Gauteng social work supervisors get new provincial leadership

The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has elected new leadership for its Provincial Social Work Supervisors Learning and Support Forum.

This is part of efforts to strengthen professional supervision and improve service delivery.

The department hosted its fourth annual general election for the forum at Johannesburg Correctional Services in Naturena.

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The forum provides a platform for social work supervisors to share knowledge, best practices and challenges while supporting continuous professional development.

It also aims to promote effective, ethical and accountable social work supervision, ultimately strengthening services to vulnerable children, families, individuals and communities across Gauteng.

Addressing social work supervisors, managers, and senior management, GDSD head of department (HOD) Phumla Sekhonyane said effective supervision was critical to ensuring that social workers could respond to the complex needs of communities.

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“As we gather for this forum, we are reminded that effective professional social work supervision contributes to safer, responsive and rights-based services for vulnerable individuals, families and communities,” she said.

The forum was established to promote learning, peer support, professional development and consistency in social work supervision.

The policy on the supervision of social service professionals guides its work. It is aligned with the supervision framework for the social work profession, the forum’s terms of reference, and the resolutions of the Social Work Indaba.

Sekhonyane said the forum was more than a meeting structure, describing it as a professional mechanism to ensure that supervision is conducted in a structured, ethical, accountable, and developmental manner.

“It enables supervisors to share best experiences, identify common challenges, develop solutions and strengthen consistency in supervision practices across the province,” she said.

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The forum brings together its provincial leadership, regional and institutional social work supervisor representatives, provincial coordinators and relevant management stakeholders.

According to the department, this structure allows supervisors to learn from one another, share best practices and collectively address challenges affecting the profession and service delivery.

The department also acknowledged the progress the forum has made since its establishment.

The structure has remained functional at the provincial level while supporting regional and institutional forums, promoting peer learning, facilitating capacity-building initiatives and improving reporting on supervision practices.

One of the forum’s significant achievements has been gaining national recognition. The forum was awarded a trophy in recognition of its effective functioning as a provincial forum.

The department said the recognition demonstrates that Gauteng’s supervision structure is aligned with national expectations and highlights the importance of sustained investment in professional supervision.

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The department said its priorities going forward include continued training on the policy and framework.

“These priorities should be incorporated into the human resource development training plan, aligned with individual development plans and, where possible, linked to continuous professional development accredited learning opportunities,” said Sekhonyane.

The department will also focus on strengthening regional and institutional forums, improving attendance and participation, ensuring timely submission of reports and addressing challenges affecting supervisors.

These challenges include vacant supervisory posts, budget limitations, tools of trade, debriefing needs and access to professional development opportunities.

The 18-member forum, representing regions and institutions, elected Lungiswa Sbukwana as its new chairperson, with Lesego Mathebula elected as deputy chairperson.

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The new leadership is expected to strengthen collaboration, learning, professional support and accountability among social work supervisors.

The department calls for continued support.

The department called on regional directors, social work managers, supervisors, and forum representatives to continue supporting the provincial forum’s work.

This includes ensuring that supervisors are released to participate in forum activities, supporting the implementation of resolutions, escalating systemic challenges and creating an enabling environment for effective supervision.

Sekhonyane encouraged members to use the forum to strengthen professional accountability and improve the culture of supervision across the department.

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“Let us use this forum as a vehicle for strengthening accountability, improving supervision culture, supporting our supervisors and ultimately improving the quality of services delivered by the Department to the people of Gauteng,” she said.