SOCIAL WORK SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISIONSUPERVISION

Melba L. ManapolMelba L. Manapol

Supervision in Social Supervision in Social WorkWork

Best Possible Best Possible Service to Service to

ClientsClients

Social Work SupervisorSocial Work Supervisor

R AuthorityR Authority

e Directe Direct

s Coordinates Coordinate

p Enhancep Enhance

o Evaluateo Evaluate

n Functionsn Functions

s Administratives Administrative

i Educationali Educational

B SupportiveB Supportive

LL

EE

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

A A Supervisee:c Studentc Social Workero Other agency staffu Volunteersnt Performance in accordance a with agency policies and b procedures; SWi Professional standardslity

Social Work Supervision as Social Work Supervision as Art and ProcessArt and Process

((PASWI, 1997 in Pagalangan 2000PASWI, 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 self-actualization; 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 intra-agency 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. 1. Social work philosophy and history and policy of agency

2. Social work knowledge, techniques and skills

3. Self Awareness and professional use of self

4. Available resources in the agency and the community

5. Priorities of service and management of time

Other Content of Educational Supervision (Perlman in Kadushin 1976)

PeopleProblemProcessPlaceSelf-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 (Supervisor-Supervisee

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 other’s

roles positive interaction

3 Core Elements of Supervision-supervisee (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 supervisee’s 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 sec’s 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 supervisee’s 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 supervisor’s ethical responsibility to provide every opportunity for the supervisee’s creative growth and development, even beyond that which is necessary for immediate agency work

4. 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.

5. work expectation must be clarified with sup see and should provide bases for evaluating job performance as matter of ethical responsibility.

Types of SupervisionTypes 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

other’s 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.