Supervision Needs of Social Workers Working in Turkey: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work, cilt.6, sa.2, ss.181-198, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)

This study aims to assess the supervision needs of social workers in various social work institutions in Türkiye based on

three functions of supervision (administrative, educational and supportive). The study used a phenomenological approach.

Two focus group interviews were conducted. Each group consisted of six social workers from different social work

fields. Data collection tools consisted of a “Personal Information Form” and a “Semi-structured Interview Form”. Data

were analyzed with thematic analysis method using the MAXQDA 2020 program. The analysis of the study was based on

social workers’ opinions on supervision and their experiences about administrative, educational and supportive functions

of supervision. The results supported the notion that there is a need for supervision at the institutional level for social

workers. These findings are important in terms of providing some insight on how social workers define supervision and

through which functions they need institutional supervision. As a result, the employer institutions and organizations are

recommended to establish a formal, structured, institutional and systematic supervision system for social workers.

Keywords: Social work supervision, social work practice, supervision functions, focus group, social worker