Contracting is a fundamental aspect of social work supervision. Supervision without sufficient or proper contracting can become ineffective. Therefore, if contracting is not properly applied in practice, it can undermine the effective implementation of social work supervision. In view of the above, the goal of this study was to explore the nature and role of contracting in social work supervision in the South African National Defense Force (SANDF). The research question stemming from the goal of the study was: What is the nature and the role of contracting in social work supervision in the SANDF? A qualitative, explorative study was conducted, with the following objectives:  To determine the nature and the role of contracting in social work supervision by conducting a literature study on the topic.  To conduct an empirical study to explore the nature and role of contracting in social work supervision in the SANDF.  To propose recommendations and guidelines regarding the implementation of contracting in social work supervision in the SANDF. All the supervisors and social workers in the Tshwane Metropolitan Region (Pretoria) of the SANDF formed the sample for the study. After the conclusion of a literature study and pilot study, data collection was based on semi-structured interviews with supervisors and focus group interviews with supervisees. The main conclusions drawn from the research findings were that contracting in social work supervision plays an important role in the SANDF and [that supervision] is viewed as a building block towards both personal and professional development. Although supervisors seem to have knowledge and understanding of the nature and role of contracting in social work supervision, supervisees seem to be unsure about certain aspects involved in such contracting. The study indicated a need for the generation of more in-depth literature on contracting in social work supervision and an enrichment of the theoretical base thereof. The study was concluded by relevant recommendations to the SANDF. / Dissertation (MSD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This thesis examines the role that emotions have within social work practice. The key tenets of the literature relating to emotions are considered and a conceptual framework is proposed which will provide a conceptual and definitional underpinning to the thesis. Emotions and emotional intelligence are located within wider social work literature, and links are established with reflective practice, relationships with service users, social work skills, policy, legislation and supervision. Social workers across a Scottish local authority were asked to respond to a survey questionnaire and a selected cohort from this sample participated in semi-structured interviews based on the emerging themes from the survey. The data reported a complex picture of the role of emotions with a key challenge being the place of emotions within constructs of ‘being professional’. There was strong evidence that the relationship based aspects of practice were felt to be important and that emotions often were a key element and a useful tool, but this was counterbalanced by a strong view that the emotional content of practice should be removed from the written articulation of practice and in some cases from supervision. The value of informal support from colleagues was highlighted in terms of ‘safety’ and accessibility. The discussion of the results examines the impact of competing contextual factors such as professional narratives and organisational culture on how social workers experience and report the emotional content of their practice, and an ‘emotional gap’ is identified whereby social workers adopt a dramaturgical response to how they present aspects of their practice. The conceptual framework is considered in relation to the findings, and it is concluded that emotions are an inescapable aspect of the individual and collective experience of social work, in spite of the aforementioned contextual issues. Conclusions and implications for practice are drawn, and a model is developed which identifies the cultural and organisational shift required to reduce the perceived disjuncture between emotions and social work as a profession.

Social work supervision is a core component of the social work profession that is often absent for social workers in interprofessional teams. In capital defense practice settings, social workers are hired as mitigation specialists to work as members of the legal team. Informed by systems theory, the purpose of this action research study was to explore the practice challenges of social work mitigation specialists (SWMS) and how an interprofessional-focused supervision approach could be applied to resolve those issues. Six SWMS employed with capital defense agencies in Georgia and Texas were interviewed. Using a thematic coding analysis, several key themes emerged: (a) role navigation, (b) ethical dilemmas as practice challenges, (c) increased competence, and (d) team cohesion as dynamics that will improve with the implementation of an interprofessional-focused supervision approach. These findings provide understanding as to how supervision can be tailored to guide SWMS and other social workers in interprofessional settings. Recommendations for future research involve developing supervision guidelines for social work practice in interprofessional settings. Adhering to these suggestions might provide insight as to how interprofessional teams can work collaboratively, improving practice approaches and interventions to alter systems of service delivery and client outcomes. This provides the opportunity to effect social change by impacting individual practitioners and clients, as well as organizations, systems, and from a political perspective.

