What makes for successful groupwork? A survey of agencies in the UK

This paper reports the findings of a survey of Social Services Departments, Probation Services and the major voluntary agencies in the UK. The survey aimed to shed light on the factors which promote successful groups in social work and probation agencies. The survey did not attempt to map the extent of current groupwork. A questionnaire was piloted in a Social Services Department in northern England with social work and social care practitioners participating in ‘The Groupwork Project’, a training and development programme which continues to have as its aim the establishment of a groupwork service in a mainstream social services agency. The survey was designed to be illuminative and exploratory rather than conclusive. In this paper, the authors reflect on the research process and on the findings of the survey. These findings point to the complexity of factors considered significant to the success of a group, and to the importance of contextual factors in establishing and sustaining a groupwork service.