta f f numbers to superv ise and manage. A number o f respondents iden t i f i ed the l i nkage be tween persona l deve lopment p lann ing (PDP) and the need fo r an in tegra ted approach to the p rov is ion and de l i ve ry o f con t inuous p ro fess iona l deve lopment and t ra in ing fo r soc ia l workers in o rder tha t teams have the p ro fess iona l competence to meet per fo rmance /serv ice p lan ob jec t i ves se t ou t under TBPM. In o rder fo r TBPM to be e f fec t i ve ly imp lemented PDP’s need to have a b roader focus than improv ing cur ren t job sk i l l s and per fo rmance . HSE t ra in ing needs to be ongo ing and inc lude modu les on team dynamics and con f l i c t reso lu t ion (Byrne , 2005) . 5.7 Developing appropr ia te measurement too ls The ma jo r i t y o f respondents iden t i f i ed the need to deve lop appropr ia te per fo rmance measurement too ls and fo r cons t ruc t i ve , empower ing and s t ruc tu red mechan isms to be pu t in p lace to address worker under o r poor per fo rmance . In te rms o f the la t te r sugges t ions pu t fo rward inc luded expand ing the ro le o f the sen io r p rac t i t i oner to inc lude coach ing , mento r ing , co -work ing w i th a co l league / ro le mode l ing , pe rsona l deve lopment p lann ing (PDP) by the team leader and ongo ing oppor tun i t i es fo r con t inuous deve lopment and t ra in ing . The ma jo r i t y o f respondents h igh l igh ted the need to deve lop measurement too ls tha t cap tu re and encapsu la te qua l i ta t i ve in fo rmat ion and da ta se ts in respec t o f soc ia l work in te rven t ions w i th fami l i es . One respondent ques t ioned

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“ . . I am t ry ing to th ink how wou ld you measure the per fo rmance as we l l , i s i t t he number o f k ids taken in to ca re o r i s i t the number kep t a t home, you know. How do you measure i t?

Ind iv idua l i npu t , p rocess and ou tcome measurement too ls need to be deve loped wh ich has the capac i t y to cap tu re no t on ly the quan t i t a t i ve bu t a lso qua l i ta t i ve aspec ts o f the work o f soc ia l workers . Kearney e t a l (Hay Group , 2004) iden t i f y the se t t ing o f rea l i s t i c ta rge ts and per fo rmance ind ica to rs as the mos t impor tan t and mos t t ime-consuming ac t i v i t i es to ge t r igh t . The Hay Group in an eva lua t ion o f the Hea l th Serv ice Per fo rmance Management Sys tem recommends tha t ta rge ts mus t be dec ided th rough genu ine s ta f f consu l ta t ion , ra ther than by sen io r management a lone . Otherw ise there i s l i t t l e chance o f s ta f f fee l ing respons ib le fo r the ach ievement o f the ta rge ts . Targe ts mus t be l i nked c lear l y t o se rv ice p lans (o r opera t iona l p lans ) and mus t be p r io r i t y a reas o f work (Hay Group , 2004) . One we l l es tab l i shed team leader iden t i f i ed po ten t ia l d i f f i cu l t i es and con f l i c t i n de te rmin ing what i s impor tan t

The i ssues I wou ld see a r i s ing i s tha t we may have a d i f fe ren t se t o f p r io r i t i es to wha t the HSE’s p r io r i t i es may be and tha t ou r per fo rmance ind ica to rs won ’ t the re fo re match w i th wha t ’s expec ted in te rms o f HSE po l i cy because obv ious ly the re i s par t i cu la r t rends and par t i cu la r a reas , c r i t i ca l a reas tha t the HSE have iden t i f i ed in re la t ion to ch i ld ca re , wh ich may no t be the rea l i t y o f the work loads tha t we a re dea l ing w i th on the g round , so tha t may b r ing us in to some leve l o f con f l i c t ” . .

Targe ts mus t be rea l fo r s ta f f and re la te t o the i r co re work and i ssues . The bes t ta rge ts tend to be p r imar i l y task -re la ted ra ther than peop le re la ted (Hay Group , 2004) . Good per fo rmance w i l l be g rea t l y fac i l i t a ted by hav ing c lear ob jec t i ves and these need to be c lear l y unders tood by the team. Har r i son (2006) iden t i f i es the d i f f i cu l t i es in deve lop ing too ls to measure per fo rmance bu t never the less iden t i f i es key a reas in wh ich per fo rmance can be e f fec t i ve ly measured . Ind ica to rs o f appropr ia teness , e f fec t i veness and e f f i c iency can be measured in soc ia l ca re se t t ings . Per fo rmance ind ica to rs (P Is ) tend to be used

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to measure quan t i f i ab le da ta such as a t tendances , d ischarges e tc . However i t i s no t imposs ib le to l i nk P Is to qua l i t y (Har r i son , 2006) . Team leaders in th i s research as the ta rge ted managers o f PM see a c lear need to se t t ing ob jec t i ves and es tab l i sh ing P Is tha t a re connec ted to na t iona l p r io r i t i es and s t ra teg ic ob jec t i ves . However cha l lenges and indeed con f l i c t may p resen t where loca l o r team pr io r i t i es and capac i t y a re s ign i f i can t l y d i f fe ren t to those iden t i f i ed a t the top leve ls in the o rgan iza t ion . 5 .8 Conclus ion Bo th se ts o f respondents were c lear tha t the management func t ion o f superv is ion i s cen t ra l to manag ing soc ia l work per fo rmance . Cur ren t ac t i v i t i es g iven p r io r i t y in superv is ion inc lude case management d iscuss ion and ac t ion p lann ing in o rder to meet the s ta tu to ry and leg is la t i ve respons ib i l i t i es o f the HSE. Forma l appra isa l , a c r i t i ca l too l to manag ing per fo rmance and a key management func t ion i s no t be ing under taken w i th s ta f f . A more in tegra ted approach to superv is ion i s requ i red to meet a l l t he needs o f soc ia l workers and the key p rocess to iden t i f y ing th i s shou ld invo lve an o rgan iza t iona l rev iew o f cu r ren t superv iso ry p rac t i ces , behav iours and exper iences . A rev iew o f the ex is t ing superv is ion po l i cy needs to be inc luded in th i s p rocess in o rder to address key o rgan iza t iona l de f i c i t s such as mandat ing fo rma l appra isa l and recogn i t i on o f case load ac t i v i t y leve ls . Th is overa rch ing rev iew shou ld in fo rm add i t i ona l bu t comp lementa ry approaches such as g roup o r team superv is ion and g roup lea rn ing fo rums to ex is t ing one- to -one superv is ion , as demons t ra ted p rev ious ly in Exh ib i t 7 . The ro le o f the sen io r p rac t i t i oner shou ld be expanded to suppor t the ex is t ing superv iso ry p rocess . TBPM is perce ived genera l l y , as a pos i t i ve deve lopment bu t w i l l requ i re subs tan t ia l resourc ing in o rder tha t e f fec t i ve and e f f i c ien t imp lementa t ion can occur in teams. The f ina l chap te r w i l l conc lude th is s tudy and sugges t changes a t bo th o rgan iza t iona l team-based leve ls to suppor t , enhance and improve the management o f soc ia l work per fo rmance th rough p ro fess iona l superv is ion . I t w i l l a l so make recommendat ions in re la t ion to the suppor t , med ia t ion and educa t ion func t ions , wh ich wh i le ou ts ide the immed ia te remi t o f th i s s tudy emerged as s ign i f i can t i ssues fo r bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders .

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Chapter 6

Conclusions and Recommendations

6 .1 In t roduct ion Th is s tudy se t ou t to exp lo re soc ia l workers exper iences o f superv is ion and how i t can be l i nked to a robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem. I t d id th i s th rough examin ing the percep t ions , exper iences and v iews o f ten soc ia l workers and four team leaders in two Loca l Hea l th Of f i ce a reas in the HSE th rough the use o f semi -s t ruc tu red in te rv iews . There were th ree c r i t i ca l s t rands to th i s research , wh ich examined

The percep t ions o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to the management func t ion o f superv is ion ,

Whether superv is ion exper iences re f lec t th i s co re func t ion in l i ne w i th the superv is ion mode l se t ou t in the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion and

How superv is ion can be l i nked to an overa l l robus t per fo rmance management sys tem w i th soc ia l workers

Mor r i son (2005) cons iders superv is ion to be the he lper ’ s mos t impor tan t re la t ionsh ip . He descr ibes p ro fess iona l superv is ion as “ the meet ing po in t be tween p ro fess iona l and manager ia l sys tems and the b r idge be tween the emp loyee and the i r agency (p .2 ) . Wi th in soc ia l ca re o rgan iza t ions , i t i s a lso the fundamenta l pe r fo rmance management too l (Mor r i son , 2005 , p .2 ) . The p rocess o f p ro fess iona l t ra in ing a l lows fo r p ro fess iona l soc ia l i za t ion wh ich g ives the soc ia l ca re worker cons iderab le opera t iona l au tonomy tha t i s genera l l y f ree o f ex te rna l d i rec t ion (Har r i son , 2005 , p .44) . Superv is ion i s regarded as a c r i t i ca l p rocess to fac i l i t a te and suppor t p ro fess iona l d i rec t ion and gu idance and to manage worker per fo rmance . Per fo rmance management i s cu r ren t l y underdeve loped in the hea l th se rv ices . However the HSE are now in t roduc ing Team Based Per fo rmance Management ac ross serv ices wh ich w i l l i nvo lve the l i ne manager / team leader and team members co l lec t i ve ly cons ider ing the i r ob jec t i ves in the con tex t o f the Nat iona l Serv ice P lan and agree ing the i r ob jec t i ves fo r the per iod ahead (HSEA, 2003) .

