|
|
Professional Supervision in Social Work
- Introduction
- The 21st Century Review of Social Work, the
various restructurings across Scottish Local Authorities
and the range of different arrangements across voluntary
and private providers has led to a debate about the meaning
and role of Social Work supervision.
- The term supervision is widely interpreted and
often misunderstood in its traditional context of directly
monitoring, observing or training. The focus in this paper
is on trying to arrive at a modern definition of supervision,
or more accurately professional or clinical supervision.
- There is a similar lack of clarity about terms like
autonomy and accountability or responsibility.
These are not analysed in detail here but they link into
the definition of professional supervision.
- No Social Worker can work with entire autonomy and professional
supervision is the key process for balancing professional
autonomy with responsibility to the client, professional
ethics and standards along with accountability to the
agency and society at large.
- What is professional supervision?
- Professional supervision is a (if not the) key element
in recruitment and retention. The nature and frequency
of supervision is one of the main questions asked by candidates
in interviews and the lack of supervision is often quoted
by professionals as their reason for changing jobs. It
is highly valued by social workers.
- Much of the academic work describes the purpose and
the process of supervision in Social Work rather than
defining the term. However, where there is an attempt
to define the principle, there is remarkable consistency
over the years.
- M.K. Smith (1996) pulls together a range of models stemming
from Kadushin's model of supervision which itself calls
on much earlier work by John Dawson (1926). Dawson defined
the purpose of supervision as Administrative, Educational
and Supportive. At least these three elements recur
in a range of writings on the subject.
- The administrative element ensures that
agency policy is implemented but also enables supervisees
to work to the best of their ability. From that point
of view, supervision has a quality assurance function
that is in the interests of the client and agency as much
as the professional.
- The educational element encourages reflection
on, and exploration of the work and of current research,
evidence and policy. Supervisees are helped to understand
the client better, be aware of their own responses, examine
the dynamics of the relationship and evaluate their intervention.
It involves exploring other ways of working through peer
or agency knowledge and suggests further development though
mentoring, reading or training to deliver on objectives.
Smith outlines a helpful chart describing this process
by Hawkins and Shohet (1989).
- The supportive element builds on morale and job
satisfaction at its basic level. It involves understanding,
identifying stress factors that may affect the professional
and may impinge on the client. At its extreme end it involves
an assessment of whether practice is safe for the professional,
the client and the agency.
- However, as the nature of the professional Social Work
task has developed, this takes on a more crucial element.
Kadushin and Smith crucially identify the issue of shared
decision-making and this is the element most valued
by Social Workers.
- Shared decision-making
- The concept of shared decision-making is often misunderstood.
How can Social Workers want autonomy but also want to
be part of a process that examines decision-making and
seeks to arrive at an agreed plan of action?
- This misunderstanding largely derives from a misunderstanding
of autonomy. Autonomy is about working independently,
yet often sharing that as part of a team. It is about
taking responsibility for assessment and actions, yet
accepting scrutiny from peers, clients, the agency and
the profession. Social Workers largely understand these
tensions and do not see themselves as totally independent
(or perhaps isolated) rules unto themselves.
- Shared decision-making involves six main safeguards
and benefits:-
- Peer review of professional decisions. This
concept is widely accepted in medical circles in the
context of clinical supervision.
- Protection of civil liberties. It ensures that
no client's liberty is affected (eg coming into care)
without scrutiny of that decision.
- Protection of clients. It ensures clients are
not left in unacceptable risk situations on the basis
of a single individual's assessment or actions.
- Protection of staff: It ensures that professionals
are not put into a position where situations may exceed
their knowledge, skills or experience or where they
are having to manage very stressful and emotional situations.
It builds and maintains morale.
- Protection of the Agency. Just as professionals
are accountable to their agency, the reality is that
agencies are accountable for the actions of their employees
or staff they have otherwise engaged or contracted.
Shared-decision making ensures a fail-safe element and
confirms that the agency has taken the importance of
scrutiny seriously.
- It encourages openness and collective responsibility.
At its best it creates a climate where professionals
are open about their decision making process, are prepared
to jointly take responsibility for it and, to achieve
this, are prepared to challenge each other in the interests
of the client and indeed the agency.
