SOAD9226 Social Work with Groups and Communities Report 1 Sample

SOAD9226 Social Work with Groups and Communities Report 1

Assignment Brief

Question- Write a funding application for a group work or community development project or program.

Please use the subheadings/questions below.

Funding application for a group work program

1) Applicant organisation details (50 words)

a) Organisation name:

b) Organisation size

i) Please check your organisation’s 2021-22 financial statement. What is your organisation’s revenue?:

ii) How many staff work within your organisation?:

iii) How many volunteers work within your organisation?:

c) Briefly summarise your organisation’s aims

2) Program description (1000 words)

a) Program title:

b) What is the social issue you are seeking to address? What do we know about the social issue from research, evidence and experience?

c) Who is the target group for your program? What are the demographics of the target group?

d) Please briefly describe your proposed program

i) What is the type and purpose of the group?

ii) What will the group composition look like? (i.e. size, open or closed membership, homogenous or heterogeneous)

iii) What recruitment methods will you use?

iv) How will you prepare the environment?

v) How will you begin the program?

vi) Describe the activities that are a part of your program. What do you want to do and how? Provide a brief outline, including 6 sessions

3) Evidence base (400 words)

a) Why have you chosen to use group work? Provide a brief rationale for using this method to address the social issue

b) Is there evidence to suggest that the proposed activities will lead to the outcomes? Review the literature on existing programs and approaches. What is good practice in this area?

4) Community development (400 words)

a) How might you address the social issue differently, using a community development approach? Apply community development perspectives, principles and processes, roles and skills.

Solution

1) Applicant organisation details

a) Organisation name: Headspace (Non-Government Organisation)

b) Organisation size:

i) Revenue (2021-22): AUD 10 million.

ii) Number of staff: Across Australia, Headspace has a team of about 850 people.

iii) Number of volunteers: Over 500 dedicated volunteers support the organisation's programmes and services.

c) Briefly summarise your organisation’s aims:

Headspace aims to support young people's mental health and well-being through services that strengthen education, employment, and social participation to facilitate healthier lifestyles. Some of these objectives include reductions in recidivism, better mental health outcomes, and employability.

2) Program Description

Program title: Breaking the Chains: Youth Employment Skill-Building Program

b)

The social problem was that of youth recidivism, particularly in the teenage group in the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. It was proven that unemployment skills, lower self-esteem, and a lack of opportunities were great causes for reoffending. In a program like the DCS Employment Program, or WRRR, evidence showed that employment after release significantly decreases recidivism rates; 78% of participants did not reoffend when working. Additional studies also focus on skill-building programs for young offenders as a means to promote social integration and decrease recidivism of other vulnerable groups like First Nations and Guardianship children for MBA assignment expert.

c)

The program targets 15-17-year-old youth offenders who are detained at the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. The young person possesses high-level social and economic exclusion factors, which include a criminal offending history and low educational attainment, as well as limited employability skills (Isherwood, 2023). First Nations youth and children under Guardianship will be given priority as they are the most over-represented group in the youth justice system. The program's key target is those participants who are more likely to reoffend.

d)

i)

The proposed program is a close, task-oriented group whose aim is to make the youths acquire employability skills while reducing recidivism. Intended focus of the group on enhancing participants' communication, teamwork, and self-esteem seems to equip participants with adequate skills for social reintegration. It aims at reducing re-offending by helping the participants find jobs after release, thus encouraging long term behavioural change.

ii)

It will consist of 10-12 participants who are carefully selected through triage with the social workers of the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. Membership is closed, thereby providing consistency while providing opportunities for participants to relate and bond during the period of the program. The group is homogeneous in nature, mainly targeting youth offenders aged between 15-17 years, from a similar catchment area, and facing common difficulties-mainly First Nations and Guardianship youth. This paper will provide for more focused interventions and a supportive environment favourable to the growth of personal and skill developments.

iii)

Recruitment will be selected in consultation with social workers and case managers of the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. First priority for recruitment will be given to those youths who have high chances of reoffending, in particular to the First Nations and Guardianship children. The recruitment will take place based on assessment concerning employability needs, readiness for being taken as part of the program, and personal motivation to take up skill-building activities, thereby selecting the best candidate for the program.

