What to Consider When Organising Supervision
Rebecca Kim
Introduction
If you've never had to receive PBS Supervision before, it might be a bit unclear what it needs to look like to best support you.
Common questions I usually get asked by prospective BSPs are:
How often do I need Supervision?
How long does Supervision go for?
What type of Supervision will work for me?
What kinds of things do I need a Supervisor for?
Let’s tackle these questions together; just remember that I’m generalising with some of my answers since I don’t know you yet!
Supervision Frequency
There’s not a mandatory frequency based upon each of the PBS Capability Framework levels, however after providing training to new BSPs over the years I’ve developed a general guide I like to follow from onboarding all the way to those highly experienced.
My cheat sheet is:
Prospective BSPs and those deemed Suitable work best with weekly sessions.
Core BSPs work best with fortnightly sessions.
Proficient BSPs work best with 3-4 weekly sessions.
Advanced and Specialist BSPs work best with 4-6 weekly sessions.
Just a note, this might be spread across multiple Supervisors.
You might find you need more or less Supervision than I’ve outlined above; there can be a great variance between BSPs even on the same Framework level, so make sure your session frequency makes you feel comfortable and supported. I also find those who are working alone or in isolation often need a higher frequency of sessions due to not having team members to chat and connect with. This role can be very heavy at times so it’s important to be able to debrief regularly; maybe you’d prefer to do more frequent sessions but with a shorter duration.
Supervision Duration
The standard session goes for an hour. I would say 90% of my Supervisees are happy with this duration as it’s not too long that you run out of topics to discuss, or energy to discuss them, but it’s still long enough that you don’t feel like you’re rushing through on a countdown.
I almost never have anyone who wants a longer session than that. If I do, it’s usually because we’re doing training together, e.g. basic training on the FBA alone takes 2-3 hours usually, and that’s just the report!
I have a few people who prefer to do shorter sessions at 30 minutes each time because then they can see me each week for the same price as fortnightly sessions. This works well for people who might need advice or support more quickly due to having a lack of other connections or resources.
Supervision Modes
I’ve been lucky enough to supervise internally and externally to my organisation. Of my internal Supervisees, most of them have preferred face-to-face sessions which we’ve teed up for when we’re both in the office. You honestly can’t beat face-to-face when it comes to making connections and communicating most effectively. This also makes it easy to engage in practice review as your Supervisor can shadow you in person to appointments where appropriate.
However, almost none of my external Supervisees have requested face-to-face, so these sessions are primarily done online over a videoconferencing platform such as Teams or Zoom. Even BSPs just down the road from me will prefer online. Most of the time, it’s because the convenience of online sessions is difficult to beat. You can do it from your living room, still wearing your pyjamas under the desk, and in between billable tasks so you don’t end up feeling behind on your day. You can make a cup of coffee and sit back for a good chat about a few things you want to talk through without any of the face-to-face pressures. The main drawback of doing solely online sessions is that there’s less opportunity for your Supervisor to review your practice and they’ll be relying on your account of events and/or any videos or audio you’ve recorded to show them.
In the end, it’s up to you whether you want to do face-to-face, online, or a hybrid between the two. Just be mindful that face-to-face usually means additional travel charges for your Supervisor to come over to you (unless you go to them, which will take more time out of your day), and may reduce your options when looking for a Supervisor as they’ll need to be reasonably close by. Check with your potential Supervisor about their travel fees and distance before you lock anything in.
What Can PBS Supervisors Do?
Apart from the obvious sessions held between you and your Supervisor, and other BSPs if you’re engaging in Group Supervision, there’s quite a few things we help with.
Documentation to receive your BSP Registration
Quality assurance review and signing of your Behaviour Support Plans (and this is mandatory if there’s a restrictive practice included and you’re not yet Proficient or above)
Ad hoc review of any other reports or assessments you’d like a second opinion on
Review of your practice through either direct shadowing or videos of sessions (with consent from all parties)
Review of your PBS Capability Framework evidence portfolio and Self-Assessment Tool, possibly leading to mutual agreement on an Endorsement Tool (which is the only way to progress under the current process)
Completion of a Re-endorsement Tool if you’ve taken the New Entry Level pathway and have been a BSP for 1+ years
Ad hoc advice and resources between sessions
Although not typical, my support has also included delivering specific training, providing a job reference as a Supervisor, helping with resume and cover letter review, providing consultation advice on PBS practices for organisations new to this, and many other requests which have been needed at the time. I can’t speak for every Supervisor so it’s best to ask what your Supervisor is okay to help with.
Conclusion
As usual, I’d like to say that the above is my experience as a Supervisor and it might be different for you. It’s important for you to gather information, trial different ways of receiving Supervision, and make sure that it all works for you. I encourage you to be your own advocate in receiving quality support, however it looks for your needs. If it doesn’t feel right, you can always change it. Take charge so you can become the BSP you want to be!
