UNIT III

SUPERVISION IN SOCIAL
WORK
 SECTION 1
SUPERVISION
 - An administrative process
in the conduct of which staff
development is a major
concern. (Charlotte Towle)
 - Traditional method of
transmitting knowledge of social
work skills from the trained to
the untrained, from the
experienced to the
unexperienced student &
worker. (1965 edition American Encyclopedia of
SW)
 Supervisor
- an agency administrative staff
member to whom authority is
delegated to direct, coordinate,
enhance & evaluate the on-the-job
performance of the supervisees for
whose work he/she is held
accountable.
 Objectives:

1. implement agency
purposes & plans
2. deepen the quality of the
service
 Assumptions:

1. aims towards the agency’s

control over services & practice
2. essentially a function of
administrative leadership
3. a learning process
 The Supervisory Relationship

1. composed of 2 or more people

2. interdependent
3. a professional relationship
IMPORTANCE & ORIGIN OF
SUPERVISION
Distinctive characteristics of SW

1. organizationally based
2. funds are from public thus SW
are accountable
3. offering services to resolve
problem situations
4. great uncertainty
 5. Outcomes are not self-evident or
observable
6. 2 additional aspects of the SW
delivery system: agency provides the
workers with their clientele groups &
most often they are captives.
7. control is more imperative
8. limited knowledge base &
technology available
Section 2: ROLE AND
FUNCTIONS
 Administrative functions

1. quantity & quality production

monitoring of workers
2. overseeing services to client
3. ensuring workers follow the
procedures & regulations
 Teaching functions

1. planning
2. providing a climate for
learning
Points for effective teaching

1. familiar – unfamiliar
2. simple – complex
3. progressive manner
4. repetition
5. learning by doing
6. recognition of good work
 People learn best if they:

1. highly motivated to learn

2. can devote energies to learning
3. attended by positive satisfaction
4. actively involved
5. content is meaningfully presented
6. uniqueness of the learner is
considered
 Helping functions

1. supporting & sustaining the

worker
2. providing a positive climate for
learning
3. managing the supervisory
relationship
 4. Making sure of what he knows
about people & their behavior in
working with others
5. identify & modify feelings
6. dealing with stress-related stress
7. develop attitudes & feeling in
the workers which are conducive
to job performance
Section 3: Types of
Supervision
1. Tutorial model – consists of a
supervisor & a supervisee in a
one-to-one relationship.

2. Group supervision – a
designated supervisor & a group
of supervisees.
3. Case consultation – a designated
consultant & the worker schedules
the contacts as needed.

4. Peer group supervision – no

designated supervisor & all the
members of the group participate
as equals.
 5. Tandem supervision – 2
members decide to function apart
from the group. Neither is
designated the supervisor.

6. The team – consists of varied

members within the agency
structure.
Section 4: Supervision of
students
 Aim:

to enable the student develop

knowledge and skill as a
professional person.
 Responsibilities of student
supervisor:

1. as an educator
- planning
- creating a climate for learning
- teaching
- sensitivity to feelings
 2. As a helper
- dependence
- past life experiences
- involvement & detachment

3. as an administrator
 Teaching from records:

1. regular individual supervisory

conference
2. make prompt recordings
3. should reflect what they see,
hear & feel
Section 5: Staff
supervision
 - A dynamic and enabling
process where the workers are
guided by a trained &
competent supervisor to
perform their functions
effectively.
 Concerns of staff supervisor:

1. availability of resources
2. monitoring of SW standards
3. allocation of cases
4. ensuring SW are making realistic
decisions
5. appraising the total scene
6. attention to SW/ client’s functioning
Conditions required for sound
supervision:

1. agency’s understanding &

sanctioning of the principles &
practice of supervision
2. supervisor’s capacity
3. worker’s capacity
 Functions of a staff supervisor:

1. management
- suitable working conditions
- sound practice
- declare poor working conditions
- steady flow of data
- detect variations & procedures
- creative participation
- evaluate workloads
2. Teaching

3. support
Section 6: Supervision of
paraprofessionals
 PARAPROFESSIONAL
– person who is highly motivated &
committed to share his knowledge,
skills & service to selected inds.,
specific groups in a given place or a
community for humanitarian cause
& civic efficiency.
 PARAPROFESSIONAL
- the worker assisting the social
work staff in direct service
functions under the supervision of
the professionally trained social
worker. (Evelina Pangalanan)
 Types:

