Annual of social work, Vol. 18 No. 2, 2011.
Preliminary communication
MOTIVATION FOR SUPERVISION OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN RETIREMENT HOMES
Silvia Rusac
orcid.org/0000-0002-6953-9624
; Department of Social Work, Faculty of Law , University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The aim of this qualitative research was to explore informedness, indirect experience, reluctance, motivation and expectations from supervision of social workers in retirement homes. The research has been conducted among 11 female social workers employed in retirement homes being representatives of all retirement homes in the City of Zagreb under the management of the City Office for Social Protection and People with Disabilities. The results have shown that social workers, although they lack direct experience of supervision conferences and workshops, are informed and recognise the purpose and aims of supervision as a professional help to professionals in caring professions. As reasons for not visiting supervision workshops and conferences they name the lack of financial resources and information, but also emphasise the responsibility of their superiors and their personal responsibilities. They consider superiors to be responsible for not performing supervision in retirement homes. Social workers have expressed their professional needs and reasons for joining supervision (for instance death of a client, uncooperativeness and accusations of clients’ families, job-related unpleasant feelings) but also reasons for not being able to join supervision (for instance presence of their superiors, suspicion). They state that joining supervision would contribute to their professional development and prevention of professional stress. Also, the results have shown the importance of organisation of supervision (time and place of supervision, voluntary consent). Positive experience and willingness to join supervision suggest that there is room for organising supervision for social workers employed in retirement homes.
Keywords
supervision; social worker; retirement homes
Hrčak ID:
74091
URI
Publication date:
18.11.2011.
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