iv)

The environment will be set to create a safe, supportive, structured setting that fosters learning and personal growth. Rooms must be arranged to encourage open communication and collaboration, with comfortable seating and access to necessary resources like computers for resume building and job search activities (Monhollen, 2022). All such arrangements will be made by the facilitators ensuring that the space reflects a non-judgmental atmosphere encouraging active participation. Cultural sensitivity will ensure respect for the needs of First Nations participants among others.

v)

An ice-breaking session will be conducted at the beginning of the program, with the overall aim of establishing trust and rapport between participants. Facilitators must introduce themselves and state their purpose, goals, and program structure (Kropp et al. 2022). The participants will use ice-breaking activities to foster communication and relations within and among members. They will draw up ground rules as a collective, which will ensure respect, confidentiality, and commitment throughout the sessions.

vi)

vii)

Many roles and skills involved in group work will be utilised in facilitating the sessions. The facilitators will be mediators through directing these discussions to include all participants. One utilises active listening skills, empathy, and skill at conflict resolution in order to maintain a positive group dynamic. Participants must be encouraged to collaborate with one another to share their understanding and provide peer support throughout the sessions (Shalaby & Agyapong, 2020). For instance, leadership and decision-making responsibilities will be shared among members in order to involve each member in responsibility-taking and encourage their own development.

viii)

The group dynamics would have the challenges of mandated participation; resistance to engage, and potential conflicts within the group. Regarding managing mandated group dynamics, facilitators will prepare a supportive environment that promotes positive reinforcement in an encouragement approach. Conflict results from differences in personality or backgrounds; clear ground rules and open communication will be implemented (Weingart et al. 2023). In facilitation, the facilitators will also apply some conflict resolution strategies, such as mediation and active listening, to diffuse tensions and maintain a respectful, cooperative group atmosphere.

ix)

The final session will be a wrap-up session, where the participants' progress and achievements will be reflected. Facilitators will facilitate participants to share their experiences, and individual feedback will be given by facilitators. Evaluation of pre and post-program assessments will be conducted in terms of improvement in measures through change in employability skills, self-esteem, and communication abilities. Facilitators must collect feedback from social workers and participants in regard to the effectiveness of the entire program and areas to be improved upon in succeeding iterations (Hartmann et al. 2021).

x)

Upon graduating, participants are equipped with enhanced employability skills, ranging from building a better resume to improvement in job search and interview preparation techniques. Their self-confidence and communication skills are improved to empower both socially and professionally. Emotional regulation and teamwork skills will be improved, too. That is, there will be a reduction in the reoffence probability as they will have more weapons to return to society better. The training and support nature of the program will encourage durable behavioural change among the participants and post-release employment.

3) Evidence Base

a)

The reason for choosing group work is that it offers a realistic interactive context in which students can engage with peers to share and learn, hence seriously important in tackling youth recidivism issues. The group setting helps to promote participation toward creating trust and peer support which are themselves also major drivers of behaviour change. It opens the avenues through which participants can relate their experiences and difficulties thus building community since they neither feel alone nor isolated. Group work encourages involvement and responsibility from the participants, so that people learn from their peers and develop social skills (Øzerk et al. 2021). As social reintegration incorporates the personal and interpersonal skills, group work becomes an excellent tool to address the social, emotional, as well as practical dimensions of employability and a reduction in recidivism. If structured group programs emphasise communication, goal setting, and teamwork, it is likely to foster positive behavioural change among at-risk youth.

b)

There is much evidence regarding effective skills-building programs that do reduce recidivism. To quote one example, the DCS Employment program in South Australia showed that 78 percent of participants did not reoffend once they were placed to employment post-release. In short, the building of employability skills can significantly reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Other studies also disclosed that group intervention strategies involving team-based systems, open communication, and goal setting can more effectively provide social integration and personal growth. Programs like "Breaking the Chains" have been observed to produce positive impacts on offenders' self-esteem and communication skills, which are seen as fundamental competencies in the way toward employment opportunities and full reintegration into society. Practices related to these issues include providing evidence-based structured sessions tailored according to specific needs of the group, priority in the development of practical skills, and continuing support throughout the reintegration process. With these guidelines, the proposed program should therefore achieve its desired outcomes.

