ABSTRACT
In 2012 Australian Social Work published a collection of articles focussed on current research and commentary on Australasian social work supervision, edited by Jane Maidment, Liz Beddoe and under the guiding eye of the journal’s editor Christine Bigby (65(2)). It was the intention of the special section that the contents would “confirm the centrality of positive, learning focussed supervision, while fostering appropriate accountability and best practice in our discipline” (Maidment & Beddoe, 2012). Supervision has long been at the heart of professional development in social work and is a career-long commitment in our profession. Supervision provides a venue for diverse learning activities; a place and space where practitioners can refine their knowledge; develop skills and examine the challenges that are found in everyday practice. This chapter introduces the book and explores some recent developments in the scholarship and research of supervision.
