Adopted by the IASSW Board of Directors on July 8, 1989

IASSW endorses the position that all school social workers have a right to appropriate supervision and evaluation by a qualified social worker. A qualified supervisor not only has a broad background in social work practices, but also specific training in administration. The school setting is a secondary social work practice area where the majority of staff are not trained in social work practices and theory. Generally, school administrators are not trained to understand social work methodology. Therefore, different qualifications are necessary to provide meaningful supervision to the school social worker. For supervision to be effective, it must provide an opportunity for growth and exchange of ideas. It is ideal for school social workers to be supervised by qualified school social workers; however, if this is not possible, it is advised to provide a consulting technical supervisor and/or access to other school social workers for consultation. Therefore, IASSW advocates that all school social workers be supervised and evaluated by certified social work supervisors.

© 1997-2009  Illinois Association of School Social Workers
All rights reserved.

Updated on: September 22, 2009