Advancing a career in social work can go in a variety of directions, including counseling, specialized areas of practice, and even academia. Pursuing a supervisory role, even in a specialized area of work, is another way to advance one’s career and potentially increase earning potential.
Social work supervisors manage staff; take on leadership initiatives; and, in many cases, end up functioning in a wide range of roles as they work to keep organizations running smoothly.
Pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is often instrumental to supervisory roles. In many cases, social work supervision requires several years of professional experience, frequently in situations that require licensure and may demand an advanced degree. Furthermore, an MSW program will typically cover many of the big-picture industry issues that can be relevant for a manager.
Ultimately, managers must be skilled in both the social work profession itself and the specific leadership and administrative duties that come up when trying to keep a team working well together. An MSW can be vital in preparing social work professionals for such a role.
What Is Social Work Supervision?
Social work supervisors may take on a variety of responsibilities, but their work often centers on managing a team of social workers and keeping them engaged in their work. They primarily guide the work of less-experienced social workers, acting as mentors and often stepping up to take on the most challenging cases.
Responsibilities of Social Work Supervisors
Depending on the focus of their social work practice, supervisors have responsibilities that range from providing training on foster care programs to leading hospital social work initiatives. Their duties are also dictated by the settings in which they work. Social work supervisors work for a variety of organizations such as:
- Hospitals
- Community centers
- Mental health clinics
- Nonprofit organizations
Common tasks related to social work supervision include the following:
- Delegating and assigning social work cases to staff
- Training staff on organizational policies and procedures
- Reviewing and approving treatment plans
- Leading staff in meeting organizational goals
- Evaluating staff performance
Why Do We Need Social Work Supervisors?
In general, demand for social workers is rising quickly in the United States. By guiding social workers in addressing the increasing need for care and services, social work supervisors help ensure that clients receive top-quality assistance.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of social workers will grow by 9% from 2021 to 2031, faster than the national average for all occupations. As new social workers are needed, demand for supervisors and other leaders is likely to follow.
The BLS notes that the reasons for the growing demand for social workers — and those who supervise them — vary according to the population of clients that they work with most frequently. Following are some examples of practice areas that likely will be in high demand between 2021 and 2031:
- Health care social worker roles will grow by 11%, the BLS projects, as aging populations and their loved ones adapt to new treatments and lifestyles.
- Mental health and substance abuse social worker jobs will grow by 11% as more people seek assistance for these issues and more drug offenders receive treatment instead of incarceration.
- Child, family, and school social worker positions will grow by 8% because of an increasing need for professionals to help strengthen parenting skills and find homes for children who need alternative care.
Social Work Supervisor Salaries
Median pay for social workers was $50,390 per year in May 2021, according to the BLS. Meanwhile, Payscale reports that the median annual salary for social work supervisors was approximately $62,300 in November 2022. However, many supervisors reported salaries well over that average, with some respondents to Payscale’s research indicating wages of $88,000 per year.
Based on this data, moving into a supervisory role can lead to a roughly 20% salary increase for social workers, with the potential for even higher earnings.
Social Work Supervisor Job Roles
The social work profession is demanding. The vast majority of the work isn’t done for profit, often limiting earnings and leading practitioners to develop creative strategies to get the job done with minimal resources. At the same time, the day-to-day work pushes professionals to connect with clients on a deeply emotional level, most often at times when those clients are going through or recovering from some form of crisis.
The work can be draining, leading to high levels of employee turnover. It may sound daunting, but there’s a reason that, despite this resiliency challenge, the social work field is growing quickly.
Social work is a deeply humanitarian profession. It gives professionals and those who supervise them an opportunity to have a profound positive impact. In guiding the social workers who report to them and in leading organizational efforts, supervisors generally focus on:
- Leading — Helping social workers to perform their best by drawing out their talents and skills
- Consulting — Advising social workers about appropriate practices based on client needs
- Teaching — Providing information about what the supervisor has learned in their own education and practice
- Partnering — Working alongside social workers to encourage professional growth
- Advocating — Informing social workers and their clients about the best approaches for advocating for themselves
- Supporting — Ensuring that social workers have the assistance they need to cope with challenges
The emphasis of each social work supervisor’s job varies. Some common roles in social work supervision include the following:
Supervisory Social Work
Social work supervisors’ responsibilities can include training less-experienced social workers, often providing several hours of group and individual supervised instruction to trainees in educational settings. They also can provide regular training to new social workers in professional settings.
Administrative Social Work
Social work supervisors also can hold administrative roles. Administrative social work entails leading an agency or department that provides social services. This role requires expertise not only in social work services but also in administrative responsibilities, such as budgeting, accounting, and public relations.
Clinical Supervisory Social Work
Clinical social workers are licensed to diagnose and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral health concerns. In clinical supervision, social work supervisors are responsible for discussing specific cases with social workers and educating them about theories and techniques.
Social Work Supervisor Training and Skills
Social work supervisors’ training generally includes earning an MSW degree and gaining several years of experience, preferably in a setting relevant to their supervisory role. Supervisors are typically licensed clinical social workers, who themselves must have supervised experience and pass a clinical exam after completing their master’s program.
Skills that are important for social work supervision include the following:
- Communication, to discuss the concerns of the social workers they supervise as well as clients
- Leadership, to model and encourage best practices among social workers
- Interpersonal skills, to work with different groups of people as clients and employees
- Compassion, to help clients and social workers address their concerns with patience and empathy
- Organization, to manage multiple social workers and cases
Build Your Social Work and Leadership Expertise
If your interests include making a difference and leading others, a role in social work supervision could be a great fit.
The online Master of Social Work program at Regis College can help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to advance in the social work field. The program specializes in clinical social work, making it a natural fit for those who want to enter clinical practice in the hopes of supervising other clinicians.
Explore how Regis College’s online MSW can help you progress in your social work career.
Recommended Readings
How the MSW Prepares You for Clinical Social Work
Important Social Worker Skills
What You Can Learn About Social Work Supervision and Administration in an MSW Program
Sources:
American Board of Clinical Social Work, “What Is Clinical Social Work?”
Payscale, Average Social Work Supervisor Salary
Social Work Supervisor, “The Importance of Good Social Work Supervision”
SocialWorkin, “Concept of Social Work and Social Work Administration”