Debriefing & feedback

Debriefing & feedback

Workplace debriefing is the day-to-day equivalent of clinical supervision — short, frequent, and focused on what is happening now. It is not a substitute for monthly clinical supervision, and the two should not blur into each other. Debriefs are operational: they exist to keep the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. safe and the work moving. Reflective work belongs in clinical supervision.

When to debrief

Make a debrief routine — not optional — after any of these:

• A difficult case (an emotionally heavy session, a case where the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. felt out of their depth, a deteriorating presentation).
• A safeguarding disclosure or escalation.
• A session that landed differently than expected — including ones that went unexpectedly well.
• An MDTMDT— Multidisciplinary teamA team of professionals from different disciplines working together with the person at the centre. meeting where something significant was raised about a shared case.
• Contact with a partner organisation that went badly or revealed a system issue.
• A near-miss — anything that could have gone wrong if it hadn't been caught in time.

You don't need to schedule every debrief. Make yourself available and check in proactively when you know there has been something hard. A WhatsApp ping or a stand-up corridor conversation often opens the door — what matters is that the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. knows you noticed.

A five-minute structure

This works for almost any debrief, in person or by phone:

1. "What happened? Tell me briefly." Resist the urge to interrupt with questions; let the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. shape the account.
2. "How are you?" Check the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. themselves, not just the case. The honest answer is the one you want, even when it's "rattled".
3. "What did you do, and what do you wish you had done?" Open the door to learning without making it an interrogation.
4. "What's the next thing you need to do — and what do you need from me?" Concrete actions, with names attached.
5. "Anything that needs to go to clinical supervision, or to safeguarding?" The two are different routes; sometimes both apply. Don't conflate them.

If a five-minute debrief reveals it needs to be a forty-minute conversation, book that conversation — same day if possible. Don't try to compress it.

What to avoid

• Skipping straight to "what's next" without first checking how the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. is. Operational mode looks efficient and feels dismissive.
• Solving for them while they're still processing. Sometimes the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'. just needs you to hear it before they can think clearly.
• Letting a debrief drift into clinical supervision. Reflective work, learning needs, professional development — those belong in the monthly clinical session. Naming the boundary helps both parties.
• Leaving safeguarding implicit. If you suspect something needs escalating, ask directly: "Are we agreed this is a safeguarding referral, and who's making it?"

Documentation

Brief, factual, dated. The debrief record should answer four questions:

• What was discussed? A line or two.
• What was agreed? Specific actions with owners.
• Any escalations? To safeguarding, GPGP— General PractitionerA doctor providing primary care, sometimes also called a family physician. Each SPLW should have a clinical supervisor — often a GP — accountable for clinical aspects of the role. supervisor, ICS, or the wider team.
• When are we picking it back up? Even if it's "no follow-up needed".

Records protect everyone — the SPLWSPLW— Social Prescribing Link WorkerA role that supports people to access community-based services, groups and activities to meet practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing. Used internationally; equivalents in some countries include 'link worker', 'community connector' or 'health navigator'., the person being supported, and you. They also create the trail that lets clinical supervision do its job a few weeks later.