Supervision and developing the profession: one supervision or many?

Abstract

Supervision is frequently presented as a universal artefact of social work. In the Anglophone world the meaning of its practice is assumed in a conversation about supervision. Supervision is so embedded in our national and regional systems of education and professional development that it forms part of the landscape of social work. But what might work well in some contexts might not work elsewhere and questions arise. What difference does culture make? What impact does the system of education have? How do organizational (regulatory, employment and professional) systems influence the practice of supervision? This paper employs the work of Houston (2002) and Bourdieu (1989) to explore the idea that ‘one supervision’ might be an impossible construct. Aspects of power, gender, ethnicity, race, cultural and geographical locations; possession of different forms of capital – economic, social, cultural and symbolic; education and managerial barriers all impact on relations in supervision. This paper will explore the literature in an attempt to refine further investigation of the plurality of models of supervision, drawing on examples from the international supervision research.

督导是公认的社会工作历程的一部份。在英语世界，督导实践的意义往往藏在有关督导的讨论之中。督导植根于西方教育和专业发展系统，程度之深令它成为社会工作景观的一部分。可是，在某情况下运作良好的督导可能在其他地方行不通，并产生问题。究竟不同文化会做成什么差异？教育系统又有何影响？组织 (监管、聘用和专业)系统如何影响督导实践？本文引用 Houston (2002) 和 Bourdieu (1989) 的著作去探索「单一督导」模式会是不可能的建构。权 力、性别、民族、种族、文化和地理位置的呈现，与经济、社会、文化各种资本的拥有权，以及意象、教育和管理障碍都影响督导的关系。本文将会试图透过检示文献，从国际督导研究的范例中，归纳出多样性督导模式的进一步研究方向。

Keywords::

• supervision
• culturally sensitive practice
• social work
• indigenization
• professionalization