AASW National Training: Culturally Responsive Social Work Supervision with Michael Elwan
Updated: Sep 16
I delivered a national online workshop for the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) titled:
Supervision That Sees Me: Culturally Responsive Supervision for CaLD Social Workers
The workshop was held on 7 July 2026 and was designed for social work supervisors, managers, team leaders and practitioners who want to strengthen how supervision holds culture, identity and practice together.
Supervision is never neutral. It can help a worker feel seen, thought with and professionally supported. It can also leave important parts of identity unnamed.
For social workers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds, supervision can become a place where culture is recognised as part of practice, or a place where the worker learns to leave parts of themselves outside the room.
That was the tension the workshop explored.
Why culturally responsive social work supervision matters
Across Australia’s multicultural workforce, many CaLD practitioners carry layers of experience that do not always show up clearly in supervision. Migration histories, language, accent, family expectations, racism, faith, cultural obligation and professional power can all shape how a worker speaks, reflects, disagrees, receives feedback and asks for support.
When those dynamics remain invisible, supervision can miss important information.
A supervisee may appear quiet when they are carefully managing risk, shame or hierarchy. A worker may avoid naming racism because they do not want to be seen as difficult. A practitioner may carry extra emotional labour when they are asked, formally or informally, to represent a whole community.
Good supervision needs to make room for these realities without placing the burden of education on the CaLD worker.
That requires more than goodwill. It requires reflective questions, thoughtful feedback, attention to power, and a supervision culture that can hold identity and practice together.
What the AASW workshop covered
The workshop invited participants to examine how culture, identity and systemic barriers shape supervision. The focus was practical and reflective, using case examples, role plays and supervision scenarios that connect directly with everyday practice.
The program covered:
how culture and systemic barriers can shape the supervision experience of CaLD supervisees
how supervisors can ask reflective questions that make identity visible without making the supervisee carry the whole conversation
how feedback can be offered in ways that attend to power, belonging and professional growth
how supervision can support culturally responsive practice across teams
how supervisors can identify one intentional shift to strengthen their own supervision practice
The aim is not to turn supervision into a cultural checklist. The aim is to help supervisors notice what may otherwise remain unspoken, and to build supervisory relationships where culture, practice and professional identity can be discussed with more care.
Who this training is for
This AASW workshop was designed for:
social work supervisors, managers and team leaders supporting staff from multicultural and CaLD backgrounds
established practitioners wanting to deepen their supervision practice
evolving practitioners preparing for supervisory responsibilities
allied professionals in multidisciplinary teams who want to strengthen reflective and culturally responsive supervision
No specialist background in culturally responsive supervision is required. The workshop is suited to practitioners at Evolving and Established capability levels who want practical tools they can take into their next supervision conversation.
Intended learning outcomes
The intended learning outcomes were to:
identify cultural and systemic barriers that can affect CaLD supervisees
apply reflective questions and culturally responsive approaches to supervision practice
demonstrate identity-affirming supervision skills through case analysis and role play
evaluate their own supervision approach and commit to one intentional shift in practice
The session was designed to offer clearer language, sharper reflection and practical ways to make supervision more responsive. These are intended learning outcomes, not a claim that later practice change has been established.
Event details
Workshop: Supervision That Sees Me: Culturally Responsive Supervision for CaLD Social Workers
Date: 7 July 2026
Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm AEST
Delivery: Live online workshop
Duration: 3 CPD hours
Host: Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW National)
Category: Supervision; Mental Health
Capability levels: Evolving and Established
This event has concluded. Organisations can enquire about commissioning related training through LEXs below.
Why this work matters to me
I care about this topic because supervision shapes more than individual practice. It shapes what workers learn to say, what they learn to hide, and what parts of themselves they believe are welcome in professional spaces.
As an Accredited Social Worker, therapist, supervisor and Founder of Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs), I bring together social work practice, lived/living experience, multicultural mental health, supervision, and systems thinking. My work is shaped by migration, caregiving, grief and a deep concern for how systems hold people who are already carrying a great deal.
I do not see culturally responsive supervision as an optional addition to good supervision. I see it as part of ethical, reflective and human practice in a multicultural workforce.
This training was designed to support supervisors and practitioners to build supervision spaces that are more honest, more thoughtful and more able to see the whole worker.
Commission culturally responsive supervision training
LEXs provides training for supervisors, managers and practice leads on providing culturally responsive supervision. Organisations can commission the programme directly for online delivery across Australia. This is training in supervision skills; ongoing supervision with me is a separate service.
Participants use reflection, case discussion and practice exercises to examine questions, feedback and the supervision relationship. We agree the audience, learning goals, format and fee before delivery, including any additional design or evaluation. To discuss a workshop, tell me who it is for, which supervision situations you want to work on and your timeframe.
If you are a practitioner looking for supervision with me, visit:
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