- Supervision and standards and ethics
- There is remarkable consistency from a range of organisations
about the importance and role of professional supervision.
- The British Association of Social Workers' code of ethics
includes the statement ".. the supervisor's role
is educational, supportive, developmental and work-focused"
(BASW Code of Ethics 4.4.2)
- The American National Association of Social Workers
state "Social workers should provide services
in substantive areas or use intervention techniques or
approaches that are new to them only after engaging in
appropriate study, training, consultation, and supervision
from people who are competent in those interventions or
techniques" (NASW Code Of Ethics 1.04(b)).
- The Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers
Education and Training Standing Committeeoutlines helpful
headings for the purposes of supervision
- to ensure the worker is clear about roles and responsibilities
- to encourage the worker to meet the professions objectives
- to encourage quality of service to clients
- to encourage professional development and provide
personal support
- to assist in identifying and managing stress
- to consider the resources the worker has available
to do their job and discuss issues arising where they
are inadequate
- to provide a positive environment within which social
work practice can be discussed and reviewed.
5. The American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social
Work defines supervision as addressing four domains: direct
practice, treatment-team collaboration, continued learning,
and job management. (Clinical Supervision: A Practice
Specialty of Clinical Social Work - A Position Statement
of the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social
Work: 2004)
6. The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery
and Health Visiting (1996) produced a position statement
on clinical supervision for nurses and health visitors;
these principles have since been adopted by their successor,
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2000). One of the six
key statements is "Clinical supervision is a practice-focused
professional relationship involving a practitioner reflecting
on practice guided by a skilled supervisor".
- Conclusions
- The term supervision is well understood by Social Work
and other professionals, however it is often misunderstood
in wider circles as an oppressive rather than supportive
process geared towards quality assurance, improvement
and protection.
- Because it is so well understood by Social Workers and
forms a major role in recruitment, retention and job satisfaction,
attempts to find another term to describe it should be
resisted. However, more clarity could result from using
the term professional supervision.
- While there is broad consensus about the role of professional
supervision, the element of shared decision-making is
often implied rather than explicit.
- Accordingly, a brief checklist of the importance and
purpose of supervision should be adopted as follows:
- Professional supervision is:-
- Essential to maintaining and developing practice
in the interests of clients, professionals and agencies
which engage professionals.
- Delivered by an appropriately qualified Social Work
professional with competency in supervision and who is
recognised by the agency for that purpose.
- Professional supervision involves:-
-
Ensuring clarity about agency policies
and about roles and responsibilities. Ensuring
that professional and agency objectives are understood
and are met.
-
Ensuring quality of service to clients
within relevant codes of standards and ethics.
-
Ensuring that practice is accountable
and evidence based.
-
Assessing resources available to the worker
and addressing issues arising from that.
b) Learning and Development
-
Developing individuals personally and
professionally by encouraging professional development
at a minimum to meet SSSC standards and identifying appropriate
development opportunities.
-
Ensuring that the Social Worker and agency
maintain up to date knowledge about research, evidence
and practice. Using knowledge and experience to
explore new ways of working.
-
Providing a positive environment from
which practice can be discussed and reviewed and morale
and commitment can be maintained.
-
Identifying and managing stress factors
that may impinge on the worker, client or agency. Sharing,
debriefing and identifying any further required resources
to address responses to stressful situations.
-
Challenging in a constructive way in the
interests of client, worker and agency.
b) Shared decision-making
-
Ensuring peer and management review of
professional decisions and to encourage mutual learning
and development.
-
Ensuring that clients' safety, civil liberties
and other interests are protected so that decisions affecting
these factors are shared and reviewed.
-
Ensuring that workers are not put in a
position where situations may exceed their knowledge,
skills or experience or where they are managing very stressful
and emotional situations.
-
Ensuring safeguards to maintain agency
duties and responsibilities.
-
To encourage openness and collective responsibility,
primarily in the interests of clients and to develop a
supportive but challenging environment for managing risk.
top
|
|
The 21st Century Review,
the creation of merged Council Departments and the increase in
multi-disciplinary working have led to a debate - and many misunderstandings
about the meaning and purpose of Social Work Supervision.
The Branch has adopted
this paper by Branch Secretary and practising Social Worker John
Stevenson as its position on the issue and will form the basis
of submissions to government and other fora.
|
