Changing supervisors or sites: an hours-record checklist
Close the old relationship cleanly and start the new one without losing the record of either.
The short answer
Save a dated copy of your records, reconcile the old relationship's dates and categories, and complete the signatures or verification your authority requires. Preserve that history and establish the new supervisor or site as a separate arrangement before relying on new hours.
List what is changing and who needs to know
A move can involve a new site, a new supervisor, a new training phase, or several changes at once. Write down what is ending, what is starting, and the effective dates. Then identify the school, employer, and licensing authority requirements that apply to the transition.
Keep those approvals separate. A school may approve a placement while a board has different conditions for counting experience. Do not assume that a site manager's agreement resolves either question. This checklist is a practical way to organize the transition; it does not establish a universal notice period, portable hours rule, or approval process.
Save a readable snapshot before access changes
Before your final day or account access change, save the records you are entitled to retain for your training documentation. Include the underlying hours entries, relevant summaries, and the signed administrative documents required for your pathway. Keep client information and clinical records out of this personal collection.
Open the exported files and check that the dates, durations, site names, and supervisor relationships are readable. Use a dated filename and store the snapshot securely so you can distinguish it from later corrections. Also note any records you still need and who is responsible for completing them.
Reconcile the relationship while people are available
Compare the hours entries, reports, and agreements for the relationship that is ending. Check start and end dates, activity durations, supervision events, and reporting categories. Look for work assigned to the wrong supervisor, missing weeks, duplicate entries, or totals that include a subtotal twice. Keep unresolved classification questions visible.
Separate three kinds of issue: a factual error in the source record, a reporting-category question, and missing approval or verification. They may require different people to resolve them. Prepare concise questions with the relevant date or document reference. Avoid sending a large unexplained total and asking the supervisor to reconstruct how you reached it.
Complete the documents required for the old arrangement
Check your authority's current instructions for signatures, experience verification, and record retention. Do not assume that an email confirming your employment substitutes for a required experience form, or that a school evaluation satisfies a board's documentation requirement.
The California BBS Supervision Agreement, Part I.C, item 31 (page 6) addresses weekly signatures and verification of completed experience at the end of supervision. California MFT applicants should also review the BBS MFT FAQ, question 48 (page 16) for weekly-log retention guidance. Use those instructions only where applicable; other license families and jurisdictions need their own sources and forms.
Preserve the old supervisor and site history
Do not rename the old supervisor record to the new person's name or replace an old site's identity to keep a list short. Earlier entries need to remain associated with the relationship under which the work occurred. Close or archive the old relationship in a way that preserves that connection.
If a correction is needed after the transition, document what changed and why, then retain the appropriate revised record. Keep the original signed documents available where required.
Establish the new arrangement before relying on its hours
Confirm the new supervisor's required qualifications, the setting's eligibility, the relevant agreements, and any approval or registration conditions for your pathway. For clinical social work, ASWB directs applicants to jurisdiction-specific requirements. Check the equivalent official requirements for your own license.
Agree on how supervision and record review will work, including the appropriate contact process between meetings. Create the new relationship with its actual start date and keep new entries distinct. After the first reporting period, check that the records reflect the intended arrangement and that any promised documents are actually in place.
Common questions
- Can I keep counting hours while a new approval is pending?
- Do not assume pending approval permits credit. Check the start conditions for your specific pathway, preserve the activity record, and mark eligibility as unconfirmed.
- Should I delete the old site after I leave?
- Preserve its connection to historical entries and documents. Use an inactive or archived record where available instead of overwriting the history with the new placement.
Sources
Sources checked
- California BBS: Supervision Agreement, Form 37M-300 (rev. 05/2026)
- California BBS: MFT FAQ, questions 48–50 (rev. 02/2025)
- ASWB: Getting your first license
Confirm the requirements that apply to your profession, jurisdiction, program, and placement.