SUPERVISION, LEADERSHIP

AND ADMINISTRATION IN
SOCIAL WORK THEORY AND
PRACTICE
 Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that
promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and
liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility
and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social
work, social sciences, humanities, and indigenous knowledge, social work engages
people and structures to address life challenges and enhance well-being.

Therefore, speaking about social work, we cannot exclude concepts such as

supervision, leadership, and administration. They are integral components in social
work.
 Supervision

Supervision is the act of watching a

person or activity and making certain that
everything is done correctly, safely, etc..

Supervision in social work is an activity

that has been embedded in practice for many
years.

Social work supervision is primarily

based on the enhancement of practice and is
focused on providing educational, supportive
and administrative guidance to supervisees.
Purpose of Supervision

Supervision is an important tool in

the education of professional social
workers.
The purpose of supervision is to
enhance the social worker’s professional
skills, knowledge, and attitudes in order
to achieve competency in providing
quality care.
It aids in professional growth and
development and improves outcomes.
 Functions of Supervision
In social work, supervision serves many purposes. Supervision is one of the
professional arenas within which social workers reflect on the use of their discretion
and judgment.
There are three main functions of supervision.

They are:

Supportive supervision
Educational supervision
Managerial supervision
 Educational Supervision
Educational supervision (or clinical) is one of the most important methods of
training and educating both budding and more experienced social workers. Regardless
of their levels of education and experience, all social workers should participate in
educational supervision on a regular basis.
Educational supervision is the process in which a supervisor and supervisee
discuss specific cases, determine courses of action and resolve problems or personal
issues that may affect cases.
Besides, educational supervisors educate social workers on therapeutic techniques
and provide direction so that supervisees know how to best help their clients.
 Supportive Supervision

Supportive supervision is another function

of social work supervisors.
The goal of supportive supervision is to
decrease job-related stress in social workers.
This is intended to help maintain a certain
standard of practice and to create a
supportive, amicable workplace.

Social work supervisors in this role act as team leaders and coaches who try to
increase staff motivation and morale. They might do this by leading informal staff
meetings to discuss non-clinical issues or by leading stress management workshop.
 Managerial supervision

Social workers employed as administrative

supervisors oversee the operation of their
agencies or departments. They may hold titles
such as clinical director, social services manager
or administrative supervisor.

The main function of a social work

supervisor in this role is to ensure that the
objectives of the agency or organization are
met.

Supervisors are held accountable for

implementing specific policies, locating and
securing funding, setting up staff training
seminars and performing other administrative
roles, but they rarely provide direct clinical
supervision to staff members.
 So, social work supervision is a process by which an organization provides
support and guidance to social workers.
 Leadership
Leadership is the quality or ability that makes a person a leader, or the position of
being a leader.

The social work profession suffers from a

lack of leadership skills that impacts the ability
of social workers to effectively do their jobs,
and impedes the profession’s ability to
advocate for client rights and social justice
issues.
Leadership as a research topic has only
recently filtered into the human services and
social work realm.

But, nowadays social work leadership has attracted growing attention in both
social work practice and research.
 Leadership

It is competence for social workers to help effectively those they serve. It is one of
the six core values they commit to when they undertake their role. They are what make
social workers excellent natural leaders.
As social workers, they understand that good leadership means the daily application
of these values.
So, whether or not they think about it, when they committed to social work as a
profession, they were committing to being leaders.
As social workers and leaders, they intervene in crises, mediate conflict, advocate on
behalf of clients, and identify resources. They help during some of the most vulnerable
times and often help clients and their families find meaning in the face of adversity.
Doing this well means that they are every day leaders.
 Leadership Skills

Empathy. It is the most important skill for a social

worker. Empathy involves the ability to understand the
experiences of others, a key part of finding solutions to
their issues.

Interpersonal skills. Social workers

operate in an environment where people
often feel very emotional or are under a
great deal of stress. The ability to both listen
and communicate with people who are
experiencing a tough time in their life – all
while maintaining a calm demeanor – is
critical to the social worker’s job.
 Leadership Skills

Problem solving. Finding solutions

for clients’ challenges requires someone
who is skilled in critical thinking and
problem solving. Social workers must
have the ability to assess a situation and
develop a reasonable plan to resolve
conflicts and overcome challenges for
their clients.

