Evaluation of an evidence-based model of safeguarding clinical supervision within one healthcare organization in the United Kingdom

Aim: Clinical supervision has been recognized as a valuable mechanism through which healthcare professionals may evaluate, reflect upon and develop their clinical practice within the context of safeguarding. However, while there is a general consensus with regard to the value of clinical supervision there are multiple approaches to utilization in practice. This brief communication provides an overview of an evaluation of one model of safeguarding clinical supervision which was explicitly developed to support healthcare professionals in their everyday practice. Methods: The current study used a survey approach, which involved the development and administration of an online anonymous survey with clinical supervisors and supervisees working within the one service of the Trust. Results: The survey results showed that individuals were overall confident, knowledgeable and satisfied with their safeguarding supervisions. However, individuals at a lower band were significantly less positive about supervision, particularly in relation to how much they felt enabled to explore their safeguard concerns, how much they felt equipped to provide/receive safeguarding supervision and about how much they understood clearly the difference between managerial supervision/clinical and safeguarding supervision. Conclusion: A number of key recommendations arising from the findings of the evaluation are presented in this article and are considered in terms of the question ‘what constituents form the core components of a successful Safeguarding Supervision Framework relationship?