Peer Refelctive Practice
Why Peer Supervision?
The workforce in remote Australia is exposed to unique psychological health, safety, and wellbeing risks. The impact of trauma — including personal, intergenerational, and historical trauma — not only affects clients but may also shape the lived experiences of many health and human service workers.
Reflective practice in a peer setting provides a structured opportunity to pause, reflect, and make meaning of complex work. It supports practitioners to respond thoughtfully rather than reactively, and to sustain ethical, safe, and effective practice in challenging environments.
At Veritable, reflective practice supervision follows the model developed by Daphne Hewson and Michael Carroll. Sessions offer a safe, non-judgmental space to explore professional experiences and develop personalised, practical responses to workplace challenges.
Our Values and Principles
Our peer supervision initiative is grounded in core social work values and principles, including:
- Respect and openness – valuing diverse perspectives and experiences
- Cultural responsiveness – recognising the importance of culturally safe and informed practice in remote contexts
- Collaboration and shared learning – learning with and from one another
- Confidentiality and trust – creating a psychologically safe space
- Reflective and ethical practice – supporting thoughtful, accountable decisions in your context
- Wellbeing and sustainability – promoting practitioner resilience and longevity
Benefits of Peer Supervision
Participation in peer supervision can:
- Support and sustain staff wellbeing and resilience
- Reduce the risk of psychosocial hazards in the workplace
- Safeguard service quality and maintain professional standards
- Foster ongoing professional development
- Strengthen relationships and communication with other professionals and in practice
- Reduce isolation, particularly in remote practice settings
How Does It Work?
- How: Sessions are held face-to-face
- Where: Veritable (10 Hele Crescent, Ciccone, Alice Springs)
- Arrival Time: 12:15 to arrive and settle in
- Start Time: 12:30 Please note that to maintain a safe and uninterrupted space for reflection, the outside gate will be closed once the session begins.
- Duration: 1 hour of guided discussion and reflection on a theme (that advised one week in advance on Veritable’s Facebook page)
- Post-Session: Attendees are welcome to connect informally with each other at the space for 30 minutes after the session closes.
- Who: Session will be facilitated by a social worker with minimum 5 years’ experience in Central Australia
- Group Size: Drop-in format, with a maximum of 10 participants per session
Cost
- $30 + GST per person
- Payment by card on arrival
- An email receipt will be provided if the attendee is seeking reimbursement from their employer
Access
- Currently offered in-person only
- Online groups may be established if there is sufficient interest
Confidentiality
Verbal consent will be obtained from the participants at the commencement of the session. All session content is treated as strictly confidential. No information is shared with managers, except where legal disclosure may be required (and if so, this will be raised privately with the attendee after the session). Supervisors will maintain confidentiality regarding workplace dynamics, individuals, and organisational matters.
Dual Relationships in Remote Practice
Veritable acknowledges that in remote settings, overlapping relationships may occur across professional and community contexts. These situations will be managed with transparency, and any actual or perceived conflicts of interest will be openly discussed and addressed as required.
About Veritable
Veritable provides high-quality social work, behaviour support, consultancy, training, and other professional services across remote Australia. Our work is grounded in person-centred, culturally safe, and practical approaches with a strong focus on achieving meaningful outcomes.
Examples of Peer Supervision Themes:
- Finding your feet in Central Australian social work practice
- Connecting people across Country
- Making time for relationship
- Working in and between colonial spaces
- Moving between personal and systemic challenges
- The feeling of being a social worker in Central Australia
- Self-care in a small town
- More than dual relationships
- The spirit of a social worker in the desert
- Advocacy and paternalism
- What is “helping?” (and am I doing it?)
- Humility as a lens for learning
- Ending chapters
- Noticing what is unsaid and sitting in silence
- The power of unknowing/knowing
- Unearthing assumptions and beliefs