SW 620: Advanced Social Work Practice: Child And Family Wellbeing Groupwork Assessment 2026 | CSU

SW620 ADVANCED GROUPWORK 2026

Assessment for the Groupwork component of SW620:

One written plan of 2,000 words due by Friday 2^nd January 2026.

The assignment is submitted using Turnitin on the SW620 Moodle page.

This plan asks students to display their understanding of the course materials by applying them to their research dissertation topic.

An Assignment Workshop before the submission date will guide students about the format and expected content.

ASSIGNMENT: PREPARE A SOCIAL WORK GROUPWORK INTERVENTION PLAN

Prepare a detailed plan for a social- worker-run groupwork intervention that relates to your dissertation topic. The plan should include the following elements:

A rationale for using groupwork as a social work intervention with this group

The proposed group members and how they will be recruited

The groupwork approach to be used by the social worker(s)

The skills and supervision required for this approach Planning tasks and practical arrangements

How this groupwork intervention will be evaluated

Submit the assignment using Turnitin on the SW620 Moodle page

Total Words: 2,000 words.

Remember to use Harvard Referencing Style

Due: Submit using Turnitin by 11.59pm on Friday 2^nd January 2026

ADVANCED GROUPWORK WORKSHEET 2

Group work for foster carers caring for children with complex problems

A Social-Worker-Run Groupwork For Foster Carers Through Youth Transitioning To Adulthood

A Rationale For Using Groupwork As A Social Work Intervention With This Group

According to Golding & Picken (2004), group work provides foster carers with an essential means of receiving support and psycho-education. It gives them opportunities to explore different ways of understanding and managing foster children. The support and intervention mentioned by Golding & Picken are relevant to the foster carer group chosen, especially with the complexities of the youth transition to adulthood, and the challenges they encounter for several reasons.

Group interventions can help carers to enhance their understanding of the needs of foster children and their skills in managing these young adults on a day-to-day basis, further increase their knowledge about trauma, attachment, adolescent development and also give the foster carers space to reflection and validation of their experiences (Golding & Picken, 2004).  Golding & Picken, (2004) suggest that it would therefore seem essential within support services for carers to provide some group work that offers training and a support element. Managing the problematic behaviour of these children would be an important focus of such group work. Groupwork would be effective, especially for the foster carers of young adults who have a history of trauma and also attachment issues, as it will help them to explore collaboratively, share everyday experiences and would essentially focus on gaining coping skills and strategies of dealing with complex problems and normalise the challenges faced (Golding & Picken, 2004).

According to Trevithick (2005), groupwork helps build social cohesion and also lessens isolation; the key point is fostering carers’ wellbeing. Groupwork interventions support foster carers’ practical skills as well as their emotional resilience, which are most essential for positive outcomes for experienced young adults transitioning to independent living (Trevithick, 2005; Bunston et al., 2003).

The Proposed Group Members And How They Will Be Recruited

Fosters carers providing care for 16-21-year-old young adults, who are in the process of transitioning to adulthood. This will involve foster carers, young people preparing for independent living, employment, furthering their education, undertaking vocational training and attending colleges or Universities.

Recruitment Process

The first step is to define the purpose of the group before recruiting and assessing the needs of the participants targeted and to determine whether the group intervention will be suitable for addressing shared issues or goals. According Toseland & Rivas  (2014:140, Social work facilitator should   choose members according to their needs and the needs of” the whole group (Toseland & Rivas, 2017:185)

Members can be recruited within the worker’s organisation, other agencies, or the community (Toseland & Rivas, 2017:185).

Aiming a size of 10-12 members to facilitate meaningful interaction and discussion (Golding & Picken, 2004).

Direct recruitment: as a social worker, members can be recruited directly through emails, phone calls, in person home visits, this allows for direct communication, as some may express challenges, and first-time foster carers. You can get some of the contacts through caseloads (Toseland & Rivas, 2017:18)

Posting the group information on the organisation’s website to advertise

Advertise at the local primary care places, such as healthcare centres.

Collaborate with other fostering agencies to identify potential members.

Make a presentation at the carers meeting, have a brief discussion about it and leave the contacts and share the brochure with them.

Encourage your colleagues to refer some of their clients who have challenges.

Create a flyer or brochure that can be easily shared and displayed on notice boards in the community centres and primary healthcare centres.

A written consent with the description of the group’s aim and objectives, confidentiality and evaluation.

Group Approach

10 sessions

The group will be a psycho-educational group facilitated by an experienced social worker.

Voluntary participation

10 sessions

Members: 10-12 people similar

Duration: Wednesday, 2 hours per week.

10:00 AM -12:00 PM

Location: community centre.

Member name and consent form

Session Structure

Check in: Recap of last session.

Presentation: Workshop on the session on the topic.

Reflection: Sharing of challenges and strategies.

Skill practice: Case study and role play.

Check off: Feedback, reflection and goal setting.

The key components to be covered within 10 sessions:

Building and Setting the group: Introduction, sharing concern and hope.

Understanding trauma-informed care and Attachment theory: Provide the information on attachment theory and trauma-informed care and share with the group any relevant legal policy framework (Golding & Picken,2004). Attachment-focused:  Increase knowledge and understanding of the difficulties presented by the foster children by providing information on the importance of understanding young people and the impact of attachment history on their behaviour and relationships, which will help carers develop strategies and promote a secure attachment.

