“Safeguarding the Welfare of Children” Developing the Safeguarding Supervision Pack

1. “Safeguarding the Welfare of Children” Developing the Safeguarding Supervision Pack Dilys Calder Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children Child Protection Service NPHS

2. At the Beginning….. • “Service Specification for Child Protection, Looked After Children and Related Services for All Health Organisations in Wales” CPS/NPHS 2004 • “Health staff who work with children and families should be supported by a formal and regular child protection structure which focuses on the needs of the child.”. • February 2005 – “Best Practice Guidance on Clinical Supervision for Nurses, midwives and Health Visitors who Safeguard Children”

3. Accepted Principle of Supervision • The principle of clinical supervision is now an accepted part of the development of the nursing, midwifery and health visiting professions, both in order to embrace the concept of lifelong learning post registration and to ensure “that it is integral throughout the lifetime of practice, thus enabling practitioners to accept personal responsibility for and to be accountable for care and to keep that care under constant review” • NHS Management Executive “A Vision for the Future”, Department of Health, 1993

4. The purpose of supervision • “What bears spelling out is that clinical supervision should be a mechanism for protecting standards and public safety while supporting the development of excellent practice.”(Tait, J. Opening address at Clinical Supervision Conference, Birmingham, November 1994. DCNA, DOH.) • “Clinical supervision is not about nurses being subjected to continual supervision, direction and control … it is aimed at helping to improve practice in a busy and difficult environment, where time and support may seem hard to find.”(Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee plenary session on clinical supervision and clinical effectiveness 1997) • And should “encourage a climate where people can question current practice”. (Hine, D. Helping the Practitioners Use the Evidence: A Clinical Effective Initiative for Wales. Briefing Paper 2, Welsh Office, 1996.)

5. Child Protection (Safeguarding) Supervision • “Supervision should help to ensure that practice is soundly based and consistent with LSCB and organisational procedures. • ensure that practitioners fully understand their roles, responsibilities and the scope of their professional discretion and authority. • identify the training and development needs of practitioners, so that each has the skills to provide an effective service. • include scrutinising and evaluating the work carried out • assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the practitioner, providing coaching development and pastoral support. • Supervisors should be available to practitioners as an important source of advice and expertise and may be required to endorse judgements at certain key points in child protection processes………..

6. Child Protection (Safeguarding) Supervision Continued) • “Working in the field of child protection entails making difficult and risky professional judgements. It is demanding work that can be distressing and stressful. All of those involved should have access to advice and supportNAfW(2000) Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to interagency working to safeguard and promote thewelfare of children • “Protecting children requires confident, competent staff who have clear vision and who are able to challenge decisions and opinions” “Learning How to Make Children Safer” UEA/WO 1999 • “Statutory agencies must have designated and named staff to act as a resource for practitioners as these professionals have a role in ensuring that supervision systems are in place” Brandon, M, Home, D., Black, J., Dodsworth, J. “Learning How to Make Children Safer: An Analysis for the Welsh Assembly Government of Serious Child Abuse Cases in Wales, University of East Anglia / National Assembly for Wales, 2002.

7. Safeguarding Supervision “ supervision has management, support, educational and professional development functions---supervision needs to be both inquisitorial, to ensure that attention is given to the detail of work, and at the same time must deal with the highly emotional nature of the work” (Rushton and Nathan 1996)

8. The Pack – The Process • In 2006 Named Nurses for Safeguarding Children in Wales were aware of the need for a formal system of safeguarding supervision that would be consistent across the country • This would require robust training of safeguarding supervisors • Barriers to consistency – resource implications re access to national supervisor training

9. The Process • Task and Finish group established, facilitated by CPS/NPHS to develop a safeguarding children supervision skills pack for supervisors • Representatives from Trusts and CPS • Two years work • Research based • Re-written, re-worked and consulted on

10. The Pack Content • Pre course reading • Laminated Models of supervision • Supervision skills training presentation with trainer notes • Handouts to augment elements of the presentation (e.g. functions of supervision, learning styles, problem solving etc.)

11. Delivering the Product • Dissemination via members of the task and finish group and the regional CPS teams • Hard copies of the pack for every Trust in Wales and electronic copies of the pack and power point presentation for all Named Nurses • Interest from the Named Doctors and Midwives to replicate

12. And Finally • Thank you for your attention