Practice supervisor

Practice supervisors support social workers and practitioners to improve their practice and positively impact the lives of children and families.

Experienced practitioners

Practice supervisors are also referred to as advanced practitioners or assistant team managers.

As a practice supervisor you'll:

support social workers and practitioners to improve their practice and positively impact the lives of children and families
provide supervision and quality assurance on assessments, care plans and court statements
mentor social workers and provide space for them to reflect on their work
model good practice, share knowledge and provide practical help to social workers
review and monitor individual caseloads to ensure timely and effective service delivery
give feedback to social workers and support their well-being
work with multi-agency partners within the child welfare system
work with team managers to develop action plans and strategies to improve social work practice

You'll need:

leadership skills to guide and inspire social workers to deliver effective child and family support
knowledge of risk assessment and safeguarding procedures
knowledge of legislation and policies relating to the welfare of children
the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues, families and multi-agency partners
the ability to set and track development plans for individual social workers
knowledge of child development theories and a range of social work interventions
analytical skills to evaluate complex cases and identify the needs of children and families

To become a practice supervisor you must have:

been practising as a qualified and registered social worker for at least four years
experience of mentoring and supporting others to improve their practice
experience as a practice educator, providing guidance and support to social work students during their placements

With experience you could:

move into a senior practitioner role and specialise in an area of practice such as child protection or adoption
progress into a management role such as team manager or service manager
become a practice educator and train and mentor students
research or study for a PhD
develop your practice and leadership skills through the self-study Pathways social work leadership modules

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These resources have been developed by Department for Education.
Published: 18 September 2023
Last updated: 21 November 2025