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6.2 Key f ind ings Bo th team leaders and soc ia l workers agree tha t the management o r accoun tab i l i t y func t ion o f superv is ion i s the overa l l p redominan t agenda in superv is ion . Key ac t i v i t i es inc lude case d iscuss ion and ac t ion p lann ing and these a re d r i ven by o rgan iza t iona l s ta tu to ry and leg is la t i ve respons ib i l i t i es and p ressures . The ma jo r i t y o f soc ia l workers regarded th is approach as p rov id ing c la r i t y and focus in re la t ion to the management o f cases a l loca ted to them and a sa fe ty ne t in te rms o f jo in t dec is ion -mak ing par t i cu la r l y in comp lex cases . However they a lso regarded the concen t ra t ion on case management as be ing very nar row and l im i t ing in i t s scope w i th l i t t l e oppor tun i t y fo r re f lec t i ve lea rn ing and there fo re inh ib i t i ng the i r own ab i l i t i es to deve lop and g row pro fess iona l l y . Team leaders iden t i f i ed the need fo r soc ia l workers to engage in re f lec t i ve lea rn ing bu t were c lear tha t w i th cu r ren t s ta f f ra t ios to be superv ised , a long w i th o ther compet ing demands on them as l i ne managers they were l im i ted in te rms o f address ing the b roader p ro fess iona l needs o f soc ia l workers . Wh i le the o ther th ree func t ions o f superv is ion were no t the ma in focus o f th is research , bo th se ts o f respondents re fe r red to the need fo r a more in tegra ted approach and pu t fo rward p roposa ls to s t reng then the cur ren t mode l o f one- to -one superv is ion . Th is f ramework i s se t ou t i n Exh ib i t 7 . Respondents accep ted tha t the management func t ion i s the key too l to manag ing the per fo rmance o f bo th the work and the worker . However c lear o rgan iza t iona l gaps emerged in two a reas :

f o rma l appra isa l o f the worker and t he p rov is ion o f cons is ten t and s t ruc tu red feedback on

per fo rmance . A l l respondents were aware o f the con ten ts o f the o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy document on superv is ion bu t i t was no t regarded as a l i v ing , work ing document and in mos t ins tances was no t used to in fo rm bes t p rac t i ce in superv is ion on a day- to -day bas is . The ma in reasons c i ted by bo th se ts o f respondents were s ign i f i can t t ime cons t ra in ts and work over load on team leaders due to h igh numbers o f s ta f f to be superv ised and in the cu r ren t

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con f igu ra t ion o f teams the con ten ts o f the po l i cy document cou ld no t be met . E igh t o f the ten soc ia l workers repor ted tha t the i r team leaders were ac t i ve ly address ing the management func t ion w i th them. Soc ia l workers were no t aware o f the HSE’s p lan to in t roduce TBPM pr io r to in te rv iew. Two team leaders were vague ly aware f rom o ther se t t ings . The approach to per fo rmance management was genera l l y v iewed as pos i t i ve and s t reng ths -based in approach bu t a number o f reserva t ions were expressed . These inc luded cur ren t h igh case and work load demands o f a l l s ta f f , reach ing agreement and consensus on team ob jec t i ves and p r io r i t i es v i s -à -v is na t iona l HSE pr io r i t i es fo r ch i ldcare se rv ice de l i ve ry , sys tems fo r address ing under o r poor per fo rmance and appropr ia te measurement too ls and da ta co l lec t ion sys tems tha t re f lec ted the qua l i ta t i ve d imens ion o f soc ia l work in te rven t ions w i th ch i ld ren and fami l i es . S ign i f i can t concern was expressed abou t how TBPM cou ld be ro l led ou t g iven tha t team leaders wou ld have to d r i ve the p rocess on ind iv idua l teams, g iven cur ren t work loads . A l l respondents iden t i f i ed the need to have TBPM as a p rocess we l l resourced in te rms o f s ta f f t ra in ing and ded ica ted t ime to meet the requ i rements o f i den t i f i ed team ob jec t i ves and per fo rmance ind ica to rs . Th is i s in l i ne w i th Byrnes (2005) recommended founda t iona l HSE charac te r i s t i cs fo r PM. As no ted p rev ious ly the in t roduc t ion o f PM shou ld no t be seen as an “add on” to the re la t ionsh ip be tween a l i ne manager and h is /her team. The p rocess s imp ly pu ts more s t ruc tu re and focus on what i s a l ready an in tegra l l i ne management ro le (HSEA, 2003) . However s ign i f i can t i ssues a re ra ised in th i s research in re la t ion to cu r ren t team leader capac i t y to de l i ve r on th is new in i t i a t i ve g iven ex is t ing work load leve ls . C lear l y the f ind ings iden t i f y a cu l tu re o f recogn i t ion and accep tance by soc ia l workers to fu r the r embed per fo rmance management ac t i v i t i es in superv is ion and team based approaches bu t s imp ly th i s canno t happen w i th in the cur ren t con f igu ra t ion o f soc ia l work teams. Exh ib i t 8 se ts ou t an approach deve loped f rom the f ind ings f rom th is research .

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EXHIBIT 8 EMBEDDING SUPERVISION IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

INDIVIDUALINDIVIDUALSUPERVISIONSUPERVISION

MENTORING AND COACHING

ACTIONRESEARCH

PERSONALDEVELOPMENT PLANNING

INDUCTION TRAINING

CHILDCARE TRAINING STRATEGYLINKED TO INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM

LEARNING NEEDS ANDORGANISATIONAL PRIORITIES

CLEAR JOBDESCRIPTION

CLEAR PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES ANDINDICATORS BASED ON IDENTIFIED DESIRABLEINPUTS, PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES WITHSERVICE USERS

ROLE MODELING

REGULARFORMALAPPRAISAL

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Equa l l y soc ia l workers requ i re more focus on and a t ten t ion to p ro fess iona l deve lopment i ssues and the o rgan iza t iona l con ta inment o f s t ress and burnou t o f workers shou ld be cons idered a p r io r i t y ac t ion . G iven tha t these a reas con t inue to rema in underdeve loped by the o rgan iza t ion soc ia l workers w i l l p red ic tab ly ex i t the o rgan iza t ion fo r wha t a re perce ived as be t te r suppor ted and be t te r resourced work env i ronments . Fur thermore , h igh leve ls o f a t t r i t i on w i l l exacerba te the qua l i t y o f se rv ice deve lopment and de l i ve ry to ch i ld ren and fami l i es . 6.3 Key recommendat ions The key recommendat ions f rom th is s tudy a re se t ou t under the ma in themes iden t i f i ed in ear l i e r chap te rs . 6.3 .1 Requi rement for an in tegrated approach to superv is ion

Rev iew o f ex is t ing con f igu ra t ion o f soc ia l work teams to take accoun t o f requ i rements fo r in tegra ted approach to p ro fess iona l superv is ion . Commi tment to address ing adequate s ta f f ing leve ls wh ich can fac i l i t a te th is approach .

Rev iew cur ren t o rgan iza t iona l po l i cy document on

superv is ion to take accoun t o f cu r ren t exper iences o f work and case load ac t i v i t i es o f bo th soc ia l workers and team leaders and new ways to suppor t i nd iv idua l o r one-to -one superv is ion . Mandate fo r fo rma l appra isa l requ i rements . Inc reased capac i t y w i th in superv is ion fo r regu la r and s t ruc tu red feedback on worker per fo rmance . Sys tem to be pu t in p lace to p rov ide fo r aud i t i ng and mon i to r ing o f p ro fess iona l superv is ion .

T ra in ing to p rov ide a c lear and s t ruc tu red approach to

conduc t ing fo rma l appra isa ls w i th bo th temporary (con t rac t ) and permanent s ta f f .

S t ruc tu red and regu la r t ra in ing p rogramme fo r soc ia l

workers on purpose o f superv is ion , impor tance o f agenda se t t ing and how to make the bes t use o f the superv is ion p rocess .

S t ruc tu red and regu la r t ra in ing p rogramme fo r team

leaders on how to p rov ide a qua l i t y and in tegra ted approach to superv is ion fo r soc ia l workers .

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D iscuss ion on Persona l Deve lopment P lann ing and the

psycho log ica l /emot iona l componen t o f the work to take p lace ou ts ide the immed ia te work env i ronment in o rder to ensure p ro tec ted space and oppor tun i t y fo r comprehens ive d iscuss ion and mean ing fu l con t r ibu t ions by bo th team leader and soc ia l worker .

6.3 .2 Accountabi l i ty and compl iance wi th agency pol icy – the predominant agenda

Deve lopment o f s tandard ized superv is ion fo rms/ temp la tes and gu idance no tes on record keep ing in superv is ion in respec t o f serv ice users , soc ia l workers and team leaders .

Soc ia l work job descr ip t ion to be d iscussed w i th newly rec ru i ted soc ia l workers in con junc t ion w i th induc t ion ac t i v i t i es .

Superv is ion po l i cy to be d iscussed w i th newly rec ru i ted soc ia l workers and in te rmi t ten t l y w i th permanent s ta f f .

Wr i t ten superv is ion con t rac t to be nego t ia ted and agreement reached on how a l l aspec ts o f superv is ion can be addressed .

Superv is ion h is to ry to be d iscussed w i th soc ia l workers a t ou tse t o f superv iso ry re la t ionsh ip .

Superv is ion f i l e to be kep t on ind iv idua l soc ia l workers wh ich se ts ou t a l l i ssues d iscussed in superv is ion . Case records to be used to t rack ac t i v i t i es and in te rven t ions w i th se rv ice users and p rogress made s ince las t superv is ion sess ion . C l ien t records to document bas is fo r reach ing dec is ions on i ssues d iscussed in superv is ion .

6 .3 .3 St ra teg ic re focusing of the process of superv is ion to embed per formance management

I n p repar ing fo r the imp lementa t ion o f TBPM cur ren t capac i t i es o f bo th team leaders and soc ia l workers to be rev iewed as a p r io r i t y . Recon f igu ra t ion o f ex is t ing teams w i th s ign i f i can t l y reduced superv is ion ra t ios and case loads w i l l be c r i t i ca l to ach iev ing buy- in o f bo th team leaders and soc ia l workers . Requ i rement fo r p ro tec ted t ime fo r team leaders and soc ia l workers in o rder to imp lement key e lements o f TBPM.

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Rev iew o f cu r ren t superv iso ry p rac t i ces to take accoun t o f g roup / team superv is ion and g roup lea rn ing oppor tun i t i es .

Imp lementa t ion o f a l l aspec ts o f sen io r p rac t i t i oner job

descr ip t ion to p rov ide oppor tun i t i es fo r induc t ion , team learn ing th rough ac t ion research p ro jec ts /advanced t ra in ing , mento r ing / ro le mode l ing , management o f wa i t ing l i s t s and t ra in ing needs ana lys is in con junc t ion w i th team leader . A requ i rement o f a t l eas t one sen io r p rac t i t i oner in a team o f fou r to f i ve soc ia l work o r soc ia l ca re s ta f f .

6 .3 .4 Developing appropr ia te measurement too ls

Comprehens ive t ra in ing fo r bo th team leaders and teams on the imp lementa t ion o f TBPM wi th spec i f i c focus on the deve lopment o f appropr ia te per fo rmance measurement too ls and ob jec t i ve and ta rge t se t t ing .

6.4 Concluding remarks . Th is research conc ludes tha t team leaders a re c r i t i ca l i n he lp ing the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve meet i t s s ta tu to ry and lega l requ i rements to ch i ld ren , young peop le and fami l ies th rough manag ing the per fo rmance o f soc ia l workers . An in tegra ted approach , as se t ou t in the Mor r i son mode l o f superv is ion i s cen t ra l to th i s p rocess . There i s an o rgan iza t iona l impera t i ve on sen io r hea l th se rv ice managers to ensur ing tha t team leaders a re g iven manageab le case and work loads in o rder tha t soc ia l workers in tu rn can be fac i l i t a ted and suppor ted in p rov id ing qua l i t y and accoun tab le se rv ices .

