Social Work Connection readers are receiving less than two hours of supervision per month with some receiving none at all, according to the results of the latest poll.
Over 560 people responded to the poll, with half saying they received up to two hours of informal or formal supervision per month. Ten per cent said they received no supervision at all.
Last month, an Ofsted survey painted a more positive picture with the majority of respondents (73 per cent) feeling that they received regular supervision.
Commenting on the findings, GSCC Chief Executive Penny Thompson said: "It's essential that social workers receive regular supervision and, whilst good practice exists, I'm concerned that this is not consistent.
"Good quality supervision can lead to significant improvements in a social worker's capacity, confidence, competence and morale, leading to a better service for those who need social work.
"I'm fully supportive of the work the Social Work Reform Board is doing on this issue and support their calls for employers to undertake health checks of their support framework for staff. This is an opportunity for employers to look at whether supervision is a core part of their social work teams and, if not, to take action to address this."
Readers were also asked how much support they received from their employers to complete post-registration training and learning (PRTL). Almost 60 per cent described their employer as not very, or not at all concerned with ensuring staff meet the requirement of at least 90 hours.
Expressing concern at this finding, Head of Registration Gail Gibson said:
"It's essential that social workers continue to develop their skills and knowledge throughout their career, to ensure they can offer a high quality service to their client.
"Social workers will not be able to renew their registration if they have not completed 90 hours of PRTL, which will leave them unable to practise.
"Whilst it is the responsibility of the social worker to ensure they have met this requirement, we'd also encourage employers to take steps to ensure that training is complete and a record kept, as we will be contacting people to request this."
