Supervision for support workers

Good professional supervision is important for support workers and has many benefits. The ultimate goal of supervision is to improve services for people accessing them. Support workers have a vital part to play in effectively supporting people and whānau in the community.

Professional supervision is a different process to line management. Regular and formal professional supervision, provided separately to line management, helps to support reflective practice, self-awareness, worker wellbeing, and the development of enhanced knowledge and skills. Other benefits for workers include supporting integration into organisations, resilience and responses to stressful situations, and reduced risk of burnout.

This resource summarises information about supervision relevant to mental health and addiction support workers. It is based on a literature review undertaken in January 2022. The information will be used to inform future Te Pou initiatives for the support workforce.