This thesis presents the construction of social work supervision from the perspectives of social work practitioners and supervisors. In particular, the research explored how social work supervision was constructed, the influence of the Aotearoa New Zealand context upon its construction, and where and how social work supervision can most effectively be improved. In order to provide a background for informed analysis and discussion of the research findings, key themes within the international and Aoteaoroa New Zealand supervision literature were discussed. The thesis was a mixed methods study that was informed by a constructionist conceptual framework with regard to the framing and exploration of the research questions. The methodological approach used was derived from pragmatism and involved a combination of survey research with qualitative individual interviews, with the survey being used to recruit and purposefully select participants for the individual interviews. The key findings from the study were: a) social work supervision was predominantly constructed from a professional standpoint, with the social, organisational and interpersonal context influencing how supervision was produced in any setting at anytime; b) the Aotearoa New Zealand context influenced supervision through the discourses of biculturalism and indigenous development, with multiculturalism being a secondary influence; and c) that improvements were needed in the professional and organisational systems that support supervision as well as in the practice and provision of it. The implications and recommendations arising from these findings focus on social work supervision theory and practice, cultural competence and the further development of professional supervision. From these implications it is suggested that the future research and development agenda for social work supervision both internationally and within Aotearoa New Zealand concerns theory-building, responding to the dynamics of culture and difference within supervision and the professionalisation of supervision. The recommendations related to the professionalisation of supervision concern: formal education and training; the role of supervision within organisations and contribution to organisational development; and the need for a stronger evidence-base regarding supervision’s contribution to client practice and social worker well-being and development.

This thesis presents the construction of social work supervision from the perspectives of social work practitioners and supervisors. In particular, the research explored how social work supervision was constructed, the influence of the Aotearoa New Zealand context upon its construction, and where and how social work supervision can most effectively be improved. In order to provide a background for informed analysis and discussion of the research findings, key themes within the international and Aoteaoroa New Zealand supervision literature were discussed. The thesis was a mixed methods study that was informed by a constructionist conceptual framework with regard to the framing and exploration of the research questions. The methodological approach used was derived from pragmatism and involved a combination of survey research with qualitative individual interviews, with the survey being used to recruit and purposefully select participants for the individual interviews. The key findings from the study were: a) social work supervision was predominantly constructed from a professional standpoint, with the social, organisational and interpersonal context influencing how supervision was produced in any setting at anytime; b) the Aotearoa New Zealand context influenced supervision through the discourses of biculturalism and indigenous development, with multiculturalism being a secondary influence; and c) that improvements were needed in the professional and organisational systems that support supervision as well as in the practice and provision of it. The implications and recommendations arising from these findings focus on social work supervision theory and practice, cultural competence and the further development of professional supervision. From these implications it is suggested that the future research and development agenda for social work supervision both internationally and within Aotearoa New Zealand concerns theory-building, responding to the dynamics of culture and difference within supervision and the professionalisation of supervision. The recommendations related to the professionalisation of supervision concern: formal education and training; the role of supervision within organisations and contribution to organisational development; and the need for a stronger evidence-base regarding supervision’s contribution to client practice and social worker well-being and development.

This thesis presents the construction of social work supervision from the perspectives of social work practitioners and supervisors. In particular, the research explored how social work supervision was constructed, the influence of the Aotearoa New Zealand context upon its construction, and where and how social work supervision can most effectively be improved. In order to provide a background for informed analysis and discussion of the research findings, key themes within the international and Aoteaoroa New Zealand supervision literature were discussed. The thesis was a mixed methods study that was informed by a constructionist conceptual framework with regard to the framing and exploration of the research questions. The methodological approach used was derived from pragmatism and involved a combination of survey research with qualitative individual interviews, with the survey being used to recruit and purposefully select participants for the individual interviews. The key findings from the study were: a) social work supervision was predominantly constructed from a professional standpoint, with the social, organisational and interpersonal context influencing how supervision was produced in any setting at anytime; b) the Aotearoa New Zealand context influenced supervision through the discourses of biculturalism and indigenous development, with multiculturalism being a secondary influence; and c) that improvements were needed in the professional and organisational systems that support supervision as well as in the practice and provision of it. The implications and recommendations arising from these findings focus on social work supervision theory and practice, cultural competence and the further development of professional supervision. From these implications it is suggested that the future research and development agenda for social work supervision both internationally and within Aotearoa New Zealand concerns theory-building, responding to the dynamics of culture and difference within supervision and the professionalisation of supervision. The recommendations related to the professionalisation of supervision concern: formal education and training; the role of supervision within organisations and contribution to organisational development; and the need for a stronger evidence-base regarding supervision’s contribution to client practice and social worker well-being and development.

