Unit rationale, description and aim
Social workers work in groups and teams to design and implement social work services and programs. Social workers also develop and deliver group programs for clients. Social workers need to be competent in planning and facilitating groups to achieve effective client outcomes. This unit focuses on the theoretical models and skills for social work intervention in groups in a range of settings and contexts. The theory examined and critically appraised includes, models of group stage and progression, group dynamics, psycho-education groups, mutual aid groups, concepts of group care, counselling groups, principles for effective team work and solution focussed group work applied to a variety of practice contexts and with diverse populations. The experiential component requires students to plan a group program and participate in leading and facilitating groups. Students will select a specific population group or context for application of models for group work intervention from the following: aged; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; corrections; cultural and linguistic diversity; disability; health; income security and poverty; mental health and rural and remote. The aim of this unit is to provide students with knowledge and skills in group work, a key area of social work intervention, including an understanding of the benefits of group work, knowledge for running groups effectively, and skills in planning and facilitation of groups.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Demonstrate understanding of social groupwork proc...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically evaluate the efficacy of various models...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply high level oral and written communication sk...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically reflect on the therapeutic use of self,...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Social Work Theories with Groups
- Group norm theories
- Use of power
- Leadership and leadership style theories
- Cohesion and conflict theories
- Verbal and non-verbal communication theories
- Theories of the change process
Types of Groups
- Working with diverse groups
- Self-help groups
- Social work with families
- Task groups
- Educational groups
- Treatment groups with diverse and vulnerable populations
- Groups with involuntary clients
Group Processes
- Purpose and goals of groups
- Group dynamics
- Group rules
- Skills involved in group work
- Forming and leading a group
- Group composition and recruitment
- Open or closed groups
- Co-leadership in groups
- Gender and group work
- Creativity and group work
- Group care
- Dealing with challenging behaviour in group work
- Managing process and content needs of groups
- Ethical issues in group work
Stages of Group Development
Groups in the beginning phase
- Group characteristics at the initial stage
- Creating trust: leader and member roles
- Group process concepts at the initial stage (group norms, group cohesion)
- Leader issues at the initial stage
- Techniques for getting started and moving on
Groups in the middle phase
- Member issues in early–middle, middle–middle and end–middle phase
- Worker's role: use of self and issues of authority
- Issues of control, confrontation, cohesion, compromise, catharsis
- Techniques for dealing with conflict and difficult group members
- Working with fears and resistance.
Groups in the ending phase
- Member issues e.g., affection, disillusionment, acceptance
- Worker's role
- Working with intense emotions: grieving,
- Reviewing highlights, evaluating effectiveness
- Exploring separation, projecting the future.
- Evaluation in group work
Models for Group Interventions
- Problem solving approaches
- Decision making approaches
- Strengths perspective
- Working with resistance - motivational interviewing
Assessment strategy and rationale
ON CAMPUS
This unit takes an authentic assessment approach allowing students to demonstrate their learning and competency in scenarios relevant to social work practice with groups.
Assessment 1 is designed for students to demonstrate their ability to plan a group program and effectively advocate for its value through a written proposal. Advocating for client needs and services is a key skill for professional practice, achieving professional commitments outlined by the Australian Association of Social Workers to social justice and individual wellbeing, and articulating the value of group work interventions in a professional written format (LO1, LO2, LO3).
Assessment 2 will assess students’ skills in facilitating a group to determine their ability to effectively deliver a group work session and demonstrate emerging professional competence ( LO2, LO3, LO4).
Assessment 3 enables students to integrate the knowledge and practice of group work by reflecting on group progression and the role of facilitation in group work in line with their role-play experiences (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4).
Together these assessments require students to demonstrate competency in the knowledge and skills of effective group work and the integration of theory and practice, to show entry level competency in planning, implementing, and evaluating group work interventions.
In order to pass this unit students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks, and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in graded units.