4) Community Development

a)

Using the approach of community development in dealing with youth recidivism changes the focus from individual skill-building toward gearing the community as a whole to promote a friendly environment for the offenders (Taylor, 2022). It is thus socially based, with long-term social change in mind, "since the community identifies solutions and addresses the underlying causes of offending.". The principle, under which community development takes place, is participation. In this case, community stakeholders, such as families, small-scale industries, and youth organisations, should collectively work together to develop opportunities that engage young offenders in useful activities, mentorship, and employment. This program would instead bring capacity to the community to support at-risk youth through collective action rather than focusing on isolating individual interventions. This may include job placement through local employers, community-led workshops that address broader issues such as substance abuse or family dynamics, and providing support networks within the community. Community development recognizes this empowerment with marginalised groups, which in this case would include First Nations youth, to have an input in decision-making processes and to be integral to the determination of their futures.

In the approach to community development, the application of principles-in this case, inclusiveness and sustainability-fosters long-term social bonding and systems of support for reintegration beyond the life of the program. Facilitators would act as an enabler helping communities come together in collaboration with sharing of resources and self-determination (Bhatti et al. 2021). The task of youth recidivism would be made a collective responsibility while putting less burden on external interventions toward an ever-increasing capability within the community to offer continuous support. This approach would hence provide for a strong community based on the value and support of young people rather than addressing just the problem of recidivism at an individual level. The community sustains efforts to reduce youth offending by going further than the scope of reintegration through active participation, shared leadership, and local empowerment.

Reference

Bhatti, S., Rayner, J., Pinto, A. D., Mulligan, K., & Cole, D. C. (2021). Using self-determination theory to understand the social prescribing process: a qualitative study. BJGP open, 5(2). https://bjgpopen.org/content/bjgpoa/5/2/BJGPO.2020.0153.full.pdf

corrections.sa.gov.au, (2024). Evaluation of the Work Ready Release Ready Program. https://www.corrections.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/992024/WRRR-Evaluation-Summary.pdf

Hartmann, C. W., Engle, R. L., Pimentel, C. B., Mills, W. L., Clark, V. A., Keleher, V. C., ... & Snow, A. L. (2021). Virtual external implementation facilitation: Successful methods for remotely engaging groups in quality improvement. Implementation science communications, 2(1), 66. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s43058-021-00168-z.pdf

Isherwood, L. (2023). NEET: Young People Not in Education, Employment, or Training and Violent Crime. https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/media/10866/neet-young-people-not-in-education-employment-or-training-and-violent-crime.pdf

Kropp, J., Arrington, N. M., & Shankar, V. (2022). Developing a service-learning student facilitator program: Lessons learned. Journal of community engagement and scholarship, 8(1). https://jces.ua.edu/articles/302/files/62e7e3e51b55b.pdf

Monhollen, M. J. (2022). An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Third-Place Work Environments and Work Engagement (Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota). https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/241442/Monhollen_umn_0130E_23338.pdf?sequence=1

Øzerk, K., Özerk, G., & Silveira-Zaldivar, T. (2021). Developing social skills and social competence in children with autism. International Electronic Journal of
Elementary Education, 13(3), 341-363. https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/88813/SOCIAL%2BSKILLS%2BAND%2BCHILDREN%2BWITH%2BASD.pdf?sequence=2
Shalaby, R. A. H., & Agyapong, V. I. (2020). Peer support in mental health: literature review. JMIR mental health, 7(6), e15572. https://mental.jmir.org/2020/6/e15572/

Taylor, G. C. (2022). How Transition Programming for Juvenile Offenders Has An Effect on Lower Revidivism Rates and Educational Outcomes. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/cr56n640q

Weingart, L. R., Jehn, K. A., & Krueger, K. L. (2023). Manage intrateam conflict through collaboration. Principles of Organizational Behavior: The Handbook of Evidence‐Based Management 3rd Edition, 403-427. https://perpus.univpancasila.ac.id/repository/EBUPT190050.pdf#page=359