Supervision as Social Work Practice: Reframing Knowledge, Values and Relationships through Co‑Production with Dr. Heather Tyrrell Wednesday 17 June from 12:00 – 1:30pm via Teams
Supervision has long been regarded as central to social work, yet its purpose, form and impact remain contested. This seminar draws on a research study undertaken in adult social work services in Wales that explored the proposition that supervision should be inclusive of citizens, thereby reflecting and reinforcing the principles and aims of the Social Services and Well‑being (Wales) Act. The premise of the research is that supervision and practice exist in a symbiotic relationship, and that citizens’ experiential knowledge within supervisory processes represents a vital, yet largely unacknowledged, constituent of social work knowledge. For many professionals, however, the idea of involving citizens directly in supervision was initially experienced as a disorientating dilemma, challenging established assumptions about supervisory roles and boundaries. This seminar examines whether citizens’ voices and narratives have begun to influence supervisory conversations either in group settings, reflective spaces or alternative models. Conversely, whether supervision has remained largely confined to the traditional binary 1:1 managerial relationship. This seminar will be interactive, offering space for dialogue, critical reflection and shared exploration of how supervision might evolve to extend practitioners’, managers’ and citizens’ knowledge of supervision.
Presented by Dr Heather Tyrell
Dr Heather Tyrell is a social work researcher and practice development consultant with over thirty years’ experience in adult social care across the UK. Since qualifying as a social worker in 1986, Heather has worked in practice, training and have held several senior leadership roles. These have been in local authority social care services, third sector organisations and she has also worked with citizen groups. Heather champions reflexive, rights‑based and strengths‑focused practice, and brings a practical, evidence‑informed approach to supporting teams and services to improve outcomes.
For the past nine years, Heather has worked independently as a researcher and consultant. Her publications include The Potential of Social Enterprises for Social Care (2018) and the Collaborative Communication Report (2019). Heather has also developed learning materials for Social Care Wales to support practitioners in applying strengths‑based approaches with adults and their families.
Heather holds a Doctorate in Social Work from Swansea University, where her research explored practitioners’ and citizens’ supervisory experiences in Wales and the transformative potential of citizen‑involved social work supervision. Heather's wider research interests include the tensions between organisational contexts and professional social work values, and how social workers construct and sustain professional knowledge across their careers.
FREE for BASW Cymru Members
£10 + VAT for non-members (£12)
BASW Cymru's Annual Members' Meeting - Tuesday 30th June from 4:30pm - 6pm
Join the BASW Cymru team at your Annual Members' Meeting where we will look back over the past year at our activities, events and achievements and consider our aims and priorities for the coming 12 months. We invite you to join your association to help set those aims and priorities. BASW Cymru is the voice for social work in Wales. We want to hear from you so that we can be your voice.
This meeting is for BASW Cymru members only and is FREE to attend
BASW Cymru Practice Workshop: Supervision, Surveillance and Fear: Social Work Practice in a Risk‑Driven System - Thursday 2nd July 2026 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm
The home visit and supervision are fundamental practices of statutory social work. Supervisors are expected to fulfil a number of functions, and support workers to deliver relationship based, outcome focussed practice in line with the Social Services and Wellbeing Act.
Despite the significance given to supervision and practice, the interaction and influence of one on the other is seldom discussed. Drawing on a research study involving interviews with social workers and supervisors, alongside direct observation of practice, this workshop will consider the relationship between the two cornerstones of social work.
We will discuss the impact of widespread concerns of serious harm to children on organisations, supervisors and social workers, and consider how this can lead to surveillance and proceduralisation as a way of providing containment and managing the strong emotions enmeshed within social work practice. We will also consider how social workers recognise and manage the power of these systems, working creatively and delivering best practice.
The session will help practitioners and supervisors understand how supervision shapes practice — and how practice, in turn, shapes supervision — offering practical ways to strengthen both.
Session delivered by: Dr Lucy Treby
Lucy is a Social Worker, educator and consultant with over twenty five years’ experience leading practice development, service innovation and organisational change across children’s social care in England and Wales. Lucy is a champion of relationship-based practice which she believes is one of the unique selling points and ‘superpower’ of social work as a profession.
A Doctor of Social Work and specialist in social work methods, she is known for translating complex research into clear, practical approaches that strengthen supervision, improve safeguarding practice and build confident, reflective teams.
Her work offers a powerful foundation to embed reflective supervision, strengthen practice frameworks and create cultures where relational, strengths‑based practice can thrive.
FREE for BASW Cymru Members
£10 + VAT for non-members (£12)