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Practice supervisor KSS 2: developing excellent practitioners

Last updated: 8 June 2023

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This page sets out the knowledge and skills listed under practice supervisor KSS 2 (promote and govern excellent practice) in the Department for Education’s post-qualifying standard: knowledge and skills statement for child and family practice supervisors (KSS). Against this, we have mapped Community Care Inform guides, research, learning tools and other resources to help supervisors meet and evidence this part of the statement for career and continuing professional development. The links to the resources are in blue; click to follow them to the page you’re interested in.

What does the statement say?	Resources to help you
The practice supervisor will be able to: • Recognise, respect and value the expertise of practitioners and provide a practice framework, underpinned by theory and the best evidence, within which they can work effectively. Explain and champion the framework to practitioners, other professionals, children and families and set an expectation that this framework will be applied to practice. • Facilitate use of the best evidence to devise effective interventions, which are most likely to support family welfare and reduce risk to children. • Secure excellent practice through an analytical understanding of different patterns of family functioning, matched with service responses which are most likely to effect change for families, as well as support children in public care and young people leaving care. • Recognise the strengths and development needs of practitioners, and use practice observation, reflection and feedback mechanisms, including the views of children and families, to develop practice. Develop a culture of learning and improvement, where staff are sufficiently stretched and mentored to meet their aspirations. Gauge different learning styles and recognise when the role of the Practice Supervisor is to teach and when it would be more effective to draw on practitioners’ own knowledge. Invest available resource into staff and service development, drawing on the expertise of children and families.	The supervision knowledge and practice hub includes a range of guides offering different ways to meet practitioners’ needs and help individuals develop: Shake up your supervision suggests ways to support social workers with specific practice dilemmas Promoting critical reflection offers guidance on questions that prompt critical thinking, learning styles and ‘learning cycles’ Tips for giving feedback to team members or supervisees Supports you to feel more comfortable giving feedback about strengths and development needs and make feedback a routine part of your role. Information and guidance on using different practice frameworks can be found in these resources: Applying trauma-informed practice in direct work Applying Signs of Safety in high-risk cases: an example from practice Quick guide to Signs of Safety Quick guide to solution-focused practice Strengths-based practice hub Systemic practice Relationship-based practice scenario videos Restorative practice: podcast Motivational interviewing: guide and podcast episodes Evidence-based practice Discusses the debates around evidence-based practice to help social workers feel more confident using research evidence to inform their practice and find appropriate interventions and responses. Tools and models to try in supervision Offers tips to support staff with different learning styles or to suit their needs in particular situations. Managing support workers Includes ideas for staff development and involving service users in practitioner and service development, which are applicable across the workforce.

What does the statement say?

Resources to help you

The practice supervisor will be able to:

• Recognise, respect and value the expertise of practitioners and provide a practice framework, underpinned by theory and the best evidence, within which they can work effectively. Explain and champion the framework to practitioners, other professionals, children and families and set an expectation that this framework will be applied to practice.

• Facilitate use of the best evidence to devise effective interventions, which are most likely to support family welfare and reduce risk to children.

• Secure excellent practice through an analytical understanding of different patterns of family functioning, matched with service responses which are most likely to effect change for families, as well as support children in public care and young people leaving care.

• Recognise the strengths and development needs of practitioners, and use practice observation, reflection and feedback mechanisms, including the views of children and families, to develop practice. Develop a culture of learning and improvement, where staff are sufficiently stretched and mentored to meet their aspirations. Gauge different learning styles and recognise when the role of the Practice Supervisor is to teach and when it would be more effective to draw on practitioners’ own knowledge. Invest available resource into staff and service development, drawing on the expertise of children and families.

The supervision knowledge and practice hub includes a range of guides offering different ways to meet practitioners’ needs and help individuals develop:

Shake up your supervision suggests ways to support social workers with specific practice dilemmas
Promoting critical reflection offers guidance on questions that prompt critical thinking, learning styles and ‘learning cycles’

Tips for giving feedback to team members or supervisees
Supports you to feel more comfortable giving feedback about strengths and development needs and make feedback a routine part of your role.

Information and guidance on using different practice frameworks can be found in these resources:

Evidence-based practice
Discusses the debates around evidence-based practice to help social workers feel more confident using research evidence to inform their practice and find appropriate interventions and responses.

Tools and models to try in supervision
Offers tips to support staff with different learning styles or to suit their needs in particular situations.

Managing support workers
Includes ideas for staff development and involving service users in practitioner and service development, which are applicable across the workforce.

Links to resource maps for other parts of the KSS:

You might be interested in…

– Online resource map for all parts of the KSS for practice supervisors
– PDF version of the resource map for all parts of the practice supervisor KSS
– Quick guide to the knowledge and skills statements and their role in the ASYE and ongoing professional development
– Map of resources for the child and family practitioner KSS