Implementation of group supervision in child welfare: Findings from arizona's supervision circle project

The process of supervision plays an important role in developing the skills necessary to respond effectively to reports of child maltreatment. Specifically, educational supervision prompting discussion and critical thinking can enhance the analytic skills needed to consider the complexity commonly found in child welfare practice. To this end, group supervision was implemented with supervisors in Arizona to enrich supervisory dialog to better prepare for the unique and often unexpected challenges of child welfare. Post-test data collected from participants suggest group supervision may be one way the field of child protection can enhance critical thinking.