Organizational skills. Social workers

also often have the task of juggling many
different clients at once. This requires
dealing with a diverse set of issues, often all
on the same day. High-level time
management and organizational skills are
required to keep up with client issues and
the paperwork that is required of all who
work in the field.
 Leadership Models
Transformational leadership
Transformational leadership derives from
business and utilizes ideas of change and
innovation, personal charisma, intellectual
stimulation, and valuing and listening to
followers .
This model’s potential appeal to social work
derives from leaders assisting transformation by
valuing individuals and being accessible,
inspirational and enabling.
Furthermore, this type of leadership is
associated with transforming staff perceptions,
emphasis on collective action and commitment,
and motivating practitioners to achieve both
individual and organizational goals.
 Leadership Models

Distributed leadership is associated

with developing shared purposes and Distributed leadership
values, collaborative cultures, continuous
improvement and authentic shared
leadership. In this model context is
important, and leadership is understood
as a practice distributed over leaders,
followers, and their shared situation.
Distributed leadership aligns closely
with the social work value base,
incorporating professional ideals of
empowerment and egalitarianism.
This model focuses on leadership
practice, as opposed to roles, and the
development of common democratic
working cultures.
 Leadership Models
Adaptive leadership
Adaptive leadership holds some relevance for social work, given the variety and
speed of change in the sector. Its consideration of supporting people to manage change
could be seen as a useful model to apply for social work contexts.
Adaptive leadership conceptualizes leadership though interactions between
leaders and followers, recognizing the mutual effects, and therefore opens leadership to
those who are not in formal leadership positions.
This model focuses primarily on leadership behaviors that are congruent with
learning, innovation and adaptation. It recognizes complexity in the workplace and
advocates for leadership to support, rather than take control of, change and problem
solving.
 Leadership Models
Communities of practice has potential relevance for
the development of leadership in social work, given the
concepts’ focus on structuring social learning and
Communities of practice promoting leadership through knowledge and
expertise.
Communities of practice have three foundational
elements:
▪ firstly, identity is formed by a shared domain of
interest;
▪ secondly, members build constructive
relationships that enable them to learn from each other;
▪ thirdly, members develop a shared collection of
resources, tools, and problem-solving techniques to
evolve high standards of shared practice .

The development of such communities could encourage a more communal,

relational and knowledge-based approach to leadership, connecting with social work
values of empowerment and collective action, while encouraging peer support and a
common sense of leadership identity.
 Leadership Models

Client-centered leadership is identified

Client-centered leadership
as a preferred model. This model is linked
but different from distributed leadership.
This model is predicated on the client or
service user as the preeminent focus, with
the motivation and job satisfaction of
practitioners merely acting as a means
towards the desired end of meeting service
users’ needs and improving their life
circumstances.
Within this model the gap between
leaders and service users should be minimal,
with regular interactions between leaders
and service users a key feature.
 Leadership Models

Systems leadership
Systems leadership has gained
increasing prominence in recent
years. It builds on previous
thinking relating to the power of
collaborations, the importance of
diversity and the role of social
movements to influencing complex
adaptive systems.
Developing it in practice
requires working not only with the
leaders but also the system in
which they operate to ensure that
new innovative approaches can
adopted.
 So, great leadership doesn’t happen overnight, but great leaders add value to the
profession.
They know how to articulate goals, motivate teams, and look to the future. They
cannot be just visionaries, they must be influencers, and they must know how to
execute plans. They also know that success is what matters, not who achieves it.
 Administration

Administration is the act or process of administering something.

Administration in social work is a

highly respected, peer-reviewed
process which has provided timely,
relevant information to human
services administrators, managers,
and educators.
It keeps you up to date on theory,
practice, and research, with special
attention given to the relationship
between social administration and
social policy planning.
Administration

Administration in social work delivers

suggestions for improving management in
social agencies, book and literature reviews,
and examinations of key issues.

It includes:
▪ program development,
▪ affirmative action,
▪ accountability,
▪ budgeting,
▪ employment and personnel policies,
▪ finances and accounting,
▪ quality control,
▪ monitoring.
 Administration

Because social work applies to so many situations and so many different groups of
people, the role of social work administrator brings with it a wide range of
opportunities.
So, we should know who is a social work administrator.
Administration

Social work administration requires

knowledge of social policy and the
delivery of social services.

Administrators need to have an

understanding of human behavior, a
commitment to social work ethics and
values, and a vision for the future.

Social service administrators must be

critical thinkers and have the ability to
solve problems, as well as the
communication and interpersonal skills
necessary for communicating with the
public.
 Principles of social work
administration

1. Effectiveness. It is when the degree of

clients' needs met through the program or service.

2. Efficiency. It is when the extent to achieve

maximum output through minimum input.
 Principles of social work
administration

3. Equity. It is when whether the clients

who have the same needs can receive the
same service in a fair way.

4. Accessibility. It is when whether the

client who intends to use social services
can easily access to the agency which
provide the services.
 So, social work administration is the study and management of various social
services, both statutory and voluntary, which are made available to the individuals in
the setting family, group and community relations for the purpose of preventing,
alleviation or contributing to the solution of recognized social problems so as to
improve the well being of individuals, groups and communities.
 To sum it up, supervision, leadership and administration are the main components of
social work, without them social work can’t function.

Supervision protects clients, supports practitioners and ensures professional

standards. Within this relationship the supervisor is responsible for providing direction
to the supervisee.

Social leadership is authority given to us by the community. It's important because it

enables us to be highly effective.

Social work administration is a cooperative and coordinated endeavor involving all

members of an organization, each of whom contributes in varied manners to the
processes of goal formulation, planning, implementation, change and evaluation.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTANTION!