Logistical support for a group program would include personnel (eg., the assignment of a regular worker to the group, and of administrative staff who are "on call" should their help be needed;

Pre-group planning should include identification of those sectors in the community whose support is essential to program success

is also termed "social study" and "diagnosis" in the social work literature. It involves information-gathering and analysis towards an understanding and consequently a definition of the need or problem of the client.

Prospective members of a group are usually interviewed by the social worker prior to group formation. The interview may be a private, one-on-one type of meeting, or with a group of other prospective participants.

is based on assessment and is the out- come of assessment. The task involves a consideration of the most appropriate ends and means that should be pursued that directly respond to the client's concern or problem.

the enhancement or improvement of the client's social functioning we have to be very clear about the specific ends, outcomes, or results desired and expec- ted from every professional helping relationship.

If there are ends, then there are also means to achieve them. In social work, these are called intermediate goals objectives, interventive plans or action plans.

refers to the selection of group members and deciding the size of the group, two important group-related tasks that have to be attended to by the group's worker.

is very important because the members of the group, their behaviors and interactions create the social processes that will later happen in the group. There is

is the other aspect of group com- position that should be given careful attention by the worker.

is the process of getting a group organized so that it can start to fiinction and move toward the attainment of its planned goals

From the pre-group for- mation activities it is presumed that the worker has obtained information about the individual member's backgrounds, as well as their interests, concerns and problems

During the period of group formation, the worker is expected to guide the group towards an agreement on rules and standards of behavior in the group.

The worker should discuss and agree with the group on the schedule of the group sessions.

Goals are crucial to all social work practice. Goals provide direction to all activities, including worker interventions, decisions and actions

reveals the use of different terminologies - goals, ends, purposes, objectives and foci, but all affirm the importance of goal-formu- lation. Apparently, goal-setting depends on each author's theoretical approach to group work

The members of a group have their own views about the group.

The worker's own reasons for the group's existence can be analyzed in terms of the following: the agency's societal purpose and its purpose for initiating a group program;

While the worker and the group members usually enter a group with different goal perspectives, they both need to have an initial common ground to guide the group system.

The determination of group goals is not an event, but a process that involves two phases

is when the worker and the group members discuss areas of mutual concern, consider different means to pursue these concerns, sort out their differences, and incorporate individual interests into common group-oriented goals.

There can be disagreements about what goals to select, the priorities that should be pursued, and the most appropriate means for doing this.

underscore the importance of an open discussion in the group so that decisions made are acceptable to a large number, possibly, to a majority of the group members.

SMART," as a guide to goal-setting: This can also be applied in work with groups.

refers to the activities, verbal or non-verbal, which the group engages in for the purpose of achieving its goals. It is a very important aspect of planning and is usually chosen with the guidance of the worker.

refers to all activities, worker inter- vention and group action which the group system directs toward the achievement of individual and group goals.

The fact that there are different helping approaches can choose from or models which the worker in his work with groups means that he has to be prepared to perform different roles as necessary therapist or counselor, crisis intervenor, mobilizer,

The need to utilize concrete community resources and services will always be an important aspect of social work case management espe- cially in our country where a large majority of the social work clientele are poor.

Our agency social workers are usually faced with many different problems and cons- traints which affect their work with clients. Among these are heavy workloads, lack of funds, inadequate facilities and equipment, shortage of trained staff, and inadequate supervision.

The worker assumes the major res ponsibility for organizing and convening the group, as well as in guiding the members, the group process, the discussion, and the flow of ideas and emotion.

In this stance, the worker sees himself as a member of the group, although one with special expertise and different roles and functions from the group members.

This stance assumes that if correct group composition has been made, and the purpose and focus of the group is clear, the group will emerge because the participants have come together.

This stance simply means that the worker will change his stance in the course of a session or over a series of sessions,

conception of these different stances should be of great help in guiding practitioners who are usually re- quired to perform different roles when working with groups. The term "facilitator"

Many social workers are "allergic" to writing records. This is one of the problems in professional social work prac- tice in the country.

is the final step in the helping process. It should be undertaken with the same care given to the earlier stages.

is the period of preparation for the actual ending which can include the acknowledgment that the group is about to end.

This is the recognized ending which means the last actual session of the group or of the individual whose membership is being terminated.

This consists of the plan for follow-up which can be done on either an individual or on a group basis.