Supervision is important for social work; however, controversy often surrounds its provision. Furthermore, its function, form and content can vary between countries, contexts of practice and organisations. It is generally regarded as essential to achieving an effective social work service and is considered the most common form of continuing professional development (CPD). As previously acknowledged, supervision takes on many forms and it is experienced by many as a context where professionals meet together to examine the evidence and professional judgements of practice. It plays a pivotal role in the development and enhancement of professional practice. It can involve the provision of regenerative opportunities to enhance practice, improve performance and mediate tensions arising between competing values and sometimes contrasting cultures of practice.

In this chapter, we will consider the issues that are currently shaping supervisory practice, including an increased concern for accountability and ‘risk management’. Survey data will also be used to map current supervisory practice, referencing issues of availability, frequency, content and more general issues related to practitioners’ experience of supervision (for details of methodology and participants, see Chapter Three). The chapter will link the findings of our research to the findings of public inquiry reports into failures in supervision and it will deliberate on the important issues raised for supervision.

Context of supervision

A review of the literature and the results of our survey identify supervision as a complex and multifaceted activity that involves to varying degrees the examination of both process and outcome aspects of practice. Significant variables influencing the construction and delivery of supervision are located at the interface between the supervisor, supervisee and organisational culture. Frequently, it is in the context of supervision that all kinds of pressures, both internal (personal) and external (organisational, professional, service user and societal), arise. In recent years, social workers along with other professionals have been the subject of public critique, leading to what has been described as a ‘crisis of trust’ in professionals. Concern about public safety and a fear of public criticism – particularly in the light of several high-profile child abuse cases – has resulted in an increased focus being placed on issues of accountability and the proper management of cases in both social work practice and supervision.