Under a good genera l there are no bad so ld iers

(Ch inese p roverb ) .

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O’ Donoghue, K . , Munfo rd , R . , and Tr l i n , A . (2006) What ’ s bes t abou t soc ia l work superv is ion accord ing to Assoc ia t ion members , in Soc ia l Work Rev iew, pps . 79-92 . O ’ Ne i l l , E . (1999) Handbook on The Prac t i ce o f P ro fess iona l superv is ion in Soc ia l Care : RMA Pub l i ca t ions . O ’ Ne i l l , E . (2004) Pro fess iona l Superv is ion : My ths , Cu l tu re and S t ruc tu re : RMA Pub l i ca t ions . PAC Document ( 2000) Depar tment o f Psycho logy P lann ing Adv iso ry Group Recommendat ions regard ing superv is ion w i th in the depar tment . Par ry , J . K . (1989) Mutua l Suppor t Groups : Do they re l ieve s ta f f s t ress? The Jewish Soc ia l Work Forum, 25, pps . 43-49 . Per fo rmance Management – The Process and How I t Wi l l Work –Ar rangements fo r the in t roduc t ion o f Per fo rmance Management on a p i lo t bas is in the hea l th se rv ice , (Augus t , 2003) : HSEA. Persona l Deve lopment P lann ing – Gu ide l ines and Workbook , O f f i ce fo r Hea l th Management . Pe t tes , D . (1979) S ta f f and S tuden t Superv is ion – A Task Cent red Approach . A l len and Unwin : London. Poer tner , J . and Rapp, C . (1983) What i s Soc ia l Work Superv is ion? The C l in ica l Superv iso r 2 Ps . 53-65 . P r i t chard , C . (1995) Good Prac t i ce in Superv is ion – S ta tu to ry and Vo lun ta ry Organ isa t ions , London : Jess ica K ings ley . P roc to r , K . (1997) The Be l l s tha t R ing : A p rocess fo r g roup superv is ion in Aust ra l ia and New Zea land Journa l o f Fami ly Therapy , vo l 18 , pps . 918-925 . Proc to r , K . (1986) A Co-opera t i ve exerc ise in Accoun tab i l i t y , i n Marken and Payne eds . Enab l ing and Ensur ing : Na t iona l You th Bureau and Counc i l fo r Educa t ion and Tra in ing in You th and Commun i ty Work : Le ices te r .

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Appendix 1 Midland Heal th Board Superv is ion Pol icy Policy Statement:

The HSE DUBLIN MID LEINSTER are committed to providing Supervision for all Social Work Staff at all levels in line with the main Child Care Multi-disciplinary Supervision Policy Document & National HeBE guidelines.

1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to fulfil the following; objectives:

To ensure that the worker is clear about role and responsibilities. To ensure that the worker meets the agency’s objectives. To ensure quality of service to clients. To develop a suitable climate for practice. To assist professional development. To facilitate effective communication between the organisation and the

worker. To provide professional and personal support. To ensure the worker has access to the resources to do their job.

2. Responsibility

It is the responsibility of all Line Managers, team leaders and individuals to ensure that they are receiving adequate supervision. It is the recommendation that Supervision be provided not less than once every 6 weeks and will vary depending on the length of service and previous jurisdiction worked in by the person concerned.

3. Procedure 3.1 Functions of Supervision

In meeting the above objectives, four key functions are being carried out.

I. Management

To ensure that the worker fully understands the expectations of the organisation and meets these expectations.

II. Education

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To enable staff to reflect honestly on their performance, assist them in setting professional goals and help them identify the sources of professional development available to them.

III. Support

To foster the professional and personal well being of the worker in the work place.

IV. Mediation

To facilitate an effective exchange between the organisational management and the individual professional.

The four functions are interdependent, and most supervision tasks are multifunctional. In considering the different functions it is helpful to view the role of the supervisor as “embedded within both the management system and the professional practice system as a key element in each and as an essential link between the two systems”. (Bunker & Weinberg 1988). 3.2 Process of Supervision (a) Agreement

The supervisor and worker should formulate a written agreement taking account both of this policy document and the particular circumstances of supervisor, worker and work place. The type of supervision outlined in 3.3 below should also be discussed.

(b) Frequency

Supervision meetings should be at least every 4-6 weeks for experience staff. Newly qualified Social Workers and staff from other jurisdictions should have supervision meetings at least every 2 weeks. The frequency to be reviewed by their Supervisors in their first year. Basic Grade Social Workers initially should be offered weekly supervision until the Supervisor deems that the Supervisee is confident and competent to fulfil their duties. The frequency then to be reviewed by their Supervisors in their first year.

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The schedule for Supervisor Meetings should be agreed well in advance. Notice period and policy, for cancellation should be included in the contract.

(c) Duration

To cover all the four elements of Supervision, e.g., Managerial, Mediation, Education and Support it is recommended that Supervision Meetings should last for a minimum of one and a half hours to two hours. Supervisors and Supervisees can negotiate well in advance if the Supervision Meetings need to be negotiated for a further time limit.

(d) The Supervisor should ensure that there is equal emphasis on the four

functions of Supervision:

The Supervisor should seek to ensure that Supervision is considered a priority and that appropriate arrangements are put in place to facilitate the process of Supervision.

The Supervisee should be proactive in getting the support they need to do their work. This can be achieved by taking responsibility for their personal and professional developments, e.g., prepare for supervision, listen, give and accept constructive feedback. Take responsibility for their own performance and of implemented agreements and plans.

(e) Prioritisation of items should be agreed at the beginning of each meeting

and time managed accordingly. (f) Location of meetings should be arranged in advance of supervision to

ensure that meetings are not interrupted unless absolutely necessary. (g) It is recommended that Supervisees Personal Development files should be

held by the Supervisor and the Supervisee keep a copy for use of future references.

(h) Recording

Two types of record should be made of each supervision meeting. 1) Personal Supervision Record

The supervisor should keep a supervision file for each worker containing: (i) the supervision contract (ii) log of supervision meetings and (iii) record of any performance, disciplinary, developmental or interpersonal matters dealt with including a clear record of any views expressed, conclusions, recommendations or decision in respect of these matters. The

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worker is entitled to have access to this record as a matter of course.

2) Case Supervision Record Supervisor should keep a supervision duplicate case record book, (format appended) in which case discussion and plans are recorded. The duplicate should be inserted in the relevant case file. The foregoing records, (1&2) should be agreed by both parties.

(i) Confidentiality

The practice of confidentiality in the supervision relationship is necessarily qualified. The supervision meeting is a private one but information and the outcome of discussions will at times be shared outside the meeting. The sharing of information should be on a need to know basis.

3.3: Types of Supervision

Supervision will generally take place on a one to one basis. However joint supervision and group supervision can be a very useful supplement to this.

4. References

National Health Strategy “Shaping a Healthier Future” (1994)

Morrison T. Staff Supervision in Social Care: An Action Learning Approach 1993

North Eastern Health Board, Supervision Policy Multi-Disciplinary Child Care Policy 2002

HEBE, Guidelines for Supervision Policy Development, 2002

Staff Supervision in Child protection Work M. Richards and C. Payne with A. Shepperd National Institute for Social Work (1990)

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Appendix 2

Management Funct ions as set out in Morr ison Model o f Superv is ion

The a ims o f the management func t ion a re to ensure :

The overa l l qua l i t y o f the worker ’ s per fo rmance i s measured

Agency po l i c ies a re unders tood and fo l lowed

The worker unders tands her /h is ro le and respons ib i l i t i es

The worker i s c lea r as to the l im i ts and use o f h is /her

pe rsona l , agency and s ta tu to ry au thor i t y

The purpose o f superv is ion i s c lea r

Work i s rev iewed regu la r l y in accordance w i th agency and lega l requ i rements

Ac t ion p lans a re fo rmu la ted and car r ied ou t w i th in the

con tex t o f agency func t ions and s ta tu to ry respons ib i l i t i es

The bas is o f dec is ions and p ro fess iona l judgements a re

c lear to you and the worker and made exp l i c i t i n agency records

Records a re ma in ta ined accord ing to agency po l i c ies

The worker knows when the superv iso r expec ts to be

consu l ted

The worker i s g iven an appropr ia te work load

T ime-management expec ta t ions o f the worker a re c lear and checked

The worker ac ts as a pos i t i ve member o f the team

The worker unders tands the func t ions o f o ther agenc ies

and re la tes appropr ia te ly to them

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The worker rece ives regu la r fo rma l appra isa l

(S ta f f Superv is ion in Socia l Care , 2005 ps .41-42)

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Appendix 3 Figure 1: Health and Social Care Professional competency wheel.

N o m a t t e r w h a t l e v e l a m a n a g e r i s a t – o r a s p i r e s t o g e t t o - o n c e t h e y h a v e d e v e l o p e d t h e s e c o m p e t e n c i e s t h e y w i l l r e m a i n o f b e n e f i t t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l a s t h e y p r o g r e s s . W i t h i n c r e a s e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , t h e y w i l l h a v e t o l e a r n s o m e n e w s k i l l s b u t t h e s e f i v e w i l l l i k e l y r e m a i n t h e s a m e . F o r e a s e o f u s e t h e c o m p e t e n c i e s h a v e b e e n p r e s e n t e d u n d e r f o u r s u b - h e a d i n g s ( s e e F i g u r e 1 b e l o w ) . T h e s e s u b - h e a d i n g s a t t e m p t t o i n d i c a t e h o w t h e c o m p e t e n c i e s w i l l h e l p m a n a g e r s t o d e l i v e r o n t h e p r i o r i t i e s f o r t h e i r o r g a n i z a t i o n .

• M a n a g i n g t h e s e r v i c e .

• M a n a g i n g p e o p l e .

• M a n a g i n g y o u r s e l f .

• M a n a g i n g c h a n g e .

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Appendix 4

Morr ison’s Per formance Management Framework

C lear d isc ip l ine code Sta f f ca re resource Capab i l i t y f ramework Appra isa l th roughout T ra in ing based on work fo rce p lann ing Supervision C lear s tandards /competences C lear po l i c ies and p rac t i ce gu idance E f fec t i ve induc t ion to va lues and goa ls o f agency Appropr ia te rec ru i tment and se lec t ion

(S ta f f Superv is ion in Socia l Care , 2005 p . 25 )

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Appendix 5

Team Based Per formance Management – What does i t involve?

The iden t i f i ca t ion o f teams and team leaders .

