Abstract

Evidence indicates that field practice is the optimal setting to teach and learn Social Work. In this space, along with seminar work supervision, where students meet weekly with their professor, field supervisors play a special role. In this way, innovative methods to solve problems are developed by the students and their supervisors. Because of that, supervision becomes an important tool for social work and social work management. This chapter reports the development and implementation of a project financed by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile whose main aim is to create a Training Model for Social Work Field Supervisors. The training model proposes strengthening the supervisory skills of professionals who work along with the students in their field practice process. With this aim in mind, the chapter first presents the Chilean context of social work management, which is marked by the privatisation of social services. Then, it describes the current state of social work management training in Chile, paying particular attention to the role of field practice supervisors. Subsequently, the supervisor training programme and its conceptual bases are introduced to describe the results of its application. Finally, the challenges and future lines of research in the area will be presented.