Programme Planning in Social Group Work 233

13

Concepts and Dynamics of

Self Help Groups (SHGs) in
Indian Context
*Joseph Varghese

Introduction
Self help and mutual aid are the foundational principles
of social work. Professional social work evolved in the West
where self help groups were mainly used for addressing
psycho-social issues. It was used to mainly to provide
emotional support and train people through groups.
However in developing countries SHGs began to be used
for empowerment and economic development. Here we
focus on those SHGs, which are used for these purposes.
SHGs are being increasingly used developmental
programmes of government and NGOs. A number of
strategies were used to alleviate the problem of poverty by
both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Some of them were partially successful and others were
failures. Community based approaches, family based
approaches and individual based approaches were used.
However each of these strategies had its limitations. For
example, in the community development programmes the
elite and already well off gained at the expense of the poor
thereby reducing the effectiveness of the programmes.
Similarly individual based programmes imposed conditions

*Mr. Joseph Varghese, Christ University, Bangalore

234 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

on the beneficiaries that could not be regulated by the

department and banks. Institutional constraints like the
corruption and red tape in the government also remained
which prevented the effective implementation of the
programmes. Group based approaches like Development
of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) were also
used occasionally, but they did not have the wide spread
recognition that they have today. SHGs have now become
an integral part of development strategy of governmental
as well as non-governmental organizations.
SHGs grew out of the developmental experiences of the
various stakeholders concerned in the process- the
beneficiaries, banks (creditors) and the government. We
will see in the sections below the advantages of using SHGs
for all these stakeholders. The wide spread use of SHGs
for empowering people especially women, has upto a large
extent proved its worth. But there are also criticisms of SHGs
as a tool for development and we will look at them too.

Concept of SHGs
According to the Reserve Bank of India
Self-Help Group (SHG) is a registered or unregistered group
of micro entrepreneurs having homogeneous social and
economic background voluntarily, coming together to save
small amounts regularly, to mutually agree to contribute
to a common fund and to meet their emergency needs on
mutual help basis. The group members use collective
wisdom and peer pressure to ensure proper end-use of
credit and timely repayment thereof. In fact, peer pressure
has been recognized as an effective substitute for collateral.
(Reserve Bank of India, FAQs).
Malcolm Harper has defined SHGs as groups of women
whose primary purpose is to save and then to take loans,
initially from their own funds but eventually from a bank.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 235

Its main advantages are

An economically poor individual gain strength as part of a
group. Besides, financing through SHGs reduces
transaction costs for both lenders and borrowers. While
lenders have to handle only a single SHG account instead
of a large number of small-sized individual accounts,
borrowers as part of a SHG cut down expenses on travel
(to and from the branch and other places) for completing
paper work and on the loss of workdays in canvassing for
loans (RBI, FAQ)

But this definition is rather limited in as it views SHGs

merely as an instrument of providing credit to the poor.
SHGs are now viewed as having a role in empowering the
whole community through the efforts of the members.
SHGs members are credited with organizing successfully
the community to ban arrack in AP, fighting against child
marriage and protecting forests. Supporters of SHGs
attribute the success of many community initiatives to
the leadership provided by conscious members of the
SHGs. Therefore the definition though useful does not fully
satisfy our purpose.

Characteristics of SHGs
SHGs consist of group members, male or female who come
together and form a group. Often it is an outside agency, a
government agency or a NGO that encourage the
individuals to form this group. The group has to be formed
carefully as an unplanned group will face problem and in
all probability will terminate leading to frustration in the
members.
Ideal characteristics of SHGs
1) Number of group members is between 8-15. Ideally
the number is upto 12.
236 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

2) Homogeneity or similarity in social background

 Group members are mostly women though there
exist men’s groups also.
 Same sub caste or caste group. Members existing
solidarity helps increase group unity and prevent
factions in the group
 Economically they belonging to the same class
and do not have major difference in income levels
 Living close by; preferably within walking distance
 The group has an advantage if all members belong
to Below Poverty Line (BPL) Category. The
government gives subsidy to the groups, which
increases the amount of revolving capital of the
group and the morale of the group.
3) Members get along in a group and are ready to take
instructions from group leaders.
4) Members are able to contribute the fixed amount of
money to the SHGs.
5) Decisions regarding the group are made through
democratic and participatory methods by the
members.
6) After a period of time the SHG can be registered (many
SHGs remain unregistered) and a bank account started
which will formalize the functioning of the SHGs. Bye
laws and rules are framed which regulates the
functioning of the SHGs
7) The group also elects a group president, secretary and
treasurer with prescribed roles for each post.

Process of Forming SHGs

Any group goes through certain stages of development from
the beginning to the end. According to the widely applied
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 237

theory of group development advocated by Tucker the

stages that group are (1) Forming (2) Storming (3) Norming
(4) Performing and (5) Adjourning. The pace at which the
group moves from one stage to another is based on number
of factors that exist in the group. Hence homogeneous
groups are preferred over heterogeneous groups; member
who is previously known to each other is preferred over
persons who are unknown; difficult persons are avoided.
The length and effectiveness of the group will depend
largely on qualities of the members. Often government and
NGOs have set targets for their staff to initiate SHGs which
results in poor quality of groups which either break into
smaller groups or simply close.

First Stage
Government, NGOs or Banks, forms SHGs. Often
employees or volunteers from any one organization go to
the rural community or to urban slum community. They
interact with the community women and explain to them
the advantages of forming SHGs. It is pointed out to the
women they often have to borrow money for emergencies
or for investing in their economic activities. They usually
approach the local moneylenders for their requirements
who charge exorbitant rates for their loans. A 10 percent
per month interest rate , which works out to 120 percent
per year, is common. Further, the first month interest is
deducted from the principle itself.

In course of time the principle and the interest become a

large amount, which the debtor is unable to repay.
Consequently she has to part a precious asset like land
or jewelry or take another loan to settle the previous loan.
Either way he has been pushed further into debt and
poverty. People are very familiar with the pattern and
understand the situation very easily. A skilled
communicator will often ask questions regarding their
238 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

financial situation to the community members who would

then tell her of their problems regarding money. Then
the group worker will present the formation of SHGs as a
solution to the problems. She will list the advantages of
forming SHGs which are to promote savings, access
cheaper credit and ensure better returns on the
investment. The group worker will also tell how the SHGs
can be linked to the bank and if all members are BPL can
get subsidy (need not be returned).

People will generally have their doubts. Doubts can be

related to the functioning of SHGs- Who will keep the
money collected from the members? Who will prepare the
accounts? Who will deposit the money in the bank? Who
will decide who should be given the loan? Who will settle
disputes between the members? Is there is a danger of
losing money? What if the person who has taken loan does
not return the amount? What options will the SHGs have
to recover the amount? Can the members perform the
functions needed for SHGs. Will all members cooperate?
Will they attend the meetings and deposit the contributions
regularly? What if due to genuine reasons members are
unable to attend or deposit the amount?

The animator will answer the questions by saying that the

group members can perform the required tasks by
themselves. If needed they will be trained to conduct
meetings, maintain accounts and deposit money in the
bank. Attendance and depositing money is compulsory
and fines will be imposed on members who are absent for
the meetings or do not deposit their contributions on time.
The animator will explain that these rules and regulations
are needed for the proper functioning of the groups and
they are applicable for all. Instances of successful
functioning of SHGs and their benefits to the members
are cited to boost the confidence of the members.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 239

If the community’s members are convinced and agree, one

or more, groups are formed in the village. Usually it will
take one to two months with regular weekly visits to the
community to form the SHGs. If the animator is known to
the community or is introduced by an influential person,
the formation of SHGs may be quicker and easier. In some
communities people might have had a bitter experience
with savings and credit programme in which many of them
losing their money to unscrupulous persons. The animator
would have to work harder to persuade people to trust
her.

Selection of members is based on the criteria, which has

been mentioned before. Homogeneity in caste, class and
social background; proximity; financial conditions are some
of the criteria used. Close relatives cannot be members of
the same group- mothers and daughters and mother in
laws and daughters and sister-in laws are not allowed to
be part of the same group.

Usually once groups are formed, members are encouraged

to name it. The name can be of a flower like rose or name
of the place or even a name of the member. Members are
then shown how to perform these tasks- begin the
meetings, take attendance, conduct the proceedings,
maintain accounts, write the minutes of the meetings, get
signatures/thumb impressions of the members, take
decisions regarding the group functioning and close the
meetings. Thereafter the members are ready to take
responsibility of the group’s meetings. Meetings are held
every week or at least every month.

The following documents are needed (1) Minutes book in

which the proceedings of the meeting are recorded.
(2) Savings and loan register where the amount is recorded.
(3) Weekly registers (4) Members passbook where the
individual’s saving and loans are recorded.
240 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

Some of rules and regulations that will have to be agreed

upon are the following:
1) Venue and time of meeting are fixed which is
convenient to all members
2) Penalties for non-attendance and late coming
3) Agreement on amount of saving for each member
4) Procedure for giving small loans to each other, interest
rates and repayment schedule
5) Methods to take decisions regarding loans from banks
and repayment
6) Procedure for taking other decisions regarding the
group
A typical group meeting will start at the appointed time of
the week. The place of the meeting can be the house of the
members, the school building or the office of the e NGO or
any other place, which is convenient to the members. At
the appointed time the meeting begins. Members are
expected to come themselves not send their children or
anybody else. Any one coming late is usually fined a
nominal fee, which is added to the common pool. However
individuals with valid reasons are exempted- sickness to
self, children or close relatives and being out of station
are examples. But the group members decide whether the
reason is genuine or not.

Once the members are all present, a song may be sung

especially if a guest is present. Attendance is taken in the
attendance register and then the contributions are taken
from all members. The amounts are recorded in their
personal passbook and in the accounts register. The
secretary writes down the minutes and treasurer updates
the accounts register. Then matters of common interest
may be discussed. A member may want a loan for personal
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 241

reason or for making investments in a new enterprise. She

may request for a loan of Rs.1000 from the common fund.
Members have to decide whether the loan can be given or
be refused. They will have to be taken into consideration
the genuineness of the reason for requesting the loan, the
capacity of the member to return the loan, past
performance of the member in repaying loans, amount
available with group and other factors. At times there may
be more than one member demanding loan and the group
has to decide to whom the loan will be given. Group
members are also encouraged to discuss common problems
facing the community and steps needed to address the
problem. For example, the anganwadi needs a new worker
and group may decide to present a petition to the
panchayat. Different responsibilities may be distributed
to the group members. All these discussions are recorded
in the minutes book. If no group member can write then
an outsider is requested to write the minutes of the
meetings.

There are number of sources for conflict at this stage-

members don’t understand why they have to pay fine when
they break the group rules especially when it is said that
it their group; members are offended by the actions and
comments of others; members are offended when their
demand for loans are rejected by the group; factions;
members feel that they are investing too much time for
too little. There have been also instances where conflicts
outside the group have adversely affected the functioning
of the group.

The group worker usually settles these conflicts by

speaking to the members and convincing them of the
importance of the following the rules and staying in the
group. The degree of the success of these efforts depends
on the nature of rapport between the group worker and
the members.
242 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

Second Stage
If the group survives the earlier phase then it goes to the
next phase. Meetings are held regularly and members
would accept the rules and regulations and agree that it
is in advantageous for them. Loans should be taken and
repayments done on time. The account books and
passbooks are updated regularly. Conflicts are settled
without outside help.

After two to three meetings the group can start a saving

bank account with the bank. But usually it takes more
time than that as the members must get used to the
functioning of the SHG and build their confidence. Starting
the account in the bank, which forms the first step towards
accessing loans, is called SHG- Bank Linkage. The group
members have to collectively pass a resolution to link their
SHG with the Bank and apply for opening of the account.
Three members should be authorized to operate the
account and two of them can operate the account. A copy
of the rules and regulations of the SHGs has to be
submitted to the bank. Usually the secretary and treasure
operate the group account and from then on the periodical
collections of the group are deposited with bank within
two days of the meeting. The updated passbook is
presented to the group members in the next meeting.

The amount deposited with the Bank grows with the

increase in group deposits and also the interests on the
loans that the members have taken.

Once the SHG has been in existence for a period of time

banks decide whether they are ready to get loans. The time
period differ from bank to bank. For example Andhra Bank
stipulates that the group should have been in active
existence for at least a period of six months.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 243

The bank will provide loans to the group as a whole not to

individuals. The SHG is taken as entity and members serve
as “guarantors”. The amount of the first loan can be upto
four times the amount of saving done by the group. The
loan amount becomes part of the revolving fund from which
members can take loan on an individual basis. Alternatively
the group can collectively start an income generation
programme. After the loan is returned by the members
they can take another loan which is six times the saving
of the SHG and the after its repayment the loan amount
can be upto eight times the savings.

But first the heath of the SHG is assessed and seen whether
it meets the criteria set by the bank to avail loan facilities.
Fulfilling the criteria mean that the SHGs enjoys good
heath and will repay the loans - the main concern of the
lender.

The suggested criteria is given below-

Sr. Factors to be Very good Good Unsatisfactory
No. checked
1 Group Size 15 to 20 10 to 15 Less than 10
2 Type of members Only very poor 2 or 3 poor Many not poor
members members members
3 Number of Four meetings Two Less than two
meeting a month meetings in meetings in a
a month month
4 Timings of Night or after Morning Other timings
meeting 6 pm between
7 to 9 am
5 Attendance of More than 90% 70 to 90% Less than 70%
members
6 Participation of Very high level Medium Low level
members level
7 Savings collection Four times Three times Less than three
withing the group times
every month
244 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

8 Amount to be Fixed amount Varying ——

saved amount
9. Interest on Depending 24 to 36% More than 36%
internal loan upon purpose
10 Utilisation of Fully used for Partly used Poor utilisation
Savings Loaning to for Loaning
members to members
11. Loan recoveries More than 90% 70 to 90% Less than 70%
12 Maintenance All books are Most Irregular in
of books regularly important maintaining
registers and
maintained recording
minutes,
savings,
loans, etc.)
are
maintained
13 Accumulated More than Rs.3000- Less than
savings Rs. 5000/- 5000/- Rs.3000/-
14. Knowledge of Known to all ——— Not known to
the Rules all
of the SHGs
15 Education More than Less than 20
level 20% of per cent know
members to read and
can read write
and write
16 Knowledge of All are aware Most of the No one knows
Govt. of Govt. members programs
know
(Source: A Handbook on forming self-help groups, NABARD

Another facility for groups who meet the criteria and are
formed by BPL members is subsidy. Subsidy by the
government, which need not be repaid, ranges from Rs.
20,000 to Rs.100,000.

The savings of the members, subsidies if any received from

the government, the interest on loans and bank loan are
the financial assets of the SHG. The growth of the deposit
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 245

and growth of lending is the growth of the Self Help Group.

As the amount grows so will the loans which can be given
to the members. The objective would reach if the process
continues....

Third stage
Once the group has stabilized itself then it should ideally
become a people’s institution. However even though
activities other than collection and giving loans to members
are encouraged many SHG limit themselves to doing only
that.

There are example of NGOs initiated SHGs encourage

training programmes for the members like literacy classes,
hygiene classes etc.

There have been instances when SHGs members have

come together and demanded action from the authorities
and succeeded in persuading them to do so. Example SHG
members led a movement demanding the implementation
of prohibition in the state which was accepted by the
government

Creating federation of SHGs is a strategy to strengthen

SHGs that has been tried out in some places. SHGs are
grouped into clusters and cluster level association for the
SHGs are started and many CLAs form a federation. Thus
it enables the SHG members of a small group to become a
part of the larger group and function as a pressure group.

Advantages of SHGs
The evolution of SHGs in India can be traced to the efforts
of NGOs and governmental organizations to provide credit
to the poor. SHGs proved to be very useful for all
stakeholders.
246 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

Advantages for the people

1) SHGs provide cheap credit to the poor
Credit - plays an important role in the lives of the poor as
it does in the lives of others. Credit is accessed for investing
in any enterprise however large or small it may be. Rarely
does even the biggest entrepreneur have enough money
to start her business.

Credit can be accessesed in different ways. She usually

has to access credit from any of the following sources-
identify partners to invest, borrow money from banks and
other lending institutions, borrow from non institutional
lenders like money lenders, raise money from the public
directly in form of shares and debentures. Each of them
has weakness and strengths. However the sources for the
credit for the poor is limited.