It has been taken for granted that being able to lecture presupposes being able to supervise research students, and completing a Master’s or doctoral degree successfully meant that an academic could assume the research supervisor role. However, findings on research into graduate students’ experiences of the research process indicate that in most cases, postgraduate students are dissatisfied with the guidance they receive from their supervisors. In an effort to contribute to finding ways and to continuing the debate on the improvement of postgraduate research supervision, in this study, I aimed to develop a framework that could be used to support postgraduate research supervisors within faculties. To achieve this aim, I conducted a literature review in order to understand what it means to supervise at postgraduate level effectively and also to identify existing support programmes for postgraduate research supervisors. I adopted a phenomenological research design within an interpretive tradition. The technique used to select the sample was purposeful criterion. The sample size was determined by means of data saturation. It consisted of four faculty postgraduate studies committee chairpersons, seven inexperienced and four experienced postgraduate research supervisors. Meetings and semi-structured interviews were employed to generate data. The findings revealed that attempts by faculties to support postgraduate research supervisors have not been systematically documented as they were done, to a large extent, informally. The size of the faculty, lack of resources, heavy workload and timing emerged as factors that impacted positively and/or negatively on the provision of support to postgraduate research supervisors within faculties. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed that both the experienced and the inexperienced postgraduate research supervisors view good postgraduate research supervision as a relationship of human beings involving critical engagement between the postgraduate students and their supervisors. A need to mentor postgraduate research students was also highlighted. The findings also indicated that the participants viewed good postgraduate research supervision as a developmental process of co-learning and mutual growth culminating from joint effort by both the student and the research supervisor. Striking the balance between backing off and taking over was highlighted as important linked to the roles of the student and that of the supervisor in the research supervision process. The inexperienced and the experienced supervisors had mixed feelings about the usefulness of the existing support initiatives by faculties that they have been exposed to, citing the duration, the level at which some of them were pitched and the presentation styles of the facilitators as cause for concern. The support needs that were common to both the inexperienced and the experienced supervisors were designated mentors, manageable workload and time. The inexperienced postgraduate supervisors expressed the need for focussed support, briefing sessions, online resources for easy access, good timing, and an extended co-supervision period. The experienced supervisors expressed the need for support that will be at their level, group supervision, time and/or money to buy the time and better prepared postgraduate students. This study contributed the proposed framework informed by the integration of the insights from the literature on postgraduate research supervision, professional development and the findings from this study. The principles of the Transformative Learning Theory are appropriate to guide the implementation of the proposed framework in future applications.

