Supporting the supervisors – Why me? to launch Peer Supervision Group
This is a blog by our Deputy Director Linda Millington.
As a practitioner I have always valued the support I’ve received from my case supervisors. This is especially true when I’ve worked on complex and sensitive cases, which sometimes have broken new ground on when Restorative Justice can be used. Part of my role at Why me? is to provide case supervision for our team of volunteers and for practitioners in other services. But, where do I go when I need advice and guidance on how to carry out supervision? I’m lucky that Why me? have put in place a way for me to access support when I need it. This one-to-one support has been invaluable in helping me think about how I run group and individual supervision sessions. It’s given me the opportunity to reflect on what’s worked well and think about new ways of delivering supervision.
I don’t have the answers to how every case should progress; I see my role very much to help practitioners come to their own conclusions about their cases which are in line with safe practice. Whilst I am the supervisor, talking to practitioners about their cases also gives me the opportunity to reflect and learn.
Not all supervisors have the chance to access peer support. You might be the manager of a restorative service guiding a number of practitioners but where do you go if you need support? The Restorative Justice Council’s Restorative Practice Guidance is clear about what case supervision is, how often it is carried out as well as the role of supervisors and who they should be. The guidance states that supervisors should be competent and currently practising practitioners and, therefore, should also be receiving supervision for the cases they are working. There is then the question that, if you are the senior practitioner in the organisation, who do you gain your support from? Supervision across different organisations can provide a way forward and I have seen examples of where this has worked really well, particularly in youth justice.
Why me? have thought about how we can support case supervisors in their role. We are excited to announce our new peer case supervision group. Designed for up to eight case supervisors from different restorative services, the group will initially meet online four times across a year, starting in June. The content of each session will very much be led by the needs of the group but topics could include supervision of complex and sensitive cases and discussing common problems that we all experience as supervisors.
What will I get out of attending the peer supervision group?
You will feel more confident about providing case supervision, particularly in complex and sensitive cases. You will learn about how to adapt practical solutions to the issues you encounter. You will also have the opportunity to network with colleagues from restorative services across England and Wales.
Further information can be found here or contact Linda Millington at linda.millington@why-me.org or 07704 307822.