BARRIER FREE SUPERVISION IN FIELD WORK: AN URGENT NEED IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

BARRIER FREE SUPERVISION IN FIELD WORK: AN URGENT NEED IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

*Mr. Jitendra S. Gandhi, **Mr.Mahesh P. Chougule and ***Mr.Abhay M. Jadhav

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Social work, Walchand College of Arts and Science, Solapur, Maharashtra.

(The article is based upon secondary review and experience accumulated while working as faculty supervisor for MSW field work training programme at Dept. of Social work, Walchand College of Arts and Science, Solapur, Maharashtra. The paper attempts to explore issues/barriers in the supervision process which impacts on the empowerment of field work training in social work education at the same time it also has suggested some recommendation to overcome the issues/barriers involved in supervision process. )

Key Words: Supervision, Field Work Training, Empowerment, Social work Education,

“Field work supervision teaches the students to integrate theory and practice in the field. It creates an environment in which professional skills for social work practice can be learnt” Dr. I. S. Subhedar

Introduction:

Supervision in field work training is one of the core elements in development and maintenance of high standards of social work practice. It is essential to improve the quality of human service delivery and professional development of frontline Social work practitioners. The primary objectives of professional supervision in social work are to enhance, ensure and enable humanistic, competent and independent social work practice. Ultimately, supervision benefits the service users.

The supervisory process in both the traditional and developmental approaches to social work will be similar except that of change in the latter’s which is holistic, and the stress on participant role by the supervisor. However, even a developmentally oriented supervisor may have to identify traditional task for a particular student and help him in this field learning if he finds that capacity of students to appreciate the new perspective is limited. This only shows how the two approaches are interrelated phases, and they are not dichotomous in practice as they appear to same in theory. Shaikh (2005)

Relevance with Theory and Practice: Field -Work is the only way

Field work training could be well considered learning through doing. Field work seen as integrating factor which acts as a balancing force between theory and practice. Field work is concerned to be an integral part of social work education by all the schools of social work in India. It is the field training that distinguishes social work education from other social sciences (Lawani 2009). Field work training helps the social workers to bring theory of the profession into practice. As we know that the principles and methods of social work cannot be taught in a vacuum, its study cannot be confined to only a set of people like intellectual and the theoretical knowledge developed in the classroom has to be necessarily augmented by a practical programme of field work (Lawani 2009).

Field work, therefore, is a way to translate knowledge through certain skills and techniques into action. The importance of field work training in professional social work education is consequential because of its nature of dealing with problems practically.

The second Review Committee on Social work education 1978 has mentioned the following objectives of field work in Social work education:

· Development of professional skills through learning to use knowledge for the study and analysis of problems and selection of appropriate means to solve them.

· Development of skills in problem solving at the macro and micro level.

· Integration of classroom learning with field practices. Development of skills required for professional practice at the particular level of training.

· Development of professional attitude, values and commitment along with development of self-awareness and professional ideas.

Supervision as an Educational Value: New face of Supervision

Komanduri (2010) has stated that “Educational supervision is one of the primary responsibility of social work educator. Through the individual and group conferences the social work trainee is enabled to learn effective social work techniques. In this process social work educator as a supervisor plays the role of facilitator, teacher, guide, helper and adviser, suggest and helps the supervisee to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for performing the necessary social work task.

Kapustin (1976) further states that educational component of supervision is concerned with teaching the workers what he needs to know in order to do his job and helping them to learn it. Every job description of the supervisor’s positions includes listing of his function, instruct workers in acceptable social work techniques, develop competence through individual and group conferences, train and instruct in job performance.

“Educational supervision is central to the successful of a social work student’s field work education experience. As such field work instructors or supervisors should require training regarding effective supervision and also training in continuing education theoretically should and imperially based practices (Komanduri 2010)

Unsolved issues/barriers in Supervision:

Supervision has been seen as central element in field work training; strengthening as well as barrier free supervision is key to success to empower over all outcome of the field work training in social work education. Since inception of social work education in India, we all are unable to resolve so many issues/barriers in supervision process which affect the supervision process. Quoting some of them which need to resolve as possible as early.

· Have we definite specification of expectation from the students with reference to field work as well as supervision process?

· Should agency supervisor be remunerated for field supervision process?

· Do we need separate supervisory staff to supervise field work supervision?

· How to remove agency/organizational constraints with reference to enhance supervision process?

· Is their urgent need to have uniformity in field work as well as supervision process at nation level in the country?

· Is their need to have a separate subject to teach field work, before starting field work training?

· Is their need to have a National council for social work education in the country which will regulate field work as well as supervision process?

There are many issues/barriers in supervision process have been identified which require urgent discussion as well as mechanism to solve it. Strengthening supervision process may lead towards overall empowerment of field work training in social work education in India. Following table has made an attempt to put forward issues/barriers in supervision process which impacts on overall empowerment of field work training in social work education.