1. college graduates of allied

disciplines or social sciences who
occupy the positions of welfare aides
2. community workers, indigenous
members of the community, auxiliary
workers, residential aides
 Functions:

1. serve as bridge, a human link

2. assist in clerical works and

activities
 Tasks:

1. interviewing
2. conducting surveys
3. making home visits
4. preparing simple project
proposals
5. making referrals
6. Distributing financial &/or
material assistance
7. Conducting info. Campaign
8. organizing groups
9. filling up or accomplishing
needed forms
10. writing reports
 The supervisory process

A. Administrative supervision
1. job placement
2. induction
3. entitlement to agency resources
4. assistance in learning process
5. helping to manage dual aspects of
their role
6. attendance in staff meetings
7. pertinent info. are shared with them
 B. Elements in Educational
Supervision

1. language
2. relevant life experiences
3. de-emphasize reading
4. straightforward instructions
5. partialize learning
 6. Didactic & repetitive
presentations
7. Materials are structured
8. various use of illustrations
9. organized presentation
10. role playing
 C. Helping component in
supervision

1. Assigning tasks
2. reward good performance
3. support in professionalizing the
relationship
4. support & protection from high
expectation
Section 7: Supervision of
Volunteers
 VOLUNTEER

- one who gives skills, knowledge &

services to an agency without any
provision or consideration of
getting remuneration from the
agency.
 Tasks & Activities:

1. identifying human conditions or

problems
2. initiating & making policy
3. contributing service
4. soliciting public & voluntary
support
 5. acting as spokesperson
6. reporting community’s
feedback
7. collaborating in community
planning activities
 Types of Services:

1. executive & policy level

2. administration
3. direct service
The supervisory process

A. Administrative role
1. delineate the functions
2. assign tasks along the
capacity & expectation
 B. Educational supervision

1. Support in professionalizing
their relationship
2. conflict management
3. support & protection from their
high expectation
 C. Helping supervision

1. Aid to get “placed” in the agency

2. acquaint with policies,
procedures, programs & services
Section 8: Games people
play in supervision
Game - a secret plan or trick to
beat others by using someone’s
methods to outdo them.

Play – a segment of a game.

Why games are played?
 Supervisee’s games

1. manipulating demand level

- generally played by intelligent,

intuitively gifted supervisees who
are impatient with routine agency
procedures.
 2. Redefining the relationship

- designed to mitigate the level of

demands made on the supervisees
but game played depends on the
ambiguity of the supervisory
relationship & redefining it.
 3. Reducing power disparity

- designed to reduce anxiety by

reducing the power disparity
between supervisor & worker.
 4. Controlling the situation

- designed to place control of the

supervisory situation more
explicitly & directly in the hands of
the supervisee.
Supervisor’s game
 Response to games

1. refuse
2. lies in gradual interpretation or
open confrontation
3. share
 5 KEYS TO EXCEPTIONAL
SUPERVISION by Nancy Summer

1. apply what we know

2. connect the employee to the
mission
3. build a support structure
4. be a leader
5. promote success
 6 personal characteristics which
make a leader

1. receptive & interested

2. does not have to receive all the
credit
3. does not have control all aspects
of the project
 4 lives by his/her values
5. enthusiastic & energetic
6. carries out the long term
vision
A leader’s energy is
supplemented by 2
elements:

1. autonomy
2. reinforcement
 Opportunities to a leader:

1. to reach beyond oneself

2. to inspire others
3. to become a member
4. to cultivate a safe environment
5. to teach
6. to be a change agent
7. to model best practice
8. to create visions & goals
 As a leader, it is wise to
practice DELEGATION – it
empowers the workers
Basic guidelines for supporting
success:

1. seek feedback
2. make what you say useful
3. seek input & learn from your
employees
4 attend workshops/seminars &
seek additional education
5. Create a continuous learning
environment
6. Seek support in tough times’
7. use encouragement as a tool
 Activity 1

Identify & classify the

paraprofessionals in your
agency/area. How do they
contribute in the operational
goal?
 Assignment: Activity 2

1. Ravago&Hequilan: Manipulating
demand level game
2. Vitug, Duran&Carios: Redefining the
relationship game
3. Fabay, Dugay&Sr. Nic: Reducing
power disparity game
4. Mirasol,Almarez&Espinosa:
Controlling the situation game