The state of social work supervision in 2013

Investigation into how much supervision social workers receive | Why some employers are failing to prioritise supervision | Good practice examples | Replay our online debate

Third of UK’s social workers not currently receiving supervision

Half of social workers responding to Community Care’s survey said they would not class any of their current supervision as reflective, while many are not receiving any support.

Find out how delegates at Community Care Live 2013 defined “good supervision”

Replay our live chat on how to get the best out of supervision

The expert panel included:

Mark Charters, director of education and social care for London Borough of Bexley

Beverly Turner-Daly, senior lecturer in social work at Northumbria University and part-time independent trainer/ consultant with many years’ experience teaching and training supervisors

Nushra Mansuri, joint manager in England for the British Association of Social Workers, who qualified as a social worker in 1993

Kirsty McGregor, workforce editor for Community Care, who has been writing about supervision and support for social workers for the past four years

More from Inform

Subscribers to Inform can access a series of in-depth expert guides to providing effective supervision, developing social workers’ emotional resilience and promoting reflective practice. Resources include:

Guide to effective supervision: What is it and how can supervisors ensure they provide it?

Author: Dr Hilary Lawson, teaching fellow (social work and social care), University of Sussex

Guide to developing social workers’ emotional resilience

Author: Louise Grant, senior lecturer in social work, University of Bedfordshire and registered social worker and Dr Gail Kinman, professor, occupational health psychology, University of Bedfordshire

Guide to developing a competent workplace in children’s social care linking practice, supervision and strategic planning

Author: Alex Chard, director, YCTCS Ltd

Guide to compassion fatigue and secondary trauma in human services

Author: Lori Goossen, organisational development consultant, London Borough of Bexley

Guide to managing practice from a critically reflective position

Author: Mary Mustoe, social work consultant

Image copyright: John Curtis/Rex Features

Why are some social work employers still failing to prioritise supervision?

High caseloads and skilled team managers quickly climbing further up the career ladder are two of the challenges employers cite when it comes to providing effective supervision.

How one council put supervision at the heart of social work practice

Alex Turner meets the social workers investing time and energy into ensuring their work revolves around supervision.

How to tackle the cultural barriers to good social work supervision

Effective supervision requires strong leadership and organisational policies, as well as highly-trained supervisory staff.

‘Reflective supervision is not optional’

John Carpenter, professor of social work at Bristol University, looks at the research into whether regular supervision of social workers improves outcomes for service users.