Clinical Supervision Position Statement

It is the position of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc that:

• Clinical Supervision is a core component of contemporary professional mental health nursing practice and central to practicing within the ACMHN Standards of Practice for Australian Mental Health Nurses: 2010.
• Mental health service employers positively support and actively promote demonstrably efficacious Clinical Supervision, through organisational policies, procedures and workplace culture.
• All mental health nurses, and nurses working in mental health facilities, be fully orientated to Clinical Supervision upon entry to the mental health workforce and thereafter engage in sustained and meaningful Clinical Supervision, whatever their role and wherever they practice.
• Supervisors access appropriate bona fide educational preparation for this role and, whether Clinical Supervision is delivered in dyads or within groups.
• Regular systematic evaluations of the quality and efficacy of Clinical Supervision arrangements be undertaken at local service level.
• The ACMHN undertakes to actively promote each of these positions and lobby funding agencies to consider large-scale robust programs of outcomes-related research at State and National levels, to further strengthen the evidence base of Clinical Supervision and to justify continued investment of public funds.

Endorsed by the Board of Directors

December 2011

Background Paper

The Clinical Supervision Background Paper can be found here.  

Clinical Supervision

The College (ACMHN) supports mental health nurses seeking clinical supervision. This is clearly articulated within its Standards of Practice.

Clinical supervision refers to a formal, structured process of professional support, learning and reflective practice. It assists with:

* understanding issues associated with practice
* developing new insights and perspectives
* improving knowledge, skills and competence
* enhancing support for staff while improving consumer and carer outcome
* professional accountability and autonomy.

Clinical supervision may be conducted individually or in small groups. The process of clinical supervision is different from line management/administrative supervision, where the former emphasises professional development and support and the latter monitors work performance associated with organisational goals.

Clinical supervision is not preceptorship nor peer review. Preceptorship is usually concerned with student education and training or orientation of new staff. Peer review (more akin to co-supervision) does offer professional collegial supportive relationships but evidence suggests this may lack the rigour and challenging attributes necessary for effective clinical supervision and available from a colleague who is more experienced and/or trained in providing clinical supervision. Clinical supervision may include mentorship as part of a preferred mutual relationship and functional arrangement.

The College recommends:

* Supervisees choose their own supervisors
* Supervisors be selected on the basis of their expertise and professional experience, preferably trained in providing (individual and small group) clinical supervision
* Negotiate a signed agreement with appropriate goals and ground rules
* Negotiate with line manager and colleagues in advance to support arrangements, provide reciprocity and be prepared to allocate own time
* Planned sessions, meet at least once a month for one hour – Some areas of practice may require greater frequency or longer duration of sessions including small group supervision
* Meet away from the immediate workplace/clinical environment free from interruption
* Small group supervision in preference to individual where this can be arranged
* Keep a record or diary of dates and times of participants involved
* Trust, privacy and confidentiality be respected by participants and other colleagues including line-managers, especially around potential conflicts of interest and content of sessions (oral and written if applicable).

The following Clinical Supervision Agreement (CSA) outlines key objectives and ground rules between supervisee(s) and supervisor for the purpose of conducting clinical supervision in mental health nursing. It defines shared responsibility for the supervision relationship. It may be used as supporting evidence for a clinical supervision arrangement, which is completed at commencement of the clinical supervision period.

Clinical Supervision Agreement

Reference - Winstanley J, White 2002 – Clinical Supervision: Models, Measures & Best Practice (Clinical Research Monograph), acmhn, Greenacres SA

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