Unit rationale, description and aim

Social workers work in groups and develop and offer group work to clients. This unit focuses on the development of knowledge and skills in working with groups as an essential part of social work practice, and so builds on previous skills units to extend from professional communication and work with individuals to work with groups. It will examine the theoretical models and skills necessary for work with diverse groups in a range of settings and contexts, including group dynamics, psycho–education groups, mutual aid groups, concepts of group care, counselling groups, principles for effective teamwork and solution focussed group work.

The unit will also build on the ethical principles underpinning social work practice (the basis of which is taught in the previous skills units) through examination of a range of ethical issues that regularly confront practitioners in group work practice.

The experiential learning will provide students with practice in planning and facilitating groups, as well as critical reflection on group processes and the use of self.

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.

2026 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

SWTP216 Social Work Skills in Practice with Individuals

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.

Explain the relevance of social work theoretical f...

Learning Outcome 01

Explain the relevance of social work theoretical frameworks and ethics to social work practice with groups.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC9, GC10, GC11

Demonstrate the skills of reflective practice in a...

Learning Outcome 02

Demonstrate the skills of reflective practice in all aspects of social work practice with groups, including an understanding of self and power dynamics.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC6, GC7

Critically evaluate appropriate theories and model...

Learning Outcome 03

Critically evaluate appropriate theories and models of group work in a range of contexts and diverse population groups considering historical, social and political contexts, group processes and dynamics and the use of self.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC5, GC6, GC7, GC8

Apply social work practice processes and theories ...

Learning Outcome 04

Apply social work practice processes and theories to plan and facilitate a group (GC2, GC3, GC4, GC12)
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC4, GC12

Apply social work practice processes and theories ...

Learning Outcome 05

Apply social work practice processes and theories for work with groups
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC4, GC7

Demonstrate the skills of reflective practice in a...

Learning Outcome 06

Demonstrate the skills of reflective practice in all aspects of social work practice with groups, including a critical understanding of the use of self and social work professional identity
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2

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
  • mutual aid 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
  • 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.
  • How will the group be evaluated?


Models for Group Interventions

  • problem solving approaches
  • decision making approaches
  • strengths perspective
  • working with resistance - motivational interviewing
  • Narrative therapy in groups
  • Solution-focused group work 
  • Group work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people


Assessment strategy and rationale

This unit takes an authentic assessment approach allowing students to demonstrate their learning and competency in scenarios relevant to social work practice with groups.

This unit uses different assessment tasks to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. The assessments are designed to assess foundational knowledge, skills and student’s ability to reflect on themselves, professional ethics, values and core elements of social work practice.

The assessments include:

(i)  Written assignment: Enables students to present a proposal that advocates for a group program to meet client needs (LO1,3,4)

(ii) Group Facilitation Assignment: Enables students to facilitate a role-play group session and involves peer and lecturer assessment of skills (LO 2,3,4)

(iii) Reflective assignment: Enables students to apply group work theory to practice to reflect on group progression, facilitation and the impact of self (LO1,2,3).

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. This unit also has an 80% attendance requirement hurdle

To pass the unit, you must demonstrate that you have achieved each learning outcome and obtained a total mark of 50% in the unit as the minimum standard. 

Overview of assessments

HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 80% attendance requirement h...

HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 80% attendance requirement hurdle for lectures and tutorials

Weighting

Hurdle Task

Written assignment: Enables students to present a...

Written assignment: Enables students to present a proposal that advocates for a group program to meet client needs

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

Group Facilitation Assignment: Enables students t...

Group Facilitation Assignment: Enables students to facilitate a role-play group session and involves peer and lecturer assessment of skills

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

Reflective assignment: Enables students to apply ...

Reflective assignment: Enables students to apply group work theory to practice to reflect on group progression, facilitation and the impact of self

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO4, LO6

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is the third in a series of practice skills units (SWTP110, SWTP216, SWTP221and SWTP425) in the Bachelor of Social Work program and is designed to scaffold student learning for professional practice and develop professional capabilities.

This unit involves 150 hours of learning with 36 hours of face-to-face lectures, and interactive tutorials, and compulsory role-play workshops. Lectures will provide detailed content about the theory of group work, effective facilitation, and how to manage challenges that arise. Tutorials will incorporate group work activities, first modelled by the lecturer and then facilitated by students 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.

The assessments for this unit provide students an experiential and work-like opportunity to plan and present a proposal advocating for a group to meet client needs, as well as 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. 

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS OF UNIT 

This Unit incorporates professional social work skills based teaching and learning, and therefore has an attendance requirement of a minimum of 80% attendance at weekly lectures and the skill development and practice tutorials. This level of attendance will ensure feedback on, and practice, development, and assessment of core social work practice skills.

An attendance record for weekly lectures and tutorials will be kept.

Reasons why attendance is required 

In tutorials, you will be interacting with other students and developing skills which you will use in your professional/clinical experience. Students who do not attend are at risk of not developing the required knowledge and essential skills.  

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Australian Association of Social Workers (2020). Code of ethics. Canberra: AASW.

Conyne, R. (2013). Group work leadership: An introduction for helpers. London: Sage.

Corey, M., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2012). Groups: process and practice (8th ed.). USA: Thomas Brooks/Cole.

Doel, M., & Kelly, T. (2013). A-Z of groups and groupwork. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (Eds.) (2014) Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. (2nd ed). Commonwealth of Australia

Hartley, P., Dawson, M., & Dawson, M.(2010). Success in groupwork. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Lindsay, T. & Orton, S. (2014). Groupwork practice in social work (3rd ed.). Exeter: Learning Matters.

Ochre, G. (2013). Getting our act together: how to harness the power of groups. Melbourne: Groupwork Press.

Zastrow, C. (2018). Social work with groups: a comprehensive worktext (10th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning..

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