The IMS Handbook is the first of its kind in the field of MHPSS. It brings together best practice and resources from across the world. Through broad consultation and piloting, our hope is that the IMS Handbook is an accessible guide on supervision. The Handbook gives practical guidance for not only supervisors and supervisees, but also organisations themselves to begin to build or strengthen supportive supervision structures. The hope is that the IMS Handbook well help to ensure that supportive supervision is accessible to all who are implementing MHPSS, across sectors.
The IFRC Psychosocial Centre developed the Integrated Model of Supervision (IMS) Handbook, which is now in its second version, in partnership with Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, with the support of USAID. PS Centre Technical Advisor Kelly McBride is a co-author of this handbook, and various PS Centre staff members contributed to this publication as reviewers.
Over one hundred individuals from around the world fed into the development of the IMS guide. Version 1 of the IMS Handbook was piloted in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Jordan within four different organisations in 2021. Version 2 of the IMS Handbook has incorporated all stages of consultation and pilot feedback, and it will be formally tested over the next two years.
MHPSS interventions include a broad range of activities that aim to protect and promote psychosocial well-being and treat and prevent mental health problems. They are integrated across sectors including health, education, nutrition, and protection. Regardless of the MHPSS intervention those engaged should be supervised and supported. Supportive supervision should be understood as a set of cross-cutting principles that are integral to safe and effective MHPSS programming in humanitarian settings.
Supportive supervision is essential to the well-being of MHPSS providers across sectors. Despite advancements in MHPSS activities around the world, a comprehensive guide on supportive supervision has been the ‘missing link.’ The Integrated Model of Supervision (IMS) aims to better enable the global mental health workforce in delivering high quality, appropriate, timely, safe and ethical MHPSS interventions. The IMS Handbook is designed specifically for emergency settings, but it can also be useful and applicable in broader contexts.
