1. Social Work with small groups
Approximate duration: 1.5 hours
References for this module:
Margot Phaneuf, ‘The Sociogram’, accessed on-line at:
Linda Zimmerman, ‘Family sociograms’, accessed on-line at
Mike Walker, ‘Self-advocacy and self-determination’, powerpoint presentation accessed on-line at:
‘Where conflict may arise during the five stages of group development’, accessed on-line at:
‘Social work practice settings: individuals, families, groups and communities’, Powerpoint presentation, access on-line at:

2. Overview Why work with small groups? What type of group?
How to work with groups

3. 1. Why work with groups?

4. The advantages of working with groups
EXERCISE
The advantages of working with groups
INTERACTION:
15 mins
The trainer asks the participants to consider the advantages of working (and the need to work) not just with people and their environment, but also with groups of people.
What might be the advantages of the group approach in certain situations?
What is the role of the social worker when working with a group?
The answers are in the next 2 slides.

5. Individuals vs. groups
Human beings are strongly dependent on interactions with other humans.
This often leads to group formation (in/formal)
good for individual and social development
Social work practice with groups builds on the important impact of groups on individuals and utilizes group processes to accomplish individual and group goals.
CONTENT:
As social beings, many of us will always be part of different groups and these groups can be useful to our growth, in this way the social worker needs to be aware of the different groups in their area and how these can be used to positively support different types of individuals.
Social work with group is an orientation and method of social work intervention in which small numbers of people who share similar interests or common problems convene regularly and engage in activities designed to achieve certain objectives.
The individual remains the focus of concern, and the group the vehicle of growth and change.

6. Benefits of social group work
For individuals:
Development of effective communication skills and coping skills
Development of problem-solving techniques
For the group:
People in a group are mutually helpful to each other; empowerment through helping others.
Many individuals may have similar needs/goals
Links between good group functioning and social functioning
CONTENT:
There are several benefits listed above. The main reason a group is used in social work is the mutual help given from person to person, which is greatly empowering, as you are getting a hand up you are also giving a hand up to someone else.
At the same time, personal social support and group support can happen at the same time.

7. 2. What type of group?

8. Some types of groups… Educational groups Socialization groups
Support / Self-help groups
Peer to peer groups
Therapeutic groups (*)
CONTENT:
Groups can have a focus on TREATMENT or on TASKS. For the treatment part, the purpose is to work on group members behaviors, attitudes, to help solve personal problems, cope with stress, etc. The tasks group targets the achievement of a goal, or the implementation of a specific change in the group itself. Whatever the focus chosen, social facilitators should ensure that the target fits with the individuals brought together, and that s/he has sufficient skills to organize and facilitate the group.
Here are different types of groups (not exhaustive):
Educational Groups : emphasizes group task assignments and opportunities for interaction and idea exchanges. For these kind of groups, we often invite a person/professional with training and expertise in the topic area.
Socialization Groups: small informal group designed to help people better understand how to establish and maintain close and gratifying relationships, especially appropriate for individuals who are interested in working on interpersonal issues and skills (e.g., connecting with others, communicating effectively, expressing your feelings, supporting others, asserting yourself, and getting feedback about how you come across to others). These groups seek to stimulate behavior change, increase social skills and self-confidence, and encourage motivation. They can take different forms (sport game, cooking class, etc.)
Support/Self-Help Groups: These emphasize on mutual aid and interdependence, personal involvement, face-to-face interaction, and an active role in responding to the needs of other group members. They are usually self-led by their members.
Peer to peer groups: The peer to peer approach is to develop enabling relationship between peers.
Therapeutic Groups: These groups require skilled professional leadership, and bring together participants with intensive personal or emotional problems. The activity can vary from a group to the other (discussion, etc.), but should be planed and facilitated by a professional.

9. Social facilitator role, with groups
Facilitate the group (depending on the type of group chosen)
Help link the group with community resources
Helping promote fairness and good group functioning
Help group manage conflict and continue to move forward
Provide group tools and methods to achieve goals.
CONTENT:
Just as you do with an individual, your approach to working with a group should be through an enabling relationship for the goal of empowerment -do not create dependency attitudes by being overly involved and trying to influence decisions of group, etc.
It is best for the social facilitator not to create groups themselves as these are rarely sustainable (unless it is a group defined in time – for example a specific number of meetings, and/or just 1 or 2 activities for a specific purpose). If it is meant to be a long term group, ideally the group needs to come together because IT REALLY wants to exist and has a purpose and goal. If possible, the social facilitator is best to get involved with a group shortly after it has formed, to see it’s development from the beginning.
However, as mentioned above, the social facilitator can choose to group people together and help mobilize them as a group (instead of just individuals) for their similar cause (socialization, sharing, discussion, etc.), but the formalizing of the group (with a plan, activities and leadership) will need to be done by individuals in the group themselves.

