Supervision in child and family practice: what works?

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Child and family practice is recognised as a field of social work practice that has become increasingly complex. Whilst evidence is growing in relation to the significance of effective supervision, little is known about the attributes of an effective supervisor, or the components of effective supervision. This thesis reports on research undertaken which explored the experiences of practitioners and supervisors of effective supervision. This research sought to address an identified knowledge gap in this critical practice domain. Objectives: To understand how practitioners and supervisors experience supervision and to identify and analyse the core functions of effective supervision. Secondly based on the analysis and literature to develop a framework for effective supervision which can be utilised to inform practice and policy. Methods: This is a qualitative study. Data collection involved in depth interviews with experienced and post graduate qualified supervisors and supervisees in Victoria, Australia. The purpose was to explore the concept of supervision from the perspectives of supervisors and supervisees working in the Child and family practice domain. The data was systematically interrogated using a thematic inductive process. This process was designed to enhance the voice of the participant in the research process, drawing meaning from the data by those who hold the knowledge. Results: The complexity and centrality of the supervisory relationship was highlighted, as was the importance of a contemporary knowledge base. The organisational context was described as constraining or facilitating supervision, with key implications for a contemporary framework of supervision. Conclusions A conceptual framework for effective supervision in child and family practice, drawing from a Topological Ecological Model (Bronfrenbrenner 1979) and derived from the research findings is proposed. Within the framework, a Core Model of Effective Supervision (CMES) is proposed.