What Is a Supervision Agreement?
Learn what a professional supervision agreement can cover, including purpose, frequency, confidentiality, responsibilities, records and review.
Read the guide →Supervision boundaries
Confidentiality in Professional Supervision
Confidentiality is an important part of a useful supervision relationship, but professional supervision should not be treated as automatically or absolutely confidential in every circumstance.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
Direct answer
In brief
Professional supervision should be confidential within clearly agreed boundaries, but confidentiality is not absolute. The supervisor and supervisee should agree what information is recorded, who may access it and the circumstances in which information may need to be shared.
Why should confidentiality be discussed at the beginning?
Clear expectations help both parties understand the boundaries of the relationship before difficult or sensitive professional issues arise.
Can confidentiality have limits?
Yes. The exact limits depend on the profession, supervision arrangement, organisational responsibilities and applicable legal or professional obligations. Those limits should be made explicit rather than left to assumption.
What about supervision records?
The parties should clarify what is recorded, who can access those records, how they are stored and whether any information must also be recorded within organisational systems. Personal information should be handled in line with applicable privacy requirements. Where supervision records contain identifiable health information and are held by a health agency, the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 may also apply.
Sources and further reading
New Zealand supervision guidance
Oranga Tamariki: Professional Supervision →
Office of the Privacy Commissioner: Health Information Privacy Code 2020 →
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