10. Groups characteristics
Mixed or similar members
People with and without disabilities
Short term or long term
Focus on therapy or task
Small or large size
Open or closed
Structured or unstructured
Purposes: Information sharing, self-expression/sharing, achieve goals/activities, socializing, advocacy (upon type of group chosen)
CONTENT:
Groups can greatly vary and it is very important that the social facilitator be able to understand the type of group he/she is dealing with and the kind of support that group will need.
mixed groups vs, groups with similar members: in a mixed group, the disagreements may be more as difference of opinion may exist, this can be work to overcome but will likely make the group a richer one that has broad perspectives. If a group is TOO different, it may be important for it to find a way to redefine it’s inclusion criteria, so that it can function.
A similarly membered group may get along better, but their perspective may be more narrow as member think alike and have similar needs.
Short or long term: short term groups have some clear, time limited goals and may end up achieving more in a defined time. Long term groups may have a less defined purpose or one that will move closer. Nevertheless, all groups should re-evaluate themselves after 6 months or 1 year to see if it is still worthwhile to exist. It should not be assumed that all groups need to be present for the long term and may be there for support each other during a DIFFICULT situation only.
Therapeutic versus focused on tasks (see previous slide : types of groups)
Small vs. large: smaller groups leave more room for discussion, but then active participation of member is more important, large groups involve many people, whose interest will vary, and there will be more people to choose from for various positions. Groups that are too large will not satisfy all members and be difficult to achieve activities. Larger groups are better as information and sharing groups, rather than activity/goal oriented groups.
Open or closed: depends on the membership needed and if the initial groups wants to stay as it was upon formation.
Structure or unstructured, depends on the goal of the group, if it an unstructured support group that meets to share experience/feeling/information, it can be more informal. But a group with clear goals (e.g. savings credit group) may need more structure and organization to succeed.
PURPOSE: this is the most important of all, a group needs to exist because it has a purpose, and not the opposite, to have a purpose because it exists. Purposes can vary and need to be clearly agreed by members, to ensure good participation and ownership.

11. Group (long-term and formal) success will depend on:
Structure/Rules: A FEW, clear and well developed RULES will help the group function better.
Leadership: that respects others and helps the group achieve its goals, also revolving leadership or shared leadership.
Purposefulness: a clear idea of why the group exists and what it wants to achieve.
Opening up: the group must not cut itself off from the rest of the community, but must ‘breathe’ with it and its development.
CONTENT:
Things that the social facilitator can look for when working with a group and ensure the group develops are:
a few good rules based on common values will help the group’s ability to work through problems, ability to use support and knowledge available locally, keep good records; and will facilitate the satisfaction that each group member will have from this group.
A fair sense of leadership
And a clear purpose and direction

12. 3. How to work with groups?

13. What are the role and limits of the social facilitator?
EXERCISE
What are the role and limits of the social facilitator?
INTERACTION :
15 mins
The trainer asks the participants:
“In your opinion, what is your role when working with different groups and what might the limits of that role be?”
Answers below.

14. The natural cycle of groups…
CONTENT:
All groups who remain stay as a group (do not break up/terminate), go through the 4 stages above. The time they spend in each stage depends on how well they can learn to work together. The four stages are: forming, storming, norming and performing. THE FIRST STAGE IS EASY, THE SECOND STAGE IS THE HARDEST AND THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THE GROUP TO SURVIVE, it is also the place where the role of the social facilitator as a support may be the most important. It is important that the social facilitator never takes a leadership role in the group, but that they be able to support other people to lead the group. This will be essential to sustainability and empowerment of the group, for when the social facilitator is not around.
Note that depending on the type of group chosen (with focus on therapy or on task), some groups may last for a few weeks, while other may aim to exist in the long term. Of course the social facilitator’s role will change depending on this, but generally the stages of group forming, even though easier to place in a long term setting, can still be identified as well in short term and therapeutic groups.
A brief description of each stage is:
FORMING: Members meet each other, everyone is happy and excited to have formed the group, they are trying to figure out what the group is about, maybe very optimistic about the future of the group, most people are very polite and have not yet offended each other, there is a lot of distraction and newness, and the group achieves very little at this stage, they are getting to know each other and choose leaders and start to establish rules, etc.
STORMING: Different leaders may be fighting to take control of the group, people disagree and blame the concept of the group, people focus mainly on the differences of opinion and what they do not agree on, people may resist doing certain work, defensiveness/competition/choosing sides may happen. Disunity, tension and jealousy may result. However, the group is beginning to understand one another and each other’s stances and ways of thinking. They may get tired of disagreements an realize the existence of the group is more important then their own individual differences (if the group is to be at risk for dissolving). This gets them ready for the next stage.
NORMING: As people understand each other more and try to negotiate and develop solutions, some more positive feelings may come to be. Leadership may change to someone who is more moderate and more able to bring about group unity. There are still differences but people are now learning to work together. Those who remain in the group are committed to the work of the group.
PERFORMING: The group is now becoming a team and prepared to work on some real tasks together. The group is able to either prevent problems or deal with them more effectively through fair processes (discussion/votes).
The main goal of the social facilitator is to help the group to become a TEAM that works together, help them go through all the stages as openly and healthily as possible.

