Ans 1

Social work supervision is a process by which an organisation provides support and guidance to social
workers. ... Supervision should contribute to the development of a learning culture by promoting an
approach that develops the confidence and competence of managers in their supervision skills.
Supervision is an educationally focused teaching relationship. It is authority based and has periods of
closeness and distance. The supervisor-student relationship is implemented through an individualized,
one-on-one teaching arrangement based in an agency. Examining the essential components of
supervision within an organizational structure is necessary to fully understand practicum supervision and
how to make good use of it.

The Supervisory Relationship: Styles of Supervision Another important aspect of the orientation is the
student-agency supervisory relationship. The qualities of a good supervisory/student relationship usually
parallel the qualities of a good practitioner/client relationship. Just as in work with clients, the
supervisory relationship must be built on trust and openness, thus allowing the exchange of honest
communication and critical feedback. The student should be able to feel safe in sharing concerns about
the practicum in addition to his or her style of learning, so the supervisor is able to structure the
supervision accordingly and make necessary changes in the practicum experiences. Supervisory style
consists of a series of behavior patterns used by the supervisor to establish a working relationship with
the student. It can generally be categorized as (1) active, which is problem oriented, directive, and
interpretive, or (2) reactive, which is process oriented, indirect, and non-interpretive.

There are varying styles and techniques that are used which generally reflect a particular style of
practice that incorporates a supervisor’s personality style. Under the categories of active and reactive,
typical styles of Administrative and Environmental Aspects in Social Work Supervision 211 212 Social
Work Practicum and Supervision supervision are as follows-

Philosopher -philosophical style : Sometimes supervisors launch into philosophical abstractions that
have little or no application from the student’s point of view. They often use either lengthy explanations
or brief global statements, which frequently make the new learner extremely frustrated as important
case material is not dealt with directly.

Theoretician-theoretical style: The supervisor often uses theory as the primary focus and believes that
the mastery of theory leads to good practice. According to this style, once the theory has been
mastered, the student can deal with future case material on their own. The theoretician tends to be
logical and orderly in their approach to supervision and are frequently viewed as “taskmasters” when it
comes to dealing with clinical material. The only time they are viewed negatively is when they talk about
theory in the abstract, thus not relating it directly to case material and learning.

Technician-technical style: This style is very different from the other two styles. Instead of being
philosophical or theoretical in orientation, the supervisor deals almost exclusively with details of case
problems and relates them to technical skills. It is a problem focused and interactionally oriented style
of supervision in which questions are asked in highly specific and empathic ways. Without confrontation
or threat, the student can be pressured into dealing with difficult material. The technician has patience
with new learners and responds in ways that encourage them to find their own answers. They are also
respected by those they supervise and are often viewed as demanding, having a no-nonsense approach
to supervision. It is important for the student to have a complete understanding of the style of
supervision used by the supervisor during the orientation phase of the internship.
Ans 2

In Social Work, fieldwork is the training process for the students, through which they learn to develop
and execute intervention strategies for bringing about a positive change in the society. In the Social
Sciences, fieldwork is associated with the process of developing an understanding about the society.
Social work with community involves under standing of needs of a community, facilitating interaction
between the different parts of the community such as the institutions, leadership–informal and formal,
other members and the geographical subdivisions. It facilitates maximum use of its internal and external
resources.

