NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISORS FORUM STRENGTHENS PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT AND UNIFORMITY IN SUPERVISION

By Precious Mupenzi

• A national forum for social work supervisors and coordinators is currently underway in Gauteng, providing space for participants to share best practices and reflect on the state of their profession.
• Supervision is an integral part of the delivery of quality services, according to the Chief Director: Professional Support and Older Persons at the Department of Social Development, Civil Legodu.
• The various supervisors’ learning and support forums are intended to promote peer support, mentorship and continuing professional development, while also encouraging research and innovation in supervision practice.

Social work supervisors and coordinators from across the country are sharing best practices along with providing peer support for one another at the national Social Work Supervisors Learning and Support Forum taking place in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, from 4 to 6 February 2026.

The three-day forum, co-hosted by the national Department of Social Development and the Gauteng Department of Social Development, provides social work supervisors and coordinators the opportunity to reflect on progress made in strengthening supervision, share best practices, and reinforce uniform implementation of the Social Work Supervision Framework across the country.

Addressing delegates, Civil Legodu, Chief Director: Professional Support and Older Persons at the Department of Social Development, highlighted the central role of supervision in ensuring quality social welfare services.

“This forum provides an important platform to reflect on the progress we have made in strengthening supervision services, particularly through the provincial and national supervisors’ learning and support forums.

“It also allows us to support supervisors through continuous professional development, share best practices and experiences, and ensure uniformity in the implementation of the Social Work Supervision Framework across all provinces,” said Legodu.

Effective supervision remains critical to the department’s ability to fulfil its mandate of providing social protection services to vulnerable individuals, families and communities, she emphasised.

“Supervision is an integral part of the delivery of quality services to beneficiaries. Without supervisors, the department will not be able to realise its mandate. Supervisors are a critical cohort of our management team – they are the eyes and ears of the department, and their role should never be underrated,” she said.

Legodu noted that the department has developed several legislative and policy instruments to support and strengthen supervision, including the Supervision Framework for the Social Work Profession in South Africa (2012), the Draft Department of Social Development Supervision Policy for the Social Work Profession (2014), and the Recruitment and Retention Strategy. These frameworks enable supervisors to convene at district, provincial and national levels to support one another and remain responsive to developments within the sector.

She explained that the establishment of the supervisors’ learning and support forums is intended to promote peer support, mentorship and continuing professional development, while also encouraging research and innovation in supervision practice.

“Through these forums, we are creating an enabling environment where supervisors can empower one another, ensure consistency in supervision practices, and collectively respond to the changing landscape of social ills and the increasing demands placed on the profession,” Legodu added.

The forum also provides space for honest reflection on persistent challenges facing supervisors, including heavy workloads, dual responsibilities, limited tools of trade, long travel distances and the growing complexity of social problems.

In addition, delegates are being updated on key developments within the sector, including progress on the draft supervision policy, the supervision manual for newly appointed supervisors, the electronic generic norms and standards system, and the Quality Assurance Framework, all aimed at strengthening the delivery of integrated and quality developmental social services.

Concluding her address, Legodu encouraged participants to utilise the platform fully to engage, learn and exchange experiences.

“We have made notable progress, but a lot of work still lies ahead. This journey requires collective effort.

“Together, we can continue building a strong supervision system that supports practitioners and ultimately improves services to our beneficiaries,” she said.