A Rapid Review of Reflective Supervision in Social Work

The social work role is vital in supporting the lives of some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the UK and across the world. RS has been described as a 'cornerstone' of good social work, and supports reform and service user advocacy. However, what best practice social work RS looks like, and how it impacts both individual social worker and service users is unclear. This project, therefore, is a review of the literature which seeks to investigate RS. We found that there is a lack of consistent definition of what RS is. However, having a supportive manager and peers, and regular RS sessions, is best practice, and that RS which is task-focused, rather than developmental, should be avoided. Finally, good RS improves stress and engagement at work. It also leads to more client-centred practice. Reflective supervision (RS) is a crucial component of social work practice but little is known about how RS works within the UK context and what the outcomes of RS are for social workers and their service users. A rapid literature review comprised searching four databases for academic and grey literature on the topic of social work RS. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and the University College London's literature assessment method were employed in an expedited quality appraisal for all included papers. Twenty-seven papers were included. Findings suggest that a supportive, available manager or a peer-group enables reflective practice. Regularity of supervisory sessions and acknowledgement of a social worker's autonomy are seen as enablers of reflexivity. In contrast, task-oriented approach that is overly focused on accountability and hindered by the sparsity of resources proves problematic for both social workers and service users. Whilst theoretical papers were available, RS was not defined in a uniform fashion and there was limited evidence pertaining to supervisory practice. More research focusing on what works and what improvements are needed in RS, including adopting a participatory approach would help to bridge this gap and further inform policy and practice.

Automated summary

Reflective supervision (RS) is an important component in supporting vulnerable populations in social work practice. However, there is a lack of consistent definition and understanding of the impact of RS. Best practice includes having a supportive manager and peers, and regular RS sessions. Task-focused RS should be avoided. Good RS improves stress and engagement at work, leading to more client-centered practice.