SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE SUPERVISION OF FAMILY MEDIATORS WITHIN THE SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM ABSTRACT In the introduction of the paper, the need for the supervision of family mediators is described, and ...the key characteristics of the educational and method supervision are presented, as well as the models of apprenticeship as modern forms of supervisory monitoring of the acquisition of additional professional competencies in the context of the helping professions, especially mediation. The paper presents supervision conducted with the family mediators who work within the social welfare system through two supervisory cycles. The aims of the supervision were to contribute to the integration of their knowledge and skills, to monitor and analyse the direct work on mediation cases and to promote the development of professional identity of family mediators in order to increase the quality of work with the clients during the application of mediation as a psychosocial intervention and a more recent social service. The contents and topics of the supervisory work have been presented through individual supervisory questions (feelings of mediators, workplace, principles of mediation, beliefs and prejudices), then through professional and educational questions significant for all supervisees (the role of mediators, usage of concrete knowledge and interventions, specific forms of mediation, implementation of mediation, special circumstances, supervisory competencies), and finally through organisational difficulties related to the implementation of mediation (introduction to family mediation, legislative framework and rules, the experience of a lack of understanding). Specific supervisory challenges with regard to the group composition, manners of work and competence of the supervisor for the implementation of the educational and/or method supervision in this area of work with the families have been described. In the conclusion, the similarities and differences between the educational and method supervision have been discussed, as well as some elements of the apprenticeship model. Key words: educational supervision, method supervision, cognitive apprenticeship model, family mediation, development of competencies of family mediators.
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