The poor hesitate to go to the institutional lenders. They

prefer to go to the moneylenders and pawn brokers who
charge them very high interest rate. But they are preferred
as the credit they provide is quick and transaction costs
low. Studies show that the poor often pay higher interest
rates than the rich. Unfortunately they do not have many
options and are forced to pay higher costs.

SHGs are promoted as sources for timely, cheap and viable

credit. SHGs encourage regular savings as every member
has to contribute an agreed upon amount of money every
week. SHGs encourage disciplined borrowing and
repayments. Group makes decisions as to whom to lend
money and how it will be repaid. Defaulters are pressurized
by group members to return the loans with interests.
Group pressure is the key to the success of SHGs. Thus
repayment rates in SHGs are comparatively better than in
banks.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 247

The transaction costs are low as the cost traveling; filling

forms, producing necessary documents needed to apply
for the loan in bank is not needed. The group members
will assess the need of the member and provide the loan
with minimal formalities.

SHGs charge interest, which are below that of the money

lenders thus increasing the access to the poor to credit.
The interest paid is also returned to the group common
fund which ensures that no outside agency benefits.

Bank-SHGs linkage enables the group to take loans from

the bank with group as collateral which means increased
volume of credit available to the members.

SHGs also start new group business ventures that can

increase their incomes.

Participation in SHGs with regular meetings, maintaining

accounts interacting with bank officials and others
improves the confidence of the members leading to
women’s empowerment. Often participation in the SHG
related activities provides the only opportunity for many
rural women to work without male interference and
domination.

Increased income and participation leads to improved

status in the family and the community. It is observed
that awareness levels of the SHGs members are found to
be higher than non-SHGs members.

Advantages to the Institutional Lenders

Lending to the poor has been part of government policy
for many years. In fact this was an important reason for
bank nationalisation in 1969 and again in 1980. However
banks are reluctant to advance credit to the poor. Some of
the important reasons are given below-
248 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

The poor have minimal assets which often cannot be used

as security or a guarantee against a loan from the lending
institutions. Hence they are not considered credit worthy
and there is great reluctance to extend credit to the poor.
Poor people including hawkers and micro entrepreneurs
need credit but numerous problems making it difficult for
them to access credit. The non-availability of credit is major
barrier in the development of the poor in India.
Secondly bankers and institutional lenders are not trained
to deal with small and marginal depositors. Many of them
are illiterate or semi literate and require a lot of assistance
for successful interaction.
Thirdly, transactions costs are high for the bank if it has
to deal individually with small and marginal depositors
and borrowers. These depositors deposit small amounts
which involves a lot of paper work.
Fourthly recovery rates are poor as many borrowers default
on their payments and it is too costly for the bank to take
efforts to recover small loans through the legal and other
options available
All these conditions lead to a number of problems for the
lenders leading to-
Reduction of profitability; reduced viability; administered
interests and lending costs leading to reduced margins;
Poor monitoring and poor loan recovery (Karmakar,1999)
SHGs resolve many of the problems of the creditor-
1) Repayment rates are high and cheaper as group
pressure ensures most loans are repaid.
2) Many small deposits are accumulated so the numbers
of depositors grow without increased burden on the
services of the bank.
3) The social function of the Bank is fulfilled.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 249

Advantages to the Government

Decades of government sponsored poverty alleviation
programmes have not been very successful. The credit-
based programmes of the government have not been very
successful. These programme have had major problems-
identification of beneficiaries and subsequent recovery of
loans. Beneficiaries default on their repayment and misuse
the credit for non-productive purposes.

The use of SHGs has become a part of the government

strategy for women ‘s empowerment and poverty
alleviation. States governments promote SHGs. They are
known by different names-

Impacts of SHGs
Bank-SHG Linkage
From the point of view the lenders the performance of the
Bank –SHGs Linkage has been successful. The figure given
below indicate this

Performance as on 31 march 2006

Sl.No. Particulars
1) No.of SHGs linked 2,238,565
2) Percentage of women groups in total groups 90%
3) No.of participating banks : 545
i) Commercial Banks 47
ii) Regional Rural Banks 158
iii) Co-operative Banks 340
4) Bank Branches participating 44,362
5) No. of States/UTs 31
250 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

6) No. of districts covered 583

7) No.of Partners 4896
8) Bank Loan Rs. in billion 113.98
9) Refinance Rs. in billion 41.60
10) No.of poor households assisted (in million) 32.98
11) Average Loan/SHG Rs. 50,917
12) Model Wise Linkage ( Cumulative) (%)
i) SHGs formed and financed by Banks 20
ii) SHGs formed by other agencies but directly
financed by banks 74
iii) SHGs financed by banks using financial
intermediaries 6
(Source . NABARD)
Impact of SHG on the women
A number of studies have been done on the different
aspects of SHGs. studies showed that most of women who
are members of SHG belong to the Below Poverty Line
(BPL).

1) SHGs and targeting the poor

The aim of SHGs is to assist the poorest of the poor.
However there is always opposition in the community and
in the family towards efforts to improve their status. Often,
since the poorest sections of the society are difficult to
organize SHGs are started for the well off.. However studies
have shown that upto 51 percent of the members are from
poor families(BPL), Many are women belonging to the
Schedule Caste community.(EDA Rural system Pvt limited.
2006). Harper (2003) found 77 percent of women in the
SHGs he studied are from the SC community.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 251

2) Impact of membership on income

Many studies have shown that income of the members
have increased significantly. However some studies also
point out that the increase has not been sufficient to bring
them above the poverty line.( Swain, Ranjula Bali and Fan
Yang Wallentin Eda Rural system Pvt limited; 2006
Tankha, Ajay, ). Further it is widely accepted that SHGs
have helped to reduce the dependence on the moneylender
by making available credit during emergencies and for
creation of productive assets. Harper in his study found
an increase of 37.5 percent in the assets of families who
were members for seven years over those who were
members only for three years. He points out that one
reason could be the loans obtained from the SHGs.
NABARD’s evaluation study of 560 members of 223 SHGs
linked to banks in 11 states showed that SHG members
realized major increases in assets, income and
employment. ASSEFA ‘s study showed 95% of members
covered by the study reported increases in annual income
and 52% have reported an increase in net worth over Rs.
10,000. These studies confirm that income and assets of
families of SHG members have increased.

3) Impact of membership on social status

NABARD evaluation study showed that women members
were found to have become more assertive in confronting
social evils and problem situations.

Nearly half the poor member households had crossed the

poverty line. The social status of women has increased in
the family and in the community. (Ajay Tankha). Studies
conducted so far have shown that the SHGs membership
had a positive impact on the women and society. A major
study of 72 SHGs undertaken earlier covering over 1,000
SHG members in Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Karnataka (.Harper et al.1998) observed improvement in
252 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

members’ diet, assets and education. Similarly the EDA

study showed thirty percent of the SHGs were active
members in community.

4) Impact of SHGs on disaster related activities

Kim Wilson (2002) found that involving SHGs in pre-
disaster and post disaster activities reduced the cost of
relief and rehabilitation. The reason for this is the close
cooperation that the SHGs could work with the community,
Panchayat and relief agencies.

5) SHGs promote social capital in society

Social capital has been defined by Robert Putnam (2000)
as network of trusts in the society. It has a public face and
the private face. The private face means that having more
social contacts will benefit the individual. The public face
relates to the benefit the society has because of network
of trusts existing in society. Putnam (1992) finds a positive
correlation between the social capital and good governance.
SHGs by their savings and credit activity promote increases
social capital in the society.

Criticism of SHGs
SHGs have been criticized as being one more fad in the
field of development which while not addressing the core
issue of oppression and discrimination tries to solve the
problem by providing credit to the poor. One commentator
calls the strategy of using the SHGs for development as
the last resort of the development planner. All other
reformist strategies having failed the success of the
Grameen Bank and other NGOs enabled the government
and the funding agencies to grasp on to the concept of
SHGs. At the first look, SHGs are ideal as it follows the
participatory approach and emphasizes on self and mutual
aid. But the strategy is meant again to avoid radical
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 253

measures that will hurt the interests of the powerful and

the rich.

Secondly, SHGs suit well in the strategy of the international

institutions like the World bank and other western based
aid agencies to make people part of the market as
consumers and producers. Critics who are suspicious of
the motives of these institutions attribute the growth of
SHGs to the furthering of this strategy by these
institutions.

Thirdly, the entry of private micro finance institutions

(MFIs) into the rural areas has created a confusion in the
minds of the people. The aim of MFIs is to create profit for
them by providing micro -credit without any security.
Unscrupulous characters intending to cheat people run
some of these MFIs. To increase the volume of credit they
encourage poor women to form groups and assess easy
credit. Many of them are do not assess the financial health
of the group before the providing credit nor do they prepare
the members for handling money. Sometimes they provide
more than one loan to the same group without first one
being repaid. People fall easy prey to these schemes as
getting loans from them is easier and faster. They soon
fall into the debt trap. People often mistakenly associate
all types of SHGs with MFIs which brings bad name to the
latter.

Conclusion
SHGs have become a key component in the developmental
programme of the government and the NGOs. It has become
the instrument through which the credit; a important
prerequisite for development is being reached to the poor.
But an important aspect is that SHGs if handled properly
is a people’s institution, which can play a role in the
transformation of the society. Evidence from the field may
254 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

not give entire picture as research in same areas may be

lacking or is not available in the public domain. However
there is no doubt that the SHGs are playing an important
role in developing disadvantaged women in urban and rural
areas.

References
Harper, Malcolm (1998), Profit for the Poor - Cases in Micro-
Finance, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Ltd., New Delhi.
Putnam, Robert (1992). Making democracy Work; Civic
traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press, New
Jersey.
Putnam, Robert (2000), Bowling alone; The collapse and
revival of American Community, Simon & Schuster, New
York.
ASSEFA, Mid Term Assessment of Women’s Development
Programme (mimeo), Chennai
Karmakar, K.G.,(1999), Rural Credit and self Help Groups,
Micro finance Needs and Concepts in India, Sage
Publications, New Delhi.
Swain, Ranjula Bali and Fan Yang Wallentin, does micro
finance empower women? Evidence from self help groups
in india, Working Paper 2007:24 Department of Economics,
Department of Economics Working paper 2007:24, Uppsala
University Uppsala. Downloaded from htt p://
www.nek.uu.se on 10th January 2009
Siddiqui, H.Y.(2008), Group work; Theories and Practices,
Rawat Publications, Jaipur.
Wilson, Kim (2002), The Role of Self Help Group Bank in
Linkage Programme in Preventing Rural Emergencies in
India, NABARD, Mumbai.
Concepts and Dynamics of Self Help Groups 255

MYRADA, (2002) Impact of Self Help Groups (Group

Processes) on The Social/Empowerment Status of Women
Members In Southern India, NABARD, Mumbai

A handbook on forming Self Help Groups (SHGS)(not

dated), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development, Mumbai

www.rbi.org.in/scripts/FAQDisplay/aspx
256 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

14

Group Work in Community

Settings
*Joseph Varghese

Introduction
Group work is very useful in the community. We have
discussed in detail the most widely used type of groups in
the community- the SHGs. In this chapter the other types
of groups will be discussed. Any number of natural groups
is found in the community. Most of them are spontaneous
efforts by the people themselves to control their lives by
helping others and getting help from others. Most of them
receive no or minimum help from professionals. However
they are effective in assisting those who are part of it. The
members do no think of their membership in the group as
something outside their normal course of life. It is part
and parcel of their life. For the poor the groups are
crucial part of their livelihood strategies and survival
strategies. They borrow money when needed, help building
each other homes, take part in joys and sorrows of each
other’s lives and assist each other in emergency.

Community based groups are based on neighborhood,

caste and extended kinship ties. Groups can also be formed
on the basis of many different criteria- members may be
suffering from the same illness; members may be
recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction; etc. One
important type of group that is increasingly being important

*Mr. Joseph Varghese, Christ University, Bangalore

Group Work in Community Settings 257

are the social action groups that aim at achieving social

justice for the disadvantaged. We will discuss the relevance
and functions of these groups for the society and for their
members. We will also study community-based groups,
which serve people with different problems.

Social Action Groups

Social work is not only associated with treatment and
delivery of services, it is also involved in challenging
discriminating practices and advocating the rights of the
marginalized. Right from the days of the settlement
movement social work pioneers have aimed at system
transformation and social reform. It has been realized that
treating individual clients alone will not solve social
problems. Social institutions have to be transformed and
exploitative structures destroyed. These methods are
usually considered part of the domain of the Social work
method of Community Organization.
According to Rothman (1968) three models of community
organization are- Social Planning Model, Locality
Development and Social Action. Though community
organization aims at mobilizing the community it is the
groups that actually that does much of the work. According
to (Staples in Gravin et al, 2004; 346) the “group setting is
an ideal access point for most community members to
engage in social action. Small groups maximize
opportunities for participation in process of discussion,
analysis, consciousness raising, decision making and
planning”. He further says that before every event held in
the community, smaller meetings are held for variety of
purposes including action research, leadership training,
executive decision making, strategic analysis, community
education, recruitment, action planning, negotiating,
lobbying and evaluation. These tasks done largely in groups
determine to large extent the success or failure of the
community organization process.
258 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

As you know group work groups are divided into two types
(1) Treatment group that consists of personality
development groups, educational groups, recreational
groups, support groups and therapeutic group (2) Tasks
groups includes committees and councils. The main
purpose of the task groups are to accomplish that tasks
or programmes that has been entrusted to it. Social actions
groups belong to category of Task groups. It usually
consists of a small number of members who may belong
to the community or are outsiders to the community or
both. They take up an issue that they identify as having
an adverse effect on the well being of the members of the
community. They identify the causative factors that lead
to the problem. Institutions, practices and values that
cause the problems are identified. The agent can be the
government itself or a government department, police,
industries, social groups, organizations whose actions or
inactions has lead to the problem. Many times it is the
combination of factors that lead to the problems.
Government inaction invariably contributes to the problem.
The action group believes that the problem can be alleviated
if people unite and challenge the powerful and force them
to act in public interests. When people participate in the
process of decision-making and thereby gain mastery over
their lives it is called empowerment.
Empowerment is long process in which people first
understand the reality of power structure around. They
understand the interconnections between the social
structures and how it controls their lives. Pablo Friere calls
this process conscientization. They have to get rework on
their images. They must stop seeing themselves as passive
and powerless. They must begin see themselves as agents
of social transformation.
Groups are ideal for this kind of activity. Cox (1991) gives
the following reasons (1) Groups facilitate sharing of
Group Work in Community Settings 259

experiences which will help describe the reality as they

view it themselves (2) Successful cases of overcoming the
powerlessness can motivate and inspire others (3) Members
discussion can confront each other with their fears and
hopes facilitating the consciousness raising (4) Learning
with each other increases knowledge of the political
dimension.

Social action groups are formed on the basis on the

following (1) Geographical area like neighbourhood,
community, and people living in close proximity. Since
they live close by they are likely to have the same problems
and more importantly share a common identity. Common
concerns like housing, public utilities environmental issues
are then taken up by the action groups. Sometimes the
community members are part of formal organizations like
resident welfare associations and community based
organizations. Again often committees are formed within
these organizations to deal with the authorities. (2) Another
type of groups is based on the particular issue such as
women rights, dalit rights and tribal rights, consumer
awareness and rights and land rights. (3) The third type of
groups is based on identity like ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation, and mental or physical disability.

According to Rothman the goal of social action is to bring

about a shift in how resources and power is distributed in
the society. It is their belief that there is asymmetrical
division of power and resources, which leads to the
dominant sections using power to attain their goals at the
costs of the community. Consequently the disadvantaged
sections experience injustice and deprivation. Conflict,
confrontations, agitation, protests, PILs, negotiations and
strikes would be some of the techniques to be used

For example, an industry lets untreated affluent to the

river, which causes pollution, contamination of water
260 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

bodies and land degradation. If industry is unwilling to

listen to the pleas of the people the only strategy that would
yield results would be challenge the factory using the legal
means, holding protests and publicizing the problem using
the media.