ACU ONLINE
This unit has three assessment tasks. Both assessment tasks are designed to offer contemporary, real-world practice opportunities, to engage in research literature, group work theory, apply knowledge and enact key group work skills.
Assessment 1 is a quiz to provide formative feedback to students prior to the in-person intensive.
Assessment 2 tasks requires students to demonstrate their capacity to plan, collaborate, deliver and reflect on a group work session.
Assessment 3 is designed for students to demonstrate their ability to plan a group program and effectively advocate for its value through a written proposal. Advocating for client needs and services is a key skill for professional practice, achieving professional commitments outlined by the Australian Association of Social Workers to social justice and individual wellbeing, and articulating the value of group work interventions in a professional written format.
In order to pass this unit students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks, and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in graded units.
Overview of assessments
ON CAMPUS
Assessment 1: Submission for a Group Proposal: En...
Assessment 1: Submission for a Group Proposal: Enables students to present a proposal that advocates for a group program to meet client needs. 2000 words.
40%
Assessment 2: Facilitation Skills Assessment: Ena...
Assessment 2: Facilitation Skills Assessment: Enables students to facilitate a role-play group session and involves peer and lecturer assessment of skills. 40 minute facilitation, plus 500 word reflection.
30%
Assessment 3: Reflection on group work processes:...
Assessment 3: Reflection on group work processes: Enables students to apply group work theory to practice to reflect on group progression, facilitation and the impact of self. 1500 words.
30%
ACU ONLINE
Pre-intensive Assessment Task Online Quiz: To as...
Pre-intensive Assessment Task
Online Quiz: To assess students’ knowledge of core concepts and theories for social work with groups. 20%
20%
Facilitation Skills & Reflection Assessment: ...
Facilitation Skills & Reflection Assessment: Enables students to facilitate a simulated group session and also involves students critically reflecting on group content and process. Simulated Group Session – 30-minute duration + 1000 word reflection.
40%
Submission for a Group Proposal: Enables students...
Submission for a Group Proposal: Enables students to present a proposal that advocates for a group program to meet client needs. 1500 words.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ON CAMPUS
This unit involves 150 hours of learning including lectures and interactive tutorials, and role-play workshops. Lectures will provide detailed content about the theory of group work, good facilitation, and how to manage challenges that arise. Tutorials will entail authentic application of groupwork models and techniques to groupwork scenarios encountered in social work practice. Firstly this is modelled by the lecturer. Students then work in small groups to plan a group program and each student practices group facilitation in the second half of the unit. This will ensure students have an opportunity to participate in group work and understand the experience of being a participant in groups, as well as practice their skills in facilitation. There is an 80% attendance requirement as students role play group sessions (as participants or facilitators) over the semester. Attendance is required to ensure continuity and coherence of the role-played group programs. Regular attendance is also required to ensure feedback on, practice, development, and assessment of, core social work practice skills. The assessments for this unit provide students a work-like opportunity to plan and present a proposal for a group program to meet client needs, as well as to apply their knowledge to practice by reflecting on group progression and receiving feedback on their facilitation skills. This approach ensures theory and skills for group work are practiced, integrated and applied, preparing students for successful professional practice.
ACU ONLINE
This unit will involves 150 hours of study. It will be delivered in an online mode using an active learning approach and a one week in-person intensive. Students will have access to self-paced learning modules and as well as a one week in-person intensive. Students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in relevant group work literature, multi-media, discussion forums and assessment tasks. On-line forums and chat rooms will facilitate learning by sharing critical reflections with a focus on case based learning. Compulsory attendance at the one-week intensive will draw on experiential learning approaches to enable students to enact group work knowledge and skills in a supportive learning environment and undertake reflective/critical thinking activities. These strategies will provide students with access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content, and opportunities for application of this learning. This flexible and inclusive learning approach will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, as well as professional practice standards. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities.
AASW Practice Standards
This Unit has been mapped to the ACU Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes provided in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13565
ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes
This Unit has been mapped to the ACU Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes provided in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13565