This paper offers an original examination of the interrelationship between organisational arrangements, supervisory practices and outcomes from supervision in a study funded by the Social Care Institute for Excellence. The study aimed to capture examples of good supervision. Researchers used systems theory to develop a supervision model, which informed the research design and evaluation. Good supervision was identified by 136 online survey participants, and all emerging themes were examined in nineteen interviews, within four case study settings. Social workers within an ‘integrated’ case-study setting and health workers in a ‘partnership’ setting said that ‘good’ supervision was supported by organisational policies, supervisor training and devolved management and professional practice. In the care-home and social-enterprise settings, supervision was similarly supported, but its delivery was a management performance target. In all four case-study settings, good supervision could be negatively transformed by a supervisor’s action (e.g. rigid responses to performance issues) or supervisor’s inaction (e.g. cancelled supervision sessions). Service-user feedback on supervision is an underdeveloped area that needs further research. This paper concludes by considering the implications of the research findings for the study of supervision.