ABSTRACT
Supervision is a process by which one social work practitioner enables another social work practitioner who is accountable to him to practice to the best of his ability. The knowledge and skills needed for supervision are basically the same as those on which the supervisor will have relied as a social worker. Supervision may be said to be an organisational concept, and the supervisor's position of accountability and responsibility within the hierarchy shapes the concept of his role. The position of the supervisor in the organisational hierarchy is the administrative post closest to the operational level. For many workers and supervisors one of the most difficult questions to answer has been whether or not the worker’s accountability to a supervisor detracts from his own professional responsibility. A supervisor can make use of a task-oriented approach in many ways. The task-oriented concept is of great use in relation to workers or students as well.
