Support as an essential factor in helping individuals in crisis

A family is an important link of the whole society. Its existence ensures the continuity of the social system. Properly functioning family is a guarantee of conditions for proper child development. The problem appears at the time of occur care and upbringing difficulties that family cannot manage with. In the past it was thought that the best kind of help for child is excluding from the problematic environment. This trend is currently being reversed. Both state policy as well as local community are the foundations for helping families in crisis. Various legislative solutions are implemented to protect the biological family. Social support activates aid mechanisms which are important to cope with difficulties. The aim of the article is, therefore, to show the links between the state’s social policy and social support. The complementarity of these services provides effective help, and thus prevents placing children in foster care.

Supervision (in) of social work ‒some theoretical and practical reflections

Supervision has its origins as early as in the 19th century. In the first period, it involved supervising overseers or otherwise supervisors over the activities of volunteers who, among poor families, spread the pattern of correct (“healthy”) relationships. The task of supervisors was to control and advise volunteers. Since then, the notion of supervision has changed a little, but its meaning began to grow. In today’s understanding, we call supervision a process during which a social worker develops his or her interpersonal skills and learns how to deal methodically with a social worker (Domaradzki, Krzyszkowski i in. 2016: 17). In other words, it is a meeting of a person working in the aid sector with a certified supervisor in order to create space for reflection on the relationship between the supervisor and his client. Among the types of supervision we can distinguish: individual supervision (follow-up and participatory), programme and project supervision and group supervision (follow-up and participatory). In my paper I would like to describe the most important aspects related to supervision and show why it is an important element of social work that improves the quality of social assistance services.

Supervision (in) of social work ‒towards change?

When talking about supervision and its impact on the practice of social work, it is impossible not to refer to the idea it contains within itself and the optics it helps to achieve, in a better understanding of the reality around us. In the course of intense reflection, sooner or later, the question arises as to what rank does supervision become in relation to the real needs of people and working environments? Or perhaps its persistent and critical practice can be compared to walking the path to discovering a panacea for the world’s concerns and worries? And actually asking these questions, it makes sense to leave room for all to say something about it. For one can suppose that there are many sides, beliefs and concepts about the role of supervision in social work and what role it could additionally play. According to this phrase, it will be factual to recall the definition of supervision, its functions and contexts that have a significant impact on the relativity of the process of supervision in its broadest sense and its effectiveness, thus answering the question of the necessity of its application in the field of social work.

Supervision –the most important issues and author’s reflections

Supervision is one of the tools in social work that serves several different purposes: learning, professional development, exchange of experiences, control of emotions, introduction of innovations to social work. One of the definitions describes supervision in this way: “Social work supervision is a specific learning process in which a social worker or another person performing social work, working with a supervisor, develops his or her interpersonal skills and learns how to methodically deal with a social welfare client or solve a social issue. The process of supervision is based on cooperation with a supervisor or cooperation with a supervisor and a supervised group” (Domaradzki, Krzyszkowski et al. 2016: 17). In the paper I will present some of the most important issues related to the concept of supervision (different approaches, socio-philosophical contexts influencing the use of this tool in social work, functions and goals of supervision, ethical dilemmas in supervision and my own reflections taking into account those areas of social work that concern me professionally and in relation to my interests).

Supervision (in) of social work –the way to perfection?

Supervision does not have a single definition, but on the contrary, it is vast and they emphasize its various aspects, dimensions, depending on what profession we are dealing with. The common point of all explanations of this concept is that it is understood as a learning process in which a social worker works with a supervisor (i.e. a more experienced “colleague”) in order to enrich his skills, reflect on his own behaviour and emotions. Thanks to it, he improves his methodical behaviour in working with a client or solving social problems. Indirectly, this affects the welfare and safety of the social worker, as the increasing competence of the supervisor benefits the client, who can be better assisted, and the supervisor is supposed to monitor the social worker’s practice from an ethical point of view, which provides additional protection. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the extent to which supervision can be a path to change for the better, that is, a path to excellence in and for social work.

Supervision (in) of social work ‒selected theoretical and practical aspects

Supervision is a concept that is already firmly rooted in the Polish reality of social work, but also in other professions, whose primary activity is the one carried out for the benefit of another person. It serves to maintain a high level of services provided by the employee and his professional competence. It is supposed to prevent professional burnout of employees by constantly “controlling” their needs, difficulties they face. It is constantly developing and transforming. We can say that we are dealing with a process of institutionalization of supervision, the direction of which cannot be fully predicted. The aim of this work is therefore to signal selected theoretical threads in the field of supervision and indicate their practical applications.

My reflections on supervision

Supervision is very complex and has different forms. In general, it can be said that supervision is a learning process in which mistakes in communication with the client are discovered and the therapy is made more effective. Supervision is also a space for reflection and analysis of one’s own work. The aim of this work is to share what is important to me in supervision and to invite those for whom (self) development through supervision enriches them in working with clients.

The supervision of social work ‒my journey towards understanding

I recently told a friend of mine that I have a supervision subject in college. Then he asked me what that term means. I think my answer to his question adequately illustrates how I perceive the concept of supervision individually. I told him that it is something like therapy, only for the staff of a particular institution to feel better at work and perform their tasks better. I think this explanation may be a sufficient introduction to an essay in which I try to explain my understanding of the term supervision and its most important aspects, such as relationship and contact.