Working with Groups

Introduction:

 Social group work is a psychological and social approach for strengthening leadership and cooperation abilities as well as creating group interest for a social goal. Group work is a strategy used in social work. It is the method in which a worker has an impact on the life of a group. Working with a social group is a method of personality development that emphasises individual social development and flexibility as educational.

 Group work is a social work technique. Social group work necessitates specialized knowledge, abilities, tool comprehension, and concepts to attain the group’s desired outcomes. On this front, the worker improves his understanding of the behaviour of individuals, groups, and communities and his ability to work with them and employs the group work approach to achieve greater social relevance. The worker empowers himself with the concepts of working with groups and methods, planned group formation, purposeful interaction, and program development. Group work is a kind of social work that assists individuals in coping well in society and having improved social functioning in the social environment.

Principles of Social Group Work:

Social group work has come to be recognised as a social work process throughout time. Its principles are based on social work ethics, values, and a theoretical framework for social workers and academics. The principles of social group work enable and assist the Group Worker to achieve competence as they are put into practise. Every social group worker should strive to do social group work within the principles and intervention scope that has been established.

1-      The Principle of Planned Group Formation.

In social group work, the group is the central unit through which support is provided. In this social group work method, the group aids or provides services to individuals for greater social empathy and welfare. The organisation and social group worker should be in charge of group formation, or accept the agency if it pre-exists. As a result, before beginning the social group work technique, the worker should first form the group.

2-      The Principle of Specific Objective 

The group work must consciously create the unique purpose of a social group worker and a social group in interaction with the group and group harmony, in keeping with the mission of the organisation in the social group work process. Through its special purposes, the group worker must aid the member in achieving the goal of social work, which is to aid individuals in growing and changing for the betterment of society.

 3- The Principle of Purposeful Worker Group Relationship.

The group work must consciously create the unique objective of an individual and a social group in relationship and harmony with the group and keeping with the agency’s purpose in the social group work process. Through its special purposes, the group worker should aid the member in achieving the goal of social work, which is to assist individuals in growing and changing for the betterment of society.

 4- The Principle of Continuous Individualization

In the same way that every individual is unique, every group is unique, and the individual makes use of his or her group experience in a variety of ways to suit their needs, social work understands that every group is amazing. As a result, the social group worker must conduct constant individualization.

5- The Principle of Guided Group Interaction

Trained professional group workers assist individuals in an organisation context through social group work. Through his or her active participation in the process, the worker assists and guides the entire program’s actions and the interaction process. The social worker uses the strategy to encourage the group in doing the most thorough study and knowledge of their circumstances feasible.

6- Principle of Democratic Group Self-Determination

The group should assist in making its own decisions and determining its activities during the social group work process. The concepts of self-determination are central to the philosophy of social work and must be followed regardless of the working approach.

7- The Principles of Flexible Functional Organization 

Every group establishes a formal body of its working/active members, and this organization process aids an individual’s ability to perform efficiently. When a group is created to achieve a certain aim, it must also establish a working structure to carry out that goal. The working body should be flexible, and it should only be encouraged if it fulfills a group’s perceived need. As the social work group evolves, the formal organization must evolve, making it more adaptable.

8- The Principle of Progressive Program Experience 

Significance of the term “programme” does not simply refer to any activity or event. It’s a bridge concept encompassing whole images of individual and social group and relationships, experiences, and interactions. Group interaction should begin at the level of member interest, needs, knowledge, and possibilities, according to program experience.

9- The principles of Resources Utilization.

The group work is guided by these principles to use the available resources to increase the substance of the group experience for both individuals and groups as a whole. The social group worker should pass on information about the group’s, organisation’s, and community’s resources for various programmes.

10- The principles of evaluation

A continual evaluation process to assess the outcome of working with group programs is critical in social group work.

Conclusion:

Groups are societal units, and every human being belongs to one or more of them. It is consequently vital to analyze the behavior of the many groups that make up a society to comprehend it. Their actions are a reflection of the society in which they live.