Training Materials – Staff Supervision in Social Care: Making a Real Difference for Staff and Service Users

 Staff Supervision in Social Care: Making a Real Difference for Staff and Service Users
 Tony Morrison,
 Pavilion Publishing 
 ISBN 184196168X, £59.95

 STAR RATING: 4/5

Being a manager in a social care setting can be a daunting challenge. Managers must not only supervise their staff but keep a firm grasp of legislative and organisational changes while never losing sight of the primary challenge: to improve the lives of service users, writes James Hennefeld.

Morrison’s book is written for social care managers across a variety of settings and is densely packed with models for understanding communication and interactions.

It also contains several exercises, checklists and practical advice aimed at improving the quality of supervision across the organisation. It is wire-bound which aids photocopying the material.
While there were times I felt overwhelmed by the wealth of material presented, I found the explanation of Kolb’s learning cycle to be a most helpful guide to shape effective practice.

As some of the concepts Morrison presents are rather theoretical, I would have found it useful if the book contained more examples of effective supervisory dialogue that had been informed by the theoretical models that were presented.

This minor criticism notwithstanding, this book will be invaluable to those who wish to improve their management skills and service delivery in general.

James Hennefeld is youth crime prevention co-ordinator for Bath and North East Somerset youth offending team