Barriers / Issues which hampers overall empowerment of Supervision in field work training of Social work education:

Barriers/ Issues which hampers supervision process	Current situation	Recommendations
Inadequate Planning in supervision process	Problems or discontinuities in the field work process arise because of inadequate educational planning by a school, passive or casual role of individual supervisors which reflects a split between preaching and practice the education environment, and the nature/functioning of the field agency. Shaikh (2005)	There is an urgent need that supervisor, school of social work must have proper planning of the field work as well as supervision process before and during the field work training that will strengthen the social work education.
Interruptions of Conferences during Supervision process	Generally in most of the school of social work weekly one hour individual conferences are held. It is usually dynamic, structured, planned and time bound meeting between the supervisor and supervisee. Time is one of the prerequisites for accomplishing the task of supervision. Interruptions during the conferences are also one of the significant issue. As such interruptions can have dire consequences on supervision and supervisee relationship. Komanduri (2010)	Regular conferences among the supervisor and students are the backbone of the supervision and field work training, the supervisor and the school of social work have to play an efficient role for not to have interruptions in the conferences.
Complexity in field work and supervision process	Discontinuities in action, lack of information and awareness, miscommunication, misunderstandings, inappropriate actions, ambitious goals, group resistance, professional rivalry, inadequate resources, differences in perceptions, etc, often add the complexity of the field work learning. Shaikh (2005	The supervisor and the school of social work should overcome all the complexity during the supervision and field work training to enhance the better and qualitative outcome of the field work training programme.
Lack of field work curriculum, which usually guides supervision process	Agency supervisors and trainee students are always in need of practical curriculum for field work training, but, the schools of social work in the country have no specific field work training programme. Subhedar (2001)	The supervisor and the school of social work must develop field work curriculum with the participation of faculty supervisor, agency/ field supervisor and the agency involved in supervision as well as field work training programme. While developing the field work curriculum local, cultural and social context must be involved to enhance the experience of the field work to the students.
Does supervision mean teaching?	The function of teaching occupies a significant role in the process of supervision process rather than practical orientation to the students towards various concepts, methodology, techniques involved in Social work.	Supervision process must minimize teaching activity and should emphasize on practical demonstration of the real life situation. i.e. – Role play, Interview, Home visits, visits to the various organizations, expressing the feeling in the group by the students, reading some successful interventions, stories pertaining to field work by the students, writing in the newspaper regarding outcome and learning from the field work training will make live demonstration of field work to the students.
“Supervision” as an additional responsibility on field supervisor	Many agency/field work supervisors do consider that supervision to the social work students as an additional responsibility, since they have already been engaged in their given responsibility or remain unwilling to carry on the “supervision to the social work students” as an additional responsibility.	Before starting field work as well as supervision process the school of social work as well as faculty supervisor should have dialogue as well as consent from the agency supervisor regarding willingness or issues involved in supervision to the students placed under him/her guidance, this will lead clear understanding towards participation and responsibility of field supervisor in the supervision process.
Lack of facilities and infrastructure in social work schools	The lack of infrastructure and facilities in the school reduces faculty supervisor’s interest in developing and implementing the field practicum, as a result, they become lethargic after few years. Ultimately this becomes a problem of the faculty members, students and also the school.	The school of social work must make an effort to develop required facilities to enhance field work exposure to the students. At the same time faculty supervisor also can mobilize resources through social work intervention to develop minimum facilities or infrastructure for the students who are placed under his/her supervision.
Time allotted by field supervisor to the students	The field work supervisor is an employed staff of the agency who has been appointed to carry on specific role and responsibility hardly gets time to discuss, interact with the student who have been placed under his/her supervision on the same field work days.	Through discussion with the field supervisors by faculty supervisor, allotted time can be increased to enhance learning of the students who have been placed for their field work training.
Participation of the students in supervision process	If the students are himself/herself are not willing or reluctant to participate in supervision process, how a supervisor will carry on further stage of the same.	Motivation training , stress management workshop, professional environment, live discussion, meeting with real life situations, experience sharing based upon field work activities, sessions delivered by activist, social worker meeting/ interacting people who are trying to make difference in the lives of community may help to increase participation of the students in the field work training programme and this can only happen if supervision process is barrier free.
Organizations/ agencies are not always Organized	The agency which has been selected for field work training finds itself difficult to offer a reasonable experience, learning and participation during the field work training to the placed students in the agency. This is one of the open fact that agency/ organizations chosen for the field work training does not allow any scope to the supervision process to improve field work training.	Supervisor must study the organization/agency before sending the students for their field work training at any agency/organization. If organization/agency are not able to provide hands on experience to the students during the field work training programme, such agencies/organizations must not be included in the list of the agencies which has been chosen for the field work training. At the same time faculty supervisor must have an eye on the effective or emerging organizations/agencies which can provide field work experience to the students.
Specializes Vs Generic Supervision	Many schools of social work in India are offering MSW in various specialization at the same time some are offering MSW in generic way, in such situation supervisor who have been supervising specialized students of MSW may find difficult to explore supervision in holistic way and vice versa.	The schools of social work, faculty supervisor and field work supervisor has to play a huge role in such situation and have to bring a common module which will be able to provide exposure to the students for their specialization areas as well as it will includes some common component which will increase student’s capabilities in the field work training and future endeavor.

Conclusion:

Supervision in field work training has been considered as an integral part of social work education in India. It is the barrier free supervision that will distinguish, enhance and increase the scope of field work training as well as social work education. The barrier free supervision is not only going to help to the field work but it will also impact on the efficacy, outcome and credibility of the social work profession, therefore the responsibility of making supervision barrier free in field work training lies with faculty supervisor, field supervisor and the school of social work.

Refrences:

I.S.Subhedar (2001): Field work Training in Social work, Rawat Publications, jaipur.

B.T.Lawani (2009): Social Work Education and Field Instructions, Current Publication, Agra.

Kadushin (1976): Supervision in Social Work, Columbia University Press, New York.

Rajalakshmi (2010): Integration of Theory in Practice, Social work Profession:

Komanduri (2010): Towards Empowerment- Based Educational Supervision in Field work Practice, Professional Training in Social work, Dr. T.Lakshmamma, Discovery Publishing House, Pvt. Ltd, Delhi

Shaikh Azhar Iqbal (2005): Principles and Practices of Social work, Sublime Publication, Jaipur.