Off-Site Supervision in Social Work Education: What Makes It Work?

Abstract

The field practicum is the signature pedagogy of the social work profession, yet field directors struggle to find adequate field placements—both in quantity and quality. To accommodate more students with a dwindling pool of practicum sites, creative models of field supervision have emerged. This article considers off-site supervision and its potential for expanding quality learning opportunities for social work students. We use responses from a series of think tanks with social work field educators from across the United States, combined with a program’s student and supervisor focus groups to provide insights into the use of off-site supervision.