What happens in child and family social work supervision?

Abstract

Supervision is fundamental to the social work profession. However, increasing concern has been expressed over the managerial capture of local authority social work and the use of supervision as a way of enabling management oversight (or surveillance) of practice. Despite the importance of supervision, we have little evidence about what happens when managers and child and family social workers meet to discuss casework and less about how supervision influences practice. In this study, 34 supervision case discussions were recorded. Detailed descriptions are given of what happens in supervision. Overall, case discussions operated primarily as a mechanism for management oversight and provided limited opportunity for reflection, emotional support or critical thinking. With reference to organizational context, it is suggested that these deficits result from a system that focuses too much on ‘what and when’ things happen and not enough on ‘how and why’.

Making the connections: A practice model for reflective supervision

“…Supervision is similarly impacted by such factors and requires adaptation in order to respond to such challenges and maintain learning. Reflective supervision is essential to professional social work and further research is needed regarding the connection supervision has to improving practice and outcomes for service users (Beddoe et al, 2015;Wilkins et al, 2016). The four-layered practice model of reflective supervision enables supervisees and supervisors to critically examine the interrelationship of numerous factors impacting on practice and also supports social work values.…”

“…Reflective supervision differs from traditional functions of supervision in that it moves beyond a prescriptive lens and provides a blueprint for how a session between the supervisor and supervisee is constructed (Davys & Beddoe, 2010;Wilkins, Forrester, & Grant, 2016). Being reflective in supervision emphasises the learning process that takes place in the session.…”

Supervision. From Administrative Control to Continuous Education and Training of Specialists in Social Work

“…The mix of administrative component of the administrative services in case services can divert the content of the intervention. The practice of supervision through discussions on the case contents may first of all act as managerial control (administrative supervision), leaving very little space for reflections on the cases, critical thinking and emotional support (Wilkins, Forrester & Grant, 2017). Although administrative supervision may detour the sense of supervision towards the idea of control, this criticism should lead to the development of supervising policies at organizational level, and not towards rejecting the practice of supervision.…”

“…The authors Wilkins, Forrester, Grant (2017) and Turner-Daly & Jack (2017) draw the attention on the limited number of research that targets the practice of supervision globally, despite the acknowledged importance of the phenomenon and the rich theoretical-methodological literature in this field.…”

What makes it so hard to look and to listen? Exploring the use of the Cognitive and Affective Supervisory Approach with children’s social work managers

“…Our focus is on supervision, reflecting its role as a key site for decision-making and the need, therefore, for social work supervisors to have appropriate skills in supporting this in practice (Department for Education, 2015). Supervision has been consistently identified as a cornerstone of good practice (Beddoe & Davys, 2016) but until recently, the detail of what happens, how and when to make it so has been somewhat under-researched (Carpenter, Webb, & Bostock, 2013), although work by Beddoe andDavys (2010, 2016) in New Zealand and Wilkins (Wilkins, 2017a, 2017b, Wilkins, Forrester, & Grant, 2017 in England in particular has added important insights about supervision 'in action' . The present discussion makes an original, research informed contribution to this developing knowledge base.…”