As part of our Big Aims and People Strategy, one of our three core pillars is to ‘Live Our Values’ and one of our associated pledges is ‘give feedback that will help people grow’. At Havencare we like to explore new, engaging and beneficial ways of working to achieve our aims and strategies. In this blog post we will discuss how we give our people feedback to help them grow, from the 360 feedback style to HuFTI Supervision’s, we like to embrace the different approaches to giving and receiving feedback.

360 feedback 

We use 360 feedback through our appraisals for all members of the teams at Havencare. Our colleagues have fed back that they value what their peers and team feedback – both positively and any areas for development. 

Why do we use 360 feedback? 

• Provides a well-rounded view of an employee’s strengths and areas for improvement.
• Reduces bias compared to traditional top-down feedback.
• Employees get insights into how they are perceived by others.
• Helps them recognise strengths and blind spots.
• Identifies development opportunities for leadership/teamwork and skill improvement.
• Encourages continuous learning and self-improvement.
• Promotes open communication and trust among team members.
• Encourages constructive feedback and mutual respect.
• Everyone feels valued when their voices are heard.
• Encourages a culture of feedback and recognition.

Overall it supports self-reflection and growth.

HuFTI Supervision 

We have had a fantastic opportunity to work with Dr Victoria May who has done extensive research and work on the HuFTI project. As part of her research, Havencare has been part of a pilot programme based on trauma informed supervisions. HuFTI stands for Human Factor and Trauma Informed, the key areas of a HuFTI supervision focuses mainly on practice and learning, using self-reflections and feedback from events to explore developments and self-learning. 

The Health and Social Care sector is unregulated for its workers (CQC service is regulated but not the employees) and the guidance for supervising teams is vague. CQC states our teams should receive regular supervisions but no guidance on how or what this should look like. 

As with most supervisions in the Health and Social Care sector, they are process driven to record progress on goals and compliance with a small section on wellbeing. We want to flip this and focus more on supporting people to be the best they can be for the people receiving support. 

We started the pilot programme with Dr Victoria May towards the end of 2024, and we are developing plans to launch this approach across the workforce throughout 2025. Our colleagues involved in the pilot have talked very positively about the programme.

Benefits of Trauma-Informed Supervision

Trauma-informed supervision integrates an understanding of trauma’s impact into leadership and workplace interactions. This approach fosters a supportive, safe, and productive work environment, particularly in high-stress professions like Health and Social Care. 

Here are the key benefits:

1. Enhances Psychological Safety

• Creates a supportive environment where employees feel valued and heard.
• Reduces fear of retaliation or judgment, encouraging open communication.

2. Improves Employee Wellbeing & Mental Health

• Recognises and mitigates the impact of secondary or vicarious trauma.
• Encourages self-care and reduces burnout, compassion fatigue, and turnover.

3. Strengthens Workplace Relationships

• Builds trust between supervisors and employees.
• Encourages empathy, patience, and understanding in interactions.

4. Increases Productivity & Job Satisfaction

• Employees feel more engaged and motivated when their emotional wellbeing is supported.
• Reduces absenteeism and presenteeism (being at work but not fully functioning).

5. Enhances Conflict Resolution & Communication

• Encourages non-judgmental and supportive conversations.
• Reduces workplace tensions by promoting a culture of respect and understanding.

6. Promotes Staff Retention & Professional Growth

• Employees are more likely to stay in organisations that prioritize well-being.
• Helps staff develop resilience and coping skills for workplace challenges.

At Havencare, we believe that if our staff feel they are making a difference, feel valued, feel supported, and feel connected with our values, then our tenants and people we support, will have the most outstanding service. If you’d like to be part of the Havencare team, take a look at our current vacancies.