Social Action Groups in India

In India social action groups began to make its presence
know during the 1970s. That decade was turbulent times
in the life of the nation. The declaration of emergency; the
war with Pakistan; rise in prices; the frequent strikes and
protests; the controversial family planning programme and
demolition of slums; numerous arrests of social activists;
rise of naxal movements; student protests are some of the
important events that shook the nation. . The political
system especially the political parties to a large extent lost
their creditability. The police and the bureaucracy also
lost its credibility. Many people felt that there is a need for
alternatives from outside the prevailing system. Social
action groups emerged out of this situation.
Most of activists were from middle class families. (Kothari,
1987; 441, Sheth, D.L.,1984; 258, Sharma, S.L.255, Sethi
1984;305). They were disillusioned with the mainstream
parties who advocated change but in practice maintained
status quo. Their bitter experience during the emergency
made them ideologically anti state and anti bureaucracy
(Kothari, 1984; 220). They rejected the idea that the state
could ever be an instrument of justice and liberation. They
rejected the developmental paradigms set by the state
(Kothari, 1984,220, Sheth D.L.,1984, 259). They saw the
problems of India not only in economic terms but also in
cultural and social dimensions.
Consequently their strategies for development were
different. They believed in living among them and taking
part in their struggles rather than dictating instructions
Group Work in Community Settings 261

to them for development. People’s knowledge and

experience was respected and integrated with the group
strategy for development.
Conscientization and building people movements were the
main instruments. Marxian and Gandhian ideologies
influenced most of social action groups. However over the
course of time many of these groups turned in formal
organizations- some of them even became as bureaucratic
and corrupt as the government institutions that they
challenged. It is also observed that some of them built
alliances with the government and co-opted into the
system.

Another controversy with these groups is the foreign

funding and its role in the emergence of these groups.
Prakash Karat (1984) accused action groups of building
micro social movements with the intention of breaking the
larger workers and peasant’s movement, which had a
greater chance for social transformation-worker’s
movement, peasant movements and women movements.
According to him foreign agencies promote this role of the
action groups in mind when they fund the action groups.
So he concludes that social action groups organize people
into micro movements, which aim at small changes while
neglecting the macro level problems of capitalism and
imperialism. However as mentioned above these groups
emerged when large formal organizations like political
parties and the bureaucracy failed in attaining their
objectives.

Political leadership of even revolutionary parties lost their

radical agenda when they attained state power. (Michel,
Robert, 1915). Therefore social activists were more
comfortable while working in small groups in which the
members knew each other personally and ideologically
similar rather than large organizations that could be
262 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

manipulated by the leadership for serving selfish motives.

Moreover small groups can give importance to every
member opinion, thereby reducing alienation of it
members.

Social action groups have been helped by the Supreme

Court and High Courts accepting Public Interest Litigation
(PILs) to deal with problems. Public Interest Litigation
allows the activists to take up issues of public concern
and ask for judicial action. Similarly, the Right to
Information Act has enabled the activists to ask information
from the government departments and use it to compare
the reality on the ground. Both these developments opened
new avenues of action for the groups.

But it cannot be denied that there are number of

shortcomings of action groups. Some of them are as
follows-
1) Factionist and frequent splits in the groups
2) Personal factors often interfered with professional
conduct leading to blurring of line between
professional and private.
3) Empire building and monopolizing of issues
4) Working for publicity and fame and thereby neglecting
the real causes
5) Often outside leaders of these groups have
overshadowed community leaders because of their
knowledge and social network.
6) Corruption and mismanagement.
7) Leadership is authoritarian and dictatorial
8) Foreign fund based activity and priorities
Group Work in Community Settings 263

Some of the areas, which action groups have contributed,

are as follows-
1) Promotion of human rights issues including protection
of the under trials; police atrocities including custodial
deaths rights of the arrested; encounter deaths;
juvenile justice; rights of sexual minorities. The
People’s Union for Civil Liberties and Human Rights
Law network is just two examples of action groups.
2) Rights of people are displaced due to Development
Project. Examples -the Narmada Bachao Andolan and
Protest Movements against Tehri Dam in Uttrakhand.
3) Women rights issues like domestic violence, dowry,
and sexual harassment. Many of legislations have been
passed and existing laws modified due to the pressure
from action groups. For example, the Visaka judgment,
which deals with sexual harassment at work places,
is result of the action group’s case against atrocity in
Rajasthan on a community worker.
4) Tribal issues like land alienation, displacement and
exploitation
5) Environment issues pollution of rivers, lowering of
water table because of over exploitation by corporate,
damage to monuments has been taken up by the
action groups. The Centre for Science and
Environment, Delhi and Cost Ford are examples of
action groups that have intervened in environmental
issues.
6) Protest against forcible Land acquisition
7) Protection of the rights of informal labour like workers
working in house (domestic workers), brick kilns,
glass-manufacturing units.
8) Child labour
264 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

9) Animal rights
10) Right to housing and rights of people living in slums.
Steps for social action group
According to Carr (2008) the following steps can be
implemented to create and sustain a social action group

1) Engaging
The process in which the group worker engages the target
group- a community (a village where the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme is not implemented
properly); a section of society whose rights are denied
(sexual minorities); collection of people whose rights are
violated (workers whose factory have terminated their
services illegally). The engagement phase will include
familiarizing herself with the various dimensions of the
problem. The laws related to the problem, government
policies, the response of the local authority, research
available and news articles could be studied. Another step
in the process is build rapport with the existing leadership
in the community and knowing their limitations and
strengths.

Initial reflections- the group worker must understand the

situation and identify the principles that will guide her
action and her relationship with the target group.

Assessing system barriers- the group assess the various

barriers that stand in between the target group and its
objectives. Some of the barriers can be related to the
situation (like government indifference to the issue) or to
the target group themselves (lack of awareness) or be
related to the other issues (leadership of the group, past
events).
Group Work in Community Settings 265

Finding allies and making contacts

Networking with like-minded groups, developing contacts
in the media and academic world and obtaining the support
of other communities are important function of the group
leader. In India personal contacts with the police,
bureaucracy and professionals (lawyers, doctors) are also
very useful. These allies and contacts can be useful in
many ways- increasing the knowledge base, for providing
professional guidance, recruiting new members,
contributing resources, arranging publicity and giving
encouragement.

2) Initiating the Group

Identifying members, seeking ways to motivate them to
join the group, finding resources and venue meetings are
the important tasks that have to be done. This phase can
be stressful one as convincing people to join is tedious
job. The group worker must be able to withstand the
problems of forming the group before she moves ahead

Recruiting participants
Individuals may initially agree and then refuse or refuse
many times before agreeing to join. There maybe occasions
in which personal and professional disagreements can
threaten to split the group or even end it. It is found that
recruiting members from the disadvantaged section is
difficult.

Finding a venue and obtaining needed materials

An accessible place for meeting and materials needed have
to be organized. It is better if available resources are used.

Building trust
Any group has to have a certain level of trust and goodwill
among its members. This is crucial maintenance function.
266 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

The level of trust can be increased if opportunities and a

climate exist in the group to express one’s opinions and
views. Similarly others should be able to respond to these
views freely without worrying about hurting the other
members or retribution.

Establishing collegiality
Perfect equality may not be possible in the group as the
group worker often is a person with more knowledge and
skills. However he should take care that he works with
the group rather than for the group. His example will help
set norms for the group regarding the rules of participating
and engaging. Further as mentioned earlier the various
processes in the group is itself an empowering experience
for the participants.

3) Facilitating the group

Establishing ground rules
Rules and regulations agreed upon by every members help
in maintaining the group. These rules and regulation can
be to govern a whole gambit of activity of the group. Group
discussions and interaction, decision making and other
process of the group should be subject to rules.

Facilitating consciousness raising

The discussions that take in the group has to raise the
level of consciousness in the group members. The group
workers should encourage group members to draw
connections between the problems that identify as personal
and the collective manifestation of these problems as
political issues (Carr, 2005). For example, the discussion
on poverty of families in a community is linked to the lack
of accessibility to economic resources and education
resources, which in turn is a political problem. The process
of raising consciousness will include challenging and
Group Work in Community Settings 267

removing many of the existing perceptions of the members

on their situation.

Supporting action
Group action should follow the raising of consciousness.
Action requires the utilization of all available resources -
personal and community based. The support network built
by the group including personal contacts and community
members, concerned students, activists is used. Action
should identify the target - the institution or person against
whom the action is taken. This target should be carefully
chosen as the success of the action depends on the how
much change is achieved in the institution.

Encourage praxis
Paulo Friere described praxis as “reflection and action
directed at the structures to be transformed’”. Thus any
action should follow by reflection about its consequences,
successes and failures. A certain amount of learning takes
place in every action even if it fails in achieving its
objectives. The learning can be about the group itself, or
the community as a whole or about the power structures.
These learning can be analyzed by getting the members to
talk about it. The sharing of the views will increase the
level of consciousness. Based on these learning, future
action is planned and taken and the process goes on...

4) Transferring power
The ultimate aim of the empowering process is to make
the members independent, not make them depend on the
group worker. After a period the group members should
be able to function with limited or no support from the
group leaders. The group workers should be able to transfer
his skills and information to the group members. Some of
the methods used to build the capacity of the members
268 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

are training; handholding (members, performs under close

supervision) and delegation of authority.

5) Wraping up
The group worker must be able to leave the group at the
right time. The group members should be prepared for
this. Leadership should be created and trained and
resources identified for future use. Groups, whose
members are from highly disadvantaged sections, require
more time before they can function independently.
Social action groups will remain relevant for a long time to
come. Their effectiveness in countering social injustice
make them ideal vehicles for social transformation.

Group Work with Disaster Victims

Disasters are sudden events that cause large-scale damage
to human being and their property. The victims of a disaster
are not only those who die and are injured but also those
who survive. Both the category of survivors; injured and
the unharmed need psychological support. Another
important category of people who are in need of support is
the caregivers. Caregivers are those who give the survivors
emotional and social support. But the experience can be
stressful for the caregivers themselves.
Victims of the disaster are classified into six categories by
Taylor and Frazer

(1) The primary victims are those who are directly affected
by the disaster

(2) Secondary victims includes the friends and relatives

of the primary victims (3) The tertiary victims are those
involved in the rescue and recovery (4) The fourth
category are those in the community that are involved
in the disaster work (5) The fifth category are those
Group Work in Community Settings 269

who have not experienced by the disaster but

experience grief and pain (6) The sixth category of
victims are those who could have been victims, but by
chance escaped.

The care that the victims need are the following (1) Shelter
temporary and later on permanent if house destroyed (2)
food and medicines (3) Medical facility if injured (4)
Livelihood (5) legal aid filing for compensation, filing case
against perpetuators (6) Compensation (7) Psycho social
care and (8)Self help leading to self reliance.

Social worker is involved in every action

But the most important aspect of his work is psycho-social
care. The aim of psychosocial care is to treat the victims
who have undergone a traumatic experience.

According to Newburn (1993) the common reactions to

traumatic events are the following
1) Reliving the experience through dreams, flash backs
etc which may last for a period of time. For a proportion
of the survivors these reaction may develop into
Posttraumatic Stress disorder. (PTSD).
2) Bereavement Intense grief and feeling of loss. Relatives
and friends of the deceased may feel a sense of
unreality and numbness. Secondly, the feelings of guilt
of having survived when relatives and friend have not.
Some these feelings are mixed with that of elation at
having survived. Thirdly, there maybe a need to know
how the disaster happened.
3) The experience of the disaster affects the relations in
the family. Some families became stronger as a unit
while other families disintegrated.
4) Phobic reactions to sounds, smells and sights
270 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

5) Lives of the disaster victims disrupted due to various

tasks like filing for compensation, inquests requests
6) Intrusions by the media and others who want to obtain
information
7) The experience also affects the behaviour in the
workplace in the future.
Seven basic principles of psychosocial care are given below.
(Sekar et al, 2005).
1) Ventilation. The most important work with the victims
of disaster is listening to the accounts of the relative
and the survivors (Newburn, ibid). The ventilation
process can be done individually and in groups.
Groups have a number of advantages, which will be
elaborated, in the next section.
2) Empathy
3) Active listening which includes the following (1)
Maintaining eye contact (2) responding occasionally
while listening (3) Avoid interruptions (4) Accept and
(5) empathize
4) Externalization of interests of the survivor which
means that the survivor is encouraged to engage in
productive purposes which will increase their self
worth and self esteem.
5) Social support; encouraging people receive and give
emotional support.
6) Relaxation and recreation yoga, games and physical
exercises help recovery of the victims
7) Facilitating reconciliation and rehabilitation.
You can see that all these principles can be effective if it is
done in the group. The advantages of group-based
treatment of victims are as follows.
Group Work in Community Settings 271

1) Sharing the victim’s painful experiences in a group

where other victims are present. Universalization of
experiences and identification with every other
problem take place in the group sessions. Knowing
that others also have gone through the experiences
and knowing how they are coping with the situation
is helpful for the victims.
2) Recreational and relaxation activities are more
enjoyable if they are done in groups.
3) Engaging in productive work (for example gardening,
basket making building houses)in team motivates the
members to engage in these activities on regular basis
4) Efforts like starting SHGs for women can be a start
for the rehabilitation of the victims.
A large number of victims can be treated using group work.
Secondly, special groups for the vulnerable Groups for
women and children can take care of their special needs
as these sections are more vulnerable than others and
need special care. Thirdly, these groups survive even after
the social workers and the administration go and is a
source for support for disaster victims after a long time.

Groups Work Among the Substance

Abusers
Group work among the substance abusers can be done in
institutions as well in the community. Usually the group
members meet in a common place- religious places, school
or community centres. There are a number of approaches
available to solve the problem of substance abuse and
alcohol.
According to Fisher (in Gravin(2004)), group work is an
appropriate method to deal with the problem of addiction-
272 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

1) Group reduce the sense of isolation often experienced

by persons with the substance use disorders, who may
experience a sense of relief to discover that other people
are struggling with similar problems.
2) Groups can instill hope in the persons that they can
recover when they observe others deal successfully
with similar problems.
3) Groups provide opportunity for the members to learn
to cope with problems of substance abuse when they
observe others coping with similar problems.
4) Groups can give new information to the members given
by the group worker, guest lecturer, instructors and
other members.
5) Positive feedback about their worth, skills and abilities
from other members will improve their self concept
(self worth and self image)
6) Groups provide reparative(alternate ) family
experiences as the group members give the support
and assurance that they sometimes do not receive from
their own families. They may try out new behaviours
which can be used in the their own families.
7) Groups provide emotional support to the members
when they experience stressful and difficult situations
outside the group. Encouragement, reinforcement and
coaching can happen in the group.
8) Groups help the members acquire social skills that
are needed to cope with anxiety situations instead of
depending on substances for dealing with difficult
situations in life. Members can coach and guide the
members who need such skills.
9) Group members can confront each other in very
powerful ways regarding the substance abuse.
Confrontation in substance abuse is important as most
Group Work in Community Settings 273

of the abusers are in the state of denial. Confrontation

by other who had similar problems is particularly
powerful.
10) Groups are cost effective as many members can be
treated simultaneously.
11) The benefits of group work may exceed beyond the
group and benefit others who are in some way related
to the members- family members, employers.
Important principles and techniques as suggested by Corey
and Corey (1987)to increase effectiveness of Groups
1) Emphasize on abstinence from the substance/ alcohol
is important.
2) A minimum degree of motivation is needed in the group
members to make the group experience work for their
benefit. This requirement is important as many of the
patients in the groups are forced by their family
members to join the group. Thus group members lack
interest in the group process and therefore neither
contributes nor gains from the experience. Many of
them are not confident about the role of groups in
their treatment process.
3) Another important requirement is that the members
should have the capacity to perform as a group
member. Often his physical and mental condition is
such that he is not able to participate in the group.
Substance abuse has destroyed or retarded his
capacity to act normally; if the person is undergoing
treatment drugs are administered to him to detoxify
his body, which has sedative effects on the body. It is
observed that many members are not even able to sit
in upright position and listen to the group worker.
4) Members suffering from mental illnesses is to be
excluded as these group often refer to a ‘higher power’,
274 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

which will increase their tendency to hallucinate.

(Fisher, ibid)
5) The first phase of the group work should have sessions
that are highly structured- well planned with clear
objectives . After a few sessions an interactive approach
can be used and greater freedom allowed to the
members.
6) Most of the activities are focused on here and now
activities, activity-based programme like those needing
movement of the body are recommended.
7) Role plays; problem solving, feedback, self-disclosure,
confrontation, creating social support network and
providing information are important techniques.
Alcoholic Anonymous
Alcoholic Anonymous(AA) is a global organization, which
uses the group approach to stop alcoholics, abstain from
alcohol. AA was found in 1936 by Bill Wilson who himself
was a recovered alcoholic and through his experiences
concluded that the best persons to help an alcoholic are
other alcoholics. Based on the principles of self-help and
mutual aid AA has developed a model for helping alcoholics.

