Leadership supervision for managers of educational psychology services

A growing body of literature surrounds the development of effective supervisory practices for practitioner and trainee educational psychologists. To date, none of this has addressed supervision for managers of UK educational psychology services, despite evidence that they may be under increasing pressure to make difficult decisions, respond to changing economic and political contexts and experience greater scrutiny in relation to service performance. In this study, 10 principal educational psychologists (PEPs) took part in a focus group to explore the supervisory needs and experiences of service leaders. Emergent key themes revealed differential patterns of entitlement and support, with PEPs often reporting innovative practice in order to access supervision. Supervision often had a duality of purpose, with PEPs advocating and promoting service delivery, rather than seeking personal support, potentially eroding the notion of supervision as a “safe space.” Implications for future practice are discussed and a potentially supportive leadership supervision framework proposed.