The Janus face of supervision–quality control or learning? A study of supervision of employees in the Norwegian Child welfare service

Abstract

Supervision of employees in child welfare services (CWS) has many functions. Developments in recent years show that the function of supervision as an instrument for quality control has been strengthened. This can weaken the function of supervision as a source of learning and development. It appears that there is relatively little research on how managers and employees in the CWS perceive the balance between supervision as quality control, and supervision as a means of developing the CWS into a service that can continuously improve its practice, and become a learning organization. In our research we focus on in what way can supervision of employees in the CWS contribute to quality development and learning? We have interviewed both Child Welfare Managers and employees in Norwegian CWS. Both parts agree that case supervision is important for quality control, but this must be balanced against the need for a critical voice in supervision, and learning from each other in collective learning processes, where process supervision can play a very important role. In the Norwegian CWS, the employees in particular believe that process supervision must be better safeguarded than what they experience in current practice.