Adolescent stage and Risk-taking: Providing knowledge why young people engage in certain behaviours. Increasing the skill of the foster carers in managing the children, by empowering and encouraging carers to advocate for the needs of the young people in their care, and manage the complex system and the resources available to them (Trevithick, 2005).

Managing challenging Behaviour:  Providing information on adolescent substance /alcohol use, history of trauma and mental health challenges.

Life and independent living skills: Providing information on how to promote independent living and emotional skills for adulthood.

Housing and Advocacy: Providing information on how to apply for housing council, how to access social welfare service, information on employment and education.

Self- care: Providing information on services that support self-care and maintaining well-being. Helping foster carers to feel more confident in their fostering of difficult children.

Provide the carers with practical skills in communication, advocacy, conflict resolution and problem solving.

Empowerment: Improve the degree to which carers feel supported, create a friendly, supportive and safe environment so that they can feel comfortable to share their experience, offering mutual support and receive validation and encouragement (Golding & Picken,2004).

The social Worker will plan, organise and follow the stages of group development as outlined by Tuckman: storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Reflection and feedback: Reflecting on learning and closure.

The Skills And Supervision Required For This Approach

Facilitation skills

Attending skills: These include both verbal and non-verbal, such as warmth and authenticity through your words and demeanour, and maintaining appropriate eye contact and body language, showing respect and empathising with members.

Focusing Group Communication Skills: Helping the group maintain a focused discussion so that it is beneficial to them, you can prompt them to explore an issue by asking questions and providing clarification. Helping group members share their experiences can normalise their feelings.

Guiding Group Interactions skills: Helping the group focus their communication, guiding group interactions to achieve an aim, by asking a group member to speak directly to another group member so that you can observe communication patterns and styles and by doing so they build group cohesion and belonging.

Summarising and Analysing Information: Pull together the key elements of a group interaction or part of a session, transitioning between topics and at the end of a session, so that participants can reflect on what they learned. Analysis skills include pointing out patterns and identifying missing pieces or gaps in information (Toseland & Rivas, 2001).

Modelling and Role -Playing: A group can learn skills from watching the facilitator’s behaviour, a facilitator sometimes needs to enforce rules in order to maintain safe and respectful behaviour, and an empathetic manner between group members. You could also model effective ways to communicate with someone, especially in the way you speak with your co-facilitator (Toseland & Rivas, 2001).

Confronting and Resolving Conflicts: Be confident and effective in addressing and confronting challenges, Disagreements, and tensions that arise between group members be able to resolve them in a respectful way.

Working With Group Processes:  Attending to both content and group processes. This consists of the material that you are delivering and what people are actually saying and doing. Processes are the patterns of behaviour in the group (Lindsay & Orton, 2008). The group need to feel safe, welcomed, and free to express themselves without fear of reprisal or consequences. To make sure they are engaged and connected.

Supervision essential skills

Ensuring ethical and professional practice

Training in trauma-informed practice and adolescent transitions (Golding & Pickens, 2004)

Effective communication, active listening

Empathy and Compassion

Ability to Delegate

Flexibility Confidence

Transparency when possible

Positive Attitude

Planning Tasks And Practical Arrangements

Pre-Group Planning

Making a proposal, a request for funding

Setting group objective, goal and aim, learning objectives

Needs Assessment for the targeted group, including their needs shared experience, including and exclusion experience (Golding & Picken, 2004, p. 26.

Secure a venture, when securing a venture, consider a venture that is accessible to everyone, such as individuals with disabilities

Preparing the materials to be used, such as psych educational handouts, evaluation tools and refreshments (Golding & Picken, 2004)

Communication, send reminders through emails and text messages, about the resume of the training schedule

During Group

Forming: Orientation, registration, introduction, welcoming and warming up. An evaluation carried out as part of day- to-day practice, administering questionnaires,

Setting the ground rules and clarifying the goal and objectives. Members of the group are getting to know each other (Tuckman,1965). Members of the group seek and receive information from the facilitator. Members act in many ways to decide whether they will be included in the group membership (Northen and Kurland, 2001).

Storming: As a facilitator, you have to ensure the group understands the task and stays on task as well as managing the group, making sure that other group members do not dominate (Golding &Picken, 2004, p 30). Monitor and observe differences in points of view and personal style, and identify power struggles for each member.

Norming: The group will be maturing at this stage; they will know each other, develop a sense of belonging to a team, and as a facilitator, I will encourage them to share their experiences, ensure I listen, show empathy, and make them feel valued and ask for every member’s contributions from all team members(Golding &Picken, 2004, p. 32). Establish and develop team routines.

Performance: Understanding strengths and weaknesses, and insights into group processes,  check with the group, ask for feedback and improved understanding, and build confidence and ability to relate to their foster child upon completion of the groups and recommendations from the participants (Golding &Picken, 2004, p. 34). Allow the members of the group to talk about what was useful and not useful about the group (Golding &Picken, 2004, p. 29)

Adjourning: Evaluate members’ effort, recognise and reward their effort and show appreciation by celebrating their achievements, reflect on learning and provide closure and closing the group.

Evaluation

According to Trevithick (2005), “the effectiveness of groupwork as a method of intervention must be evaluated not only by participant feedback but also by measurable changes in knowledge, skills, and behaviour” (p. 97).

The group will be evaluated using mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative

Quantitative

Pre and Post interventions: Beginning of the session self -report questionnaires were administered, to assess participant the knowledge