The AA has been estimated to be more than 2 million

around the global. Local chapters (called fellowships) of
AA can be found in major cities and towns in India. Usually
newspapers list the AA meetings taking place in the city.

AA follows a well-defined program structure of steps and

traditions that have been codified in the books, pamphlets
and brochures.

AA follows in the twelve traditions their experience has

taught them to be useful.
Group Work in Community Settings 275

1) Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is a small part

of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of
us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes
first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.
2) For our group purpose there is one ultimate
authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in
our group conscience.
3) Our membership ought to include all who suffer from
alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to
recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon
money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics
gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an
A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no
other affiliation.
4) With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should
be responsible to no other authority than its own
conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of
neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be
consulted. And no group, regional committee, or
individual should ever take any action that might
greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with
the trustees of the General Service Board. On such
issues our common welfare is paramount.
5) Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a
spiritual entity having but one primary purpose—that
of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6) Problems of money, property, and authority may easily
divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think,
therefore, that any considerable property of genuine
use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and
managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual.
An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business.
Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals,
276 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

which require much property or administration, ought

to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary,
they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such
facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their
management should be the sole responsibility of those
people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A.
managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well
as other places of recuperation, ought to be well
outside A.A.—and medically supervised. While an A.A.
group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation
ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement,
actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no
one.
7) The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported
by the voluntary contributions of their own members.
We think that each group should soon achieve this
ideal; that any public solicitation of funds using the
name of Alcoholics Anonymous is highly dangerous,
whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside
agencies; that acceptance of large gifts from any
source, or of contributions carrying any obligation
whatever, is unwise. Then too, we view with much
concern those A.A. treasuries, which continue, beyond
prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated
A.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us that
nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage
as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.
8) Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever
nonprofessional. We define professionalism as the
occupation of counselling alcoholics for fees or hire.
But we may employ alcoholics where they are going
to perform those services for which we might otherwise
have to engage nonalcoholic. Such special services
may be well recompensed. But our usual A.A. “12 Step”
work is never to be paid for.
Group Work in Community Settings 277

9) Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization.

Rotating leadership is the best. The small group may
elect its secretary, the large group its rotating
committee, and the groups of a large metropolitan area,
their central or intergroup committee, which often
employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the
General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A. General
Service Committee. They are the custodians of our
A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A.
contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General
Service Office at New York. They are authorized by
the groups to handle our over-all public relations and
they guarantee the integrity of our principal
newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine. All such
representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service,
for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced
servants of the whole. They derive no real authority
from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect
is the key to their usefulness.
10) No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way
as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside
controversial issues—particularly those of politics,
alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics
Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such
matters they can express no views whatever.
11) Our relations with the general public should be
characterized by personal anonymity. We think A.A.
ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and
pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast,
filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should
be guided by the principle of attraction rather than
promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves.
We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.
12) And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that
the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual
278 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

significance. It reminds us that we are to place

principles before personalities; that we are actually to
practice a genuine humility.
The success of AA is seen in the millions of people who
have benefited from the programme. It is acceptance can
been seen in the groups being formed on the similar
principles for other problems- schizophrenia, parents, child
abused adults, overeaters etc. Some of these groups uses
approaches which are slightly different from the AA but
the AA remains a popular model for handling problems
through life changing peer led self groups. (Kurtz in Gravin,
2004)

One aspect that is interesting to social group workers is in

the emphasis on the nonprofessional approach, which
means that for the core activity of conducting group
meetings, strictly no outside professional assistance is
allowed. Professional assistance is used for the other
services needed.

Group work among the caregivers

Caregivers are individual who take primary responsibility
of attending to the needs of the patient and the victim(in a
disaster). Care giving can be a stressful activity due to the
following reason.(1) The needs of the person has to be taken
care of which can takes a lot of time which will reduce the
time available to the caregiver for his/her personal and
professional issues. (2) behaviour of the person can lead
to frustration to the caregiver. (3) The grief and frustration
of the patient affects the mental well-being of the caregiver
(4) Care giving is physically demanding and can lead to
fatigue and physical strain (5) In some diseases like AIDS
caregiver may be stigmatized by his/her association with
the patient (6) Caregivers suffer from the knowledge that
there is no hope of a cure for the ailments affecting the
patient and that the condition is life long. (7) Caregivers
Group Work in Community Settings 279

often have to sacrifice many of their own hopes and

aspirations because of their primary duty as a caregiver.(8)
Care giving can have financial loses in terms of loss of
income for the caregiver and because of medical costs of
the patient.

Care giving is defined as “Due to someone whose life is in

some way restricted by the need to be responsible for the
care of someone who is mentally ill, mentally handicapped,
physically disabled or whose health is impaired by sickness
or old age”.(Baroness Pitkeathley It’s my Duty Isn’t it?
1989). The physical and psychosocial affect on care giving
has been subject of numerous studies. The caregiver often
experiences conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she is
aware that the person is in need of care and on other hand
she may begin to dislike the patient for being a burden on
her. These issues have to be dealt with if caregivers have
to be effective and at the same time maintain their own
psychosocial health. Caregiver groups has thus become a
major research issue (Campbell in Gravin, 2004)

The groups are categorized as (1) Psycho educational

groups, which focus on information about the problems
and improving emotional health, mainly coping with
frustration. (2) Psychotherapy groups dealing with the
problems of loneliness, hopelessness and loss of
companionship.(3) Support groups which involves mainly
sharing of experiences and problems

Group Work Among Young People in the

Community
Group work among children, teenagers, adolescents and
youth are important in India. Each of these categories will
have a different set of problems depending on the situation
that they are in. The major factors that will have an
influence on their behaviour are
280 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

1) Type of family
2) Neighbourhood
3) Whether studying or no
3) Educational qualifications
4) Type of school
5) Income level of family
6) Personal History
The type of groups which can be organized for them are
(1) Educational groups which will teach them social skills,
help them cope with difficult life situations and develop
attitudes (2) Recreational groups which give the members
enjoyable experiences which will keep them away from
risk behaviour and develop healthy lifestyles.(3) personality
development groups which will enable them to improve
their self image and improve confidence levels.
Some of the themes, which can be taken up by Corey and
Corey are-
1) Dealing with alcohol abuse and drug abuse
2) Learning to cope with feelings of depression, guilt,
anxiety, anger, rejection, hostility and loneliness.
3) Exploring conflicts at home
4) Post school plans and careers
5) Discuss matters related to love and intimacy if
culturally appropriate
6) Defining sex roles
7) Exploring identity issues
8) Considering issues related to autonomy and
dependence
9) Conflicts with parents and how to appreciate them
Group Work in Community Settings 281

In Indian situation the following themes can also be tried

out
1) Academic performance
2) Influence of media and how to deal with it
3) Rights of the children
4) Concerns of environment.
Dealing with young people
1) Young people may resist the group workers efforts to
deal with relevant topics and express preference for
games and sports. While group self determination is
an important principle of group work. The group
worker must find ways and means to reach the
objectives without alienating the members. These
efforts would include relating the activities to the
objectives.
2) The group worker must in his actions earn the trust
of the members without which the group will not
function. Therefore he should be open and honest with
the group members. He can also reveal information
about his own experiences as a child and youth to the
degree that he is comfortable. It need not be strictly a
professional relationship.
3) The group member must remind himself often that it
is for the benefit of the group members that the group
work is being conducted not for his persona; benefit.
In the hierarchical society like ours often the group
worker thinks that he knows better than the members.
Most often, he does not nor must assume to know
better.
4) Individual meetings should be held with members who
are not cooperative or are disrupting the group
functioning
282 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

5) Group worker should delegate tasks to the members

whenever possible trusting in their capacities.
Mistakes done by the members in the tasks should be
seen as a learning process.
6) Most importantly groups should be formed of same
sex and the same age group. Heterogeneous groups
rarely work in India.

Conclusion
The chapter has shown the different settings in the
community where group work can be practiced. We have
seen the role of the social action group, which fights for
justice. The contribution of these groups in securing justice
for the disadvantaged is significant. When formal
organizations are increasingly seen as ineffective groups
are seen as better options.

Funding agencies are increasingly looking at these groups

to bring about change in the society. They provide funds
for capacity building and leadership training in these
groups. The courts in India have also in its various
judgments appreciated the role of these groups in bringing
to issues to the public domain. In India, where
opportunities for group work in institutional settings are
limited, group work in community becomes important.

References
Bhat, Anil (1989). Development and Social Justice; Micro
action by weaker sections, Sage Publications, New Delhi.
Gravin, Charles, D. et al (ed), 2004, Handbook of Social
Work with groups, Rawat Publications, Jaipur.
Newburn , Tim(1993), Disaster and After, Social work in
the aftermath of disaster, Jessica Kingsley Publications,
London.
Group Work in Community Settings 283

Phillips Julie (2001)., Group work in Social Care; Planning

and setting up groups, Jessica Kinsley Publications,
London.

Karat, Prakash(1984), “Action Groups, voluntary

organizations: A Factor in Imperialist Strategy”, Marxist
Vol2. April-June,

Kothari, Rajni (1984), “ The Non Party Process”, Economic

and Political Weekly, Vol.XIX, No.5.

Sharma, S.L.(1992). “Social Action Groups as Harbinger

of Silent Revolution”, Economic and Political Weekly, XXVII,
No.47

Sheth, D.L.(1984).” Grassroots Institutions in India”

Economic and Political Weekly, Vol XIX NO.8.

Trecker, Harleigh (1972), Social Group Work, Principles

and Practices, Follet Publishing Company, Chicago
284 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

15

Group Work in Institutional

Settings
*Joseph Varghese

Introduction
Group work is used in numerous institutions- hospitals,
child welfare institutions, alcoholic and drug rehabilitation
agencies, old age agencies, family counselling agencies and
industries. Group work, if effectively used can alleviate
the problems and reduce its psychosocial effects.

Every institution has its own ideology, implicit or explicit.

It influences the way the organization leadership and other
employees’ view group work. It will determine to a large
degree, the support, the group worker will get from
institution for doing group work. The institution will also
expect the group work sessions to further those goals that
are set by the organization. Thus the group worker will be
expected to work within the framework.

Group work in formal institutions has its own advantages

and limitations. The group worker will have to understand
the organizational context in which group is being done.
Every organization is unique and has to be understood in
its own way. This chapter will introduce the different
institutional settings; their unique characteristics and the
use of group work in these settings.

*Mr. Joseph Varghese, Christ University, Bangalore

Group Work in Institutional Settings 285

According to Kirby (quoted in Trecker, 1972) the major

areas in which the group worker performs in an
institutional setting are as follows
1) The direct practice of social group work with small
groups of clients and patients.
2) Working with other staff members toward helping them
understand the group process in the institution.
3) Sharing with other staff members the group worker’s
observation and recommendations with reference to
individual and group behaviour in the agency.
4) Sharing with other staff members the group worker’s
observation and recommendations with regard to
social climate and group living factors in the
institution.
5) Analyzing the need for and recommending the
formation of various kinds of groups to meet the needs
of the individual clients of the agency.
6) Assuming the responsibility for coordinating and
enriching the recreational program along with
supervising and training recreational staff and
students.
7) Assuming the responsibility as a professional group
worker for helping in maintaining the limits and
standards of the agency.
8) Interpreting the agency programme to the community
through contacts with volunteer groups, community
agencies, service clubs and similar organizations.

Group Work and Child Welfare

The function of child welfare is to ensure that workers
evaluate incidents of potential maltreatment, supervise
children deemed at risk for ongoing abuse and neglect,
286 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

develop effective services to reduce re-occurrence of

maltreatment, and discharge those children believed to
be safe (Rittner, 2002 quoted in Rittner in Handbook of
Social Work with Groups, 2004; 245).Child welfare
programmes in India are reflected in the constitution and
five year plans. The National Policy for children 1974
provide the much needed guidance. The constitution
advocates that the State shall provide adequate services
towards children, both before and after birth and during
the growing stages for their full physical, mental and social
development. A comprehensive health programme,
supplementary nutrition for mothers and children, free
and compulsory education for all children up to the age of
14 years, promotion of physical education and recreational
activities, special consideration for children of weaker
sections like SCs and STs and prevention of exploitation
of children are some of the major benefits enlisted. The
legislations related to the child welfare are The Child
Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act, 1986, The Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000, The Infant Milk Substitutes,
Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production,
Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 The Pre-conception and
Pre-natal Diagnostic Technique(Prohibition of Sex
Selection) Act, 1994, The Persons with Disabilities (Equal
Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation)
Act, 1995, The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, The
Guardian and Wards Act, 1890, The Young Persons
(Harmful Publications) Act, 1956.

Various governmental ministries and departments look

after child welfare in India. In the Union government the
Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Labour along with
other ministries are involved in child welfare policies and
programmes. State governments run observation homes,
Group Work in Institutional Settings 287

children home for boys and girls, sishu bhavans etc. The
state governments also run the juvenile justice board and
child welfare committee. The civil society is also engaged
in a large scale in child related issues. Many NGOs have
taken up the cause of child rights, prevention of child
labour, adoption services and, the care and rehabilitation
of juveniles. Orphanages and homes for children are also
run by NGOs and religious organizations. It is but natural
that a variety of organizations at different levels work for
the welfare of the children-they being future citizens of
the country. Child welfare and child rights are important
areas of social policy. From social work profession point of
view child welfare is important for one more significant
reason. Many problems of adults are directly related to
their experiences as a child. The Adverse Childhood
Experience Study on about 17,000 adult participants show
significant correlation between childhood trauma and
negative sequences in later life. Thus to prevent social
problems later on, it is important that problems of children
are handled effectively and sensitively.

Group work has been used effectively to deal with many of

children’s problems in different institutions. We will see
how it is used in different settings. It would be not be
possible to cover all settings. Before we see how group
work principles and knowledge is useful for practice with
children its usefulness to the professional themselves has
to be highlighted. Different professionals work in these
organizations and often have to work together- a group
activity in itself. Social workers often work with lawyers,
doctors, child psychologist, policemen and public officials
to solve children problems.

Group work objectives in child welfare agencies are:

1) Training them in alternate behaviour patterns. Many
children are from dysfunctional families and lack
288 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

appropriate role models in the family. Handling

frustration, anger, and disappointment becomes
difficult for these children leading to harmful reactions.
2) Training in survival skills-maintaining relationships,
seeking assistance, keeping jobs etc.
3) Treatment for symptoms related to anxiety, depression,
posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and
poor interpersonal relations. Many children in the
street are addicted to fluids (mainly whiteners) and
drugs, which need cure. Incidence of Psychiatric
problems is also high.
4) Training in personality development especially building
self-confidence and self-esteem, public speaking and
ability to face personal interviews.
5) Recreational activities in their free time- play groups etc.
Group work in juvenile homes
According to the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, two types of
children need intervention (i) children in need of care and
protection and (ii) Children in conflict with law. The first
category are children who have been child labourers, found
begging on the street and the second category are children
who have committed crimes but cannot be tried in normal
courts as the law does not allow children (below the age of
eighteen) to be tried here. The first category children are
produced before the Child Welfare Committee(CWC) which
then determines what is the best course of action for
securing the child’s future. The CWC may order the child
to be placed in a government run Children home for Boys/
Girls if they find that the family does not exist or is
incapable of looking after the child. Alternatively it may
hand over the child to NGO run fit institution. Either way
these institution will then look after the child till he is an
adult and fend for himself or herself. Meanwhile if any
parent wants him back arrangements are made.
Group Work in Institutional Settings 289

An effective child rehabilitation programme will be sensitive

to the child’ s psychological condition and his social
environment.

Unfortunately, the organizations are bureaucratic in nature

and the special needs of children are ignored. Problems of
the child due to ill treatment and abuse are not addressed
adequately. Current research demonstrates that if earlier
maltreatment occurs, most likely the child is to develop
associated behavioural and emotional problems. (Heffernan
& Cloitre 2000, Zanarini et al., 2002) To make matters
worse often the condition of children deteriorates after they
experience neglect and abuse in these organizations. The
group worker should be able to take into consideration
these factors when he plans his group work programme.