Teams meet in January o f each year to rev iew the Serv ice P lan /Opera t iona l p lan fo r the i r Depar tment /Serv ice Area .

The teams agree a number o f Key Per fo rmance Areas

( i .e . se rv ice p r io r i t i es ) based on the Serv ice P lan /Opera t iona l P lan . They subsequent l y agree a number o f ob jec t i ves /goa ls fo r each o f these key a reas .

The key per fo rmance a reas and the suppor t ing

ob jec t i ves /goa ls wh ich have been agreed by the team are documented by the team leader on the Per fo rmance Rev iew Form.

Team members w i l l be ass igned tasks in pursu i t o f these

ob jec t i ves /goa ls and the ach ievement o f these ob jec t i ves /goa ls w i l l be rev iewed regu la r l y by the team. The p rocess p rov ides fo r quar te r l y rev iews th roughou t the year and the Per fo rmance Rev iew Form issued by the team fo r each o f these rev iews .

( In te rna l HSE t ra in ing document , 2007 , p .4 )

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Appendix 6

SUPERVISION AND PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENT - THE LINKAGES

HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE LEVEL 1 AND 2 SERVICE PLANS -OBJECTIVES SET OUT FOR YEAR FROM NATIONAL SERVICE ANDOPERATIONAL PLANSLEVEL 3 SERVICE PLAN - ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL PLANDEVELOPED FROM LEVEL 1 AND 2 SERVICE/OPERATIONAL PLANS -IDENTIFIES OBJECTIVES AND GOALS TO BE ACHIEVED FOR YEARINDIVIDUAL TEAM OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND ROLES DICUSSED,IDENTIFIED AND AGREED - ASSESSED THROUGH TEAM BASEDPERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT REVIEWTEAM OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND ROLES ARE CLEAR - ASSESSEDTHROUGH TEAM BASED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENTREVIEW/GROUP SUPERVISIONINDIVIDUAL WORKER OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND ROLES ARE CLEAR- ASSESSED THROUGH INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISION

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Appendix 7

In terv iew Guide – for both soc ia l workers and team leaders

Pre l iminary d iscussions a t the outset wi th each in terv iewee wi l l consis t o f the fo l lowing: 1 . In t roduc t ions and exp lana t ion fo r why research i s be ing

car r ied ou t . 2 . What i s the ra t iona le fo r the s tudy? 3 . Wr i t ten consen t i s d iscussed (w i l l be addressed a lso in

the inv i ta t ion le t te r to par t i c ipa te in research) and consen t shee t s igned .

4 . Each soc ia l worker / team leader w i l l be adv ised tha t

he /she can te rmina te the in te rv iew a t any s tage . No penal ty wi l l apply and ind iv idua l superv isor i .e . Team Leader /Pr inc ipa l Socia l Worker wi l l not be in formed.

5. Each in te rv iewee w i l l be adv ised o f the Employee

Ass is tance Programme i f i t becomes ev iden t tha t they a re exper ienc ing s t ress / t rauma dur ing the in te rv iew p rocess .

6 . Cop ies o f the soc ia l work superv is ion po l i cy to be g iven

to each in te rv iewee a t beg inn ing o f i n te rv iew bu t they w i l l be requ i red to have th is document read in advance o f the ac tua l i n te rv iew. This wi l l be sent out in an inv i ta t ion le t ter to them pr ior to the in terv iew.

7 . I ssue o f where in te rv iew mate r ia l s to be s to red w i l l be

addressed . Storage wi l l not take p lace wi th in the organisat ion but wi th in the researchers home and a l l mater ia ls wi l l be dest royed on rece ipt o f MBA in Heal th Serv ices Management ( i .e . acceptance of thes is in fu l l by the course d i rector ) . Ind iv idua l in terv iewees wi l l be adv ised of purpose of tape record ing and wi l l have the opt ion of request ing notes f rom in terv iew to be documented by hand as requi red .

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8 . Rules re la t ing to con f iden t ia l i t y o f i n te rv iew mate r ia l t o

be d iscussed . In terv iewee wi l l be in formed that any in format ion re la t ing to the i r exper ience of superv is ion wi l l not be d iscussed wi th the i r ind iv idual l ine manager and the only d iscussions re la t ing to any aspect o f the research process wi l l take p lace wi th the researchers superv isor f rom the point o f v iew of making sense of the data gathered f rom the in terv iews

9 . In te rv iewees w i l l be adv ised tha t the research w i l l no t be

used to eva luate ind iv idual l ine managers in the prov is ion of pract i t ioner superv is ion . Explanat ion wi l l be g iven that the purpose of the research is to explore the exper iences of superv is ion wi th ind iv idua l soc ia l workers / team leaders in accordance wi th the model put forward in the organisat iona l po l icy .

10. Al l i n fo rmat ion f rom the in te rv iewee w i l l be

anonymised in the body o f the d isser ta t ion . In terv iewees wi l l have an oppor tuni ty and be inv i ted to read the f ina l dra f ts o f the F indings and Analys is Chapters of the d isser ta t ion before the b inding process in order that the i r contr ibut ion to the s tudy has been accurate ly represented and analysed.

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The Interview Schedule – Social Workers Main research quest ion How do soc ia l workers perce ive the management func t ion o f superv is ion and how can i t be l i nked to a robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem? The subsid iary quest ions are ident i f ied as:

G iven the check l i s t o f ac t i v i t i es w i th in the management func t ion , i s the re g rea te r emphas is and concen t ra t ion on some o f these than o thers? What m igh t be the exp lana t ions and d r i ve rs fo r these superv iso ry behav iours and approaches?

In your op in ion a re soc ia l workers be ing superv ised in accordance w i th the o rgan isa t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion?

What i s the impac t on the ro le o f the p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l worker?

What needs to be pu t in p lace by the o rgan isa t ion to s t reng then and bu i ld on the cu r ren t mode l and ex is t ing p rac t i ces?

How can superv is ion be l i nked to a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem?

Def in i t ion of superv is ion Mor r i son ’s de f in i t i on o f superv is ion i s “de f ined as a p rocess by wh ich one worker i s g iven respons ib i l i t y by the o rgan isa t ion to work w i th ano ther worker (s ) in o rder to meet ce r ta in o rgan iza t iona l , p ro fess iona l and persona l ob jec t i ves . He de l inea tes the func t ions as :


Con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment . A lso re fe r red to

as the deve lopmenta l / fo rmat i ve func t ion .


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Pe rsona l suppor t . A lso re fe r red to as the suppor t / res to ra t i ve func t ion .

Engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th t he o rgan isa t ion . A lso

re fe r red to as the med ia t ion func t ion (Mor r i son , 2005) . Def in i t ion of per formance management Per fo rmance management i s de f ined as a s t ra teg ic and in tegra ted approach to de l i ve r ing sus ta ined success to o rgan isa t ions by improv ing the per fo rmance o f the peop le who work in them and by deve lop ing the capab i l i t i es o f teams and ind iv idua l con t r ibu to rs ’ (A rmst rong and Bar ron , 2000) . I t i s essen t ia l l y a ph i losophy and a con t inuous p rocess to wh ich managers and emp loyees need to devo te a t ten t ion th roughout the work ing year . The c r i t i ca l a ims o f pe r fo rmance management a re to engage in sus ta inab le per fo rmance , d r i ve mot i va t ion and commi tment th rough deve lop ing ind iv idua l and team po ten t ia l and ac t as a lever fo r cu l tu ra l change . The fo l lowing quest ions to be asked of ind iv idual soc ia l workers to generate the data requi red in answer ing the pr imary and secondary research quest ions: 1 . How long have you been work ing in the ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re serv ice? 2 . Do you en joy the job? 3 . Have you rece ived t ra in ing on superv is ion? What d id th is invo lve? 4 . A re you aware o f the o rgan isa t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion? When d id you become aware o f th i s po l i cy and by whom? What i s your unders tand ing o f th i s po l i cy? 5 . Th is research i s focused on the management func t ion o f superv is ion . Are you aware o f the ma in ac t i v i t i es to be covered by you /your superv iso r under the management func t ion o f superv is ion? Copy o f po l i cy and func t ions to be d iscussed b r ie f l y w i th in te rv iewee. ( In te rv iewee w i l l be sen t copy in advance o f the in te rv iew so tha t they can come prepared fo r the in te rv iew) . D iscuss ion on each e lement o f

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management func t ion as se t ou t in the po l i cy document adap ted f rom Mor r i son Mode l . 7 . F rom your exper ience o f superv is ion what t ypes o f i ssues / top ics /ac t i v i t i es a re d iscussed and take p lace under the management func t ion? 8 . G iven th is check l i s t , i s the re g rea te r emphas is and concen t ra t ion on some o f these a reas / i ssues? 9 . I f so wha t a reas / i ssues a re subs tan t i ve ly focused on? 10 . In your v iew what m igh t be the exp lana t ions and d r i ve rs fo r these superv isory behav iours and approaches? 11 . In your v iew what needs to be pu t in p lace by the o rgan isa t ion to s t reng then and bu i ld on the cu r ren t mode l and ex is t ing p rac t i ces? 12 . G iven your exper iences o f be ing superv ised in re la t ion to the management func t ion , wha t impac t does th is have on your / ( the ) ro le as a p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l worker? 13. Based on the ques t ions d iscussed and the i ssues ra ised dur ing th is in te rv iew, in your op in ion , a re you be ing superv ised in accordance w i th the management func t ions o f superv is ion? 14 . A re you fami l i a r w i th the HSE’ p lan to in t roduce Team Based Per fo rmance Management? What a re your v iews on th is? 15 . In your op in ion , how can the management func t ion o f superv is ion con t r ibu te towards a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem? 16 . Be fo re we f in i sh th i s in te rv iew, a re the re any o ther comments /con t r ibu t ions tha t you wou ld l i ke to make wh ich you fee l wou ld be he lp fu l /use fu l fo r th i s research? Thank You

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The Interview Schedule – Team Leaders Main research quest ion How do soc ia l workers perce ive the management func t ion o f superv is ion and how can i t be l i nked to a robus t pe r fo rmance management sys tem? The subsid iary quest ions are ident i f ied as:

G iven the check l i s t o f ac t i v i t i es w i th in the management func t ion , i s the re g rea te r emphas is and concen t ra t ion on some o f these than o thers? What m igh t be the exp lana t ions and d r i ve rs fo r these superv iso ry behav iours and approaches?

In your op in ion a re soc ia l workers be ing superv ised in accordance w i th the o rgan isa t iona l po l i cy on superv is ion?

What i s the impac t on the ro le o f the p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l worker?

What needs to be pu t in p lace by the o rgan isa t ion to s t reng then and bu i ld on the cur ren t mode l and ex is t ing?

