The Importance of Social Work Supervision and Supervision Training

Social work supervision plays a critical role in quality assurance, social worker capacity building, problem-solving in complex cases and the early identification of vicarious trauma in social workers. It contributes towards improved outcomes for children and families and job satisfaction and retention of social work staff. Despite its importance, supervision programs and structures are often overlooked in the development of social work programs and services, particularly in contexts where social work is a new or emerging profession.

In this video, Leang Lo, from Save the Children Cambodia, shares some of his learning that informed the development of the Social Work Supervision Training Program for the member organisations of Family Care First (a network dedicated to supporting children to live in safe nurturing family-based care). Lo discusses the importance of understanding the context in which the program will be implemented and how context influences the structure and design of the supervision framework. He also shares the reasons why it’s necessary to put in place a formalised structure, rather than see supervision as consisting only of meetings.

This video is part of a series of practitioner learning videos from Cambodia.