Practice leaders resources

This quick read, written for practice leaders, provides guidance about how to build a positive culture of supervision within your organisation. 

To gain a greater understanding of the topic you can download and read the full resource.

Core messages

• Building a positive supervision culture is essential for supporting effective practice.
• Practice leaders play a critical role promoting a positive supervision culture. 
• For supervision to flourish, there needs to be congruence between statements about what good supervision looks like and behaviours throughout the whole organisation. 

Key concepts 

Understanding the impact of organisational culture: 

• Effective supervision requires more than just strong supervisor-supervisee interactions; it is influenced by the wider organisational culture. 

• Organisational culture is a dynamic process with developing patterns of beliefs, values and behaviours. This can either support or hinder supervision practices. 

• Disconnects between organisational messages about supervision and actual practice can create tensions, leaving supervisors feeling unsupported and unable to engage in effective reflective supervision. 

• Promoting a positive supervision culture requires reflection on where contradictions or mixed messages may be hindering supervision practice in the organisation.

Promoting a positive supervision culture 

• People need to feel safe and contained for supervision to flourish.

• Consistent messages about what good supervision looks like need to be communicated throughout the organisation. 

• Practice leaders need to promote organisational behaviour that aligns with messages about good supervision.

• Relationships within the organisation are key to fostering a positive supervision culture. These relationships need time and investment to grow. 

• Engaging in reflective learning and acknowledging uncertainty are crucial for maintaining a positive supervision environment. 

• A whole system approach is needed which focuses on what is said and done at organisational, team and professional practice levels.

Whole system approach: reflective questions 

At an organisational level:

• How far do I feel comfortable with the articulated values and expectations of the organisation in relation to supervision?

• How are these demonstrated at all levels within the organisation?

At a team / peer level:

• What is the history of supervision in my team / peer group and for those people that I supervise?

• How has that affected the way in which supervision is delivered and received? 

At a professional level:

• Is there congruence or a disconnect between the values and expectations of my profession and the way in which I supervise / experience supervision? 

This quick read, written for managers of practice supervisors, provides a brief overview of best practice in meeting the supervisory needs of practice supervisors.

To gain a greater understanding of the topic you can download and read the full resource.

Core messages

A practice supervisor’s capacity to provide consistent, thoughtful, and containing supervision is dependent on their own supervisory needs being met. 

• Ensuring that supervisors' needs are met is not just supportive, but also essential for maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of the entire supervisory process. 

Key challenges for practice supervisors 

Transitioning from practitioner to supervisor: 

• Moving from practitioner to supervisor is a significant shift in role and identity, often occurring with limited preparation and training.

• New practice supervisors often find it more difficult to tolerate uncertainty and resist the urge to solve every problem immediately. 

- Action - Practice supervisors need space and time to reflect on how they adjust and adapt to a leadership role (where the focus is on achieving things through others, rather than engaging in practice themselves). 

Developmental journey: 

• Learning how to develop a collaborative approach in supervision which supports practitioners own problem-solving capacity (rather than providing answers themselves) takes time.

• It is important for middle leaders to model the kind of open dialogue and mutual learning in supervision which practice supervisors can then work towards.

- Action - Support practice supervisors’ development by providing training and encouraging self-appraisal and adaptability. 

Power and authority: 

• Supervisors need to learn how to navigate the balance between authority and support, being aware of underlying power dynamics in diverse teams.

• Practice supervisors need to feel confident in acknowledging and addressing these dynamics to give constructive feedback and challenge poor practice when necessary.

- Action - Encourage practice supervisors to explore how they manage power and authority and develop confidence in having difficult conversations.

Burn out and emotional strain: 

• Supervisors often experience role strain from the tension between professional practice and managerial or organisational priorities. 

• Just like practitioners, practice supervisors need emotional support to prevent burnout and maintain their capacity for empathy. 

- Action - Create a safe space for supervisors to process their own emotional responses in supporting their teams’ cumulative anxieties.

Summary 

Managers of practice supervisors should: 

• Model the reflective, relationship-based supervision they wish to see practitioners receive.

• Promote a culture of curiosity, asking good questions and shared learning. 

• Make space for professional development and reflection as well as organisational priorities in supervision. 

• Ensure supervisors have time and space for reflection, whether individually or through structured peer support.

This quick read provides a brief overview of how to develop a community of practice in your organisation and the benefits of doing so. Communities of practice bring people together to share knowledge, address challenges, and develop innovative practices.

To gain a greater understanding of the topic you can download and read the full resource.

Core messages

• Developing a community of practice can be transformative in building a learning culture in your organisation.

• Practice leaders play a key role in creating the right conditions for communities of practice to grow and flourish.

Key concepts 

What is a community of practice (CoP)? 

• CoPs are ‘groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an on-going basis’ (Wenger et al., 2002, p.4). 

• CoPs usually revolve around three principles: shared interests, collaborative learning, and practice-based experience.

Learning and knowledge sharing: 

• Traditional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) often struggles to integrate with daily practice. In contrast, CoPs embed learning directly into practitioners’ work. 

• CoPs enable practitioners to collaborate and apply knowledge in real-time, addressing challenges as they arise in their specific practice environments, rather than relying solely on external training that may not fit the organisational context.

How a CoP can benefit your organisation: 

• CoPs allow a diverse range of colleagues to engage on topics that matter to them, promoting knowledge co-creation and innovation. 

• They help integrate different perspectives and forms of knowledge, contributing to complex problem-solving and collective resilience. 

What makes a community of practice successful?  

• Allow the CoP to develop naturally, without rigid goal setting. 

• Encourage an open attitude to communication that values diversity, different skills, and perspectives within the group.

• Encourage colleagues at any level to get involved and share their learning within the organisation.

• Offer public and private spaces to suit both open and confidential discussions. 

• Ensure the CoP remains relevant and useful for its members by allowing people to follow their interests. 

• Balance routine tasks with new, exciting challenges. 

• Meet regularly to maintain engagement and collaboration.

• Provide every CoP with a community gardener who keeps the group together with commitment and charisma, gains new members and supports the building of trust and relationships. 

• Support from senior management (e.g. time to attend, a room to meet in and an acknowledgement of the value of CoPs) is crucial.