Mastering Social Work Supervision

Effective 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 in order to ensure successful social work practice. This book is an accessible guide to the essential skills of social work supervision. It covers the development of the supervisor-supervisee relationship, the assessment and management of risk, understanding and managing poor performance, and support for the supervisors themselves. The book follows a model which recognises the far reaching impact of supervision and provides a sound foundation for critical thinking and reflective practice. Practice vignettes and exercises for the reader are included throughout the book. This book is essential reading for social work students, social work supervisors and managers, practice teachers and assessors, and trainers, as well as those in allied professions.

Jane Wonnacott is Director of In-Trac Training and Consultancy, UK, and is a qualified social worker, independent trainer and consultant. She has a long-standing interest in supervision and has trained social work supervisors across the UK. She co-wrote, with Tony Morrison, the Children's Workforce Development Council's guide and training programme for the supervisors of social workers in the first three years of their professional development.