The purposes of doing group work in juvenile delinquents

centers are -
1) It seeks to facilitate adjustment in the center
Group can be used to develop a positive attitude in
the inmates about the agency. The inmate will learn
to accept the unavoidable strains of life there and make
use of the opportunities available.
2) It seeks to further diagnostic understanding
Individual’s behaviour in a group situation helps the
social worker in getting data about the inmate. This
data is useful to understand his present situation and
to plan his future.
3) It sought to contribute to the beginning of the
treatment process
Again it is in the group situation that the nature of
the inmate relationship with others can be assessed.
The value systems that the inmates have are
understood and its consequences are known. Through
290 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

the group process the inmates receives feedback about

his behaviour and gains insight into his behaviour.
Greater self-awareness could be the beginning of the
treatment for the inmates.
4) It sought to meet normal growth needs
The inmates are experiencing a crucial developmental
phase in their lives and confinement to the agency
can be frustrating. Opportunities for making choices,
self-expression, exhibiting leadership and participating
in activities could help them develop healthier
personalities.
5) It seeks to influence the institutional milieu
Obtaining opinions. feedback and views of the inmates
improves the agency climate.(quoted in Trecker, 1972)
Example of group work in juvenile delinquent
Group approach to intervene in client problem is used in
an agency for juvenile delinquents. The agency is a fit
institution under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. It is
allowed to reside delinquents who have been ordered by
the juvenile justice board to be placed in institutions for
reform and observation. Most inmates are from
economically backward and dysfunctional families. Often
families are unwilling to accept them after the police charge
them with a crime. Arrested for crimes and public
humiliation as a result of it, and bitter experience in the
police station and with the police causes trauma to the
juvenile. His self esteem and confidence is negatively
affected. There is a need therefore to reconstruct his
personality.

The agencies training programmes and activities are done

in groups. They are open-ended groups which do not go
beyond the use of groups in a very general way. But group
work is used in the weekly meeting this agency has with
Group Work in Institutional Settings 291

the inmates. It is held every Sunday with the director and

the inmates only. Other staff members are not allowed so
that free communication takes place in the group. The
aim of the group sessions is to empower the inmates by
giving them opportunities to participate in the functioning
of the agency. Secondly, there are often problems between
inmates as they live together in the agency. There are
quarrels and fights between inmates. Thirdly, many issues
related to division of responsibilities and common problems
faced by inmates are addressed through group work. Often,
there are complaints about the staff members’ actions
which the inmates find offensive. The aim of group sessions
is to address these issues. There is no restriction on the
members raising any issues if they are done so in a proper
way. But the issues are to be resolved in democratic and
participatory way. The director who is also the group worker
discusses the matters raised by the members. The aim is
to train the inmates in democratic ways of behaviour and
control of frustration and anger. Further the self esteem
and self confidence of the inmates is improved as they are
treated with this respect. The group feedback improves
the agency’s functioning as bureaucratic and insensitive
practice are identified and set right. This group can be
termed as a training group which trains new behaviour to
the inmates.

Group work with street children

An international NGO conducts a week end camp for street
children. Street children many of whom come to their open
shelter- shelter for street children are without any
compulsions or rules and regulations. Children are free to
come and leave the shelter whenever they please. The
shelter provides them facilities to sleep, to take bath and
watch television. Many children become attached to the
agency and to the staff members. Once a rapport is
established the staff members’ attempts to influence the
292 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

child’s behaviour through various life skills and survival

skills are common. A variety of means are used to do this-
activities mainly group based, games and sports, film
shows etc.
An important element in the education of street children
is organising an annual camp. The annual camp is held
for three days in a location away from the city. The location
has an informal situation again with minimum restrictions-
only time for various activities are fixed and children are
not allowed to hurt each other. Otherwise the campers
are allowed to move freely and act without restrictions.
Learning sessions are organised where information about
various issues are given. Issues are directly related to the
life of a street child. Issues like HIV/AIDS, substance abuse
and vocational trainings are discussed. Animators who
can communicate skillfully with the target group conduct
these sessions. Subjects are presented in very simple and
informal way. Question regarding the subject is thrown
open to the audience and they are encouraged to try answer
them. Clarifications are given when necessary. The
sessions prove to be beneficial to the campers.
In between the sessions camper spend their time watching
movies and playing games. Some climb the coconut trees
and pluck coconuts. Others even indulge in habit of
inhaling whiteners and smoke.
The agency has adopted this strategy to reach to the most
vulnerable and at the same time the most unreachable
section of children. Street children for all the trauma they
experience in the street still prefer to be free and away
from the fetters of the institution. Thus the agency has
modified its institutional approach to the open approach.
Group work has been also modified in line with this
approach. No longer does the group worker insist on the
group meeting on the predetermined place and time
Group Work in Institutional Settings 293

regularly. However, most of the principles of group work

can be observed in the approach. Principles of acceptance,
group self determination, functional flexible organization
are used with suitable modifications. Self-help and mutual
aid are stressed. Members are encouraged to help and
learn from each other. Networks among the children are
encouraged to substitute for families as a support system.
mentoring by ‘senior’ street children of the younger children
is done purposefully.
The approach of the agency can be seen as a innovation in
group work in institutional settings. Its adaptation of the
group work is creative and can be used in other agencies.

Group work with parents of mentally challenged

children
An NGO work with Spastics children organizes support
group for the parents of the children of mentally challenged.
A staff member of the agency says that the parents of these
children need treatment as much as the children do. Newly
enrolled parents are encouraged to join existing groups.
These groups are meant for sharing and learning session.
Parents are often in the state of denial about the condition
of their children. They cannot see why this should happen
to them and their children. Parents are depressed and
anxious about the future of the children. They do not know
how to react when their children are unable perform the
actions that other children are able to do. Answers to most
of the problems are found in the group-shared knowledge
and from the experiences of other parents. The group
facilitates the process of universalization of experience and
the installation of hope.

Group Work and Geriatric Care

Geriatric care is becoming important in the present world
as people are healthier and live longer. The problem is
294 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

more in Western countries than in India and other

developing countries. In India the breakdown of joint
families, rise of the nuclear families, individualism and
lack of living space in urban areas have made the care of
old age a challenge to society. The government of India
has list of about 1000 old age homes in India which provide
free care while others do so on a paying basis. The number
of old age homes are likely to increase in the future.

Old aged persons suffer from a number of mental and

physical ailments. More importantly, their social situation
and their somatic condition affect their physical condition.
They need special care and attention. According to Corey
and Corey(1982;348) some of the major characteristics of
the old aged are-
1) Intense loneliness and social isolation; loss; poverty;
feeling of rejection; struggle to find meaning in life;
dependency; feeling of uselessness, hopelessness and
despair; fear of death and dying; grief over other
people’s death
2) Difficulty in reaching the old aged and greater
resistance to counselling and other intervention.
3) Short attention span
4) Medication induced problems of concentration.
5) Poor reality orientation
6) Poor attendance at group sessions
7) Need for support and encouragement is greater than
that of confrontation
8) Greater need for being listened to and understood.
The types of group that can be organized for the aged are
the following.
Group Work in Institutional Settings 295

1) Support group
These groups can give psychosocial support to the
members which will address the problems of social
isolation and loneliness. Very often the elderly live
together but have minimal interaction because of some
of the problems mentioned above. Groups bring the
members together and promote interaction. Often the
focus of discussion is the feelings of hopelessness,
uselessness, despair and regret over past
events.(Susan Rice in Greif and Ephross,2005; 152)
Many group activities have been suggested - going on
an imaginary trip with the other members, picking up
a new name and discovering what it means to them,
drawing picture of yourself and your family and
describing pleasant experiences of the past( Corey and
Corey, 1982;343). Reminiscencing in an important
process for the elderly and is proved beneficial for them.
It can be in the oral or written form. Butler called
reminiscences as ‘a naturally occurring, universal
mental process characterized by the progressive return
to consciousness of past experiences and particularly
the resurgence of unsolved conflict, simultaneously
and normally these reviewed experiences and conflicts
can be surveyed and reintegrated. (Quoted in Campbell
in Gravin et. al.2004; 281). However Campbell also
mentions that not all want to review past experiences
and the technique should be used based on the need
and willingness of the elderly themselves. Another
technique used is to list down the various items related
to the life of the members- Most stressful situation,
aspect in the personality one want to change and
something one wants to self disclose (Corey, ibid; 354)
2) Recreational group
These groups can be used to enable the elderly spend
time in an enjoyable manner. Activities can include
296 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

group games which will involve all the members of

the group either as direct participants or as a team.
Depending on the physical and mental condition
games can be chosen.
3) Therapeutic groups
Therapeutic groups include standardized and non-
standardized group therapies. The standardized group
therapies are Dialectical behavior therapy and Cognitive
behavioural therapy while the non-standardized therapies
use non structured means focusing on emotional condition
of the members and life review. Studies have found these
therapies to be useful. (Campbell in Gravin et.al.;
2004;278-280). Members have been empowered by these
group experiences, reducing isolation and achieve greater
control and meaning in their lives.

Group workers who have worked with elderly found that

much of the “information” about the elderly are wrong and
based on false assumptions. Some of the false assumptions
include (1) The inability of the elderly to change for the
better (2) Ability to contribute positively to the betterment
of others (3) Willingness of the elderly to take part in group
activities. On the contrary group have been found to be
generally beneficial to the elderly.

Groups Work in Psychiatric Setting

Group work is an important component in the treatment
and care of mentally ill people. It is being increasingly used
in mental health setting in India and abroad. The incidence
of mental illness is high in India.A trend in the care of
mentally ill which is influencing the practice of group work
is de-institutionalization- increasing numbers of mentally
ill people were being taken care in the families and in their
homes rather than being confined to the hospital. (Gravin
in Greif et al.; 2005)
Group Work in Institutional Settings 297

Some of the characteristics of the seriously mentally ill

are-
1) Many suffer from multiple problems- Mental illness
with substance abuse or alcoholism.
2) Severe mental illness limits the ability to cope with
stress and function adequately in stressful situations.
3) They are unable to perform daily tasks.
4) Their behaviour is unpredictable leading to difficulties
to the family members and others
5) Incidence of homelessness and destitution is high
6) Many of them having exposed to drugs and alcohol
exhibit aggressive and rebellious behaviour which
makes managing them a big challenge to the social
workers and other professionals. Gerhart, 1990,
quoted in Garvin in Greif, 2005; 32)
According to Rostov the goals of group work in psychiatric
settings are:
1) to socialize including forming satisfying social
relations, establishing an awareness of others, learning
and relearning social skills
2) to offer ego supports and develop ego strengths as
well as broadening interest and scope of activities,
building self confidence, self esteem, self worth,
achieving tangible things, acceptance..
3) to test and see cause-and-effect relationship
4) to increase responsibility, develop good judgments and
self control and handle group living problems
5) to influence one another in a positive way, develop
better morale , and challenge group hostility
6) to feel and exert some control over one’s future
298 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

7) to adjust to a new mode of living and interrupt the

deterioration process and counteract the regression
of institutional living
8) to prepare and test for discharge and return to
community life
9) to promote insights, develop the proper perspective
on problems and feelings, release and drain off
tensions
10) to accept one’s illness and prepare for and use the
individual and other therapies more positively
11) to increase the opportunities for observation and
diagnosis by the staff. (quoted in Trecker,1972; 178)
Research available has indicated that group work has been
useful for the members. George Getzel surveyed the
available research and summary of his findings are
presented here. Some of the research he surveyed -Moore
and Starkes observed that the use of group work with
mentally ill individual in short stay homes increased their
capacity to avail its services. In other words the
organizational milieu improved when group work was used.
Somewhat similarly, Robert and Smith found that group
work created a sense of community in the psychiatric ward
and improve their capacity to adjust to the external
environment. Armstrong who observed that groups do
prepare the mentally ill for the future did increase their
capacity has supported these conclusions. Group work
has also been found to be useful in the treatment of mental
illness.

Garvin suggests principles, which has been found useful

in the process are:
1) Groups sessions with the mentally ill should be highly
structured, meaning that the group worker should take
control of sessions by planning the activity well.
Group Work in Institutional Settings 299

Patient‘s condition does not generally allow them to

take initiative and contribute to the session beyond a
certain level. Hence, it will be upto the group worker
who has to plan how he is going to give his presentation
to share information, identify problems and resolve
the various issues.
2) Training the members in new skills is an important
component in the treatment process which while
increasing their capacity to become self reliant to the
extent possible also increases their confidence.
3) Each group session should be a rewarding one in the
sense that the members should derive some pleasure
and enjoyment from it. Patients may be undergoing
significant stress to attend the session and unless they
feel good they may not want to attend the sessions. A
game, a play, a music or a craft may be ideal activity.
4) The group worker must be able to create a sense of
accomplishment and achievement in the members
which can be done by teaching a social skill or
improving on the existing skill.
5) The group worker should also be careful that anxiety
producing events and actions should be avoided and
be prepared to deal with them. For example, the
abnormal behaviour of one of the members like
hallucinations, will create fear in others. The behaviour
should be explained to the members, if possible or
else avoided altogether.
Example of group work in mental heath setting
Group sessions were conducted for patients in a mental
health setting for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
As you know OCD is a neurotic disorder that compels
individuals to repeat specific behaviour though he or she
has no desire to do so. It may affect 2 to 3 percent of the
population. The main activities were role-plays, counselling
300 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

and skill training. At the end of the group sessions the

researcher finds that adherence to treatment and social
skills are improved. (George, Tony Sam, 2002)

Group Work in Hospitals

Hospitals are important settings for social work practice.
Psychological factors and physical health are related.
Adverse psychological negative factors can worsen the
health conditions of the patients. The recognition that the
healing process is more than what the medical model
advocated is wide spread in India and more so in the
developed countries. Getzel notes an increase in the
interest in group work practice and corresponding increase
in the health system ‘s efforts to make group work more
responsive to the clients need.(Getzel in Garvin ;2004;196).

Another important factor is the growing importance of

multidisciplinary teams which will address the various
dimensions of the illnesses and its effect of the patient.
Teamwork, therefore is an important method of work in
health care settings. Thirdly, group work is seen as
humanizing the bureaucratic system and giving holistic
care for the clients. Lastly group work is cheap and effective
in disseminating information to the clients.

Type of groups that are used in the hospital are:

1) Educational Groups- Educational groups disseminate
information about the disease and its effects on the
patients. They educate the person about the causes
of diseases, its effects on the body, its pattern of
progression and its debilitating effects. They are
trained to avoid those behaviour patterns that will
worsen the conditions. Adherence to the treatment
process like taking medicines and taking the necessary
tests are taught. For example, cancer affected
individuals are told about the cancer and its treatment.
Group Work in Institutional Settings 301

In the sessions the group members are educated about

the various aspects of cancers- its causes and its
effects. Fears about early death, pain and
disfigurement are discussed. Patients fear about the
effects of chemotherapy on the body and hair are
discussed. Clarifications and doubts are removed.
Often it is the members themselves rather than the
group worker who provides knowledge to the group
members. Experiences are shared in the group to help
others.
The free sharing of experiences and information is
more an effective tool for educating the patients rather
than through other methods
2) Support groups- These groups provide the necessary
social and emotional support to the patients. Often
the experience of knowing that a potentially life
threatening illness is shocking to the patient.
Weissman defines 15 coping strategies in cancer patients
but the same coping patterns have been applied to other
types of patients(Lillington, Barbara: !985)- rationalization;
seeking of additional information; sharing concerns with
others; Displacement; confrontation; Fatalism Acting out
; repeating previous behaviour; Tension reducing behaviour
like taking alcohol ; social isolation; blaming others;
compliance to authority and masochistic surrender. Many
of these coping strategies have a negative impact on the
psychosocial health of the patients.
Group work can enable the patients to have an appropriate
coping mechanisms keeping in mind the individual’s needs
and her environment. It will result in better quality of life
and better adherence to treatment programme.
Universalization of the experience and identification with
others are important processes which take place in the
group. Newcomers whose have been recently diagnosed
302 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

with cancer are relieved to see the cancer survivors who

have successfully battled with the disease. Cwikel and
Behar(1999) study of intervention in cancer patients found
that group interventions helped in the treatment phase.
3) Training groups- Training groups focus on teaching
new social skills to the patients which would help them
after they are discharged from the hospitals.
Practice principles health settings
Daste and Ross (in Grief and Ross;2005 ) make following
suggestions:
Firstly, Group work in health setting needs to understand
that patients suffer from pain and fatigue due to illness
and often due to their treatment. She should therefore
encourage patients to attend the meetings but not use
excessive pressure.

