Supervision of qualified community rehabilitation workers

Abstract

Supervisors of Community Rehabilitation Workers (CRWs) have a critical role to play in supporting and developing the skills and effectiveness of CRWs. This paper reports on research conducted by the Wits/Tintswalo Community Rehabilitation, Research and Education (CORRE) Programme amongst past and present supervisors of qualified CRWs. The aim was to understand different approaches used in supervision, the problems encountered and possible solutions, and the perceived impact of CRWs within rehabilitation services.
Thirteen supervisors of qualified CRWs completed a postal or hand delivered questionnaire, which contained a range of open-ended and semi-structured questions. The findings included the supervision activities, the problems around supervision and the benefit of a CRW service. The need for community based rehabilitation (CBR) practice protocols and standards was highlighted.
These findings were one of a series of steps towards the development of a CBR management manual for the Northern Province.