Supervision is an important aspect in the practice of social work. It enhances the service delivery of social workers to clients. Supervision also gives direction to functional workers. A supervisory position in any welfare organization is a managerial position and supervisors are thus managers. It is therefore important to understand the experiences of social work supervisors as first-line managers in a welfare organization. In light of the above, the goal of this study was to explore the experiences of social work supervisors as first-line managers in a welfare organization during and after transition from supervisee to supervisor. The research question arising from the goal of the study was: “What are the experiences of social work supervisors as first-line managers in a welfare organization during and after transition from supervisee to supervisor?” A qualitative, explorative study was conducted, with the following objectives: <ul> <li> To conceptualize social work supervision theoretically, based on available literature.</li> <li> To explore empirically the experiences of social work supervisors as first-line managers, during and after role transition from supervisee to supervisor.</li> <li> To make recommendations regarding the situation of social work supervisors, in order to improve their service rendering.</li> </ul> Nine social work supervisors from the North-Rand Region Service Offices and Institutions of the Department of Social Development formed the sample for the study. After the conclusion of a literature study and pilot study, data collection was based on semistructured interviews with selected supervisors. The main conclusions drawn from the research findings were that social work supervisors go through some difficult experiences when they move from the position of social worker to that of a supervisor. This requires support from their superiors which, according to the study, is currently lacking. The study indicated a need for the generation of more in-depth literature on social work supervision in general. The study was concluded by relevant recommendations to the Department of Social Development in the Gauteng Province. Copyright / Dissertation (MSD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The significant increase of social problems experienced by youth such as, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, child sexual offenses, substance abuse and violence impacted adversely on optimal development including learning, retention and throughput within the school context. These social and psychological barriers to learning are commonly addressed by social workers in the course of their work with individuals, families and communities. Therefore it was a natural progression to consider the appointment of social workers in the Western Cape Education System to address the challenges presented by these problems. The practice of school social work has subsequently become essential within the Department of Education. Service delivery in the Western Cape Education Department is centralized and school social workers fall under the auspices of circuit teams with school psychologists, learning support advisors, curriculum advisors and other education officials. This multidisciplinary team is managed by circuit team managers who do not necessarily have training in the disciplines of the respective professionals in their team. This system is called the matrix management system and implies a dual management approach in which health professionals e.g. school social workers, also report to the Head of Specialized Learner and Educator Support (HSLES). The dual or matrix management of school social workers includes a circuit team manager and an “acting senior school social worker.” This study focused on assessing the realities of school social workers being managed under this system and sought to develop guidelines for the management of school social workers. To this end, the present study was conceptualized as Intervention Research within a modified Design and Development model. This form of applied research is used to design and develop interventions to improve social problems using participatory methods. The modification entailed four phases where each phase consisted of operational steps. The first phase focused on project planning that included problem analysis and information gathering as operational steps. This phase aimed to formulate the core problem or focus of the research through rigorous contextualization within the current body of literature on School Social Work and empirical validation using key informants including school social workers. Subsequently document analysis of literature and policies; as well as thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups were conducted. The results informed the core problem or focus for the research. The resultant finding was that dual management impacted negatively on staff morale, professional development, coordination of services, effective service delivery and more broadly posed ethical dilemmas where practices were not aligned to statutory requirements and policy prescriptions of the South Africa Council of Social Workers. The second phase, Design and development, focused on developing a set of management guidelines that would address the problems reported in the experiences of school social workers, specifically related to the dual or matrix management. During this phase data collection included a survey of SSWs, and interviews to inform the management guidelines along with the findings from Phase one. The third phase, Development and Evaluation, focused on testing the proposed guidelines for feasibility and relevance to the problems encountered in a focus group with SSWs. The core findings suggested that SSWs welcomed the statutory base for their work or scope and the explicit recommendations for line management. The participants also responded favorably to the intention, content and recommendations included in the draft guidelines. Clear recommendations were made that were incorporated into a revision of the management guidelines. The evaluation was participatory and resulted in valuable feedback that refined and modified the management guidelines for school social workers. The fourth phase, Dissemination, focused on presenting the iterative process of the research and how the core findings in each phase culminated in the management guidelines. For the purposes of the thesis, dissemination entails the formalized presentation of the development and evaluation process of the guidelines in the form of a doctoral dissertation. Appropriate summative comments are made with clear recommendations for the possible adoption of the guidelines in practice that would enable advanced evaluation in field testing.

M.A. / This research study intended to explore the nature of supervision as practised in the Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development, Ekurhuleni region. The main goal of this study was to conduct in-depth research to determine how the field social workers and supervisors perceive supervision in terms of the administrative, educational and supportive functions. The objectives of the study were: to conceptualise social work supervision with regard to the administrative, educational and supportive functions, to conduct an empirical study to explore the nature of supervision as implemented in the Ekurhuleni region of the Department of Social Development, and to formulate conclusions and recommendations according to the findings. The study was guided by a research question which was formulated as follows: “How do the field social workers and supervisors perceive the supervision that is practised in the Department of Health and Social Development, Ekurhuleni region, in terms of the functions of supervision, and how can the quality of supervision be improved?” A quantitative research approach was used in this study. The researcher intended to explore and describe, in a statistical way, the nature of supervision as practised in the Department of Health and Social Development, Ekurhuleni region. This study is applied research because it concentrates on the quality of supervision and how to improve the quality of it – which is a practical problem focused on problem-solving. The research design in this study was a randomized, cross-sectional, quantitative survey design, and a group-administered questionnaire as data collection method was used. The research population consisted of the supervisors and social workers in the service of the Department of Health and Social Development, Ekurhuleni Region. A sample of forty-six social workers completed the questionnaires. In analysing the data, non-parametric tests were used. Primarily, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskall-Wallis test were used. The literature study emphasised the importance of supervision in social work practice. Supervision is a vital method to enable social workers to grow personally as well as professionally, in order to render an effective and efficient service to the client system. An overall view was provided regarding the definition and objectives of supervision, the characteristics of an effective supervisor, the models of supervision, and the phases in the supervisory process. The study focused mainly on the three functions of supervision – namely, the administrative, educational and supportive functions, which described the different roles of the supervisor comprehensively. The study found that supervision, as it is practised in the Department of Health and Social Development, Ekurhuleni region, is not structured enough, and that more training should be given to newly appointed supervisors, as well as in-service training to supervisors. Recommendations have been made in order to enhance the quality of supervision and, ultimately, service delivery to the client system.