This AVITH in Context webinar focused on the topic of facilitating groupwork with young people and was facilitated by Karalyn Davies (Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare). The webinar featured a panel of practitioners, the panel included:
Summary
This webinar explored how programs develop, implement, and facilitate groupwork programs to effectively work with young people. We heard from Laura Crozier about the Yeah, Nah Affirmative Consent program, developed by young people for young people. We also heard from a panel of specialist AVITH providers who participated in a facilitated question and answer session regarding considerations around delivering groupwork for young people who use violence in the home. BackgroundGroupwork is a form of intervention which places individuals with a similar set of circumstances into a group, which is then facilitated by a trained practitioner, and offers benefits such as opportunities for peer learning, social skill development, and peer support. This type of intervention is used to help individuals work through and cope with complex issues through group experiences. Groupwork can be carried out in a diverse range of settings for a wide variety of purposes, using different theoretical and conceptual tools and frameworks to inform the process and the outcome.
Learn more about groupwork here. Who is this relevant for?
Frontline staff, researchers and policymakers
Panellists spoke on the positive aspects of bringing together young people in a groupwork environment, this included offering a destigmatising environment where facilitators can respond in a trauma-informed manner, reducing shame, creating connection, and building an ecosystem around the young person.
It was shared that making the program accessible to young people by offering transport options sees a major barrier being removed. Additionally, a key drawcard was to offer food when putting on group work sessions, along with other incentives (for example, a practitioner spoke about that young people were not able to attend camps that they hosted if they didn’t attend groups regularly).
The importance of having a ‘group agreement’ to set the tone of the group was noted by panellists during the webinar. The group agreement allows for the young people and facilitators to set up expectations of what they expect from one another. Routine and expectation are crucial to an effective groupwork program.
Panellists discussed that the most important quality that facilitators need is an enthusiasm about working with young people. Warmth, enjoyment, and curiosity that is key to building a strong therapeutic relationship with them.
The transition between the role of an individual practitioner to co-facilitating groupwork was also noted as another way to build relationships with young people. By being in both spaces, practitioners can see the young people in a different light (for example, the socioemotional skills they use when with others). Practitioners can then intertwine these observations into 1:1 work.
Young people in the group should feel clear about what is safe and potentially unsafe to bring up during group discussions. Facilitators need to carefully consider which topics might elicit more emotive responses, and put in place plans to handle those situations.
For example, groups may have a ‘pause card’ which a young person can hold up to let a safe person know that they would like to leave the session for the time being. Additionally, having a wellbeing worker on site who is familiar to the young people and can follow up with them after the session has concluded is another option. Panellists noted that good preparation is vital and part of safety planning for the broader group.
Visit out AVITH Knowledge Hub for AVITH-specific resources developed by the Centre.
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