Values in Social Group Work Practice: Practice Values, American Values and Core Values

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(caps)The values in group work practice serves as the ethical compass guiding professionals as they navigate complex group dynamics and diverse populations. At its core, group work in social work is imbued with values that uphold principles of dignity, respect, empowerment and etc. These values not only shape the interactions between group members but also inform the strategies employed by practitioners to facilitate positive change within the group setting. Central to the practice of group work in social work is the value of inclusivity. Practitioners strive to create an environment where all members feel welcomed and valued, regardless of their backgrounds or experiences. This commitment to inclusivity fosters a sense of belonging among group members, facilitating open communication and collaboration towards shared goals.

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Practice Value

Group work practice is influenced by a system of personal and professional values. These values affect workers’ styles of intervention and the skills they use when working with group members. Values also affect members’ reactions to workers’ efforts. Despite the emphasis on ethics and values in the Education Policy and Accreditation Standards published by the Council on Social Work Education (2015), Strozier (1997) found that few social group work course syllabi gave much emphasis to the topic of values or ethics in group work practice.

Values are beliefs that delineate preferences about how one ought to behave. They refer to a goal that is worth attaining. There is no such thing as value-free group work practice. All group workers operate with certain specific assumptions and values regarding the nature of human beings, the role of members, and the role of the group leader. Values influence the methods used to accomplish group and individual goals. Even a leader who is completely permissive and nondirective reveals the values embodied in such a stance. A worker’s actions in the group are affected by contextual values, member value systems, and the worker’s personal value system. Levine (2012) has identified values that are dominant in American society.

American Values

1. Judeo–Christian doctrine with its emphasis on the dignity and worth of people and people’s responsibility for their neighbor

2. Democratic values that emphasize equality and participation, including men’s and women’s rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

3. The Puritan ethic that emphasizes men’s and women’s responsibility for themselves and the central role of work in a moral life

4. Social Darwinism that emphasizes the survival of the strongest and the fittest in a long-term evolutionary process (alert-success)

Beyond the values held by all professional social work practitioners, group workers share a special concern and interest in values that are basic to group work practice. Some of the key values of group work have been stated by Gisela Konopka (1983). She suggests that all group workers should agree on the importance of the following values.

Group Work Values

1. Participation of and positive relations among people of different color, creed, age, national origin, and social class in the group.

2. The value of cooperation and mutual decision making embodied in the principles of a participatory democracy.

3. The importance of individual initiative within the group.

4. The importance of freedom to participate, including expressing thoughts and feelings about matters of concern to individual members or the group as a whole, and having the right to be involved in the decision-making process of the group.

5. The value of high individualization in the group so that each member’s unique concerns are addressed. (alert-success)

These values are not absent in other aspects of social work practice, but in group work, they are of central importance. In addition to these five core values, we have found four additional values to be fundamental to practice with any type of task or treatment group.

Four Key Values

6. Respect and dignity: The worth and dignity of all group members no matter how devalued or stigmatized they may be by society. This includes valuing members’ contributions to the life of the group and adhering to all aspects of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics.

7. Solidarity and mutual aid: The power and promise of relationships to help members grow and develop, to help them heal, to satisfy their needs for human contact and connectedness, and to promote a sense of unity and community.

8. Empowerment: The power of the group to help members feel good about themselves and to enable them to use their abilities to help themselves and to make a difference in their communities.

9. Understanding, respect, and camaraderie among people from diverse backgrounds: The ability of groups to help enrich members by acquainting them with people from other backgrounds. Members’ respect and appreciation for each other grow as their relationships deepen over the life of a group. Thus, one powerful aspect of social group work is that it helps to decrease ignorance, misunderstanding, and prejudice among people from diverse backgrounds. (alert-success)

Although workers will never become value-free, supervision can help them become aware of the values they bring to the group. Supervision can help workers modify or change values that are not consistent with those of the social work profession or helpful in their practice with groups of people. Value-clarification exercises can also help workers identify personal and professional values that might influence their work with a group.

Note: For detailed information kindly go through the book titled “An Introduction to Group Work Practice” by Ronald W. Toseland and Robert F. Rivas. (alert-success)

Understand the Agency and Community for successful Group Work

Agency Values: Familiarize yourself with the agency's mission, policies, and how decisions are made. This helps anticipate challenges and find support within the agency.

Community Context: Consider how community norms, demographics, and social issues might influence your group and its members.

Professional Values: Remember core social work values like respecting clients and promoting equality.

Group Work Values: Be aware of additional values specific to group work practice.

References

Council on Social Work Education. (2015). Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Alexandria Virginia, CSWE.

Dolgoff, R., Harrington, D., & Loewenberg, F. (2012). Ethical decisions for social work practice (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Konopka, G. (1983). Social group work: A helping process (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Levine, J. (2012). Working with people: The helping process (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Rothman, J. C. (2013). From the front lines: Student cases in social work ethics (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Pearson Education.

Rokeach, M. (1968). Beliefs, attitudes and values: A theory of organization and change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Strozier, R. (1997). Group work in social work education. What is being taught? Social Work with Groups, 20(1), 65–77.(alert-success)