How can superv is ion be l i nked to a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem?

Def in i t ion of superv is ion Mor r i son ’s de f in i t i on o f superv is ion i s “de f ined as a p rocess by wh ich one worker i s g iven respons ib i l i t y by the o rgan isa t ion to work w i th ano ther worker (s ) in o rder to meet ce r ta in o rgan iza t iona l , p ro fess iona l and persona l ob jec t i ves . He de l inea tes the func t ions as :


Con t inu ing p ro fess iona l deve lopment . A lso re fe r red to

as the deve lopmenta l / fo rmat i ve func t ion .

Persona l suppor t . A lso re fe r red to as the suppor t / res to ra t i ve func t ion .


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Engag ing the ind iv idua l w i th t he o rgan iza t ion . A lso re fe r red to as the med ia t ion func t ion (Mor r i son , 2005) .

Def in i t ion of per formance management Per fo rmance management i s de f ined as a s t ra teg ic and in tegra ted approach to de l i ve r ing sus ta ined success to o rgan isa t ions by improv ing the per fo rmance o f the peop le who work in them and by deve lop ing the capab i l i t i es o f teams and ind iv idua l con t r ibu to rs ’ (A rmst rong and Bar ron , 2000) . I t i s essen t ia l l y a ph i losophy and a con t inuous p rocess to wh ich managers and emp loyees need to devo te a t ten t ion th roughout the work ing year . The c r i t i ca l a ims o f pe r fo rmance management a re to engage in sus ta inab le per fo rmance , d r i ve mot i va t ion and commi tment th rough deve lop ing ind iv idua l and team po ten t ia l and ac t as a lever fo r cu l tu ra l change . The fo l lowing quest ions to be asked of ind iv idua l team leaders to generate the data requi red in answer ing the pr imary and secondary research quest ions: 1 . How long have you superv ised soc ia l workers work ing in

the ch i ld p ro tec t ion and we l fa re se rv ice? 2 . Do you en joy the job? 3 . Have you rece ived t ra in ing as a manager on

superv is ion? What d id th i s invo lve? 4 . A re you aware o f the o rgan isa t iona l po l i cy on

superv is ion? When d id you become aware o f th i s po l i cy and by whom? What i s your unders tand ing o f th i s po l i cy?

5 . Th is research i s focused on the management func t ion o f

superv is ion . A re you aware o f the ma in ac t i v i t i es t o be covered by you as a superv iso r under the management func t ion o f superv is ion? Copy o f po l i cy and func t ions to be d iscussed b r ie f l y w i th in te rv iewee. ( In te rv iewee w i l l be sen t copy in advance o f the in te rv iew so tha t they can come prepared fo r the in te rv iew) . D iscuss ion on each e lement o f management func t ion as se t ou t in the po l i cy document adap ted f rom Mor r i son Mode l . ( se t ou t in append ix 2 ) .

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6 . F rom your exper ience wha t t ypes o f i ssues / top ics /ac t i v i t i es a re d iscussed and dea l t w i th by you and your superv isees under the management func t ion?

7 . G iven th is check l i s t , i s the re g rea te r emphas is and

concen t ra t ion by you on some o f these a reas / i ssues? 8 . I f so wha t a reas / i ssues a re subs tan t i ve ly focused on? 9 . In your v iew what m igh t be the exp lana t ions and d r i ve rs

fo r these superv iso ry behav iours and approaches (by you)?

10 . In your v iew what needs to be pu t in p lace by the

o rgan isa t ion to s t reng then and bu i ld on the cur ren t mode l and ex is t ing p rac t i ces?

11 . G iven your exper iences o f superv is ing soc ia l workers

in re la t ion to the management func t ion , in your v iew what impac t does th is have on the ro le o f soc ia l workers?

12. Based on the ques t ions d iscussed and the i ssues

ra ised dur ing th i s in te rv iew, in your op in ion , a re you superv is ing soc ia l work p rac t i t i oners in accordance w i th the management func t ions o f superv is ion?

13 . Are you fami l ia r w i th the HSE’ p lan to in t roduce Team

Based Per fo rmance Management? What a re your v iews on th is?

14 . In your op in ion , how can the management func t ion o f

superv is ion con t r ibu te towards a robus t per fo rmance management sys tem?

15 . Be fo re we f in i sh th i s in te rv iew, a re there any o ther

comments /con t r ibu t ions tha t you wou ld l i ke to make wh ich you fee l wou ld be he lp fu l /use fu l fo r th i s research?

Thank You

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Appendix 8

Let ter o f inv i ta t ion to par t ic ipate in the research

12 /03 /07 A l l Socia l Workers and Team Leaders Laois /Of fa ly Local Hea l th Of f ice Area Longford /Westmeath Local Hea l th Of f ice Area Re: Let ter o f inv i ta t ion to par t ic ipate in MBA research Dear co l league, P ro fess iona l superv is ion w i th soc ia l workers i s a we l l -recogn ised , es tab l i shed and accep ted p rac t i ce in t he soc ia l work sec to r loca ted in I r i sh s ta tu to ry , vo lun ta ry and commun i ty se t t i ngs . However the re i s ve ry l i t t l e in fo rmat ion ava i lab le on the percep t ions o f soc ia l workers in re la t ion to th i s ve ry impor tan t and c r i t i ca l p rac t i ce and spec i f i ca l l y in re la t ion to the management func t ion o f superv is ion . Per fo rmance management i s c r i t i ca l to meet ing the ob jec t i ves o f any o rgan isa t ion and in th i s regard the HSE are now imp lement ing a per fo rmance management sys tem, wh ich i s to be , ro l led ou t dur ing 2007 . You may be aware tha t I am cur ren t l y under tak ing the MBA in Hea l th Serv ices Management in UCD. I w ish to conduc t research in these a reas in o rder to inc rease our unders tand ing o f the i ssues on the management func t ion o f superv is ion , f rom the perspec t i ve o f the p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l worker and how per fo rmance management sys tems can bes t re la te to th i s co re ac t i v i t y . The a im o f the research i s to ob ta in a be t te r p ic tu re o f these key e lements , to look a t ways o f improv ing the superv is ion exper iences fo r soc ia l workers and to cons ider how the superv is ion p rocess can in fo rm good per fo rmance management ac t i v i t i es in the HSE. By tak ing par t i n th i s

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research , you w i l l be he lp ing to bu i ld upon our unders tand ing o f th i s v i ta l aspec t o f the l i ne managers ’ work . I wou ld be ob l iged i f you wou ld cons ider t ak ing par t i n th i s research . I be l ieve tha t your exper iences w i l l i n fo rm bo th the superv is ion s t ruc tu res , p rocess and ou tcomes fo r everyone invo lved i .e . soc ia l workers , team leaders and spec i f i ca l l y c l i en ts who use the serv ice tha t you cur ren t l y p rov ide . Your in fo rmat ion w i l l a l so gu ide p lann ing a round the deve lopment and imp lemen ta t ion o f per fo rmance management sys tems w i th in soc ia l work depar tments ac ross a l l se rv ices . The f ina l dec is ion to par t i c ipa te in th i s research i s yours . Al l in format ion prov ided wi l l be t reated in the s t r ic test conf idence and a l l mater ia ls re la t ing to th is research wi l l be processed only by mysel f and d iscussed wi th my thes is superv isor , Ms. Anna Jennings, Dept . o f Soc ia l Po l icy and Socia l Work , Univers i ty Col lege Dubl in . The f ind ings f rom th is research w i l l be used to exp lo re bes t p rac t i ce in the management func t ion o f superv is ion and in fo rm fu tu re na t iona l p rac t i ces and mode ls in re la t ion to per fo rmance management . A l l da ta genera ted f rom the in te rv iews w i l l be he ld in my home and w i l l be des t royed by me, once the Roya l Co l lege o f Surgeons /Smur f i t Bus iness Schoo l , UCD accep ts the f ina l copy o f my d isser ta t ion . A l l da ta genera ted f rom the in te rv iews w i l l be anonymised to p ro tec t the iden t i t y o f pa r t i c ipan ts . I a t tach a copy o f the wr i t ten consen ts requ i red . Thank you in advance fo r your cons idera t ion o f th i s reques t . P lease ind ica te on the a t tached shee t your w i l l i ngness to par t i c ipa te and how I can ge t in touch w i th you . My phone de ta i l s a re 057 93 22488 (work ) o r 086 8157240 (mob i le ) . K ind regards , Ms. He len Hanlon, Socia l Work Team Leader .

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Appendix 9

Consent form sent to research par t ic ipants

CONSENT FORM

I ag ree to par t i c ipa te in a s tudy be ing conduc ted by He len

Han lon as par t fu l f i l lment o f an MBA d isser ta t ion th rough

Un ivers i t y Co l lege Dub l in under t he superv is ion o f Anna

Jenn ings , Dep t . o f Soc ia l Work and Soc ia l Po l i cy , UCD. I

have made th is dec is ion based on the in fo rmat ion I have

read in the In fo rmat ion le t te r . As a par t i c ipan t in th i s s tudy ,

I rea l i ze tha t I w i l l be asked to take par t i n a semi -

s t ruc tu red in te rv iew, wh ich w i l l be aud io taped . I may

dec l ine answer ing any o f the i t ems, i f I so choose . A l l

i n fo rmat ion , wh ich I p rov ide , w i l l be he ld in con f idence and

I w i l l no t be iden t i f i ed in any way in the f ina l repor t . I

unders tand tha t I may w i thdraw th is consen t a t any t ime by

ceas ing to par t i c ipa te .

I a l so unders tand tha t th i s p ro jec t has been d iscussed by

the Hea l th Serv ice Execu t i ve E th ics Commi t tee and has

rece ived e th ica l approva l . I ag ree to par t i c ipa te in th i s

s tudy .

YES NO (P lease c i rc le you r cho ice )

Par t i c ipan t ' s Name: _______________________________(P lease p r in t )

Par t i c ipan t ' s S igna tu re : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Da te : ______________________

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Please ind ica te be low whether you wou ld p re fe r me to ca l l o r ema i l you .

My p re fe rence i s tha t you con tac t me by :

PHONE MAIL (P lease c i rc le your p re fe rence)

My te lephone number i s :

The bes t t ime to reach me a t tha t number i s :

P lease re tu rn to :

He len Han lon , Commun i ty Serv ices Of f i ces , O ’ Car ro l l S t . Tu l lamore , Co. Of fa ly .

057 93 22488 (W) o r 086 8157240 (M)

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Appendix 10

Report to Chi ldcare Serv ices Research Commit tee seek ing approval to conduct the s tudy. The research quest ions changed dur ing the research process but th is d id not a f fect the overa l l d i rect ion of the research. MBA in Health Services Management

Dr. Teresa O’ Hara, Course Director,

School of Healthcare Management, RCSI, UCD and Smurfit Business School.