Secondly, the group worker should be flexible in her

approach to group. The treatment cycle may vary with
person to person and therefore the time period of attending
the group sessions cannot be specified.

Thirdly, individualization of clients is another important

aspect, as client’s characteristics will differ in terms of
stages of disease, social support available in family,
community and workplace and the psychological condition.
Fear of death, fear of disease recurrence, problems related
to treatment (pain, changes in appearances, fatigue),
changes in relationship and economic issues (income,
future job prospects, costs of treatment,) are important
concerns that group worker must address.

Conclusion
The practice of social work in different settings has been
described briefly and important practice principles have
Group Work in Institutional Settings 303

been highlighted. The list is not comprehensive and as

group work in its generic form can be practiced almost
anywhere. Also institutions differ in many ways even when
they are dealing with the similar problems. This will no
doubt influence the practice of social work. The group
worker would therefore be flexible in his approach. Group
work practice has to adapt to the institutional requirement
and clients need.
These are some of the important institutions that group
work is practiced. The practice of social work in different
settings has been described briefly and important practice
principles have been highlighted. The list is not
comprehensive and as group work in its generic form can
be practiced almost anywhere. Also institutions differ in
many ways even when they are dealing with the similar
problems. this will no doubt influence the practice of social
work. The group worker would therefore be flexible in his
approach. Group work practice has to adapt to the
institutional requirement and clients need.
Group work is certainly being practiced in many
institutions in India. But as mentioned earlier mostly non-
professionals are practicing it in a generic form and in
majority of the cases no particular theory seems to guide
the practice. More importantly, no efforts are made to
evaluate the process. Records maintained convey bare
minimum from which nothing very significant can be
learnt. The benefits of group work are evident. But there
is need for evidence to show the importance of group work
in these settings. Professional social workers have to work
towards that goal.

References
Lillington, Barbara(1985), Psychosocial Response to
Traumatic Physical Disability, Social work in Health Care,
Volume 10(4), Summer.
304 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

Breman-Rossi, Toby(1994), Social Work: The Collected

Writings of William Schwartz, F.E. Peacock Publishers Inc.
Itasca.

Brown, Allan(1994), Group Work, 3rd edition, Ashgate

Publishing Limited, Hampshire.

Dwivedi, K.,N., and Robin Skynner(1993), Group Work with

Children and Adolescents: A Handbook, Jessica Kingsley
Publishers, London.

Corey and Corey (1987), Groups Process and Practice,

Third edition, Brook/Cole Publishing Company, California.

Cwikel J.G.& Behar L.C. (1999), Psychosocial Response

to Traumatic Physical Disability, Social work in Health
Care, Volume 29(4), Summer

Greif, Geoffrey Land Paul Ephross(2005), Group work with

Population at risk, Second edition, Oxford University Press,
New York.

Gravin et al. (2004), Handbook of Social work with groups,

Rawat Publications, Jaipur.

Siddiqui, H.Y. (2008), Group Work, Theories and Practices,

Rawat Publications, Jaipur.

Trecker, Harleigh (1972), Social Group Work, Principles

and Practices, Follet Publishing Company, Chicago.

George, Tony Sam (2002), Unpublished PHD dissertation,

NIMHANS, Bangalore.
Group Work in Institutional Settings 305

16

Group Work in Educational

Settings
*Joseph Varghese

Introduction
Educational institutions offer diverse opportunities to
practice group work. The group members are readily
available and no special efforts are required to collect them
and form groups. The students learn in groups and are
therefore comfortable to be in groups. A variety of activities
can be done with the group. Most importantly, the young
enjoy the sessions and simultaneously be benefited. The
chapter will give an account of the practice of group work
in different educational settings.
Present day educators seek to provide holistic education
to the student, not just improve his memory and his
retention powers. Holistic development aims at producing
a balanced and well integrated human being with
sensitiveness to fellow human beings and his environment.
While teachers are required to teach the syllabus it is being
recognized that other professionals are needed to take care
of other dimensions of the student’s personality. Group
work seen in this context is an apt method to bring about
this transformation in the student.

Group Work in Educational Setting

Modern life imposes significant stress on everybody
including the students. Sometimes it is wrongly assumed

*Mr. Joseph Varghese, Christ University, Bangalore

306 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

that just because there has been an increase in the

technology and comforts available to present students they
are better off than the earlier generations of students. But
they face pressures from many quarters- parents who
expect them to be excellent in academics, friend and peers
who expect them to conform to their norms. The media
creates expectations which when unfulfilled creates
frustration. According to Coppock and Dwivedi (Dwivedi,
2005, 265) upto 20 percent of children experience
behavioural and emotional problems that require
professional help. US schools have seen incidents like
shooting by students of their classmates and teachers due
to emotional problems. Schools in India have not witnessed
similar incidents but there are indicators that school
related problems will increase. Media has often
reported cases of students hurting and murdering their
classmates for money or avenging past insults.

Educational institutions have begun to respond to the

situation and employed counselors and social workers to
deal with student problems. However schools need group
work not only to address behavioural problems but also
to enhance the capacity of normal students to deal
with their life situations. These issues can be related to
education beyond the curriculum; personality
development; life skills education, health and recreation.

The practice of group work in school will be influenced by

the dynamics of the larger social systems- the school and
the society. The various use groups will be put to and its
goals will be determined by the ideology and the approach
of the school management. The resources and
administrative support the group worker receives will
depend on the priorities of the management. The least
available resource in the school is time and the place to
conduct group work. Syllabus centric teaching practiced
in most of our schools leave little or no time for other
Group Work in Educational Settings 307

activities. Teacher need to finish the syllabus find time

spend for other activities a waste of time. Management
should be convinced that student would benefit from the
group work in tangible terms. Further, parents should be
convinced of the benefits of group work. Last, but not the
least students should be convinced that group work will
be beneficial for them. Convincing the various
stakeholders about the usefulness of group work is an
important task for the group worker.

The advantages of using group work in the school are (1)

Students spend a lot of time in groups and are
comfortable working in it (2) students are familiar with
the school environment and no special efforts are needed
to make them participate in group. (3) Group work can be
expected to improve the relationship between students and
teachers, and between students, which will improve the
quality of learning.

However, there are a number of factors/ disadvantages

that can restrict the use of group work in schools. Some of
them are the following (1) The lack of time does allow the
practice of group work (2) Place for doing group is lacking
(3) The paucity of staff who are equipped with the necessary
skills and attitudes. (4) Evaluating the effectiveness of the
groups which will increase support and participation (5) if
only children with problems are forced to participate there
maybe resistance as they feel that they being singled out
from others. (Ibid, 268).

The major problems identified among school students are-

Excessive fighting; Inability to get along with peers;
frequent hurting of other children; violation of school
children; poor attitude toward the school; stealing; violent
or angry outbursts; neglected; neglected appearance;
hunger symptoms; chronic tiredness; lack of supervision
308 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

at home and excessive truancy. (Corey and Corey, 1982;

255)

The type of groups that can be used in the schools are-

1) Educational groups Educational groups will enable
the students in learning about subjects that are not
part of the curriculum. The areas of education can be
life skill education, HIV/AIDS, public speaking etc.
Value education can be taught through stories and
parables. Songs that motivate the members can be
sung. Competitions like essay writing, handwriting and
spelling can be organized.
2) Recreational groups Recreational groups will provide
the activities like games and sports. It is advisable
not to limit the activity to the game and have a
discussion on the group dynamics observed in the
group. The contributions of members, the presence of
subgroups and isolates can be observed and
discussed. Group experiences if carefully chosen will
help growth in their personality.
3) Personality development groups seek to develop self-
confidence and self esteem. Skills to face interviews,
public speaking and grooming habits can be improved
in groups.
4) Treatment groups These groups can identify the
causes of psychosocial problems found in the
children. Students may need social skills training.
Verduyn, Lord and Forrest studied the outcome of one
such training on children in the age group of 10-
13years and found significant changes and specific
changes. (Dwivedi, 2005; 274)
But given the nature of the setting it would be difficult to
conduct formal group work at fixed time and place.
Group Work in Educational Settings 309

Trecker suggests using the adaptations based on Wyers

contributions. Wyer suggests five kinds of groups can be
formed

1) Cluster groups- These groups were used when one or

two isolate or scapegoat were referred to the group
worker. Since the number of such students referred
at a time was small it was not possible to conduct
group only for them nor was it possible for students
from different schools to come together. One solution
tried out was the cluster approach wherein the referred
student was placed in a group in which other members
were students functioning normally. The group
sessions are so designed that the dysfunctional
students’ needs are addressed- his/her problem is
described, the student’s view point is brought to the
open and perception of the other members are
discussed. Support from the other members for the
dysfunctional student is encouraged. The interaction
between the members and the dysfunctional student
is expected to bring about change in the behaviour of
the student.
2) Classroom groups- Classroom groups are used when
it is found that it is not individuals or group of students
that are dysfunctional but the entire class is
dysfunctional. Therefore the whole class should be
taken as a group and needs to be treated. The causes
for these problems can uneasiness with teachers, guilt
over scapegoating, over identification with the students
who are victimized, conflicts between groups within
class and inability to perform as per expectations. The
cause of the problem may lie in a few students or the
whole class. The group worker uses the whole class
as group and address the problem by using group
discussions and role plays.
310 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

3) Splinter groups These groups consist of problematic

children who cannot be separated and treated. The
difference between the cluster group and this group
is the different approach used. In this group the
dysfunctional members are identified and his identity
revealed. He chooses from the class a smaller group
consisting of a few members. The group worker then
describes the problem to the group and its affects on
the affected student. Certain activities are chosen
which will attract the larger student body to the smaller
group and interact with it. If successful the smaller
group status improves and so does the status of the
dysfunctional student.
4) Telescopic groups are groups which meet five or six
times in a short period of time. A current problem is
taken up as a major issue. For example absenteeism,
and group formed by members who are found to be
excessively absent. The members are made aware of
the reason for being part of the group. A plan is made
for a group which includes activities which are
gratifying and ego supportive.
5) Socio educational groups These group involve the
other stakeholders like the parents and staff members
to improve the school functioning. For example
,suitable parents are depending on their need, aptitude
and interest are taken as members of the group. They
are informed that the purpose of the groups is to
improve their performance as the parents. Sessions
are planned which will provide them with new skills
and knowledge. Films, lectures, role plays and member
presentations are the best means.
Student Friendly Environment
Group Work has to ensure that a student friendly
environment is prevalent in the school. In this context the
group worker has to focus on the following issues:
Group Work in Educational Settings 311

1) Sensitizing teachers to understand the common

emotional problems of students
2) Training teachers in basic counseling skills (bare foot
counseling)
3) Training teachers to identify and refer students who
need professional mental health intervention.
4) Training students in sex and sexuality
5) Imparting life skills education.
6) Promoting a conducive environment and to eliminate
problems like ragging, teasing and bullying.
7) Helping students to cope with academic stress
8) Training teachers to adopt non aggressive styles of
promoting discipline.
9) Interacting with parents as a group and to educate
them on the psychosocial needs of their children.
Principles to be followed while working with children
1) Confidentiality is very important as children are not
often able to keep personal information to themselves.
Hence the group worker should use terms very
carefully. Words that will be understood wrongly by
students should be avoided.
2) Avoid using sides. Students may blame teacher or
parent for some of the difficulties they face. It is
important that the group works describes the problems
rather than point fingers at others.
3) Explain the purpose of the group and its goals to the
members. Do not underestimate the student’s capacity
to understand the group work.
4) Listen to the opinion of the members even though you
may disagree with it.
312 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

5) Choose those activities and games which will be useful

and enjoyable for the members.
6) Prepare for termination as students may become
attached to you and will suffer if you leave them
suddenly.
7) Homogeneity in terms of age, sex and class is a
prerequisite for successful group work in children.

Camping and Indian Youth Organizations

Camping signifies the establishment of temporary living
quarters in an underdeveloped area (Schwartz). The
purpose of camping is to give opportunities for people to
move outdoor and use the natural environment for
recreational purposes. Many organizations use camping
as means to develop young minds. The experience of
camping is aimed at the following goals- to improve the
teamwork skills among the members; to help members
develop a better understanding the behaviour of others
and their own behaviour; improve communication skills;
better his/ her leadership qualities.

According to the American Camping Association the

following are the benefits of camping-
Social Skills Development
 Leadership
 Communication
 Participation
Self-respect and Character Building
 Responsibility
 Resourcefulness
 Resilience
Group Work in Educational Settings 313

Community Living/Service Skills

 Caring
 Fairness
 Citizenship
 Trustworthiness

Camping provides group worker numerous opportunities

for practice. According to Schwartz ‘the group workers
concern with both learning and play coupled with the
intense preoccupation with the benefits of the small group
experience, found in camping both a stimulating outlet
for service and a ready-made laboratory for demonstrating
the social importance of group experience under
professional leadership’.

In India a number of organizations conducts camps for

children and young people- National Social Service (NSS),
National Cadet Corps (NCC), Bharat scouts and guides
and Nehru Yuvak Kendra (NYK). A number of private
organizations also conduct camp. We will briefly study
about these organizations.

NSS was started on 24th September 1969. The main

Objectives of NSS are:
i) Understand the community in which they work.
ii) Understand themselves in relation to their community
iii) Identify the needs and problems of the community
and involve them in problem solving.
iv) Develop among them a sense of social civic
responsibility.
v) Utilize their knowledge in finding practical solution to
individual and community problems.
314 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

vi) Develop competence required for living and sharing

responsibilities.
vii) Gain skills in mobilising community participation.
viii) Acquire leadership qualities and democratic attitudes.
ix) Develop capacity to emergencies and natural disaster,
and
x) Practice national integration and social harmony
An important activity of the NSS is the 10 day rural camp
in remote areas. Usually a theme is chosen for the camp-
Literacy, development, health. Spreading awareness among
the people about the issue, sharmadan, community meals
and group games are the important component of the
camps.

National Cadet Corps

National Cadet Corps is a Tri-Services Organisation ,
comprising Army, Navy and Air Force, engaged in grooming
the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic
citizens.

The aims of the National Cadet Corps (NCC)

1) To develop qualities of Character, Courage,
Comradeship, Discipline, Leadership, Secular
Outlook, Spirit of Adventure and the ideals of Selfless
Service amongst the Youth of the Country.
2) To Create a Human Resource of Organized, Trained
and Motivated Youth, to Provide Leadership in all
Walks of life and be Always Available for the Service of
the Nation.
3) To Provide a Suitable Environment to Motivate the
Youth to Take Up a Career in the Armed Forces
Group Work in Educational Settings 315

Nehru Yuvak Kendra

Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan was started in 1972, and
has been active ever since in providing the youth of the
country with opportunities to grow and develop themselves.
It currently has 500 district level offices, 2.16 lakh village
level youth clubs and 80 lakh rural youth affiliated to it in
13-35 age group. The NYKS today prepares over 11,000
youth leaders every year.

Possible Activities for Young People

Play
Play is used as recreational and a therapeutic tool.
Recreational activities of the children like games and sports
are useful for the children to develop healthy physical and
mental status. Play can be used in children’ groups for
the following (1) Play is a natural activity for the child and
the worker gets to observe him in this situation. These
observations will be more helpful in assessing the child’s
behaviour than in a formal setting interviewing the child.
He is likely to be intimidated by a formal interview
(2) Playing helps build rapport between the child and the
worker (3) Playing also contributes to creating a favorable
child friendly atmosphere in the school (4) It can give
opportunities to develop a person’s social skills.

Outdoor games like cricket, football, throw ball, kho-kho

can be used, so can indoor games. The effectiveness of the
experience of the game is increased if discussions follow
the game. The discussion that follows should focus on the
behaviour of the members during the game. The team work
they exhibited, the levels of cooperation they achieved and
so on. The discussion should be aimed at increasing their
self-awareness and thereby contributing to their personal
growth. The group worker should therefore encourage
members to share their feeling and opinions on the game,
316 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

his own performance and of others. Members are also

encouraged to react to the opinions expressed by others
on them. The group will be a mirror for the members which
will increase their insight into their own behaviour.

