Consultation and supervision in cases of non-accidental injury to children.
Consultation and supervision play an essential role in the management of the anxieties, conflicts and demands experienced by those working long-term with cases of non-accidental injury. In our setting we employ our own external staff consultant and in turn our workers offer a consultative service to workers from other agencies. It seems to us that consultation and supervision are inter-related but distinct processes: consultation is essentially experiential and non-directive; supervision is didactic and directive. A consultant may give advice from his own area of expertise (which may be different from that of the consultor), but he may also be called upon to interpret or comment on other areas, such as the conflicts between workers and their clients or workers and their organizations. A consultant may also be called on to offer a model of supervision to supervisor and worker. A supervisor, by definition, is expert in the area of work of the worker and in a position within the organization to give direction. He at times, however, will be called upon for non-directive discussion and comment--in effect consultation. He may also have to fill the role of manager and resource provider. Our experience shows it is essential to clarify this inter-relationship as a first step to exploring the skills necessary for supervisor and consultant to help workers fulfil their task.
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D006113:United Kingdom; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*