Staff Supervision in Social Care

Tony Morrison was a leading figure in the field of social care, particularly respected for his work on supervision, staff development and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. After completing his training in 1977, he worked as a probation officer with Greater Manchester Probation Service before joining the NSPCC Special Unit in Rochdale, Lancashire, where he and colleagues were instrumental in developing an assessment framework used in child protection. He became an independent trainer and consultant in 1989. At a time when treatment for sexual offenders was only just developing in the UK, he was the co-founder and first chair of the National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers. He was made an MBE in 1998 in recognition of his efforts in creating a network to support and develop professionals undertaking this challenging work. Tony was perhaps best known for his work on improving the quality of supervision. His book Staff Supervision in Social Care (1993/2005) - also published by Pavilion - has become the standard text on the subject and is now in its third revised edition. He wrote and co-authored many other chapters, manuals, articles and books on social care practice. In 2009, he developed a national training programme for the Children's Workforce Development Council for England, aimed at improving the quality of supervision received by newly qualified social workers. Tony was awarded an MA in management, learning and leadership from Lancaster University in 2007 and, shortly before his death, had been awarded a PhD from Huddersfield University. He died suddenly in 2010.