SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISION

Melba L. Manapol

Supervision in Social Work

Social Work Supervisor R Authority e Direct s Coordinate p Enhance o Evaluate n Functions s Administrative i Educational B Supportive L E
Supervisee:
Student Social Worker Other agency staff Volunteers Performance in accordance with agency policies and procedures; SW Professional standards

A c c o u n t a b i lity

Best Possible Service to Clients

(Kadushin, 1985 in Pangalangan, 2000, p. 667;)

Social Work Supervision as Art and Process (PASWI, 1997 in Pagalangan 2000)
Enabling workers and students to perform their functions under the guidance of the supervisor Meaningful learning process experienced by supervisor and supervisee Both develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes Process is aimed at development of creativity As supervisee gain competence, better quality of service is achieved

Basic Assumptions That Provide Essential Framework of Supervision in the Philippines

1. The common elements of supervision are: Supervision provides the means for agency control over services and practice Supervision has a psychological component which includes emotional support and selfactualization; and Competence and appropriate attitudes of the supervisees are developed through supervision

2. Supervision is essentially a fraction

of administrative leadership aimed at

accomplishment of the administrative goals of the agency over and above other considerations
fusion of the administrative and teaching activities in one dynamic process judicious use of administrative power and authority

3. The supervisory process is a learning process when:

there is, acceptance of the learner

there is an orderly process of integration from the simple to the complex there is provision of specific knowledge to ease anxiety

4. Social work supervision requires knowledge in social work and adherence to professional ethics 5. Cultural values and principles affect and shape the supervisory practice in a particular setting.

Supervisory Functions:
1. Administrative The supervisor is in middle management. S/he is responsible to someone occupying higher position in the organization and at the same time responsible for the performance of workers for maximum efficiency in service delivering within limits of available resources. Requires proper balance of relationships 1.1 Administrative tasks organizing, coordinating and facilitating manpower and agency resources available to complete the work

 reviewing work performance to ensure that it is adequately done, quantitatively and qualitatively, in accordance with agency policies, standards and procedures

assigning and distributing workload to workers;

acting as vertical and lateral channel of communication between the direct service and intraagency coordinator (Kadushin, 1976) Supervisors are mediators of organizational climate who serve as buffer between frontline staff and administrator (Bunker and Winberg in Shulman 1995, cited in Pangalangan 2005)

2.Educational Function
teaching the how of direct service or developing skills for carrying out the tasks in the most efficient and effective manner teaching requires teaching strategies and providing climate for learning, understanding of adult learning, recognition of supervisees individual differences and uniqueness as learners need to relate new learning to previous knowledge

maintaining balance between teaching too little that causes anxiety and overwhelming feelings of supervisee and too much teaching that breeds depending on supervisor

5 Areas of Learning 1. Social work philosophy and history and policy of agency 2. Social work knowledge, techniques and skills Self Awareness and professional use of self Available resources in the agency and the community Priorities of service and management of time

3.

4.

5.

Other Content of Educational Supervision (Perlman in Kadushin 1976) People Problem Process Place Self-Awareness of Supervisee 3. Expressive Supportive Function Helping role: Help and enable supervisee to 1) deal with job-related stress, 2) develop attitudes and feelings conducive to maximum learning for better job performance and 3) to achieve work objectives. Ensure high workers morale and job satisfaction. Prevent burnout (absenteeism, tardiness, delayed completion of work, function among staff, fast turnover

Managerial responsibility of supervisor: - decision making - communication - planning - coordination - staffing - monitoring - human resource development - evaluation Supervisory Relationship (SupervisorSupervisee Relationship) central to process of working together professional and interactive not personal for purpose of achieving better service to clients partnership of unequals with authority vested on supervisor democratic and participative guided by organizational goals and professional ethics mutual acceptance of each others roles positive interaction

3 Core Elements of Supervisionsupervisee (Kaiser 1997) 1. Power and authority attitude toward power differential - power that underlie dual roles 2. Shared meaning mutual understanding and agreement in sup process 3. Trust honesty - handling of supervisees feelings of vulnerability
Rapport, trust, caring Elements parallel to Social Worker-Client Relationship (Shulman 1995)

Ethical Principles of Supervisory Relationship (Levy 1973)

Supervisor must regard an ethical act not as best or most practical 1. Course in a given circumstances but as right thing to do because of sup secs relatively disadvantages position. EA must be in consonance with spec values and judged not by consequence but by its intention. Action is motivated by worth and dignity of supervisee. 2. In involving supervisee in providing agency services and working together in doing expected tasks, ethics demand as unbiased approach in evaluating supervisees performance.

3.

Supervisor owes supervisee a good start and sustained work performance by providing educational, administrative and psychological support to the supervisee in doing her work to the best of her ability. It is the supervisors ethical responsibility to provide every opportunity for the supervisees creative growth and development, even beyond that which is necessary for immediate agency work It is the ethical responsibility of the supervisor to provide the opportunity for the supervisee to realize professional aspirations within and beyond the agency situation. work expectation must be clarified with sup see and should provide bases for evaluating job performance as matter of ethical responsibility.

4.

5.

Types of Supervision
Individual one to one supervision

Group orientation, case presentation, sharing of knowledge and experiences Consultation worker is responsible for the focus Tutorial case accountability, performance evaluation, linkage to rest of agency

Peer group supervision case discussion among equals; group leader facilitates - members are experienced enough

Tandem like peer-group supervision to make vital contributions * experienced workers - collaboration, can cover each others cases Team consists of varied members of agency - assigned leader not responsible for teaching - meet regularly; team decides in every case presented Source: Pangalangan, Evelina A. (2000).

Supervision in Social Work.

Philippine Encyclopedia of Social Work (2000 edition). Manila: NASWEI.