Management issues require that the supervisor have a clear understanding of the philosophy and day-to-day operation of the option. In addition, strategies for monitoring the development of individualized plans, family contacts, group activities, and training of staff are needed. Involvement with other components and center staff requires careful management. The home-based supervisor becomes the first line of contact when a coordinator requires information or has a specific requirement to carry out with the home-based option.

The supervisor needs to set aside adequate time for all of these functions and, in most cases, will be required to do such additional duties as monitoring time sheets, mileage, and attendance. In order to accomplish all of this effectively, the supervisor needs to have strong time-management skills, a clear sense of priorities, and a good reserve of flexibility. (See Appendix R, Supervision Factors Which Can Improve Leadership Performance.)

1. Beginning: The Reality Check.

Reviewing of the Head Start guidelines, other pertinent Head Start information, organizational charts, and staff responsibilities should be the first task. Then:

• Chapter III of this guide should be consulted to create a list of all home-based supervisor responsibilities.
• Review the local Head Start agency's program plan for specifics of other activities in which the home-based supervisor has responsibility, coordinates functions, or has a consultation role. These duties and expectations will vary depending on the size of the program, geography, and availability of other staff. For example, in one program the home-based supervisor may have fewer coordination responsibilities because there is a home-based coordina tor. In another program without a coordinator, a larger number of coordina tion responsibilities will fall to the supervisor. Anotherprogram may involve the supervisor more actively in the recruitment of families.
• A realistic list of time estimates for each activity should be created. For example, a supervised home visit may take 90 minutes, but if the drive is typically 30 minutes each way, this time should also be budgeted. Sufficient time to review records and write up notes needs to be included. Actual training time may be two hours a week, but additional time should be budgeted for planning, evaluating, and coordinating with training providers.

The number of estimated hours required for all activities should be added up and reviewed with the supervisor's supervisor and the Head Start director, who should be consulted to make sure the time expectations are realistic. Actual time with the home visitors must be the priority for the home-based supervisor to ensure quality. Referring back to the guidelines to be clear about the supervisory requirements for the home-based staff may be necessary.

3. Planning and Scheduling Activities

A reliable schedule of activities, supervised visits, and individual and group support provides a secure base for a home visitor that is critical to a smooth operation. Regular participation in meetings with other management staff ensures that the needs and philosophy of the home-based option are taken into account in the overall program operation.

The supervisor should coordinate regular meeting times with other component staff so that activities do not conflict with one another. (Group socialization activities will need to be scheduled carefully if center facilities are used.) At the end of the program year or during summer months, all activities should be scheduled on a master calendar and noted on an individual calendar. A master home-based calendar should be made for home visitors and for distribution to others in the program.

4. Time Management

Time management techniques vary widely. The following ideas are meant as suggestions and to complement current practices:

• Schedule office time so that necessary work can be done without interrup tion. Paperwork should be kept current so that it does not turn into an impossible task with little meaning.
• An appointment calendar should be used regularly. The supervisor should get in the habit of writing down things such as calls to return, meetings, and deadlines. Local stationery stores carry various kinds of calendar organizers.
• Office time should be planned so that the supervisor is available to receive and return phone calls or visits from home visitors. Staff should be able to reach their supervisor at a regular time each day. Nothing else should be planned at this time.
• Voice mail or a phone answering machine can be requested. The features are invaluable. They allow detailed messages to be left and often cut down on phone time and secretarial time. For example, a home visitor can leave directions to the home visit for the next morning, cancel an appointment, or ask a detailed question about a family crisis. All of this allows the supervisor to get information or respond more effectively to a call. A lap top computer is also an organizational tool that can save much time and money.
• Time frameworks for minimizing interruptions should be set. If a new staff member is having a problem understanding a record keeping procedure, time should be set aside when the supervisor will be present to deal with the problem. This may mean that the supervisor will have to ignore phone calls, close a door, or ask not be interrupted.
• Bunch routine activities. If mileage records must be checked, they should be checked all at once. This improves speed and efficiency.
• A structured system for activities and materials and to plan maintenance time on office systems should be developed. Time spent planning and setting up an efficient office organization system will save uncounted time in looking for materials. Some supervisors find it effective to have a portable file system for their car in which they keep such things as extra forms and resource materials. If necessary, a supervisor should ask for help from a staff member who seems organized, or consult one of the organizational books cited in the Bibliography.
• Use travel time wisely. This time can be useful for discussing home visit content when the home visitor rides with the supervisor or dictating observations into a dictation machine.
• Delegation of tasks is a critical time management skill as well as a way to foster staff and parent growth. A supervisor should look for appropriate tasks for delegating, such as the organization of a resource library, checking out logistics for a field trip, or the planning of a group picnic. Effective delegation requires that the task be thought through, expectations be dis cussed, and there be follow up to make sure the task was done and proper appreciation was given.
• A supervisor should know when to ask for help. A home-based supervisor has many responsibilities and roles. If the tasks and duties seem overwhelm ing, the supervisor should have a discussion with the Head Start director and ask for help. Such things as more secretarial help, a computer, delegation of responsibility, or even additional staffing for supervision may be necessary.

