Free resource · Aotearoa New Zealand
Social work supervision agreement template
A plain-English supervision agreement you can adapt for Aotearoa New Zealand practice — written for registered social workers, students and the organisations that supervise them.
Why an agreement
Supervision works better when the terms are written down
An agreement is not bureaucracy. It is the thing that makes supervision safe: it sets out what supervision is for, how often it happens, what stays confidential and what has to be escalated.
When a practitioner is paying for supervision — or an organisation is providing it — a written agreement protects both sides. It also gives the Social Workers Registration Board a clear record that supervision is structured and reviewed.
Every clause a supervision agreement needs
The template covers the eight things that most often go unspoken until something goes wrong.
- Purpose, scope and the model of supervision
- Frequency and length of sessions, and how they are held
- Fees, invoicing and cancellation terms
- Confidentiality and its limits — risk to self or others, children, court orders
- Record keeping and who owns the notes
- Duties of the supervisee and of the supervisor
- Review, complaints and termination
- Signatures and date
Four steps, about twenty minutes
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Fill the brackets
Names, registration numbers, frequency, fee and start date. Everything in square brackets is a decision, not a default.
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Agree the limits of confidentiality
Be explicit about what must be shared — risk to a child, risk to self or others, and any court or statutory obligation. Vague confidentiality is the most common cause of harm in supervision.
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Agree the cultural frame
If supervision is to be culturally grounded, say how. For Pasifika practitioners that might mean talanoa, fa'afaletui or fono-based reflection, and time for family and community obligations.
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Sign, review, and revisit
Review at six months, or whenever the arrangement changes. A stale agreement is worse than none.
A starting point, not legal advice
This template is general guidance written from New Zealand social work practice. It is not legal advice and it does not replace your professional body's code of conduct, your employer's policies, or the requirements of the Social Workers Registration Board.
Have your agreement reviewed by someone qualified if the arrangement is unusual — for example where supervision is mandated, where there is a power imbalance beyond the usual supervisor/supervisee relationship, or where the supervisee is also a colleague.
Download
supervision-agreement-template.docx
Word document · 4 pages · 18 KB
Download the templateEditable in Word, Google Docs or Pages. Replace the bracketed placeholders before you sign.
Who it is for
- Registered social workers You are arranging your own external supervision and need a professional agreement you can sign with your supervisor.
- Students on placement You need to document the supervision you receive during field education, including the cultural mentoring component.
- NGOs and iwi providers You are setting up an internal supervision programme and want a consistent agreement for every practitioner on the team.
Need a supervisor?
Supervision grounded in Pasifika practice
Weave Family Solutions provides SWRB-aligned clinical supervision and cultural mentoring for registered social workers, students and NGO practitioners — in person in Tāmaki Makaurau, and online across Aotearoa and Samoa.
See supervision optionsQuestions
Before you download
The questions people ask about supervision agreements in Aotearoa.
Is a supervision agreement required in New Zealand?
It is not a single legal requirement, but it is expected practice. The Social Workers Registration Board expects registered social workers to receive regular, structured supervision, and most employers and professional bodies require the arrangement to be documented. A written agreement is the simplest way to show that supervision is planned, resourced and reviewed rather than informal.
If you are self-employed or contracting, the agreement also protects you: it makes the fee, the frequency and the limits of confidentiality explicit before any sensitive material is discussed.
What should a supervision agreement include?
At minimum: the purpose and model of supervision, how often and for how long sessions run, how they are held, the fee and invoicing terms, what stays confidential and what must be escalated, how records are kept and who owns them, the duties of both parties, how the arrangement is reviewed or ended, and signatures with a date.
The template on this page covers all eight in plain English, with space to describe a Pasifika cultural frame if that is how you practise.
Can I use this template for student placement supervision?
Yes, with one adjustment. Student supervision usually has a third party — the field education coordinator or the tertiary provider — so add their expectations, the hours required and who signs off the student's placement record. Keep the confidentiality clause, because students are often working with sensitive family information from week one.
Is this template legal advice?
No. It is general guidance written from New Zealand social work practice, and it does not replace legal advice, your professional code of conduct, your employer's policies or the requirements of the Social Workers Registration Board. If the arrangement is unusual — mandated supervision, a supervisory relationship with a colleague, or a cross-border arrangement with Samoa — have the agreement reviewed by someone qualified before you sign it.
Still stuck?
Not sure the template fits your situation?
Send us a short message. We will tell you honestly what your agreement needs to cover — even if you are not looking for a supervisor.