Social Work Supervision Seminar 2021

This workshop aims to provide substantial insights into supervision research. Participants will be trained to identify 5 key components:

1. Identify research problems and questions. 

2. Discuss the research and evaluation methodology and methods that address their research problems and questions.

3. Develop a research or evaluation proposal.

4. Conduct an analysis in relation to ethical principles and in terms of its strengths and limitations.

5. Develop an action plan to advance their research proposal.

Participants will learn to adopt a trauma-informed lens using the seven-eyed supervision model to explore the impact of trauma on the different foci of supervision. Participants will learn to (1) identify and differentiate signs and symptoms of indirect trauma and burnout, and (2) build resilience at individual and organisational levels, as a means to address indirect trauma and burnout experience by supervisees during the pandemic.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not deter Medical Social Workers from accepting social work students for fieldwork placement in the healthcare setting. The four key principles, forming the CARE framework, identified during planning and conducting of fieldwork placement are: Collaboration and Coordination, Appropriation of Resources, Risk Management, and Embrace Changes.

The workshop shares presenter’s insights into Child Protective Service (CPS) experience during and after the circuit breaker. While virtual supervision sessions may be ideal during this trying time, the presenter insists to raise the bar by proposing for supervisors to be more vigilant in responding to unexpected trauma. The SAFER-R model of crisis intervention allows supervisors to conduct crisis debrief via phone calls or WhatsApp video calls followed by regular one-on-one supervision sessions.

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Three key takeaways from the workshop include ability to identify traumatic stress symptoms, conduct phone check-ins using SAFER-R approach, and follow through debrief using supportive and reflective approach.

Clinical supervision encompasses a process to uphold the standards of practice, ensures clients’ safety and create space for supervisee to widen perspectives and enhance practice skills. The Psychological & Correctional Rehabilitation Division (PCRD) in Singapore Prison Service ensures to keep abreast of such supervision framework in which quality assurance exercises (QA) are incorporated to aid evaluation.

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This is an interactive workshop comprising a presentation on the process of a quality assurance (QA) exercise, best practices and learnings from the QA experience and live conversation with a panel of experience QA auditors. In addition, agency best practices on auditing practice standards will also be shared here.

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According to Bridges (2017), there is a lack of research on the evolution of leadership behaviour and styles that have been adopted and adapted. Hence, this workshop aims to approach the study by using the Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to adopt the system psychodynamic lens of understanding how the conscious and unconscious (culture, leadership behaviours, conscious and unconscious defences imposter syndromes) are experienced during the transition into leadership. Through these analyses, a coaching framework will be proposed to support leadership transition of professional social service practitioners in Singapore.

Practitioners may experience the lack of competency and knowledge in performing supervisory role. Hence, this workshop aims to share SHINE’s framework relating to onboarding processes and practices to build confident and competent Social Work supervisors, develop a culture of contribution between supervisors and supervises, as well as amongst supervisors in your organisation.

Self-care is an essential ethical practice social worker should possess. Hence, this presentation aims to integrate the element of self-care as part of the supervision structure. In addition, it aims to assist supervisors to facilitate conversations of self-care and solutions in supporting practitioners engage in meaningful self-care discussion in professional and personal aspect.

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This study aimed to investigate how entry-level social workers experience good supervision experience in Singapore Family Service Centres (FSCs). The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to investigate the construct of good supervision and the experience of good supervision. Based on O’Donghue, Wong and Tsui’s (2018) research, similar qualitative methodology using the Evidence-Informed Model has been conducted to measure; (1) elements in good supervision; (2) formation of good supervision; (3) experiences within good supervision; and (4) outcome of good supervision.

Subsequently, the Amalgamated Construct-Experience Supervision (ACES) model was conceptualised to integrate with findings from the Evidence-Informed Model to effectively improve the supervision model which enables good supervision.

As an expansion of the restorative function of professional reflective supervision, Therapeutic supervision is a toolset that enables professionals to respond to emotional impacts and indirect trauma. According to Miller (2018), this workshop provides an overview of therapeutic supervision by expanding on the concepts of the Indirect Trauma Sensitive Supervision framework.

The workshop objectives include:

• Differentiate between emotional labour and indirect trauma impacts.

• Define therapeutic supervision.

• Assist workers to develop a coherent narrative.

• Solution to support emotional processing.

• Assist workers to hold a compassionate frame of mind.

• Identify ways to support wellbeing and the parasympathetic nervous systems.

Faci-Drawing is a useful approach to increase attention span of the supervisees in which combination of the written word and mediocre hand-drawn pictures will be incorporated into conversations to enhance learning.

The objectives of the Faci-Drawing framework aim to increase clarity during discussions, aid to process memorable big-picture view of the conversations as well as generate pathways and solutions. The components of Faci-Drawing include three Drawing Toolsets, three Drawing Principles and three Approaches.

The steps include setting the context of the conversation, choosing the Thinking Structure used for drawing and empower supervisees to draw during the session.

Peer Group Supervision models are an alternative supervising approach for Singapore’s social service practitioners. According to Wagner and Smith (1979), interactions using relationships and professional skills can potentially enhance effectiveness and skills. With various access to supervision resources, social workers can come together for support to benefit their professional practice. Additionally, this model encourages equality among practitioners as it is non-hierarchical (Counselman & Webner, 2004) and growth in profession without formal evaluation (Bernard & Goodyear, 2009).

In this workshop, we will discuss various models of peer group supervision processes and their advantages, limitations, and implications.

The workshop will be discussing the use of two tools in the supervision of social workers—the supervisor life certificate and the supervisee’s journey template which will enable social workers to reflect on social work values and to document social workers’ skills through scaffolding questions.  While a narrative perspective acknowledges that social workers have skills and knowledge to support their work, a combination of these tools can help further equip social workers with essential skillset in their profession.

Relational approach to supervision aims to promote reflective practice and a reflexive stance in practitioners. This approach enables practitioners to appreciate and recognise their influence while interacting with people they journey with.

Concepts of restorative practice such as practice principles will be discussed at length during the workshop. These principles are known to provide practitioners with positive experience through building a healthy supervisor-practitioner relationship to achieve supervision goal.

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This study aims to identify the effectiveness of simulation-based learning (SBL) which covers field education and training for social work students and practitioners during a pandemic. The result of learning through 60 simulated sessions reflected a significant difference in the answers provided by social work students and practitioners. Qualitative data such as feedbacks on length of session, balance between face-to-face and virtual SBL and quality of SBL were also collected. The implication of SBL was timely and can potentially be incorporated into various settings.

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A monthly supervision of supervisory practice training programme was mooted to help young supervisors integrate theory and practice over the course of 16 months. As a corollary to this programme, senior supervisors will hone their supervisory skills.

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Programme details and the processes involved as the team negotiate around the limitations set by the COVID-19 pandemic will be shared at the workshop.

This presentation aims to recommend ways supervisors can help mid-career social work students ease into their new discipline. According to research, mid-career social work students tend to learn efficiently by incorporating life experiences into their learning technique. This observation is inline with the adult learning theory which highlights the importance of adult learners learning process in which linking new knowledge with life experiences enhance cognition process in learning. In addition, with the guidance of this theory, it can potentially help mid-career social work students learn the “why” (ethics and values) and “how” (theories and framework) of social work effectively.