Submission on Research Proposal

Helen Hanlon UCD student no. 83188355

September 2006

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Situational context to proposal topic: Front l ine managers are the keystones of the organisat ion. They have a key ro le in determining whether standards of pract ice are consistent ly maintained, in support ing staff engaged in complex, personal ly demanding pract ice, and ensur ing staff are cont inual ly developed in knowledge-based pract ice. Without this, they can add to the separat ion that can occur within an organisat ion and the poor or non-existent col laborat ion with others. The importance of gett ing the supervis ion of staff r ight in socia l care sett ings and of posit ive ro le model ing by managers cannot be overstated. The qual ity of services to vulnerable service users and the levels of staff morale, ski l ls and motivat ion are al l inextr icably bound up with the fate of supervis ion and the degree to which supervisors and managers model the att i tudes and behaviors that the organisat ion wishes i ts front l ine staff to adopt. The writers interest in the area of c l in ical/profess ional supervis ion emerged over a f ive year period from 1996-2001 whi le sett ing up and managing the Chi ld Care Training and Development Unit in the former Midland Health Board (now HSE, Dubl in Mid-Leinster). The substant ive funct ion of the post involved ident i f icat ion of the tra ining needs of staff del iver ing and managing chi ldcare services in the region and developing appropr iate tra in ing responses and solut ions to meet these needs. In October 2001, the writer moved to a front l ine management (current post as team leader) post in chi ld protect ion and welfare services and quickly establ ished that whi le professional supervis ion was recognised by both pract i t ioners and managers as being cr it ical to achieving and maintaining best pract ice, there was an ad hoc, inconsistent and unstructured approach to the provis ion of c l inica l supervis ion. While supervis ion tra ining had previously been commiss ioned by the writer in 1998 for front l ine and senior managers del iver ing chi ldcare services, the implementat ion with chi ldcare pract it ioners and managers was sporadic in nature and not pr ior i t ised by the organisat ion as a key professional funct ion/act iv ity for ei ther managers or pract it ioners al ike. It frequent ly became a casualty in a competing and demanding service del ivery environment. Furthermore, there was no pol icy document in place to underpin or val idate the pract ice of professional supervis ion of staff within the organisat ion. In September 2002 a nat ional working group was establ ished by the Nat ional Resource Team/Advisory Group (HEBE) on the implementat ion of Chi ldren First Nat ional Guidel ines on Chi ld Abuse (1999) to develop nat ional guidel ines on a supervis ion pol icy for staff in Health Board Chi ldcare Services. These guidel ines were issued in February 2003. On foot of these nat ional developments and experience of managing front l ine chi ld protect ion staff, in November 2002 the writer submitted a proposal to the former Midland Health Board, now Health Service Execut ive, re lat ing to pol icy development and implementat ion of staff tra ining in c l inical supervis ion within the region. The proposal concerned front l ine pract it ioners and their managers del iver ing chi ldcare services

150

within the region and related to socia l workers, fami ly support workers and community chi ldcare staff. The former Midland Health Board (now HSE) Chi ld Care Care Group establ ished a Mult i-disc ipl inary Chi ld Care Supervis ion Pol icy Group in February 2003 to oversee the development of a Board-wide supervis ion pol icy and the implementat ion of tra in ing on supervis ion for pract i t ioners and managers. This task group involved a representat ion of the disc ip l ines concerned and was managed by a project manager. Fol lowing the November 2002 submission to senior managers in the organisat ion the writer was released to attend a training course in Manchester to train as a tra iner in the del ivery of supervis ion tra ining to front l ine and senior managers and chi ld care pract i t ioners across the region. This tra in-the-tra iners course was faci l i tated by Tony Morrison, social work consultant and tra iner who has writ ten and tra ined extensively on the subject and has publ ished pract ica l guides for both supervisors and supervisees on improving supervis ion within socia l work and socia l care sett ings. This tra ining was del ivered through a number of four-day courses to this target group in late 2003 and ear ly 2004. Current ly as a front l ine manager with responsibi l i ty for del ivery of socia l work and family support services to chi ldren and fami l ies on a day to day basis, staff supervis ion is recognised as a cr it ica l e lement to effect ive pract ice, professional development and support for workers in an increasingly complex and demanding work environment. As a key funct ion in the posit ion of team leader, the writer implements the Morr ison model of supervis ion pract ice with socia l work, social care and fami ly support staff . One of the pr ior i t ies ident i f ied by the working group in the or ig inal process of developing and introducing a supervis ion pol icy and related supervis ion pract ices with staff across the region involved an evaluation and review of the effect iveness of the pol icy document on an annual basis. This review has not taken place to date and i t is now being proposed by the writer to evaluate and review the implementat ion of the pol icy document with one discipl ine involved within the context of this thes is proposal. Aim of study The aim of this thesis is to examine the extent to which the pol icy on supervis ion has been implemented with one professional group, namely professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers, who del iver community chi ldcare services, within the former Midland Health Board (now Laois/Offa ly and Longford/Westmeath Local Health Off ice Areas). The focus of the research wi l l be to ident i fy with socia l workers (from the perspect ive of these pract it ioners) the extent to which the pol icy is being implemented in pract ice through their experience of profess ional supervis ion on a day to day basis being del ivered by Socia l Work Team Leaders ( i .e. front l ine managers with responsibi l i ty to provide professional supervis ion).

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This study aims to review the supervis ion pol icy implementation in the region with one ident if ied staff discip l ine and the management issues ar is ing for the organisat ion (HSE Chi ld Care Services) on the implementat ion process. Proposal Topic As set out above the writer has a speci f ic interest in this area as she has both trained staff and managers in the theory and pract ice of supervis ion and also current ly supervises a team of thirteen socia l work, social care and fami ly support staff (s ix social workers from this staff group). A working group developed the pol icy on supervis ion dur ing 2003, based on the nat ional HEBE pol icy ear l ier developed. The writer was a member of this working group and indeed was instrumental in dr iv ing the pol icy to be adopted by senior managers of the former Midland Health Board (now HSE) Chi ld Care Care Group in November 2003. The proposed research, in part fu l f i lment of the MBA in Health Services Management, aims to examine and review the implementat ion of this pol icy document with one specif ic discip l ine, that of socia l work pract i t ioners and the management issues ar is ing from the implementat ion process. Literature Review From the writer ’s own knowledge of the subject area, there is a substant ia l quant ity of l i terature avai lable both at nat ional and internat ional level. At internat ional level there has been substant ia l work carr ied out in the UK, Austral ia and New Zealand. Tony Morr ison, Socia l Work Consultant, UK has written extensively on the subject of supervis ion and specif ical ly in the professional supervis ion of socia l workers and as noted above has been recruited (and continues to be commiss ioned) by the HSE in Ire land to inform pol icy documents on staff supervis ion and implement specif ic training on staff supervis ion. It is the intent ion of the writer to make contact with Tony Morr ison to ident ify and discuss the relevant and most contemporaneous l i terature and research on supervis ion of professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers both nat ional ly and internat ional ly. It is the intent ion of the writer to meet with re levant lectur ing staff in the Department of Social Work and Socia l Pol icy, UCD to discuss this thes is proposal with a v iew to establ ishing contemporaneous l i terature given that the issue of supervis ion of socia l workers (both in student placements and within the employment sett ing) is taught on the Masters in Socia l Work course. Within the HSE chi ldcare services there are now nat ional ly establ ished tra ining and development units (the writer establ ished the department in the former Midland Health Board, now HSE Dubl in Mid-Leinster) to ident i fy the training needs and requirements of chi ldcare staff and formulate appropriate tra ining strategies and solut ions to meet these needs. It is

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the intention of the writer to meet this nat ional tra ining group (who meet on a three monthly basis) to in it iate a dia logue around relevant l i terature ident if icat ion. Methodological Issues and Research Design A combinat ion of qual i tat ive and quant itat ive research methods is being proposed in order to maximise the gathering of relevant data and informat ion. • The qualitative research proposed wi l l involve a number of focus

groups of socia l workers from both Laois/Offaly and Longford/Westmeath Local Health Off ice areas. The target group of socia l workers is easi ly def inable and l imited in number. There are approximately f i fty-seven socia l workers employed in the del ivery of community chi ldcare services, which wi l l require approximately eight focus groups of s ix part ic ipants across the region. Al l socia l workers current ly employed wi l l be invited to part ic ipate in the focus group discuss ions, except the seven social workers currently supervised by the writer.

•

Themed issues wi l l be ra ised with the socia l workers dur ing the focus group sessions based on the key elements/domains of the exist ing contents of the supervis ion pol icy document. The focus groups wi l l be relat ively smal l in s ize in order that each part ic ipant ’s v iews, exper iences and opinions on the pol icy document implementat ion can be readi ly e l ic i ted. The focus groups wi l l be faci l i tated for approximately 1.5 hours and the contents of the discussions wi l l be taped. The writer wi l l employ an administrator to type up the transcr ipts. Informed consent and conf ident ia l i ty issues wi l l be discussed with research part ic ipants in advance of the research commencing. An interview/focus group quest ion guide wi l l be developed to inform research part ic ipants of the focus group process in advance of the proposed l ine of quest ions/thematic issues to be covered in the actual research process and this guide wi l l be avai lable to part ic ipants in advance of their part ic ipat ing in the research.

The quantitative research wi l l involve a standard quest ionnaire being sent to al l f i f ty professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers present ly working in del iver ing community socia l work services in both Local Health Off ice areas. The quest ions wi l l be based on the key elements/domains of the supervis ion pol icy.

This method is being employed in order to 1. target and access those socia l workers whom for whatever reason may

not wish to take part in the focus group sess ions direct ly. 2. The quest ionnaire is a lso being considered for ease of feedback for

those social work staff who do not wish to be directly involved in face-to-face data collection . Such a methodology wi l l faci l i tate the

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feedback of informat ion in a way that a l lows socia l workers to give informat ion in a conf ident ia l and anonymous manner.

