The power of relationship-based supervision in supporting social work retention: A case study from long-term ethnographic research in child protection

Warwick, Lisa; Beddoe, Liz; Leigh, Jadwiga; Disney, Tom; Ferguson, Harry; Cooner, Tarsem Singh

Abstract

Supervision is a core component of professional support and development in social work. In many settings, and perhaps particularly in children’s services, it is valued as crucial in safe decision-making, practice reflection, professional development and staff support. Research has demonstrated that supervision and staff support also contribute to social worker retention in child welfare services. Drawing on data gathered in a 15-month ethnographic, longitudinal study of child protection work that included observations of supervision, we were able to observe the impact of supportive supervisory relationships on social workers’ decision-making about staying in their current workplace. This article presents a single case that demonstrates the potential impact of effective relationship-based supervision on retention and calls for a more humane approach to social work supervision against dominant managerial themes that have increasingly burdened the profession.

Citation

Warwick, L., Beddoe, L., Leigh, J., Disney, T., Ferguson, H., & Cooner, T. S. (2022). The power of relationship-based supervision in supporting social work retention: A case study from long-term ethnographic research in child protection. Qualitative Social Work, 22(5), 879-898. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250221113015

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 22, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Sep 7, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Deposit Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 7, 2022
• Journal: Qualitative Social Work
• Print ISSN: 1473-3250
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3117
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 879-898
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250221113015
• Keywords: Social Sciences (miscellaneous); Health (social science)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8953849
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14733250221113015