Building a Model and Framework for Child Welfare Supervision

Element 3Recognize the centrality of building and maintainingrelationships with supervisees and others to carrying outsupervisory responsibilities effectively.Success in carrying out each child welfare supervisoryresponsibility depends on supervisors’ capacity to developand maintain positive, open, mutually respectfulprofessional relationships with their supervisees as well aswith others in the organization and community. Developingprofessional relationships requires time, commitment,interpersonal skill, and understanding of the multiplecomplex factors that affect these relationships, includingauthority, organizational culture, and personal needs.My supervisor is a great support. Ihave worked with the same managersince I’ve been here. I’m still here atthis agency because of her. I want togive the same kind of support to myown workers. – SupervisorThe literature consistently emphasizes the importance of relationships in supervision. For example,citing Fox (1983, 1989) and Kaiser (1997), Tsui asserts, “The supervisory relationship is the core ofsocial work supervision” (2005:39). He recommends the reconceptualization of the supervisoryrelationship “as a multifaceted relationship involving the agency, the supervisor, the supervisee, andthe client, within a cultural context” (p. 41). In discussing his Interactional Supervision model,Shulman (1993) states an assumption underlying his model:. . . there are parallels between the dynamics of supervision and any other helpingrelationship . . . the way the supervisor demonstrates the helping relationship withworkers will influence the manner in which staff members relate to clients . . . Moreis ‘caught’ by staff than taught by the supervisor. . . a supervisor models a view ofhelping relationships through his or her interaction with staff. (pp. 6-7)Kadushin and Harkness emphasize that thesupervisor’s relationship with the supervisee hasbeen found to predict practice outcomes andaffect the development of counseling skills (p.195) and has “crucial significance for learning insupervision” (2002:193).We are in a small community, and it’s importantfor supervisors to help facilitate relationshipswith providers for new workers. – SupervisorIn addition, supervisors also facilitate connections between their supervisees and other staff withinthe organization, foster parents, and community-based service providers. It is important for agencyleadership to consider supervisors' building and maintenance of internal and external relationshipswhen hiring, conducting performance evaluations, and designing appropriate training.19