Supervision is peoplework. Home visiting is peoplework. In both instances, the required paperwork should not be the primary focus. This includes documentation of the services. The supervisor needs to carefully review paperwork requirements to make sure they are not excessive. If necessary, the supervisor can work with component staff to streamline it.

The following paperwork questions should be addressed:

· How can repetitious paperwork be eliminated?
· Can information be shared more effectively across components?
· Is the program gathering information that is not useful or that is useful but not being used?

6. Flexibility

The home-based supervisor has many roles in a system where human needs and unexpected situations are the norm. Therefore, flexibility is a must. However, the supervisor must be careful not to spend all of her or his time responding to unanticipated needs. Otherwise the necessary time for regularly scheduled activities will be in jeopardy.

7. Dealing With Discomfort

Being a supervisor means tolerating certain kinds of discomfort at times. Some discomfort can involve challenging situations, like, should a difficult employee be retained? Is a family situation too dangerous and must child protective services be called? In these situations, when the supervisor feels a decision is difficult or it is hard to make a judgment, they should always get as much information as possible and then consult with another staff person or consultant before making a decision.

8. Gender Issues

Home visitors are predominantly female. However, there are numerous ex amples of effective male home visitors in Head Start. In some cultural groups, male home visitors may be more readily accepted than females. However, male home visitors often need extra support in helping families become comfortable with their working in the home. In areas where male home visitors have not worked before, the supervisor should plan with the parents for the effective utilization of the male home visitor.

B. SUPERVISION AND LEADERSHIP STYLES THAT FOSTER HOME VISITOR COMPETENCE

Supervision in a home-based option requires individualized approaches and the realiza tion that home visiting is a skill requiring independent thinking and creativity. Some styles to consider are:

1. Individualizing Approaches to Staff to Recognize their Diverse Backgrounds

Home visitor "A" may have an excellent child development background but have difficulty building trusting relationships with parents. Home visitor "B" may know community resources very well and be skilled at working with adults but have little understanding of children's needs. Supervision, training, and resources must match these individual's needs and deficiencies.

2. Considering Each Home Visitor's Career Stage Separately

New home visitors will need help in learning the mechanics of the option and in mastering the basic skills of home visiting. More experienced home visitors may need in-depth supervision and training in such areas as family dynamics and communication. Home visitors with extensive experience may need renewal experiences, such as training and management development.

The supervisor should evaluate these career stages with the home visitor. Performance evaluations are not done simply by observing or by the amount of time the home visitor has been working.

3. The Supervisor Should be Well Acquainted with the Home Visitors and Their Past Work Experiences

So that expectations are not inconsistent with the home visitor's abilities and experiences, the supervisor must let the home visitor know she/he is aware of the home visitor's work history and, if applicable, suggest support or help in certain areas. The supervisor's role is to create an atmosphere where the home visitor is comfortable asking for help and accepting support or suggestions.

