Supervision and appraisal
When you are carrying out your work activities, you will be supervised by a more senior member of staff. ‘Supervision’ has two meanings in social care and health work:
‘working under supervision’ means that you are working within the sight of a more experienced worker, not necessarily your manager, who is overseeing your work.
‘supervision sessions’ are pre-arranged meetings between you and your manager or supervisor in order to discuss your performance and development.
Supervision sessions are a regular opportunity to talk through any part of your work, your role or about the individuals you provide care and support for. Your supervision might take place one-to-one with your manager or in a group or team meeting. Sessions take place at a time and frequency agreed with your manager and notes should be kept.
Regular supervisions are important to any job so concerns can be addressed, progress checked and additional support arranged. Whether your work is in one location or within the community, your employer should ensure that you have regular supervision opportunities.
An appraisal is a one-to-one meeting, usually once a year, between you and your manager which reviews how well you are working and making progress. At this meeting your manager will support you to plan your next steps and update your PDP.
Agreeing your objectives
Your objectives are the things that you want to achieve. Objectives are easiest to agree if you keep them ‘SMART’, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based.
Once you have set clear SMART objectives, it is time to break them down into manageable action points and record this information in your PDP.
Step 1. Agree objectives
Example: Be able to write and review care plans with the individuals who receive care and support in my workplace.
Step 2. Plan activities and timescales to meet the objectives
Example:
• Read the instructions and look at the process for care planning in my workplace.
• Discuss these and ask questions of an identified more experienced worker.
• Work with my manager to choose three people with care plans and get their permission to discuss those care plans with them.
• Arrange with my manager how and when I am going to report back and discuss any
questions or learning points.
Plan the timescale: for example, one of the four activities listed will be achieved each week, so this will take four weeks (say which four weeks this will be).
Step 3. Do the agreed activities within the planned timescale.
Step 4. Outcome.
Example: Discuss with my manager the three care plans examined and the comments of the people who are supported by them. Possibly update those plans (with my manager), and review what I have learned from the process.