A training programme to support social workers in the facilitation of field education supervision
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Date
2024
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University of Namibia
Abstract
Supervision of social work interns is a mandatory specialised function that requires
additional skills and knowledge to be executed optimally. Little is known about the
experiences and needs of field supervisors within a Namibian context. This study
explored the needs, experiences, and current practices of student supervision amongst
the social workers and student social workers in the Khomas region of Namibia. The
outcomes of the exploration led to the development of an evidence-based intervention
programme to empower social workers in the field supervision role. This was an
intervention research, conducted in three phases. Phase one was a situational analysis
embedded in a qualitative approach and phenomenological design, and its data were
collected from purposively selected 20 social workers and 10 social work students,
using open-ended questions to conduct in-depth interviews. The data was analysed
using the Tesch method of qualitative data analysis. This was followed by the design
and development of a training programme in Phase Two, and programme evaluation
by experts in Phase Three. The main findingsreveal that field supervisorsreceived little
prior training in field supervision, are not fully aware of the supervisory functions
associated with studentsupervision, have challenges with the integration of theory into
practice, and that there are no comprehensive training programmes for field supervisors
in Namibia. These findings led to the development of a comprehensive training programme
and implementation guidelines , which became the outcome product of this study. The
programme was found to be viable and feasible by international and local social work
experts in student supervision. They assessed the programme’s feasibility and viability,
specifically focusing on adequacy of learning content, appropriateness of facilitation
methods and allocated times. They further made suggestions for improving the
programme. The experts expressed satisfaction with the programme content and
relevancy of topics and acknowledged its potential to put the social work field
education at the forefront. This study’s emerging knowledge is solidified through the
developed training programme, as well as description of unique experiences of field
supervisors and student social workers from a Namibian context. The study’s
recommendations underscore the importance of CPD and post-qualifying training in
field supervision, and that a supervision framework for Namibia need to be developed
urgently, to re-engineer field supervision processes. Future research could evaluate the
impact of the developed training programme on field supervisors’ competencies, both
from the field supervisors and student social workers’ perspective
Description
A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social work
Keywords
Field supervision, Field supervisor, Field education, Social work student, Training programme, Social workers, Namibia, University of Namibia