4. Knowing the Learning and Interaction Style of Home Visitors

Some home visitors may be defensive when problem areas are brought up, some may be agreeable, and some may harbor feelings of resentment. The supervisor needs to be sensitive to these individual differences.

5. Difficult Home Visitor Issues

Issues, such as the home visitor having a difficult time getting parents involved or the home visitor getting over-involved and failing to maintain boundaries between her/his life and the life of the family, must be dealt with. These areas of supervision, along with other similar issues, require not only observation but careful listening as the home visitor is encouraged to bring these issues up in supervisory and group meetings.

6. Home Visitors as Whole Human Beings, not Just Staff People

It is appropriate, in a limited way, for the supervisor to talk with the home visitor about personal issues that relate to work issues. For example, "What is it like having your daughter/son in day care near the office?"

Additionally, Head Start situations that a home visitor has personally experi enced may be hard to handle when similar situations arise while visiting a family. These too should be discussed so that they do not interfere with the home visitor's reactions to the family.

7. Using Leadership to Build Home Visitor Team Unity

The supervisor has a major leadership role of developing home visitors who are mutually supportive and who will work toward the improvement of services to all the families. The supervisor has major roles to play in this process that include:

• Treating all Staff Equally. Rules for time off, observation, documentation, tardiness, etc., must be consistently and fairly presented, and expectations must be the same for everyone. The supervisor should be aware of playing favorites.
• Respecting Individual Privacy. The supervisor's observations about a home visitor's performance are private and should not be shared with others unless the supervisor and home visitor decide this is appropriate and acceptable. Supervisors need to be very strict about maintaining privacy and confidentiality as it models the confidentiality that home visitors must maintain with families. The supervisor should avoid contrasting home visitor skills and expectations in a group setting in any kind of critical way.
• Encouraging and Recognizing Individual Contributions Toward a Team Effort. Home visitors feel less isolated when they understand that they are contributing to a team effort. For example, one home visitor might take on a project of organizing a resource lending library for parents, and another might update a list of field trip resources. The supervisor will be most effective in encouraging team effort if team meetings are handled in such a way that contributions and ideas are accepted and discussed. It is important for the supervisor not to force ideas on the group, but rather to invite ideas, clarify goals or procedures, and summarize what has happened.
• Recognizing Team Accomplishments. When a group accomplishes some thing, such as meeting a deadline, finishing a project, or doing a good job on an activity such as a field trip or a group socialization, a group congratulations should be posted.
• Using Home Visitor Skills in Solving Problems. Supervisors should avoid making management decisions in isolation. They should consult and involve the staff. For example, if health forms are consistently coming in late, approachs other than imposing another deadline, berating the staff, or criticizing the group, should be taken. The supervisor should actively state the problem and invite the group to help figure out why the problem is occurring and what can be done to correct it.

To build trust among individuals and the home visitor group, the supervisor must be dependable. The supervisor must keep appointment times, remember what was agreed upon for followup, stick to a schedule, and not make promises that can not be kept.

9. Avoiding the "Us-Against-Them" Mentality

Home visitor teams sometimes build such strong identities they see the rest of the program as a group that is against them. As a supervisor, it is important not to fall into this way of thinking by demeaning other staff, belittling center-based staff, or isolating the home-based staff from the rest of the program.

10. Avoiding Taking Over and Providing Services Directly to Families

Sometimes the supervisor may feel that it is easier to do deal personally with the problem rather than support and guide a home visitor in accomplishing the task. For example, if a parent has a crisis that seems overwhelming to the home visitor, the supervisor might be tempted to take over and solve the problem. However, the extra time spent helping the home visitor find ways to work with the parent or finding an appropriate resource will help the home visitor build skills. If the supervisor takes over, the home visitor is likely to feel less competent as a result. On occasion the supervisor may need to offer help with a socialization group or provide direct services for a parent group, but direct services to families should be provided by the home visitor with help from appropriate community resources.

11. Remaining Open-Minded and Objective About People

The supervisor must be alert for personal biases. It is often tempting to see a staff person or parent in a particular light and fail to observe her/him in a detached manner. This can happen during evaluations, observations, or in meetings. These issues need to be discussed so that they do not get in the way of services to the family and child.

