The National Association of
Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is a document that every Social Work
student, teacher, and professional should be familiar with. Within this
document lay the espoused values of the Social Work profession. These values
often conjure rich discussion in Social Work courses and are among the core
topics found in continuing education courses, but they are not frequent
conversation items when it comes to supervision. The articles in this six-part
series explore each of these values in the context of Supervision and how they
can be applied and modeled by the Supervisor. The values covered in this series
will be: Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of a Person, Importance of
Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence in this order.
It is important to note that accepting
the responsibility of supervising Social Workers is similar to taking on the
responsibility of an additional client, especially if the supervision is
provided as a paid service. Therefore, when the word “client” is encountered in
the Social Work values, please understand this to also mean “supervisee” for
the purpose of these articles. That being said, every value and consideration
our profession extends to clients seeking the services of our profession should
also be extended to those seeking supervision.
Value: Service
Ethical
Principle: “A Social Workers' primary goal is to help people in need
and address social problems. Social workers elevate service to others above
self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to
help people in need and to address social problems (NASW).”
When providing Supervision to Social
Workers it is essential that supervisors remember that a colleague seeking
supervision is first, a person who has identified that they have a need.
Secondly, elevating the profession of Social Work by helping as many colleagues
reach their professional goals helps resolve the issue, or potential issue, of
there not being enough qualified social workers to address the many needs of
society. Therefore, providing supervision to fellow Social Work colleagues can
be seen as a form of service, not just to the supervisee, but also to the
profession, and society at large.
Application in Supervision:
Supervisors exhibit
service by bolstering and supporting other Social Workers who are on the front
lines. Supervisors can do this by having a strong component of coaching and
mentorship as part of their supervisory “tool kit.” In addition to serving the
supervisee in a mentorship capacity, the Supervisor can also lead by example by
modeling ongoing professional education, engagement, and volunteering as able for
causes they are passionate about. Lastly, supervisees can continue to encourage
and challenge the supervisee to look for ways to serve others such as volunteer
opportunities that will provide a level of professional and personal enrichment.
There are many facets
of the value of Service as it pertains to supervision. These facets include the
service supervisors provide to fellow Social Workers (Supervisees), the
profession, and society as a whole. Service to supervisees includes providing
mentorship and coaching to improve their professional development. Supervisors
should also take care to model what service looks like to their supervisees by
continuing to grow in their own career and serving society at large.
Please leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on this
article. If you liked what you read please like our blog, besupervised.blogspot.com, or
follow us on Facebook (@LISWSupervision), or on LinkedIn at Be Supervised.
Resources
National
Association of Social Workers (1996). The
Code of Ethics for the National Association of Social Workers.
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