First published in 1976, Supervision in Social Work has become an essential text for social work educators and students, detailing the state of the field and the place, function, and challenges of supervision in social work practice.

This fifth edition takes into account the sizable number of articles and books published on supervision since 2002. Changes in public health and social welfare policy have intensified concern about the social work supervision of licensed practitioners. Tax and spending limitations at all levels of government, combined with the unfolding effects of welfare reform and managed health care, have increasingly emphasized the need for the efficient and accountable administration of health and social services in the private and public sectors. This edition confronts issues raised by these developments, including budgetary allocation and staff management, the problems of worker burnout and safety, the changing demographics and growing diversity of the supervising workforce, evidence-based and licensure supervision, and performance appraisal.