The supervisor must watch out for the following trouble spots:

• "The Halo Effect." Often, if we like a person or if that person has done a good job with something, there is a tendency to generalize and look positively on everything this person does and, consequently, miss areas which might need support or help. For example, a supervisor who values well-done paperwork may make the mistake of failing to observe other areas. A home visitor who likes order and cleanliness may notice this trait in a family and fail to observe more subtle issues, such as the parent-child interaction, and may jump to the conclusion that a clean house means a child and family are doing well in all areas.
• 'The Broken-Halo Effect." If a supervisor does not like something about an individual, it may be harder to look at the entire range of the individual's work. Supervisors may need help thinking through their feelings if they are in the way of working objectively and effectively with an individual. In similar ways, home visitors sometimes will have a hard time working with a family which they do not like.

In many programs, supervisors for the home-based option are promoted to the rank of supervisor because of their excellence as a home visitor. This has many advantages. However, sometimes the supervisor is put in the difficult position of being the boss of former peers. It is important that the supervisor talk about this with the home visitors as it may be difficult to supervise in these cases. Friendships between the new supervisor and the former home visitors can continue, but it is critical that the new role relationships be carefully laid out, and that the supervisor be discrete about carrying work-related issues over into the friendship arena after hours. For example, it would not be appropriate for a supervisor to discuss a staff problem with another home visitor with whom she/he was a friend.

Supervisors who begin without home-based experience may have to work harder to establish credibility as a person knowledgeable and interested in home-based services. The supervisor might need to make extra observations and have extensive discussions with staff to establish credibility.

C. COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

A strict and regimented style of communication will not work with supervision just as it will not work with home visiting. Meetings offer a way of modeling approaches that home visitors should strive for with families.

The following communication strategies are similar to ones that home visitors are encouraged to use with families:

1. Modeling Supportive, Respectful, and Facilitative Relationships with Home Visitors

The supervisor should encourage creativity and problem solving. A home visitor's problem may seem very simple to the supervisor. However, rather than the supervisor telling the home visitor what to do, a problem-solving approach should be used by asking questions such as, "What have you already tried?" "What do you think is causing this?" or "What worries you about this?" In this process the supervisor is trying to lead the home visitor into expanding her/his thinking about the problem and thus become better able to deal with the next problem that comes up. As this process is gone through, it is important that the supervisor be open to any ideas of addressing the problem that might be different than her or his own. In this process, supervisors may need to remind the home visitor about program guidelines or raise issues that might have been overlooked such as, "I wonder if that would work given he is only three years old. Many three-year-olds can't sit still for so long," or "Were you aware that there is an agency set up to help parents with this problem?"

The supervisor should offer options instead of giving the ultimate suggestion. For example, the supervisor could try using the following: "In this situation I think you could either be very direct in your home visit about your discipline concern, or wait until the parent education meeting to discuss this in the group. Which do you think would work best with this family?"

It is helpful to use the home visitors' concerns or successes as points of departure in individual and group meetings. The supervisor should encour age the home visitors to say what they are concerned about and to talk about the successes they have had.

The supervisor needs to recognize individual successes. Just as parents need specific recognition, home visitors also need to have their work and efforts recognized. Use of detail is often helpful. For example, "I noticed how well the parent responded to your questions about the week's activities. Your questions seemed very sincere and she really opened up and shared the problem she had with her child at the market. Your use of these kinds of open- ended questions has really improved in the past few months."

The supervisor will want to address problem areas or needs. When there is a specific problem that can be identified it should be addressed directly and with tact instead of in a vague way. For example, "I noticed that you spent most of the visit working with the child and the parents watched from the sidelines. I was concerned about this because we are trying to involve the families as much as possible rather than have only you teach the children. Is there something happening I don't understand or are there some techniques I can review to help you involve the parents more?"

Use of non-directive communication can add information when appropriate The supervisor should try to expand thinking rather than make pronounce ments or judgments. For example, "I wonder what might be making her do that?" or "I'm not sure, but I wonder how much to consider the child's history of ear infections?"