A s s e t o u t i n t h e c o n s t r u c t i v e c o m m e n t s f r o m t h e C h i l d C a r e R e s e a r c h C o m m i t t e e ( p l e a s e s e e a t t a c h e d ) t h e s e v e n p r o f e s s i o n a l l y q u a l i f i e d s o c i a l w o r k e r s w h o a r e c u r r e n t l y s u p e r v i s e d b y t h e w r i t e r w i l l n o t b e a p p r o a c h e d b y t h e w r i t e r o r i n v o l v e d i n a n y w a y i n t h i s r e s e a r c h . T h e r e s e a r c h t o p i c w i l l n o t b e d i s c u s s e d i n a n y w a y w i t h a n y o f t h e s e s o c i a l w o r k e r s . Data Collection and Analysis The data wi l l be col lected through focus groups and standard quest ionnaires. Al l other f i f ty socia l work staff wi l l be invited to complete the standard quest ionnaire. This wi l l ass ist in 1. anonymising the data within the subsequent thesis document and 2. fac i l i tat ing socia l workers who may not wish to engage in face-to-face

research methods. Research part ic ipants wi l l have an opportunity to see the anonymised data as presented in the f indings and analys is chapters. This wi l l be undertaken in order to ensure that their views are correct ly represented and that they are sat isf ied that their individual input/data to the research is not ident i f iable in the body of the f inal research document. Socia l work pract it ioners wi l l be approached by letter format, with a request to part ic ipate in the research. It wi l l be c lear ly stated in writ ing that the research wi l l not be used to evaluate either indiv idual pract ices or those of their managers. Should pract it ioners feel uncomfortable with the research process they wi l l be free to withdraw at any t ime. A standard quest ionnaire tool and thematic focus group based on key themes/domains of the supervis ion pol icy wi l l be used. Ethical issues The former Midland Health Board (now HSE) Chi ldcare Services set up a research committee for non-cl inical tr ia ls in 2003 to oversee al l research being undertaken in the region on chi ldren, young people and fami l ies and survei l lance of research protocols referred to it involving human subjects carr ied out in the region. When the committee considers that the proposed study id just i f ied and i t is sat isf ied with the circumstances, it shal l give i ts approval to the conduct ing of the study and persons conduct ing the study. Given that the writer proposes to undertake research on the supervis ion of professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers who current ly del iver services to chi ldren and fami l ies, the writer wrote to the committee in October 2006.

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A copy of their del iberat ions is attached for your information with their construct ive comments incorporated into this proposal. The issue of gather ing data appropr iately in order to prevent data bias is a key issue addressed with this committee as wel l as part ic ipant informed consent and confident ia l i ty. The research wi l l not be used to evaluate indiv idual l ine managers in the provis ion of pract it ioner supervis ion but rather the extent to which the individual const ituent elements of the supervis ion pol icy is being implemented, from the perspect ive of socia l work pract it ioners in their experience of supervis ion current ly being implemented by Team Leaders (their immediate managers with responsibi l i ty for providing supervis ion). There wi l l be no requirement on indiv idual socia l work pract i t ioners to part ic ipate in the research and there wi l l be no penal isat ion in their opt ing out. Written consent wi l l be secured in advance from part ic ipants interested in being involved in the research. An information leaf let wi l l issue to al l potent ial research part ic ipants advis ing of same and cover ing the ethical issues addressed in this proposal. The part ic ipants wi l l be made aware of the avai labi l i ty of the Employee Assistance Service before, dur ing and after the focus groups and standard quest ionnaire process. The writer wi l l be the only person who wi l l be aware of part ic ipants involved in the focus group sessions. The standard quest ionnaire wi l l be c irculated through a postal survey and therefore part ic ipant detai ls wi l l remain anonymous. Managers wi l l not be made aware of the ident ity of those who responded to or contr ibuted to either research methods or indeed those who choose not to part ic ipate in the research in the f irst instance. Storage of a l l tapes and other research data wi l l be kept in the writers own home and al l transcr ipts/tapes wi l l be destroyed on receipt of not ice from Ms. Teresa O’ Hara, Course Director that the submitted research document has been accepted as the f inal research document by her in part fu l f i lment of the MBA in Health Services Management. Approval has been sought in October 2006 from the committee to undertake this research with socia l work pract it ioners and I attach a copy of their writ ten response for your informat ion. I have incorporated their construct ive suggest ions in this amended proposal.

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Supervisor Details The writer is of the view that the professional/technical knowledge to undertake the supervis ion of this thes is proposal is held within the Dept. of Socia l Pol icy and Social Work, UCD. The writer has approached relevant lectur ing staff from the Masters in Socia l Work course in UCD to discuss this thesis proposal to e l ic i t their v iews on thesis supervisory funct ion and task. The writer is current ly a member of the Masters in Socia l Work Advisory Board and already has s ignif icant establ ished l inkages with the department. Ms. Anna Jennings, Course Director on the Masters in Social Work course has agreed to act as thesis supervisor and provide guidance on the research process. Thesis length/format The proposed length of the thesis is 25,000 words. The f inal submiss ion date is 31s t . March 2006. The thesis wi l l fo l low the fo l lowing format: 1. Introduct ion 2. Literature Review 3. Research methodology 4. Results 5. Analys is and discussions 6. Conclusion

Ms. Helen Hanlon, BSSc, DASS, MSW.

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Appendix 11 .

Correspondence to Eth ics Commit tee - copy of form completed and submit ted .

The research quest ion was changed fo l lowing the

submiss ion but g iven that the research was wi th in the same f ie ld , permiss ion was granted to conduct the

research on 9 t h . March 2007 .

Midland Area

RESEARCH PROJECT ETHICAL APPROVAL APPLICATION FORM

R e t u r n 3 c o p i e s ( i n c l u d i n g y o u r s i g n e d o r i g i n a l t o ) :

Laura Smith, Research Ethics Committee Secretary,

Department of Public Health, HSE – MA,

Central Office, Arden Road, Tullamore, Co.Offaly.

[email protected]

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Research Project Ethical Approval Application Form

1. FORM SUBMISSION DETAILS DATE: 13.11.06 Please tick if you work for the HSE Midland

Area Yes

13.11.06

Project Originator/Lead/Author:

Dissertation as part fulfilment of the Masters in Business Administration in Health Services Management, Royal College of Surgeons.

Speciality/Department:

Social Work Service, Community Services, O’ Carroll St. Tullamore.

Sub-Committee:

C

P

Tb

Y I

Not relevant

ontact Email & Telephone/Fax Number:

[email protected] 057 93 22488

roject Title:

O

s

Review the effectiveness of a policy document on staff supervision in respect of one sta discipline - Professionally Qualified Social Workers - in the former

Midland Health Board area (now HSE). ff

2. PROJECT DETAILS PIC: (please state why this topic was selected & a description of any

ackground work carried out to date)

Please see attached addendum, which sets out why the topic was selected.

es Yes No

this research being undertaken for further education

158

I am currently undertaking the MBA in Health Services Management in UCD and wish to undertake a study on professional supervision in completing my thesis in part fulfilment of the MBA.

If yes, please give details: As per above Aims & Objectives: How will this study influence your current and/or future work?

The aim of this thesis is to examine the extent to which the pol icy on supervis ion has been implemented with one profess ional group, namely professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers, who del iver community chi ldcare services, within the former Midland Health Board (now Laois/Offaly and Longford/Westmeath Local Health Off ice Areas). The focus of the research wi l l be to ident i fy with socia l workers (from theperspect ive of these pract it ioners) the extent to which the pol icy is being implemented in pract ice through their experience of professional supervis ion on a day to day basis being del ivered by Social Work Team Leaders ( i .e. front l ine managers with responsibi l i ty to provide profess ional supervis ion). This study aims to review the supervis ion pol icy implementation in the region with one ident if ied staff disc ip l ine and the management issues ar is ing for the organisat ion (HSE Chi ld Care Services) on the implementat ion process.

PROJECT TYPE:

Research yes Evaluation study

I currently work as a Team Leader in the Social Work Services. This research should inform other Team Leaders and Principal Social Workers about how professional supervision of social workers happens at the frontline in service delivery and the mechanisms and processes that need to be put in place to ensure that effective supervision is provided.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS: (please tick all those that apply)

Qualitative Quantitative Both qualitative &

quantitative yes

Retrospective Prospective Concurrent yes Please provide a brief description of how you propose to collect the data:

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A combination of qual i tat ive and quanti tat ive research methods is being proposed in order to maximise the gather ing of re levant data and informat ion. The qualitative research proposed wi l l involve a number of focus groups of socia l workers from both Laois/Offa ly and Longford/Westmeath Local Health Off ice areas. The target group of socia l workers is easi ly def inable and l imited in number. There are approximately f i f ty-seven socia l workers employed in the del ivery of community chi ldcare services, which wi l l require approximately e ight focus groups of s ix part ic ipants across the region. Al l socia l workers current ly employed wil l be invited to part ic ipate in the focus group discussions, except the seven social workers currently supervised by the writer.

•

Themed issues wi l l be raised with the socia l workers dur ing the focus group sess ions based on the key elements/domains of the exist ing contents of the supervis ion pol icy document. The focus groups wi l l be relat ively smal l in s ize in order that each part ic ipant ’s v iews, exper iences and opinions on the pol icy document implementat ion can be readi ly e l ic i ted. The focus groups wi l l be faci l i tated for approximately 1.5 hours and the contents of the discussions wi l l be taped. The writer wi l l employ an administrator to type up the transcr ipts. Informed consent and conf identia l i ty issues wi l l be discussed with research part ic ipants in advance of the research commencing. An interview/focus group quest ion guide wi l l be developed to inform research part ic ipants of the focus group process in advance of the proposed l ine of quest ions/thematic issues to be covered in the actual research process and this guide wi l l be avai lable to part ic ipants in advance of their part ic ipat ing in the research.

The quantitative research wi l l involve a standard quest ionnaire being sent to al l f i f ty professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers present ly working in del iver ing community socia l work services in both Local Health Off ice areas. The quest ions wi l l be based on the key elements/domains of the supervis ion pol icy.

This method is being employed in order to 3. target and access those socia l workers whom for whatever reason may

not wish to take part in the focus group sess ions direct ly. 4. The quest ionnaire is a lso being considered for ease of feedback for

those social work staff who do not wish to be directly involved in face-to-face data collection . Such a methodology wi l l fac i l i tate the feedback of information in a way that al lows socia l workers to give informat ion in a conf ident ia l and anonymous manner.

As se t ou t in the cons t ruc t i ve comments f rom the Ch i ld Care Research Commi t tee (p lease see a t tached) the seven p ro fess iona l l y qua l i f i ed soc ia l workers who a re cu r ren t l y

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superv ised by the wr i te r w i l l no t be approached by the wr i te r o r invo lved in any way in th i s research . The research top ic w i l l no t be d iscussed in any way w i th any o f these soc ia l workers . Data Collection and Analysis The data wi l l be col lected through focus groups and standard quest ionnaires. Al l other f i f ty socia l work staff wi l l be invited to complete the standard quest ionnaire. This wi l l ass ist in 3. anonymising the data within the subsequent thesis document and 4. fac i l i tat ing socia l workers who may not wish to engage in face-to-face

research methods. The anonymised data wi l l be shown to the part ic ipat ing socia l workers to ensure that their v iews are correct ly represented and that their indiv idual input/data to the research is not identi f iable in the body of the f inal research document. This wi l l be made clear to part ic ipants in writ ing and checked verbal ly pr ior to the commencement of any focus groups/quest ionnaire process. Socia l work pract i t ioners wi l l be approached by letter format, with a request to part ic ipate in the research. It wi l l be c lear ly stated in writ ing that the research wi l l not be used to evaluate either indiv idual pract ices or those of their managers. Should pract i t ioners feel uncomfortable with the research process they wi l l be free to withdraw at any t ime. A standard quest ionnaire tool and thematic focus group based on key themes/domains of the supervis ion pol icy wi l l be used. Participants: Please give details of all participants (i.e. clients, patients, professionals, other departments etc.) involved in the research/evaluation, and whether or not they have been (i) identified, (ii) approached or (iii) recruited? Sample Size: How many participants will be involved?

