Systemic Supervision with Groups in Child Protection Contexts

Abstract

This chapter will describe one way to supervise a group of professional practitioners in a social and child welfare therapeutic context. First, I shall describe some theoretical aspects about systemic supervision, the “not knowing position” (Samtale, sprog og terapi, København, 2003) and reflecting processes (Reflekterende prosesser i praksis, Oslo, 2006). Then I will explore how to start a supervision group, and how to work together in a way that feels relevant and suits the supervisees. By using the “not knowing position” and reflecting processes, it will focus on how the supervisees can help each other to inform each other, identify, and catch new perspectives in their daily work. Then I shall follow the supervisees’ own thoughts of the use of such supervision, and their reflections on how practice and theory are linked together. Finally, the strength of the dialectic relationship that arises in the interspace between inner dialogues, narratives, listening, and reflecting processes will be summed up.