2. Communicating and Expectations

The supervisor should make sure the home visitor's expectations are clearly stated, both verbally and in writing. For example, there should be a home visitor handbook with deadlines for things such as health data, time sheets, mileage, and plans. Observation forms for home visits should have clear expectations so that they become a self-instructional tool for the home visitor as well as for the supervisor and the home visitor to look at together. Forms should be provided to home visitors so they understand what the supervisor is observing.

3. Seeking Input and Feedback from Home Visitors

Home visitors should be encouraged to let the supervisor know about the usefulness of forms, ideas for improvement, specific problems, etc. For example, before trying out a new form, the supervisor should circulate the form and ask for an evaluation from those who will be using it.

4. Avoiding Quick Conclusions

One of the dangers of home visiting and supervising home visitors is the quick conclusion or the partial world view. For example, a home visitor who reports a withdrawn and seemingly depressed family situation may need help with understanding the whole picture, factoring in cultural issues, etc.

In a similar way, some home visits may seem too one-dimensional. The supervisor should find out more about previous visits before helping the home visitor restructure her or his approaches.

5. Learning to Listen

Listening is essential. Listening solves problems and motivates the one who is talking. A few guidelines for effective listening and communication are:

• While listening, complete attention should be given to the speaker, without interrupting and without performing other tasks.
• The listener should ask questions to help understand the situation completely before offering assistance.
• The listener should avoid judgmental statements like "That was a dangerous thing to do." Rather, something like "What were you concerned about when this was going on?" should be asked.
• There is not only one way to do something. The role of the supervisor is to help the home visitor understand the requirements and facilitate creative approaches to working with children and families. This needs to be kept in mind while a home visitor describes home visit activities. For instance, rather than the supervisor saying to a home visitor, "If you feel your activities need to be more open-ended, I have approaches that always worked when I was a home visitor," they should try saying, "Help me understand why you and the parent are using so many craft projects." In this example, a supervisor might find out more about the home visitor's reasoning and thus be more able to talk about home-based philosophy, child development issues, and family dynamics in a way that fits the situation.
• A difficulty or feeling should not be minimized. Statements such as "It will get better," "Don't think about it" or "You're too emotional" are rarely helpful. Instead, questions should be used which help the speaker find ways to cope with the problem and which reminds them of their strengths, like "What has worked in the past when you felt so overwhelmed by a family problem?" or "This reminds me of the situation with that other family which you handled so well."

Home-based supervisors have a complicated job which involves management, direct supervision of staff, leadership, and ongoing coordination with component staff. Development of supportive and facilitative relationships which promote quality services to families is a necessity. The home-based supervisor must recognize that support is necessary in order to do this well.

The need for support will vary according to the supervisor's skills, training, and experience. For supervisors who were former home visitors, there might be a tendency to need extra support because of the difficulty of establishing new role relationships with home visitors.

Some ideas for finding support for supervisors are:

1. Program Support

The home-based supervisor needs a source of support within the program to help review issues. It is imperative that this source of support know about the home-based philosophy and operation or be willing to learn. A mental health professional from within the program or from an outside agency can be a valuable source of support for a home-based supervisor.

2. Home-Based Supervisors from Other Programs

The supervisor should make an effort to meet with Head Start home-based supervisors and staff from other programs for support. The supervisor should also request opportunities to visit other programs or have training with other home-based supervisors. Networking at professional meetings and training is also advisable. Some supervisors develop strong support networks and keep in regular phone contact with other staff whom they have found to be supportive.

3. Seeking out Peers Who are Supervisors from Within the Program

Home-based supervisors should get to know these supervisors and ask them what resources they use and how they deal with issues.

The particulars of home-based supervision are quite unique, but much about the basic principles of supervision can be learned from other supervisors.

4. Community Programs

Many communities have programs which use the home visiting approach for services, such as health care, and which might provide support and networking opportunities. Home-based supervisors should make an effort to get to know individuals who are involved with these services for mutual support.