Practice supervisor

Summary: Support the practice and decision-making of social workers and develop their skills as individuals and teams
Other names: Advanced practitioner, assistant team manager

What you'll do

As a practice supervisor you'll:

support social workers and practitioners to improve their practice and positively impact the lives of children and families
provide supervision and quality assurance on assessments, care plans and court statements
mentor social workers and provide space for them to reflect on their work
model good practice, share knowledge and provide practical help to social workers
review and monitor individual caseloads to ensure timely and effective service delivery
give feedback to social workers and support their well-being
work with multi-agency partners within the child welfare system
work with team managers to develop action plans and strategies to improve social work practice

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

leadership skills to guide and inspire social workers to deliver effective child and family support
knowledge of risk assessment and safeguarding procedures
knowledge of legislation and policies relating to the welfare of children
the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues, families and multi-agency partners
the ability to set and track development plans for individual social workers
knowledge of child development theories and a range of social work interventions
analytical skills to evaluate complex cases and identify the needs of children and families

How to become one

To become a practice supervisor you must:

have completed a degree, apprenticeship or graduate training scheme in social work
be registered with Social Work England
ideally have at least 4 years’ experience as a qualified child and family social worker
have experience of mentoring and supporting others to improve their practice

It’s helpful to have experience as a practice educator, providing guidance and support to social work students during their placements.

Career paths and progression

With experience you could:

move into a senior practitioner role and specialise in an area such as child protection or adoption
progress into a management role such as team manager or service manager
become a practice educator and train and mentor students
research or study for a PhD

You can develop your practice and leadership skills by doing the Pathway 1: practice supervisors programme. It’s funded by the Department for Education and provided by Frontline.

Current opportunities