SCW-214

Social Group Work

Course Instructor
Tahmina Islam
Professor
Department of Social Work
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
 Phases of Group Development

Pre-group (group Initial (first meetings)

formation) phase phase

Middle (Active Evaluation of

working) phase the group

Terminating/ending
the group phase
 Once the worker identifies the need for
Pre-group formation of social work group, he/she
(group starts planning for the formation of the
group. For this the worker has to answer
formation) some questions with his/her professional
phase or background very carefully and
systematically. These questions are:
Phase I:
• Why is the group?
Planning and
• For whom the group is being formed?
Formation of
• How many?
the Group
• How long?
• How to ensure members’
involvement in the group?
 The broad steps at
this stage are:

Formulating
Composition Size of the Enrolling the
group’s Contracting
of the group group members
purpose
 Formulating group’s purpose

Group is to create platform

for the parents of the drug Group is to enable the
addicted college-going youth women in the community to
to share their problems and make productive use of their
develop the skills to manage leisure time.
their wards.

Group is formed to chalk out

tasks to be accomplished by
the heads of the
departments for the
forthcoming financial year.
 Composition of the group
• Should it be homogeneous in its composition or heterogeneous?
• Is it an open group or a closed group?

Size of the group

• How many members shall compose the group?
• What shall be the ideal size?
• What are the criteria to determine whether the size of the group is too big or
small?

Enrolling the members

• The information may be given directly to the potential members or passed through
a notice in the agency’s notice boards,
• by advertising in the media such as newspapers, radio, television etc.,
• seeking applications from the interested members.
• The criteria include extent of need, urgency of intervention, demographic
attributes, experience, and other skills.
• The worker can also arrange interviews with the applicants to ascertain their
suitability

Contracting
• assurance to attend the group sessions regularly and in time,
• to complete any task or work assigned,
• maintain the confidentiality of the discussions of the group,
 Expectation
• The hope that time has come to get over the problem that
has been affecting them over a (long) period of time.
• How much of it is going to be solved?
• They are going to meet and interact with others whom
they have not met before and who are also having similar
needs/ problems.
• They will look forward to having new social experiences.
Phase II : Doubts
Initial • Whether participating in this group exercise can really deal
with their problems effectively.
Meetings • They do not know what type of persons are the worker
and other members.
• Is the worker and other members are of friendly
disposition, understanding and sensitive and would not
misuse the confidential self-disclosures the member/s
likely to make in the group?
• Whether I can participate meaningfully in the group
deliberations?
• Will my situation get more worsened?
 Self- presentations by the worker
and the members

Orientation about the group

Steps Involved in Goal formation

phase II Stage
Structuring the group session

Reviewing the contract

 • The parents of mentally retarded children join a group
to learn some better ways of coping up with the
challenges of upbringing their wards --- the general
need of the group members.;

• - The purpose of the group is to provide a platform for

the parents of mentally retarded children to share and
Some exchange their skills in upbringing of the children.

examples of • Agency’s purpose is to make parents take more

responsibility in bringing up their mentally retarded
Goal children.

formation • A parent’s specific need is to learn to tackle the

aggressive behaviour of his/her child and to make
his/her spouse and other family members to acceptthe
child.
• The group centered goal is that all members will share
their problems without any reservations and will not
waste the group’s time by indulging in irrelevant issues.
 Deciding for the conduct of group sessions
•The worker and the members plan and make preparation for
the group meetings.
• Developing the activities and procedures for the conduct of
the group meetings.
•Taking decisions about the selection of an activity or task,

Phase III: sequencing of the tasks and activities, assigning

responsibilities etc.
•Materials and equipment to conduct the group activities

Middle have to be procured.

• Resource agencies and persons have to be contacted.
Structuring the time

(Active
•Setting the time limits for group sessions and individual tasks.
Facilitating group meetings
• Worker encourages members to actively involve in the group

Working)
activities, may they be sharing, discussing, and performing a
task.
•The worker develops some insight into their strengths and

Phase
weaknesses.
•The worker has to facilitate the non-performing members to
perform. and enables them to organise their interpersonal
interactions in the group to establish purposeful relationship.
Assessment of the group’s progress
• The interaction patterns, behaviour manifestations, group
attraction, situation leading to conflicts, subgroup formations,
leadership styles etc.
• Structured observations by the worker and other members
and self-observations of members themselves.
• Recording of the group meetings --- written reports,
audiotapes and videotapes, measurement scales of behaviour,
 • It is carried out after the end of group work
activity and before the group is terminated
or sometimes after the group is terminated
depending upon the purpose of the
evaluation.
• It focuses on the worker’s performance,
agency support, the group process and
growth of the members.
Phase IV: • It points out that whether the worker
competently dealt with the group work
Evaluation process or not.
• What shortcomings are constraining the
worker to perform better?
• How far they could accomplish the goals for
which they were planned ?
• Whether inbuilt monitoring systems are
useful and are properly executed or not ?
 • The termination of the group may be scheduled or
unscheduled.

• Members mind could be wavering between feelings

of happiness or unhappiness.
• Some follow-up sessions can be promised to
reassure the member/s that they are not totally
abandoned.
Phase V: • Some support and guidance is still available either
Terminating/ending from worker or other members.
the group • Worker can suggest referral agencies to the
members who need guidance and support for other
shortcomings in future.
• The worker gives assurance to the members that
whatever self disclosures made by them are kept
confidential and will never be used against their
interests. Members themselves share same type of
assurances.
• The worker has to do other routine tasks such as
preparing a report on the performance of the
group, acknowledge the services and support given