Publications from ODSW Social Work Supervsion | Page 16

Day 1 Keynote 1: Features, Nature and Culture of Social Work Supervision

why worker and client have been preordained to meet. The third character is  (en) or
gratitude. This means to be thankful for the work that the staff does and to repay that with
little favours or souvenirs that show your appreciation. The fourth is 
(bao), meaning to
return the favour. The last is 
(mian zi) or 
(lian) or “face”. This refers to one’s status
in the social network. If you are of high prestige, others will give you ‘face’. Consequently,
if you do something shameful, you will lose ‘face’.

Difficulty in Conducting Professional Supervision
Six focus group interviews with 36 social work supervisors in Hong Kong have revealed
some difficulties in conducting supervision:
1.
Lack of clear direction and specific objectives for professional practice
2.
An overwhelming amount of administrative supervision
3.
Supervise many different kinds of services
4.
Supervisor-supervisee ratio is often inadequate
5.
Knowledge and technology of the supervisor is often outdated.
6.
The supervisor has been separated from direct service for too long
7.
Supervisors are too young and lacking experience
8.
Lack of information for supervisory sessions,
9.
Supervises professionals from different disciplines
10.
Too much emphasis on personal relationships
11.
Lacking effective and specific evaluative tools of service quality
12.
Supervisors spend too much time on administrative tasks
Types of Supervisory Support
Some of the necessary support that supervisors can give include emotional support,
appraisal support in the form of feedback, instrumental support in the form of provision of
tools and instruments and informational support.
The Truth of Social Work Supervision
Prof. Tsui shared 4 key points that he felt were pertinent to supervision. Firstly, he believes
that there is no such thing as super-vision, only a shared vision. This refers to the
collaborative effort that must exist between supervisor and supervisee for effective
supervision. Secondly, support is always the most important thing in supervision. In all
t hings, the supervisor should always seek to provide the necessary support to the
supervisee. Thirdly, the supervisor could share his or her values, knowledge and skills with
the supervisee. This will enhance the job satisfaction, professional competencies and
quality of services of the supervisee. Lastly, the supervision process should be a journey of
“co-reflection” between the supervisor & supervisee(s).
Conclusion
Prof. Tsui concluded by saying that the life experience and common sense of the
supervisor will contribute to the direct practice experience of the worker which will in turn
lead to a much better supervisory experience as a supervisor in the future. He also
expressed that there is no need for the supervisor to be ‘superman’. Instead, he/ she
should seek to make full use of the expertise of his/ her colleagues. He also shared that
there is no need for the supervisor to be well-loved by all. Often, as supervisors, one has to
be comfortable with making tough decisions and to stick firmly to one’s own principles.
Finally, Prof. Tsui used the analogy of the chopsticks to illustrate the partnership between
supervisor and supervisee, indicating that they should work collaboratively, with much
interaction.
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