Play is also used therapeutically. But it is only after

adequate training should group workers use these
therapies. Play in children is equivalent to association in
adults (Dwivedi, 2005). By using the techniques of
association the adult’s unconscious mind is probed and
understood. Association can be used in children and a
suitable alternative is play. Many of the child’s feelings
and emotion that remained unexpressed is revealed while
playing with toys and drawing. The group worker interprets
these actions and assesses the child’s behaviour.

Songs, dances and exercises

Songs, dances and exercise which is done along with
children of similar ages help improve the child’s mental
health. Such activities require the child to coordinate with
the actions of others. Also most of these activities involve
numerous repetitions of the same actions. The true effects
of messages and learning in ritualized context are powerful
in penetrating the depths of consciousness. (Dwivedi, 2005)
Drills are used to develop coordination and alertness in
the students.
Psychodrama
Psychodrama is a more advanced means of treatment for
children, adolescents and youths. Drama can be used to
provide learning experiences to the participants and the
viewers. Boehm and Boehm give the seven stages of
community theatre:
a) Establishment of a group of community members who
initiate the idea;
Group Work in Educational Settings 317

b) Group discussion of issues, problems and conflicts in

the life of the community and the actors;
c) Collection of material in the community (for example,
articles, photos, recordings);
d) Creation and writing of the play by the group;
e) Production and rehearsal of the play, as well as
preparation for its performance (with the help of other
community members, such as in preparing the stage,
building the scenery and selling tickets);
f) Performance of the play in the community and
elsewhere, with an emphasis on dialogue with the
audience;
g) Development of leadership within the group and a
common effort to influence the socio-political system
outside the framework of the theatre.

Conclusion
Group work in educational setting can play an important
role in moulding individual personalities beyond the
curriculum. Equally important the maladjusted student
can be better addressed by combining the group work with
counseling. It also helps other students to understand the
problems of the students who take part in the treatment
process.
Problems like time and support for group work can be
dealt with if its results are positive and shown to the
management. Existing organizations like NSS and NYK can
be used to boost group work practice in educational settings.

References
Boehm, Amnon and Esther Boehm, (2003) Community
Theatre as a means of Empowerment in Social Work; A
318 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

Case Study of Women’s Community Theatre, Journal of

Social Work 3; 283.

Lillington, Barbara (1985), Psychosocial Response to

Traumatic Physical Disability, Social work in Health Care,
Volume 10(4), summer.

Breman-Ross., Toby (1994), Social Work: The Collected

Writings of William Schwartz, F.E.Peacock Publishers Inc.
Itasca

Brown, Allan (1994) Group Work, 3rd edition, Ashgate

Publishing Limited, Hampshire.

Dwivedi, K., N., and Robin Skynner(1993), Group Work

with Children and Adolescents: A Handbook, Jessica
Kingsley Publishers, London.

Corey and Corey (1987), Groups Process and Practice,

Third edition, Brook/Cole Publishing Company, California.

Cwikel J.G.& Behar L.C. (1999), Psychosocial Response

to Traumatic Physical Disability, Social work in Health
Care, Volume 29(4), Summer

Greif, Geoffrey Land Paul Ephross(2005), Group work with

Population at risk, Second edition, Oxford University Press,
New York.

Gravin et al. (2004), Handbook of Social work with groups,

Rawat Publications, Jaipur.

Siddiqui, H.Y. (2008), Group Work, Theories and Practices,

Rawat Publications, Jaipur.

Trecker, Harleigh (1972), Social Group Work, Principles

and Practices, Follet Publishing Company, Chicago.
Group Work in Educational Settings 319

17

Role of Social Worker in

Group Work
*Manju Kumar

Introduction
You may look at this chapter as a recapitulation of all that
you have learnt about the method and practice of social
group work, especially, in terms of what a group worker
does in different kinds of groups, within the context of
values and philosophy of social work profession.
Social workers adopt many roles to achieve their goals of
social justice, the enhancement of the quality of life of
people, and the development of the full potential of each
individual, family and group in society. Some social
workers act as planners and developers of services. Others
manage services and try to ensure that systems work
smoothly. Some act as advocates and negotiators for those
discriminated against or unable to act for themselves.
Other social workers work as therapists with individuals,
couples, families and groups as they deal with issues that
arise throughout their lives. Some social workers act as
information givers, providing enquirers with information
about a large range of resources and services. In some
areas of practice, such as corrections and child protection,
social workers make assessments of situations and may
write reports with recommendations that may affect the
lives of those with whom they work.

*Ms. Manju Kumar, Dr.B.A.R.C, University of Delhi

320 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

The very fact that social group work has been acknowledged
as a method of social work implies that group work method
shares with other social work methods the goal, basic
premises, values and beliefs, generic principles and
interventional strategies of social work profession. The
concept of ‘role’ is widely used to clarify group worker’s
authority, responsibilities, functions, and tasks; thereby
highlighting the impact of group work practice on persons
who come together as members of a group.

For the sake of convenience, the term ‘group worker’ in

the masculine, rather than ‘social worker in group work’,
will be used throughout the following discussion.

Concept of Role and its Implication for a

Group Worker
Role and status are two important concepts which prove
to be valuable in explaining the responsibilities, obligations
and power that devolve on the group worker in his capacity
as a professional associated with some social agency.

Role: Definitions
The dictionaries define role as ‘the actions and activities
assigned to or required or expected of a person’; ‘normal
or customary activity of a person in a particular social
setting’; and, ‘behavior in relation to a specific function or
task that a person (the group worker) is expected to
perform’. The roles are concomitant to a status or a social
position. A set of expectations govern the behavior of
persons holding a particular role in society; a set of norms
that defines how persons in a particular position should
behave.
As a sociological term, a role is described as a
comprehensive pattern of behaviour that is socially
recognized, providing a means of identifying and placing
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 321

an individual in a society. It also serves as a strategy for

coping with recurrent situations and dealing with the roles
of others.

The social ‘worker’ is an achieved status, a position that a

person assumes voluntarily which reflects personal skills,
abilities, and efforts. Roles associated with this status are
governed by the norms, standards and professional ethics.

A role, therefore, is a series of actions which guide and

determine our behaviour according to what is expected of
us in a certain situation. Roles generate consistency and
predictability of behaviour. All roles are functional in that
they serve some purpose.

Each social status, further, involves not a single associated

role, but an array of roles or role-set, that is, a complement
of role-relationships in which persons are involved by virtue
of occupying a particular social status. While working with
groups the social worker performs a variety of roles,
depending on different situations, groups and persons.
However, the roles remain relatively stable even though
different people occupy the position of a group worker.

The discussion of roles of group workers, therefore, is

useful in conceptualizing their activities, evaluation of
professional interventions, and training of new
professionals.

Roles of a social worker working with Groups

Widely quoted authors Compton and Galaway (1984)
focused on social worker’s, interventive roles whose
enactment meant the translation of expectations (of the
profession) into behaviour. These roles refer to the
behaviours through which the client – an individual, a
family, a group or a community – expects the worker to
help accomplish goals, agreed upon mutually by the client
322 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

and the worker. The roles conceptualized by the authors

include the following:
a) social broker – connecting the client system with the
community resources based on broad knowledge of
community resources and the operating procedures
of the agencies; the worker may bring the specialized
resources to the group; referral is a basic part of
enactment of the broker’s role.
b) enabler – assisting clients to find coping strengths
and resources within themselves to produce changes
necessary for accomplishing the stated objectives with
the supporting and enabling function for the client,
whether individual or group; for example, the worker
who assists a group of residents in a community in
thinking through the need for and then in identifying
ways of establishing a day-care centre; who helps a
group to identify sources of internal conflict and
influences blocking a group’s goal achievement and
then to discover ways of dealing with these difficulties
is serving as an enabler in relation to the group.
Encouraging verbalization, providing for ventilation of
feelings, examining the pattern of relationships,
offering encouragement and reassurance, engaging in
logical discussion and rational decision-making are
other avenues through which enabler’s role may be
enacted. (Compton & Galaway, 1984, p. 430)
c) teacher – providing groups with new information
necessary for coping with difficult situations, assisting
group members in practicing new behaviour or skills.
It is different from broker’s role as it implies providing
additional resources to members’ environment; for
example, supplying information about low cost
nutritional diet; informing parents regarding child
development for coping with difficult problems of
children; providing vocational guidance to adult
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 323

patients requiring rehabilitation after loss of limbs.

Teacher’s role helps group members make informed
choices and cope better with social reality. One
important dimension of this role is role-modelling -
offering to group members a model of behaviour, of
communication and relating.
d) mediator – efforts to resolve conflicts that may exist
between the client system and external systems like
other persons or organizations by finding a common
ground on which they might reach a resolution of the
conflict (utilizing techniques of constructive conflict
resolution); for example, residents’ group wishing to
secure a playground but not having adequate political
clout to do so.
e) advocate – Speaking for the client (individual, family,
group or community) by presenting and arguing the
clients’ cause. It becomes essential when working with
client-systems who belong to disadvantaged and
marginalized groups in society, are oppressed due to
structural social inequalities, or are invisible and
voiceless. Advocacy is becoming increasingly popular
role of social workers in the context of focus on social
justice concerns and human rights. Unlike other roles,
advocacy can be used without direct involvement of
the client-system.
Besides these roles conceptualized by Compton and
Galaway, others mentioned in social work literature include
the roles of Organizer (covering planning and implementing
action), consultant and facilitator. The role of facilitator is
relevant in the changed perception of group members as
interdependent entities engaged in mutual aid based
support groups and self-help groups which require minimal
professional intervention.
On one point all the experts agree that the roles mentioned
above are neither discreet entities nor comprise an
324 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

exhaustive list. There is often blurring of boundaries and

hence overlap. The roles also get into a new constellation
as and when required by the demands of the situation,
purpose of the group (the client) and the dynamics
emerging out of interaction among the three basic elements
of group work practice, that is, group (along with its
members), worker and the social environment.

Group Worker as A Leader of the Group

One of the frequently debated dimensions of the role of a
group worker is that of leadership. While some authors
perceive group workers in the role of group leaders others
focus more on the worker’s ‘helping’ role. A brief exposition
of both the perspectives follows below.
A) Leader refers to a person who is designated to exert
positive influence over others. The process and the
function through which he does so are defined as
leadership. Leadership is a process by which a person
influences others to accomplish an objective and
directs the group in a way that makes it more cohesive
and coherent. Leadership is critical—for the vision and
to see the commonalities; to see the group through;
and to identify and mobilise resources for the group.
The group worker occupies the position of a leader on
account of his employment with the social agency;
the position which gives the worker authority to
accomplish certain tasks and objectives, based, in
turn, on professional knowledge and skills.
As a leader, the worker is the ‘central person’ in the
group, often being the person who formed the group
and to whom more communications are made than
anyone else. At the initial stages of group formation,
the worker decides about the membership, structure
and the rules of conducting the group sessions. Even
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 325

later, if the members are not sufficiently confident,

the worker may have to play an active role in guiding
members to take necessary decisions about group
structure, norms and tasks to be performed by
different members.
Another facet of the role as a leader is that the worker
acts as an ‘influence person’. ‘Influence has been
defined as the general acts of producing an effect on
another person, group, or organization through
exercise of a personal or organizational capacity.
Influence is powerful in that it can produce change,
persuade or convince, overcome obstacles, motivate
and bring about attitudinal changes. As a leader and
an influence person, the worker’s input is to create a
climate favourable for the needed work (achieving the
group goal), heighten the motivation of those who need
to work, ‘provide a vision’ for the work to be done
together, and deal with the resistance involved. An
important base for influence is the skill and knowledge
of the worker in developing and using relationships
with a variety of persons in a variety of situations.
The relationship between the worker and the group
members is a major source of a worker’s influence.
Influence can be exerted by those who know about
and can use the planned change process. Influence
derives from understandings about human
development, human diversity, the variety of social
problems, and the availability of services and
resources. (Johnson, p. 89)
The real power of the worker arises, therefore, from
his capacity to influence situations within the group -
to influence, guide and direct group processes and
interactions within the group. The fact that group work
is described also as ‘guided group interaction’ goes to
validate the group worker’s role as a leader who guides
326 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

as well as directs group situations and processes so

as to achieve group goals. The worker is an important
influence on members’ behaviour, interpersonal
relationships, patterns of communication, on roles
members are willing to perform, and on realization of
group’s purpose. The worker may, for supporting the
group’s purpose, influence persons and systems
operating in the external environment of the group in
the form of negotiation, mediation, referral, and
advocacy.
Despite the fact that the worker has authority and
power to influence the group processes, the worker is
bound by professional ethics or code of conduct to
use this power in the service of the clients, that is, the
group members and not for his own ends. Workers
need to be aware of the nature of the power and
influence they wield in relationship with the group
members. Every effort needs to be made to guard
against the potential for abuse of power with the clients
(group members). These two facets of group work
functions, namely, expertise and its selfless use for
the benefit of group members place the worker at a
distance from the members. Although the worker
participates in the group processes, he is not a member
of the group in the same way that the other
participants are. Unlike the group members, a worker
is mandated to participate in the group on account of
his professional understanding of the members’ needs
and interests. The worker, in fact cannot deny
authority devolved on him. “Reluctance or refusal by
the group worker to provide leadership to act on his
authority can be very damaging at critical stages of
transition when the group rightfully looks to the worker
for guidance, reassurance and structure”. (Benson,
p. 38)
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 327

B) The other view point focuses on the worker in the

helping role. The worker is seen in the group as an
enabler to do things with the group rather than for
the group. His influence, it is claimed, is indirect rather
than direct. A great deal of facilitation may be done
nonverbally, with eye contact and a nod to someone
who is trying to participate or a smile when a member
has made a valuable contribution. He works through
the members of the group, helps members to determine
group’s objectives and purpose; helps them to develop
group-feeling; acquire an understanding of their
capacities and limitations; recognize internal conflicts
and problems and to resolve the same with the
worker’s help. The worker helps the group to identify
indigenous leaders to take responsibility for group’s
effective functioning. (Trecker, p.26)
Another role which is preferred by those favouring a non-
leadership stance is that of a facilitator. The group worker
is not seen as the only expert in the group. In fact, each
group member is a potential leader and helper for the other
members. The primary task of the group worker is to
facilitate the group process so that the group becomes a
prime influence on the behaviour of the group members.
Facilitating the group process involves motivating and
assisting members to participate actively and
collaboratively in the process because the primary means
of help in the group is the support and challenge members
give to each other, supplemented by the worker’s inputs
to the members’ work. The group dynamics comprising of
interactions, relationships, communications, and role
performances within the boundaries set by the members
themselves by definition, is the prime source of change,
growth and satisfaction. The worker facilitates this process
to run smoothly, without conflicts and road blocks so that
members can benefit from positive and constructive group
experience. The group worker makes it possible that the
328 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

group becomes a mutual aid and mutual need-meeting

system, a primary source of help.
In the role of a teacher the worker teaches the group how
to function as a group. The group members, identifying
with the worker, are likely to learn roles of a leader.
Leadership will shift during the course of a group’s life
with several members taking turns as leaders, or sharing
leadership depending on the session or content.
In a support group of parents of disturbed children, the
worker and parents both perform the role of experts,
though in different spheres. The worker has to appreciate
the expertise of parents in the context of their experiences
of having a disturbed child. In encouraging and guiding
one parent, the worker shares his helping role with other
members (parents) of the group.
The aim of the facilitator is a) to establish the conditions
and trust in the group whereby members can help one
another and then to ‘get out of the way’ to allow them to
do it; b) to benefit the persons in a group through making
as full use as possible of the potentials of the group as a
medium for help. Although, the extent to which this is
possible will depend on the type of group in question.
(Whitaker, 1985) In the final analysis, however, the
facilitator has ultimate responsibility for the group and
can never give this over.
Social group work is often best done by combining these
roles. A competent worker will move from one to the other
as needed by the group. It is important not to be more
active, not to be a leader or a teacher, when the group can
do just fine with a facilitator or enabler. The idea of many
groups is to have members exercise self-determination and
learn how to make more effective decisions. The
achievement of these goals is threatened by a dominant
group worker. It is also important to recognize when the
Social Groups: Characteristics and Significance 329

group needs a leader and to act effectively if so, or to teach

when the group needs to learn new ways to interact or
need new information. The most important thing is to be
aware that groups have different needs at different times
in their development, and that different groups need
different mixtures of these roles. Three main activities of
the worker, described first by Benne and Sheats in 1948
(cited by Benson, p.70) whether as a leader or a facilitator/
enabler include task, maintenance and personal functions.
Task functions refer to those needs and behaviours and
roles that are required to help the group achieve its goals;
the second, maintenance functions encompass those
behaviours and roles that help the group look after its
emotional and interpersonal well-being; and the third
functions are concerned with personal motives, needs and
interests that each individual member brings to the group.

