Abstract
Registration of social workers was introduced in 2003. The increased accountability expected of registered social workers, expectations of the role of supervision and the implications these have for record keeping in supervision stimulated the questions that led to this research. This study set out to learn from a small group of supervisors and supervisees how record keeping is practiced currently in supervision, and ask what 'best practice' should look like in future.
This qualitative study consisted of interviews of four social work supervisor/supervisee pairs, two external supervisors and one cultural advisor. Interviewees were contacted through the local ANZASW network and by approaching social welfare agencies in the local area seeking social work supervisors interested in participating in the research. Supervisors were asked to recruit a supervisee to participate. The interviewees were invited, along with other interested social workers to participate in a focus group for supervisors (nine attended) or a focus group for supervisees (three attended). Eight agencies (four statutory ones and four from the non government sector) were asked to provide policies for analysis of supervision record keeping practices. Three (two NGO and one statutory) agencies provided some policy information for this research.
The research found that participants were generally comfortable that supervision and current record keeping practice met the development needs of supervisees and legal and safety needs for clients. Some areas of practice that need clarification of expectations are:
• the purpose of record keeping for agencies
• expectations of external supervision and reporting on that supervision back to agencies and
• supervision record keeping for new graduates gaining practical experience for registration.
Both supervisors and supervisees wanted to retain a trusting supervision relationship. Agency policies, other than supervision ones, were used to protect the safety of clients.
The limited scope of the data gathered means results are only indicative of future directions for research on this topic. It does indicate that multiple ‘good practices’ in recording social work supervision could be developed through consulting with the groups most involved in supervision: social work supervisors, supervisees, clients and employing agencies with involvement of ANZASW and the SWRB.