Mastering Social Work Supervision

by Jane Wonnacott

'This book, written by an authority in the field, is especially welcome because the level of scholarship and the thoughtful application to supervisory practice offers both experienced and new supervisors a valuable resource' -Professor Jan Horwath, University of Sheffield, UKIn this intelligent and scholarly text, Jane Wonnacott offers an accessible and practical account of this important subject. This is an essential book for all supervisors and supervisees not least because it reminds us that there is a direct link between the quality of supervision and outcomes for service users. - Pamela Trevithick, Visiting Professor in Social Work, Buckinghamshire New University, UKIm delighted to see a series that is accessible and that deals with the knowledge and skills needed to work creatively with the everyday concerns and complex issues encountered in direct social work practice. This series offers indispensible coverage of key issues. - Pamela Trevithick, Visiting Professor in Social Work, Buckinghamshire New University, UK'This is a really useful volume that reminds us that relationships and managing relationships are at the centre of contemporary social work practice and at the heart of supervision. Jane Wonnacott engages her readers well and gives them the knowledge and the confidence to be an authoritative supervisor. This volume is full of helpful examples of ways to take on the challenges of being a supervisor, managing individual workers' performance and supervising social work assessments. It works well as a practical handbook for dealing with the day to day queries that will emerge for both new and experienced supervisors' -Dr Marian Brandon, Reader in Social Work, University of East Anglia, UKEffective supervision helps to nurture confident social workers who are able to look after service users in the best possible way. Social work supervisors and managers need mastery of the relevant knowledge and skills

Genres: Social Work

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
“It is vitally important that social work is carried out in a supportive learning environment that actively encourages the continuous development of professional judgment and skills, Regular, high quality, organised supervision is critical.”
Another in a series of books I have been reading about supervision. This was less convincing than the previous ones, for me at least. Lots of diagrams, illustrations and bullet point lists as you would expect. The usual suspects.
The above quote is all well and good, but it omits the importance of the struggle for justice and equality that, for me, is at the centre of social work. This is more adapted for large organisations (usually local authorities) and so it focuses on a more authoritative (authoritarian) type of supervision which keeps workers aligned with policy rather than justice. This is a tightrope many social workers walk and as a general rule the literature is about keeping them in line with policy rather than helping them walk the tightrope they have to daily.