15. What is the role of the social facilitator in these different stages?
ACTIVITY
What is the role of the social facilitator in these different stages?
See the Activity ‘Identifying the stage of a group’
30 mins
The trainer asks the participants to consider the role of the social facilitator in each of the 4 stages of a group, bearing in mind that their role is particularly important at the beginning, and especially at the storming stage.
Pool the answers and debate.
Thoughts:
At the beginning of the forming stage, the group needs the social facilitator to complete these tasks:
- During the observation stage, the social facilitator can try to identify: the ultimate aims, rules, power dynamics and role of group members, who takes part, and the strengths and weaknesses of the group.
- To help the group define realistic expectations, you can explain the group cycle so that the group can prepare for what lies ahead during the storming stage, and so that they can make slow and steady progress.

16. Role in forming
Clarifying the roles (social facilitator’s role mostly supportive, facilitating, leader less often – when necessary)
Observing group dynamics
Remain neutral
Support group members in defining / understanding the purpose of the group (depending on type of group chosen), setting realistic expectations, etc.

17. Role in storming
Mediate neutrally by showing the different sides of the argument to the group and helping them see the dis/advantages
Ensure good communication
Promote the language ‘we’ more than ‘I’.
Help work on solving the issues not attacking individuals.
Support the leader (or lead – depending on group chosen) to know how to manage conflict.
Remind the group that stronger relationships will come out of this difficult stage.
Identify strengths/weaknesses of members.
CONTENT:
The biggest role of the social facilitator will be in storming. They should expect much conflict and remember that storming is a natural part of group cycle and that it is a stage that must be gone through by a group until they can learn to function. If extreme conflict, that cannot self-regulate, you can ask as a mediator. Ask the group if they would like you to be the neutral person who summarized different people’s feelings and help people come to a decision. Help group find methods to problem solve and make fair decisions (vote, debate, listing advantage/disadvantages). Ensure people not get too discouraged in this stage and leave group, unless they really want to.

18. Role in Norming Monitor and offer guidance needed.
Help support new leadership (if changes)
Encourage constructive criticism
Encourage group independence (depending on type of group chosen)
CONTENT:
The next stage should be easier, the social facilitator can still have a minor role to play, but hopefully the group can self-regulate more and the social facilitator can focus more of his/her involvement in providing the group with information and linking instead of having to support the internal dynamics.

19. Role in performing
Monitor group as needed and be available for support or information/linkages.
Make sure a clear plan of the future is present and that the group has a general idea of how to reach their future destination together. (for groups meant to last in time)
CONTENT:
It can take about 6 months to reach this stage. The need for social facilitator is definitely less during this stage. But monitoring and linking is still a good idea, to keep up with activities of the group. Now that the group is functioning better, it is a good time to create plans to use the positive energy to move forwards.

20. Group Summary
Consult the ‘Social Work tool box’ where you will find a selection of tools to use in your group activities
What are the key points? - Which aspects would you like to develop in greater depth for your practice?

21. MESSAGES CLES
Social work in groups is an efficient process as it brings people together and allows a support programme to be run not just by the social worker, but by people themselves.
Each group goes through 4 stages: forming, storming, norming and performing. The social worker must know how to help the group make progress, during the storming stage in particular.
The social facilitator’s mission is to encourage group dynamics and ensure that each member can find what they are looking for.
In this context we are not talking about therapeutic groups which must be run by specialists rather than by social workers/social facilitators.