1. The power of relationship-based supervision in supporting social work retention: A case study from long-term ethnographic research in child protection.
- Author
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Warwick, Lisa, Beddoe, Liz, Leigh, Jadwiga, Disney, Tom, Ferguson, Harry, and Cooner, Tarsem Singh
- Subjects
WORK environment ,SOCIAL workers ,PROFESSIONAL employee training ,RESEARCH methodology ,INTERVIEWING ,ETHNOLOGY research ,EXPERIENCE ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,CHILD welfare ,CASE studies ,DECISION making ,RESEARCH funding ,THEMATIC analysis ,POWER (Social sciences) ,EMPLOYEE retention ,SOCIAL case work ,CORPORATE culture - Abstract
Supervision is a core component of professional support and development in social work. In many settings, and perhaps particularly in children's services, it is valued as crucial in safe decision-making, practice reflection, professional development and staff support. Research has demonstrated that supervision and staff support also contribute to social worker retention in child welfare services. Drawing on data gathered in a 15-month ethnographic, longitudinal study of child protection work that included observations of supervision, we were able to observe the impact of supportive supervisory relationships on social workers' decision-making about staying in their current workplace. This article presents a single case that demonstrates the potential impact of effective relationship-based supervision on retention and calls for a more humane approach to social work supervision against dominant managerial themes that have increasingly burdened the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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