Inspiring Children’s Futures Announces Latest COVID Learning Report: Staff Supervision

Inspiring Children’s Futures is pleased to release the latest in the series of findings from the COVID 4P Log smartphone app: ‘COVID Learning Report: Staff Supervision and Wellbeing, and the Impact of Service Delivery.’ 

The second COVID Learning Report presents findings about respondents’ experiences of receiving supervision during the pandemic, as well as about their coping and wellbeing during this time. The report discusses topics such as the characteristics of useful supervision, as well as the impact of having (or not having) such supervision on respondents’ coping and work performance. The report also discusses how respondents managed the stresses and anxieties experienced during the pandemic, and what type of support (formal and informal) they deemed most helpful in meeting those challenges.  

Read below to discover responses to the latest COVID Learning Report!

Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of Inspiring Children’s Futures, notes the impact of our findings about staff supervision and wellbeing, and the impact of service delivery on recovering and rebuilding from COVID-19:  

‘This 2nd in our series of COVID Learning Report highlights how important staff supervision and staff wellbeing has been to ensuring continued delivery of essential services for children and families during this global pandemic. We’ve heard how COVID 4P Log respondents faced unprecedented challenges in trying to uphold existing channels of service delivery during the pandemic, the real challenges in responding to new emerging needs, as well as the innovations that helped them to meet those needs. They deserve huge recognition and appreciation for their efforts during COVID-19, but they also have shared key lessons for us to learn from. Hearing what worked best from those on the ground, with real life experience, equips us with the knowledge and resources to prioritise the wellbeing of children and families as we recover and rebuild from COVID.’ 

Key organisations who partnered with Inspiring Children’s Futures to develop and rollout the COVID 4P Log also noted the implications of the COVID Learning Report’s findings: 

‘The Global Social Service Workforce Alliance welcomes this report for revealing the extent of the stress and challenges faced by the workforce during the pandemic, and the varied and innovative ways workers found to support each other. Its findings align closely with the experiences of our members, in researching the latest State of the Social Service Workforce report. We join with partners in calling for better recognition and sustained resourcing for workforce support and supervision, not only to safeguard the wellbeing of essential frontline workers and volunteers, but to ensure the workforce can continue to provide effective care and support for those who need it most.’ 

Hugh Salmon, Global Social Service Workforce Alliance 

‘Supporting the wellbeing of the child welfare workforce is key to providing quality services to children and families. We welcome Inspiring Children’s Futures’ report, Staff Supervision, Coping and Wellbeing, and the Impact on Service Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic, and it’s focus on the importance of consistent, high-quality supervision for safe, responsive, thoughtful, and quality service delivery. The findings in this report mirror what we heard from child welfare workers in the NCWWI  COVID-19 Workforce Needs Assessment  who emphasized the importance of formal and informal supports in building their resilience so they could better serve children and families.’ 

Sharon Kollar, NCWWI 

‘CYC-Net appreciates the opportunity to have been involved as a partner in the  COVID 4P Log for Children’s Wellbeing  research project. The 2nd  report issued from this study,  Staff Supervision, Coping and Wellbeing, and the Impact on Service Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic,  speaks to the importance of child and youth care practitioners during the pandemic, and the need to ensure that their essential role, in multiple contexts, is acknowledged and supported.’ 

Heather Modlin, CYC-Net 

‘The findings of the second COVID 4P Log Learning Report resonate with us. Work was particularly difficult since the start of the pandemic because child protection services and workers are not considered essential. We were trying to perform our duties in ways that ensure our safety and of the children that we work with and for. We implemented adaptive work conditions to prioritize our collective health. Also, the way we see what we do has changed tremendously. We have been more aware of the need to build solidarity and to look out for each other as part of our effort to pursue the best interest of the child. It was not easy to do virtually but openness and flexibility proved to encourage creativity that helped us get things done.’  

Amihan Abueva, CRC Asia 

‘It would be better if the ones working on children’s rights would have access to counseling services, including support for individuals who would want to be anonymous and immediate capacity development support for a new set of skills required during a pandemic and other emergency situations. Personally, I found the COVID 4P Log helpful because it forced me to pause for a few minutes and reflect on concerns which I will not be providing time to reflect on if they were not included in the daily questions.’ 

 Luz Indah Abayan,  CRC Asia 

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To keep up to date with all of our COVID 4P Log findings, please visit our publications page, the COVID 4P Log project page, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.