Types of Social Work Groups

The social work groups can be classified on the basis of

the purpose for which the group is conceptualised. The

purposes may be to meet the socio-emotional needs of

individual members or to accomplish a specific or a set

of tasks of an individual member or group as a whole

for its growth and development. Konapka (1983) classified

social work groups as development groups and social

action groups. Another classification is treatment and

task groups as discussed by Toseland and Rivas (1984).

They further divided treatment groups as remedial,

educational, growth, and socialisation groups; and task

groups into committees, teams, delegate councils,

treatment conference and social action groups. This

classification of groups into different types is not water

tight, they tend to overlap. Therefore for our discussion,

the various types of groups that can be formed by social

group workers are classified as

a) Remedial groups

b) Growth groups

c) Task groups

Remedial groups are mostly to enable the members to

sustain their changed behaviour and to cope up with

new situations in life. The focus is more on the socioemotional

needs. This type of group is formed with those

people who have undergone some treatment for a

pathological condition. For example, a group of people

who have been discharged from a drug de-addiction

centre have to be helped to continue their changed

behaviour and the treatment. Growth groups are to

create awareness about the opportunities to grow and

develop in their career and other life positions. These

groups focus both on the social and emotional needs of

the members as well as achievement of a tangible target.

Some examples are: a group of youth is brought together

to enhance their entrepreneurial abilities so as to

improve income generating capacities and make them

feel they are worthy members of the society, teaching

children to acquire social skills and social etiquettes,

so that they perform their social responsibilities properly

and grow as useful adults. Task groups focus on certain

work or activity the group is to achieve for its own

development. The task could be development oriented,

solving a problem or a crisis situation or a social

disadvantage. Some examples are: a committee formed

by an organisation to deliberate on certain strategies

to improve the service delivery, an administrative group

of heads of different units of an agency to work out

ways and means to improve the performance of the staff

and bring about coordination among the different units,

group formed to tackle water shortage, poor civic

amenities and reservation of jobs for women.

These groups are formed in residential settings, daycare

service centres, community settings and even an

open or general public platform as well as in formal

organisations.