If quantitative, are these numbers representative of the total population size?

Yes No No Proposed starting date:

January 2007

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Approximately 50 social workers across both Local HealthOffice Areas.

Proposed duration of the project:

Three months.

What are the principal inclusion criteria?

Discussions with professionally qualified social workers in respect of their experiences of professional supervision. Social workers who are currently supervised by me to be excluded from the research.

What are the principal exclusion criteria?

Social workers currently supervised by me (7 in total).

Please provide details of the audience (internal/external/general public/etc.) to whom the report will be made available and how the results will be used. Have you any dissemination plans? If so, please include a brief description of these also.

Dissertation to be completed by end of March 2007 as part of MBA. No plans to disseminate to any audience pending results of MBA process before June 2007. The research will then be made available to those who participated, their managers, Principal Social Workers and Child Care Managers.

4. DATA PROTECTION Outline how you propose to ensure the care and protection of the research participants? The former Midland Health Board (now HSE) Chi ldcare Services set up a research committee for non-cl inical tr ia ls in 2003 to oversee al l research being undertaken in the region on chi ldren, young people and fami l ies and survei l lance of research protocols referred to it involv ing human subjects carr ied out in the region. When the committee considers that the proposed study id just i f ied and it is sat isf ied with the circumstances, i t shal l g ive its approval to the conduct ing of the study and persons conduct ing the study. Given that the writer proposes to undertake research on the supervis ion of professional ly qual i f ied socia l workers who current ly del iver services to chi ldren and fami l ies, the writer wrote to this committee in October 2006.

162

The issue of gathering data appropriately in order to prevent data bias is a key issue addressed with this committee as wel l as part ic ipant informed consent and confident ia l i ty. The research wi l l not be used to evaluate indiv idual l ine managers in the provis ion of pract it ioner supervis ion but rather the extent to which the individual const ituent e lements of the supervis ion pol icy is being implemented, from the perspect ive of socia l work pract i t ioners in their exper ience of supervis ion current ly being implemented by Team Leaders (their immediate managers with responsibi l i ty for providing supervis ion). There wi l l be no requirement on individual socia l work pract i t ioners to part ic ipate in the research and there wi l l be no penal isat ion in their opt ing out. Written consent wi l l be secured in advance from part ic ipants interested in being involved in the research. An informat ion leaf let wi l l issue to a l l potent ia l research part ic ipants advis ing of same and covering the ethical issues addressed in this proposal. The part ic ipants wi l l be made aware of the avai labi l i ty of the Employee Assistance Service before, dur ing and after the focus groups and standard quest ionnaire process. The writer wi l l be the only person who wi l l be aware of part ic ipants involved in the focus group sessions. The standard quest ionnaire wi l l be c irculated through a postal survey and therefore part ic ipant detai ls wi l l remain anonymous. Managers wi l l not be made aware of the ident i ty of those who responded to or contr ibuted to either research methods or indeed those who choose not to part ic ipate in the research in the f irst instance. Storage of a l l tapes and other research data wi l l be kept in the writers own home and al l transcr ipts/tapes wi l l be destroyed on receipt of not ice from Ms. Teresa O’ Hara, Course Director that the submitted research document has been accepted as the f inal research document by her in part fu l f i lment of the MBA in Health Services Management. What measures will be put in place to ensure the confidentiality of personal data?

Where will the analysis of the data from the study take place? By whom will it be undertaken? Who will have control of and act as custodian for the data generated by the study?

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The writer wi l l be the only person who wi l l be aware of part ic ipants involved in the focus group sess ions. The standard quest ionnaire wi l l be c irculated through a postal survey and therefore part ic ipant detai ls wi l l remain anonymous. Managers wi l l not be made aware of the ident i ty of those who responded to or contr ibuted to either research methods or indeed those who choose not to part ic ipate in the research in the f irst instance. Storage of a l l tapes and other research data wi l l be kept in the writers own home and al l t ranscripts/tapes wi l l be destroyed on receipt of notice from Ms. Teresa O’ Hara, Course Director that the submitted research document has been accepted as the f inal research document by her in part ful f i lment of the MBA in Health Services Management.

I will have control of and act as custodian for the data collected and will undertake to destroy all data collected on receiving the final results of the MBA from the MBA Course Director.

Data from the qualatative and quantitative methods will be analysed by me in conjunction with thesis supervisor in my own home and in the supervisors place of work, namely, UCD.

Who will have access to the data generated by the study?

Social workers, their managers, Principal Social Workers and Child Care Managers will have access only to the final written document i.e. the completed thesis.

For how long will the data be stored? YEARS MONTHS

Have you addressed all the ethical considerations?

Yes yes No Use Ethical Checklist Guide to describe how. Attach the necedocumentation.

5. THIS QUESTION MUST BE ANSWERE

UNDERTAKING THE RESEARC Will the individual researcher receive any personal payment onormal salary for undertaking this research?

Yes No No If yes, outline: Will individual researchers receive any other benefits or incenti

this research?

Yes No No If yes, outline:

DECLARATION The information on this form is accurate to the best of my k

full responsibility for it. I undertake to abide by the ethical principles underlying th

Helsinki and the HSE-MA Guidelines on Good Research Pra

Please see attached submission to Dr. Phil Jennings.

164

12 only

ssary

D BEOFRE H

ver and above

ves for undertaking

nowledge and I take

e Declaration of ctice.

I undertake to submit an annual report as per Ethical Approval SOP to the REC. I am aware of my responsibility to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998

and 2003. I understand that research records/data may be subject to inspection for audit

purposes if required in the future. I understand that personal data about me as a researcher in this application

will be held by the REC and that this will be managed according to the Data Protection Act 1998 and 2003.

I will make a copy of my research available to the Regional Librarian on completion.

Date Proposal Form Submitted: 13 /11 /06 Signed (project leader): Helen Hanlon FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Results of proposal discussed by Research Ethics Committee.

Accepted

Rejected Reason: Chairperson/vice-chairperson Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: _________________ TOPIC: (please state why this topic was selected & a description of any background work carried out to date) - (Addendum page) The writers interest in the area of c l in ical/profess ional supervis ion emerged over a f ive year per iod from 1996-2001 whi le sett ing up and managing the Chi ld Care Training and Development Unit in the former Midland Health Board (now HSE, Dublin Mid-Leinster). The substant ive funct ion of the post involved ident if icat ion of the tra ining needs of staff del iver ing and managing chi ldcare services in the region and developing appropr iate tra in ing responses and solut ions to meet these needs. In October 2001, the writer moved to a front l ine management (current post as team leader) post in chi ld protect ion and welfare services and quickly establ ished that whi le professional supervis ion was recognised by both pract it ioners and managers as being cr i t ical to achieving and maintaining best pract ice, there was an ad hoc, inconsistent and unstructured approach to the provis ion of c l inical supervis ion. Whi le supervis ion tra ining had previously been commiss ioned by the writer in

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1998 for front l ine and senior managers del iver ing chi ldcare services, the implementat ion with chi ldcare pract it ioners and managers was sporadic in nature and not pr ior it ised by the organisat ion as a key professional funct ion/act iv ity for e ither managers or pract i t ioners al ike. It frequent ly became a casualty in a competing and demanding service del ivery environment. Furthermore, there was no pol icy document in place to underpin or val idate the pract ice of profess ional supervis ion of staff within the organisat ion. In September 2002 a nat ional working group was establ ished by the Nat ional Resource Team/Advisory Group (HEBE) on the implementat ion of Chi ldren First Nat ional Guidel ines on Chi ld Abuse (1999) to develop nat ional guidel ines on a supervis ion pol icy for staff in Health Board Chi ldcare Services. These guidel ines were issued in February 2003. On foot of these nat ional developments and experience of managing front l ine chi ld protect ion staff, in November 2002 the writer submitted a proposal to the former Midland Health Board, now Health Service Execut ive, re lat ing to pol icy development and implementat ion of staff tra ining in c l inical supervis ion within the region. The proposal concerned front l ine pract it ioners and their managers del iver ing chi ldcare services within the region and related to socia l workers, fami ly support workers and community chi ldcare staff. The former Midland Health Board (now HSE) Chi ld Care Care Group establ ished a Mult i-disc ip l inary Chi ld Care Supervis ion Pol icy Group in February 2003 to oversee the development of a Board-wide supervis ion pol icy and the implementat ion of tra ining on supervis ion for pract i t ioners and managers. This task group involved a representat ion of the discip l ines concerned and was managed by a project manager. Fol lowing the November 2002 submiss ion to senior managers in the organisat ion the writer was released to attend a tra ining course in Manchester to tra in as a tra iner in the del ivery of supervis ion training to frontl ine and senior managers and chi ld care pract i t ioners across the region. This tra in-the-tra iners course was faci l i tated by Tony Morr ison, social work consultant and tra iner who has writ ten and tra ined extensively on the subject and has publ ished pract ica l guides for both supervisors and supervisees on improving supervis ion within socia l work and socia l care sett ings. This tra ining was del ivered through a number of four-day courses to this target group in late 2003 and ear ly 2004. Current ly as a front l ine manager with responsibi l i ty for del ivery of socia l work and family support services to chi ldren and fami l ies on a day to day basis, staff supervis ion is recognised as a cr i t ica l e lement to effect ive pract ice, profess ional development and support for workers in an increasingly complex and demanding work environment. As a key funct ion in the posit ion of team leader, the writer implements the Morr ison model of supervis ion pract ice with socia l work, socia l care and fami ly support staff . One of the pr ior it ies ident i f ied by the working group in the or iginal process of developing and introducing a supervis ion pol icy and related

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supervis ion pract ices with staff across the region involved an evaluat ion and review of the effect iveness of the pol icy document on an annual bas is. This review has not taken place to date and it is now being proposed by the writer to evaluate and review the implementat ion of the pol icy document with one disc ipl ine involved within the context of th is thes is proposal.

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performance embedded in professional supervision … · performance embedded in professional...

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