Role Differentiation: Factors Affecting

Roles of Group Worker
In the preceding discussion, there have been numerous
references to changes occurring in the perception of group
worker’s roles according to different group situations. Here
we are selecting two important factors which influence the
roles of a group worker, namely, the purpose and types of
group. Because groups and the situations within which
they operate are so different, the worker needs to first
understand the group and the circumstances surrounding
it before attempting to define specific aspects of his role.
(Trecker, p.34)

Purpose of the Group and Roles of a

Group Worker
Purpose for which a group comes into being is the most
basic determinant of what the worker’s responsibilities are.
330 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

The amount and nature of help that the group members

expect from the worker, the amount of autonomy that the
members are anxious to retain and the content of the group
experience (programme) that is essential or advisable to
achieve the specific purpose – are some of the important
determinants of the worker’s role.

Purpose is the dynamic force that can be mobilized into

different groups. Groups based on purpose provide
different group experiences to its members. Accordingly,
the interventive roles expected of the group worker also
vary. While the basic three elements of the worker’s role –
task-achievement, group maintenance and personal need
satisfaction – remain constant (though with varying
emphases and combinations), the purpose determines the
nature of relationship between the worker and the group
members through which these functions are performed.
Given below are some of the categories of purposes for
which the groups come into existence.

 Enhancement of relationships – to resolve problems

in social relationships, to cope with deficits, to
strengthen mutual and reciprocal relationships.
Whether the purpose is to correct maladaptive patterns
of relationships or to help ‘normal’ persons grow
socially, the worker has to use his authority in a flexible
manner. The specific purpose will determine whether
he provides direction, support, a role-model, a
comfortable and a stress-free environment in which
to interact and relate; or he facilitates content of the
group experience (programme) that offer opportunities
for expression, mutual give and take, and growth.
 Dealing with problems of social functioning- One of
the purposes which traditionally belong to group work
practice is dealing with problems of social functioning.
The worker engages the group members in problem-
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 331

solving process and helps them to acquire coping skills

in the context of problems of social functioning.
Whether the worker has a more directive and active
stance or relatively more non-directive depends more
on the needs and capacities of the group members
than on the worker’s orientation.
 Enhancing Social competence –is preventive in nature.
The need for group work service stems from lack of
adequate knowledge, social experience, and skills for
coping with anticipated event or situation out of a
psycho-social development phase or transition to a
new or changed role like persons about to get married,
or prospective adoptive parents; and persons with
physical disability to get socialized into new or changed
roles expected of them. Teaching, information giving,
brokering, facilitating role-rehearsing and help develop
a structure to the group that provides safe and
comfortable group environment for experimenting are
some of the roles expected of the worker. The worker
may also have to engage in referral, negotiation for
procurement of needed resources and services,
mediation, and advocacy.
 Coping with stress –development of capacities to cope
effectively with stress caused by situations due to life
transition, life-threatening illness, divorce, physical
violence, or rape. Members need support from the
worker but also from their peers or members of the
group. They need to disclose and manage emotions,
release tension, enhance damaged self-esteem, and
discover new ways of dealing with stress and realities
of life. The worker’s role primarily is that of an enabler
or even that of a therapist. The worker, though,
encourages the members to draw upon the potentials
of group processes as medium of help. He offers
necessary information about available services and
332 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

provisions that the members can have recourse to so

as to deal with post traumatic experiences. Handling
emotions, clarification and interpretation are
important inputs by the worker. His role in establishing
group structures and patterns of open communication,
and encouraging participation in group processes go
a long way in alleviating stress of the members.
· Empowerment – Democratic, empowering and
participatory approaches are inherent in the ethos,
Group Work as being a part of the broader Social Work
Philosophy. “Helping people to help themselves”
implies worker’s intervention to empower people to
take charge of their own lives. However, empowerment
belonging to the category of purposes of group
formation is more specific. It acquired prominence
relatively recently due to social work’s adopting
securing of social justice as its mission.

Empowerment comes through being able to understand

how the problem lies outside the individual and results
from oppressive policies, practices, behaviours and the
ideas on which these are founded. Empowerment becomes
a strategy of choice while working with minority groups,
disadvantaged groups, women or populations at risk. It is
meant to provide the group members with support, skills,
understanding needed to allow them take control of their
own lives and achieve power in situations where earlier
they felt powerless. Considering that power equation is
tilted in favour of the worker in worker - member
relationship, it is essential that the members feel equal to
the workers, engage in a dialogue rather than submit to
directives of the worker. Once the necessary information
for consciousness-raising has been provided, the members
are expected to take their own decisions, deal with internal
conflicts, and negotiate with external systems. The worker
may need to be more active initially while motivating the
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 333

members to form the group; then, perform the role of a

teacher, facilitate the process of capacity building, engage
in supportive roles to enhance their self-esteem and
sometimes assist in negotiating with the systems which
have been oppressive and discriminatory towards the group
members. However, the purpose of empowering the
members precludes continued or active role of the
professional. The mutual-aid potential of the group, rather
than the expertise and authority of the worker, is heavily
drawn upon. People, who come together as a consequence
of having similar problems or concerns, find themselves
in a position where they can collectively confront these
forces of oppression, in ways which they could not do
single-handedly. Empowerment connotes that members
have acquired necessary capacity, skill and confidence to
deal with oppressive life experiences. The role of the
professional facilitator who is successful in empowering
peer leadership will gradually transfer into that of a
consultant to deal with specific work-related problems.

The discussion above does not include a complete list of

purposes for which people come together in groups. It is
only illustrative of how purposes affect the kind of roles a
group worker is expected to perform in the group.

Types of Groups and Roles of a Group

Worker
One of the important determinants of roles of a group
worker is the type of the group with which he is engaged.
The worker’s inputs, stance, approach and style is
differentially aligned to the type of a group – is it voluntary
group or involuntary? Has the group been deliberately
formed or has sprung up spontaneously? Is group open-
ended with fluid membership or closed with specified
tenure and fixed membership? Is the group comprises of
334 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

children, adults; able-bodies or differently-abled? Is it a

support group, self-help group, social action group, interest
group or a treatment group? Keeping generic roles in mind,
the worker offers a combination of different roles, in varying
emphases and perspectives.

Involuntary groups in which members’ participation is

mandatory- like group of probationers or delinquent youth
– the worker has to put in considerable time and effort to
clarify the purpose and win the members’ trust. As the
worker is perceived to belong to the establishment with
power to supervise their bahaviour and reactions,
maintaining records and reporting to authorities, this task
is very tough and requiring deep empathic understanding.
The worker has to deal with internal conflicts, to facilitate
establishment of safe and stress free group structures and
norms, and to encourage interest-based programme
content. Challenging and confrontation, interpretation and
building self-esteem along with provision of support are
vital interventive roles of a worker in such groups.

In open-ended groups, the worker is responsible in helping

existing members to accept new members, the latter to
understand the group structure and rules of participation;
and help members review group’s purpose. Since
composition of a group impacts the group dynamics in a
significant way, the gate - keeping becomes an important
function of the worker. Open-ended groups pose another
challenge to group leadership-whether professional or
indigenous -, that is, the size of the group at any given
time. The kind of programme that the group wishes to
engage in may present limitations either because the group
has become too large or too small; the skill levels may also
change. The worker has to quickly assess the situation
and enable the group members to adapt to the new
situation; divide the group into sub-groups or change the
programme.
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 335

We have already mentioned that worker’s role in support

groups is of a facilitator; helping members to draw upon
the helping potentials of their peers (members) in the group.
The worker’s role in self-help groups involves more behind-
the-scene activities, such as recruiting, linking group
members with other groups and systems, limited role as a
facilitator within the group, supporting indigenous leaders
and acting as a consultant. Worker rarely has an active
role in the group’s activities.

The worker has considerable control over who is invited to

join a therapy group. Therapy groups seek to produce
individual growth and change through the relationships
established among members with the help of a professional
therapist. Using professional methods, therapist
encourages and interprets “here and now “events among
members to produce insight and change. The worker often
plays an active role in helping the members decide group
structure and group norms. As far as the interpersonal
relationships are concerned, the worker is more of an
enabler than a leader. The worker, however, is responsible
for group maintenance and personal growth tasks,
encouraging the members to identify and plan positive
programme content as an instrument for achieving
treatment goals.

Task groups clearly focus more on accomplishing a specific

task. While the task-related responsibilities of the worker
take precedence over the other two, namely personal
growth and group maintenance, the latter are nevertheless
as essential because it is through the instrumentality of
the positive group experience that the goal of task
accomplishment is achieved. Depending on the level of
skills and capacities of the members, the group - feeling
in the group, the worker has to undertake roles comprising
all the three components. Recreational groups also need
development of group cohesion before the content of group
336 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

experience adds to the pleasure and satisfaction of the

members.

Stages of Group Development and Roles

of A Group Worker
In earlier chapters you have learnt that groups change
overtime. Group process is “a frame of reference which
limits, focuses and directs the worker’s efforts in a group”
(Saari & Galinsky quoted by Benson, p.74) It is based on
the assumption that group process can be controlled and
influenced by the worker’s actions. Group process can be
defined as change over time in the internal structure,
organization and culture of the whole or part of the group
or individual member. There is a movement and change
in the quality of interactions, relationships and
communication patterns, in the degree of trust and
cohesion, and in the nature of members’ participation in
group’s programme. To observe and understand these
changes occurring over time in the group’s life span,
comprehending the concept of group development is very
useful for the group worker as it helps him to determine
what needs to be done at a given point of time. Groups do
not move sequentially through discreet phases; they may
move backwards and forwards or sideways. Each group
may spend different amount of time at any one phase of
growth or may even move cyclically. Consideration of broad
phases of development in terms of major tasks expected
of the worker is likely to prove more useful, especially to a
new professional.

At the pre-group or pre-affiliation stage, the worker acts

as a visionary who establishes the need and feasibility of
launching a group and then a motivator to recruit potential
members to the group. The role of the worker changes
once the members have come together. At the initial stage,
variously designated as inclusion, forming, orientation or
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 337

affiliation stage, the members look to worker for direction,

structure, approval and help at difficult times. The worker
has to be more active at this time as the members are
dependent on the worker. The worker welcomes all the
members; allays their anxieties; helps members to
communicate with each other and explore; clarifies
purpose; to make connections among the members; and
establish tentative group structure and norms, that is rules
for conducting group sessions and for members’
participation. The worker assumes a nurturing and guiding
stance with the members.

At the beginning of the middle stage, the previously

friendly members may reveal a negative streak. The
members here are seeking individual roles. In what is
described as storming or stage of seeking power control,
conflicts develop and there is search for individual
autonomy. If not handled appropriately, there may be drop
outs. The worker recognizes this conflict as a natural
phenomenon and helps the group to revise group structure
and group norms. Development of new norms is ensured
through members’ sharing of ideas and feelings about their
expectations from the group and about how the group
should function. Giving opportunity to the members to
express their feelings and ideas, the worker plays a vital
role in group maintenance. He encourages the members
in the tasks of harmonizing, compromising, setting
standards and expressing group feeling. At the same time
he ensures that individual goals are not submerged in the
group goals. He ensures that each member gets an
opportunity for expression of ideas and feelings. The
worker, while performing the roles of facilitator and enabler,
does not relinquish his control over the group processes.
Judicious use of challenging and confronting and clarifying
issues helps the members to view their behaviour in the
right perspective. His interventions enable the members
338 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

move from less intimate to more intimate system of

relationships within the group. Setting of norms (also called
stage of norming or negotiation) and emergence of
indigenous leadership take the group to the next level of
development. The members engage in conflict resolution;
goals, roles and tasks are designated and accepted. Group
traditions are stronger, norms develop, personal
involvement intensifies; group cohesion is stronger; and
members are freer in sharing information and opinions.
(Johnson, p.207)

After the control issues are resolved, the group now settles
down to work on its tasks and goals, whether dealing with
personal problems and anxieties of the members or
accomplishing tasks for which the group came into being.
Variously called performing, functional, operation or
cohesion stage, the role of the worker becomes less active
and more facilitative or consultative. The worker provides
support, or relevant information, The members work
together more effectively. There is growing ability to plan
and carry out projects relevant to the purpose of the goal.
There is higher degree of integration and cohesion. The
worker moves into a less central role. The worker monitors
the group’s functioning, gives appropriate feedback to the
group whether there is an affinity between the purpose
and the group programme. Here the worker’s influence is
more indirect and subtle than direct. The group will expect
the worker to be available and provide necessary inputs
in case of crisis or some difficulty. Encouraging members
to make choices and fostering creativity are other tasks
that a worker performs at this mature stage of the group.

Termination, disintegration, separation, mourning or

ending stage requires different set of inputs from the
worker. According to Benson (p.155), the worker is again
more dominant in this stage and offers a mix of nurturing,
guidance, and protection and support roles. The worker
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 339

deals with physical fact of separation; feelings of anxiety

and facilitates members’ intellectual understanding of what
have they gained through the group experience. The worker
helps the members to assess their group experience and
to identify ways of stabilizing the gains achieved.
Identifying a group’s stage of development allows the
worker to respond to the group with better understanding
about structures and functioning of the group – which is
a means for enhancing the interactional process of the
group. (Johnson, p. 208)

Conclusion
Depending on the needs of the individual members,
purpose of the group and the stage of group development,
the group worker performs a range of roles in his work
with the groups- ranging from role of a leader, organizer,
motivator, and planner to helper, broker, enabler,
facilitator, guide, consultant, mediator, advocate and role-
model.

Authority and power are inherent in a group worker’s

position on account of his professional knowledge, skills
and access to certain resource. While the worker need not
deny this, he is expected to make judicious use of his
authority in the service of the client groups and not for his
own benefit. The professional code of conduct offers a
number of safeguards to make it possible. The challenge
before the group worker is that even while performing the
role of a leader, he shares this role with group members.
Each group member is a potential helper in the group and
may offer a particular kind of expertise. Even when he
directs the group members, he is expected to facilitate the
members’ capacity to get empowered to do things
themselves, to take control of their own lives; in short,
encourage the emergence of indigenous leadership. The
340 Social Group Work: Working with Groups

worker has to operate from democratic, empowering,

participative perspectives maintaining strength - based
orientation. He is committed to foster group’s mutual-aid
propensities. Besides, the worker does not perform any
one role from among those mentioned above, at any given
point of time. He is usually performing a mixture of different
roles, the emphasis and amount of the ingredients being
different in different groups and situations. As mentioned
earlier, social group work is often best done by combining
these roles. A competent worker will move from one to the
other or combine them as needed by the group.

Reference
Compton, Beulah Roberts, Galaway, Burt, Social Work
Processes, 1984, 3rd ed., he Dorsey Press, Illinois.

Malekoff, Andrew, Group Work with Adolescents: Principles

and Practice, The Guilford Press, New York, 2nd Edition,
2004

Wilson, Gertrude, Ryland, Gladys, Social Group Work

Practice: The Creative Use of the Social Process, Houghton
Mifflin Co., The Riberside Press, Cambridge, USA, 1949.

Brown, Allan, Groupwork, Gower Publishing Company

Ltd., Aldershot 2nd ed. 1986

Johnson, Louise C., Social Work Practice: A Generalist

Approach, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 6th Ed.1998

Northen, Helen & Kurland, Roselle, Social Work with

Groups, Columbia University Press, New York, 3rd Ed.2001

Benson, Jarlath F., Working More Creatively with Groups,

Tavistock Publications, London, 1987
Role of Social Worker in Group Work 341

Konopka, Gisela, Social group Work: A Helping Process,

Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1972, 1963

Balgopal, Pallassana R. & Vassil, Thomas V., Groups in

Social Work- An Ecological Perspective, Macmillan
Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1983

Trecker, Harleigh B., Social Group Work: Principles and

Practices, Association Press, New York, 1955.

http://www.britannica.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role

www.mtsu.edu/~jsanborn/groups/leadership.htm

Australian Association of Social Workers 2002

http://www.aasw.asn.au/becomeamember/aboutsw/
sw_role.htm