How does safeguarding supervision support health visitors?

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    An ethnographic evaluation of mandatory safeguarding supervision for health visitors working with vulnerable children and families.

  • IRAS ID

    279058

  • Contact name

    Judith Carrier

  • Contact email

    CarrierJA@cardiff.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Cardiff University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 9 months, 7 days

  • Research summary

    The project will use an ethnographic approach observing health visitors (HV) receiving safeguarding supervision and subsequently working with safeguarding issues in practice. Health visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have decided to undertake further post graduate study to attain the title of Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN). SCPHN’s fit into three categories of registration – School Nurse, Health Visitor or Occupational Health Nurse. Health visitors are the focus of this study and work with children and their families aged 0-5 years. They are regularly exposed to safeguarding issues; this is when children have been placed at risk of significant harm by their parent or carer. There has been a recent change in supervision practice within one local health board, which has led the way for other health boards in managing safeguarding supervision. Historically, this has been undertaken on a one to one basis. More recently, a group supervision approach has been implemented across Welsh Health Boards. This approach has had a varied response and one health board was evaluated by the researcher. Safeguarding supervision involves the provision of support, advice and action planning to practitioners who are involved in the safeguarding of children. Moving to group supervision was deemed a bold step by the safeguarding team. Overall the new process has been well received by the HV’s and supervisors evidenced within the qualitative data collected. In general, they were willing to proceed with the process. The evaluation had a number of recommendations which form the basis of this project.
    Ethnography refers to a type of qualitative research, which is observational. This allows researchers to work within the and blend into the area they are observing. Health visitors will be observed during safeguarding supervision and interviewed as part of a focus group. One to one interviews will also be undertaken with the facilitators of the group supervision. Focus groups will explore the thoughts of the health visitors involved in the group supervision. Documentary analysis, and observation of 2 health visitors from each health board, with a family discussed within supervision will be undertaken. The aim of this study, therefore, is to critically explore and interpret how health visitors are supported within their safeguarding work, investigating the role of safeguarding supervision and the relationship with the safeguarding supervisor in developing proficient safeguarding practitioners.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 7

  • REC reference

    20/WA/0065

  • Date of REC Opinion

    3 Mar 2020

  • REC opinion

    Unfavourable Opinion