The emergence of social work supervision in China

Abstract

This chapter examines how social work supervision is developing in mainland China. One perspective suggests that government policies and the organizational context in mainland China play an important role in the development of supervision. Another perspective suggests that the presence of external supervision support and technology will enhance the development of supervision. The contemporary problems facing development include (1) insufficient supply of experienced supervisors; (2) lack of supervision qualification standards; (3) lack of an incentive mechanism for the position of supervisors; (4) no established supervision approach; (5) insufficient understanding of the effectiveness of supervision; and (6) inadequate policy and financial support from government. The above problems indicate that social work supervision is still in its initial stage of development. In addition, the culturally diverse country of China reflects a need to develop its Indigenous, culturally sensitive approach to supervision. A critical review of supervision in the rapidly changing practice situation of mainland China echoes challenges facing international social workers.