Exploring the experiences of social work practitioners and supervisors on the implementation of social work supervision in the Department of Social Development: a case study of King Cetshwayo District Municipality.

Abstract

Supervision has been a subject of study for many decades and has been at the centre of social work practice as it exerts its unique significance in the profession. As social work practitioners and supervisors are the key role-players in the process of supervision, it was necessary to understand their experiences. The main aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of social work practitioners and supervisors in the Department of Social Development at King Cetshwayo District, so as determine how these experiences have impact on the service provision. The objectives of the study were to explore the nature of supervision that exists; examine the context within which supervision takes place; explore how social work practitioners and supervisors experience supervision, and examine the experiences of social work practitioners and supervisors to understand how supervision is executed. The study was qualitative that utilized the interpretive paradigm as the philosophical worldview. The study utilized an exploratory-descriptive research design to explore and describe the aspects of the research topic to gain a deeper and in-depth understanding of the researched topic. The purposive sampling was utilized to intentionally sample participants that fit the prearranged criteria. A maximum of seventeen participants was sampled, where thirteen participants were social workers and four participants were social work supervisors. Both telephonic and face-to-face interviews were used, as data collection method. The participants were sampled from three different service offices under King Cetshwayo District. The research findings revealed that most participants in the Department of Social Development at King Cetshwayo District have unpleasant experiences on how supervision was being implemented. Participants stated factors such as, amongst others, insufficient time, high workloads, and disorganized working environment as negatively impacting the implementation of supervision in their service offices. The main conclusion drawn from the findings was that almost all service offices were unable to appropriately implement supervision in a manner that strikes a balance on different functions of supervision appropriately. The recommendations were divided into those that related to the study as a whole and those that suggested for future studies.