Don't Forget Your Staff - They Might Need Support Too

2025-12-18 12:37

Safeguarding Your Safeguarders — Staff Supervision in Summer

The safeguarding layer most organisations forget during peak season: staff supervision and wellbeing. One bad day or several mediocre days can easily flip your best staff member to a disengaged staff member making mistakes or missing issues.
How do you run supportive supervision without turning it into performance management?
Do regular check-ins to catch risk early
Help manage vicarious trauma and emotional load
Peer support systems that actually work
Recognising burnout signals before standards slip
Maintaining professional boundaries under pressure; and
Building psychologically safe teams where staff raise concerns early.

Our partners are Cornerstone Safeguarding are particular experts when it comes to Supervision

If your team is exhausted, stressed, and running on adrenaline… how safe is your safeguarding?

Summer delivery is intense. When staff are depleted, safeguarding doesn’t usually collapse in one dramatic moment — it erodes: slower responses, weaker boundaries, missed warning signs, and “we’ll deal with it later”.

Safeguarding your safeguarders is not a nice-to-have. It’s a risk control.

1) Supervision in summer: what it is (and what it isn’t)

Supervision is a structured space to:

Reflect on safeguarding decisions
Spot risk and drift early
Support staff emotional wellbeing
Reinforce boundaries and consistency

It is not:

A disciplinary meeting
A tick-box welfare chat
Something you do only after an incident

2) The “check-in rhythm” that works during peak periods

Long meetings don’t survive summer. Rhythm does.

A practical model:

Daily 5-minute pulse (start or end of day): “Any concerns? Any near-misses? Anyone need support?”
Weekly 20-minute supervision for team leads: patterns, hotspots, boundary issues, escalation quality
Mid-season reset (45 minutes): what’s drifting, what needs tightening, what support is missing

Q: What are you listening for?

Not just incidents — early warning signals: frustration, avoidance, short tempers, cynicism, or staff withdrawing.

3) Vicarious trauma: name it early, manage it properly

Staff can absorb emotional impact from disclosures, distress, and repeated safeguarding concerns.

Practical supports:

Normalise debriefs after difficult incidents
Rotate roles so the same person isn’t always “on” for disclosures
Encourage staff to use support routes (EAP, supervision, safeguarding lead)
Avoid “war story culture” — keep discussions respectful and confidential

4) Peer support systems: don’t leave it to chance

Peer support works when it’s designed.

Options that hold up in summer:

Buddy system for new/seasonal staff
Two-person debrief after high-stress incidents
“Red flag handover” at shift change (what matters today)
Named wellbeing champion (not instead of safeguarding lead — alongside)

5) Burnout signals that show up as safeguarding risk

Burnout isn’t just tiredness. It changes behaviour.

Watch for:

Increased irritability or conflict
Rule-bending (“It’ll be fine”)
Avoiding difficult conversations with parents or children
Delayed recording or poor-quality logs
Over-attachment to certain children or “rescuer” behaviour

When you see these, treat it as a safeguarding control issue: adjust workload, add support, tighten routines.

6) Boundaries in summer: where teams drift

Peak season creates boundary pressure:

Staff using personal phones for convenience
Informal comms with parents
Over-sharing personal information
Blurred physical contact in high-energy environments
“Favourites” forming unintentionally

Put boundaries into supervision:

One boundary reminder per week
Clear “do this / don’t do that” examples
A safe route for staff to admit mistakes early

7) Psychological safety: the fastest route to better safeguarding

If staff fear blame, they hide problems. If they feel safe, they raise concerns early.

How to build it:

Praise early reporting (even when it’s messy)
Separate “learning review” from “disciplinary action”
Use neutral language: “What made this possible?” not “Who messed up?”
Close the loop: show what changed because staff spoke up

8) Using records to support staff (not just to evidence compliance)

Digital safeguarding records aren’t only for audits — they’re a supervision tool.

Use them to:

Spot patterns (times, activities, recurring themes)
Identify staff who are carrying heavy emotional load
Improve consistency in responses and escalation

Safeguarding software helps leaders see drift early and support staff before burnout becomes risk.

Q&A: staff supervision and wellbeing in summer programmes

Q1: Isn’t staff wellbeing separate from safeguarding?

No. Staff capacity and emotional load directly affect judgement, boundaries, and response time — all core safeguarding factors.

Q2: What’s the simplest supervision model for peak season?

Daily pulse + weekly lead check-in. Keep it short, consistent, and focused on risk and support.

Q3: How do we manage vicarious trauma without turning supervision into therapy?

Acknowledge impact, provide structured debriefs, encourage professional support routes, and rotate high-load roles.

Q4: What if a staff member is clearly burning out but refuses help?

Treat it as a safety issue. Adjust duties, increase supervision, and document support offered. Escalate through your HR/wellbeing process.

Q5: How do we keep boundaries strong when we’re stretched?

Make boundaries part of routine: one reminder per week, clear examples, and a culture where staff can flag near-misses early.

Quick checklist: safeguarding your safeguarders

Daily pulse check-ins during peak weeks
Weekly supervision for leads focused on patterns and drift
Debriefs after high-stress incidents
Buddy/peer support system for seasonal staff
Burnout signals treated as safeguarding risk
Boundaries reviewed routinely (comms, contact, confidentiality)
Patterns reviewed via digital safeguarding records