Learning goals of field work practice with communities

1. Students understand different communities– Urban, rural and tribal.

2. Students require skills like skills in interacting with people, conflict management and resource
mobilization.
3. Understanding the needs of the communities and prioritizing their needs and assessing the strength
of the communities.
The following are some of the skills relevant to community-based practice:
Engagement Skills: It is required for developing relationship with staff, local residents and community
leaders in unstructured and sometimes chaotic situations.
Organizational Skills: It is required to build organizations, work with committees and organizing public
events.
Planning and Policy Skills: It is required for analysing issues and problems, to generalize from the
specific and relate individual grievances to organizational responses.
Action Skills: It is required to make decision in situation where all the relevant information is never
available and strategize to meet the goal.
Communication Skills: This is needed communicate with different stakeholders in different situations.
Political Skills: It includes the knowledge of the sociology of political decision-making and a grasp of
different varieties of political ideologies and their implication for change.
Evaluation of the students: Several parameters have to be evaluated while assessing student’s
professional growth during fieldwork conferences and seminars. Evaluation will help teachers to
intensify efforts to develop the student’s capacity to integrate theory and practice. Students have to
imbibe professional ethics and values and express their utility in practice and record them to include
them in their reports.
Role of the faculty supervisor guiding fieldwork students
The role of the Fieldwork Supervisor  to act as educator, mentor and guide during
the student's clinical experience. ... The Fieldwork Supervisor is responsible for orienting
the student to the facility, and reviewing facility policies, procedures and expectations for
the Fieldwork experience. All individuals involved in student education at the
fieldwork site are considered Fieldwork Educators. Other terminology
which may be used at the sites may include: clinical instructor,
student educator, student supervisor, or preceptor. This person or an
otherwise appointed fieldwork educator at the site, takes care of
administrative responsibilities for fieldwork education at the site,
which includes the following:
1. Providing the day-to-day supervision for the occupational
therapy students, while maintaining responsibility for all
patient/client care.
2. Following all conditions outlined in the Cooperative
Agreement.
3. Working with the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator to
schedule students at the fieldwork site.
4. Developing a student manual which includes an orientation
to the facility and objectives for Level II fieldwork experiences.
5. Exercising good judgment in assigning
clients/patients to the students
6. Assessing the knowledge, skill, clinical reasoning,
and professional development of students by
completing a midterm and final evaluation with
students

7.Providing due process in the event of poor

performance and potential failure.

8.Assist students realize the opportunities available for them to learn practice
skills.

9. Holding regular conferences enable student to share their learning experiences.

10.Help students to gain good work habits besides punctuality in all their field
activities.

11.Continuous appraisal of students during practicum and working towards

improving their professional growth in a structured manner.

Individual conferences facilitate face-to-face interaction between students and

faculty members. Students get individual attention and it helps in developing
supervisor- student relationship. Student assessment can be effectively made
during these conferences.

In group conference, students learn from one another and get mutual
support.Seminars help in building case studies and developing literature on
different agencies and their philosophies.Field visits by supervisor are essential for
effective supervision. A three-way conference among student, teacher and agency
personnel can discuss various learning issues.
 Ans3(c)

Role and Responsibilities of Social Workers in Health Care Settings:

Social workers work with individuals and families to help improve outcomes in their lives. This
may be helping to protect vulnerable people from harm or abuse or supporting people to live
independently. Social workers support people, act as advocates and direct people to the
services they may require. Social workers are a valuable resource in the public health care
sector. They work for the development of treatment plans for patients, for locating supportive
resources and in facilitating referrals. Social workers also work in the community as planners or
community organizers and involve communities to address social problems like drug abuse or
teen pregnancy.
 Patient Intake Screening
Patients with a history of mental illness or who meet other high-risk criteria
usually undergo an initial screening with a medical social worker. The social
worker performs a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s social, emotional,
environmental, and financial needs. The results are shared with other members
of the healthcare team, as they may affect the patient’s treatment plan and
prognosis.
 Patient Counseling and Education
Medical social workers help patients and their families cope with the emotional
and social responses to illness and treatment. They also educate patients and
their families on entitlements, community resources, and health insurance
coverage. They may also lead support group discussions or provide individual
counseling.

 Health care social workers should actively participate in research

activities

Social workers should be familiar with the literature on practice. They should
improve the knowledge on the field. Participation in research activities can help
in improving knowledge.
 Discharge Planning
Before a patient is discharged, the medical social worker handling the case will
ensure that the services the patient requires are in place and that the patient
will be properly cared for at home. This can mean arranging for resources to pay
for medications and/or medical equipment, linking patients with social service
providers, and coordinating home care services.
 Patient Advocacy
A medical social worker is first and foremost a patient advocate. It’s the
responsibility of the social worker to ensure that a patient’s wishes are followed.
Social workers can directly advocate on behalf of the patient by facilitating
communication with healthcare providers or arranging health insurance
 coverage, but they may also advocate for patients’ rights in general through
policy making and thought leadership.

 Social worker as a Supervisor

Experienced social workers can work as a supervisor for offering guidance and
consultation to students, interns and less experienced peers. Supervision is
different from consultation and guidance. Supervision enhances the clinical social
worker’s professional skills and knowledge, enhances competence in providing
quality client care. Supervision aids in professional growth and development and
improves clinical outcomes.

Ans3(d)