A new study recommends social workers in First Nations communities incorporate Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing at the heart of their supervision practices on Country.

Published in Australian Social Work, the University of South Australia (UniSA) study suggests traditional western approaches to supervision often fail to acknowledge the lived experience of Aboriginal workers or the intergenerational trauma stemming from colonisation.

Author Jamie Sorby, a Kamilaroi woman, qualified social worker and UniSA lecturer, says current social work supervision practices are centred on western practices which overlook a community-grounded approach that is valued in First Nations culture.

"Western models of supervision often focus on managerial oversight, risk aversion and clinical outcomes, and are disconnected from the lived realities of both workers and clients in Aboriginal communities," Ms Sorby said.

"They tend to favour formal, hierarchical structures and overlook cultural values, emotional safety and relational trust."

Ms Sorby said this can lead to Aboriginal workers feeling alienated and unsafe.

"Supervision should be a space of support, growth and cultural reflection, but often it's not. This is why culturally responsive models are urgently needed," Ms Sorby said.

The study indicated current approaches "contribute to staff burnout, mistrust, and poor retention of First Nations workers in social services".

To address this, the study introduces a suite of conceptual maps and visual artefacts which guide supervisors and practitioners to embed cultural safety into their practice.

The work was born out of conversations on Country between Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners who wanted to challenge the status quo and embed Indigenous knowledges into professional development.

"For decades, Aboriginal communities have expressed concerns about social work practices often operating from individualistic models that don't reflect our collectivist values or ways of being," Ms Sorby said.

"The issue is not new, it's just that it hasn't been listened to or acted on at a systemic level and we want that to change."

Ms Sorby said the impact on First Nations communities would be "transformative" if social workers were guided by Aboriginal perspectives, working with communities, not on them.

Supervision on Country: Enhancing Culturally Safe Social Work Supervision Through First Nations Knowledges is available online.