casework agencies established their forte.

The first course of group work was

offered by Clara Kaiser, in the School of Social Work at Western Reserve University in
Cleveland. When she left for New York in 1935, Grace Coyle continued to develop the
course. Group Work was taught partially as a method and partially as a field of practice.
Schwartz points out, that the real historical differences between the two is that casework
soon became identified with social work profession, where as group work did not begin
to become formally linked with the profession, until much later during the National
Conference of Social Work in 1935.

In 1936, the American Association for the Study of Group Work was founded
with the intention of clarifying and refining both the philosophy and practice of group
work. This group created the National Association for the Study of Group Work under
the leadership of Arthur Swift. By 1939, group work began to be treated as a distinct
subject, markedly with the National Conference of Social Work.

The identification of group work with social work profession became stronger
during the 1940s. In 1955, group workers joined hands with six other professional
groups to form the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

The years post-World War II saw an immense rise in group work literature.

1. Gertrude Wilson’s “Social Group Work Practice” (1949),

2. Harleigh B. Trecker’s “Social Group Work” (1949),
3. Grace Coyle’s “Group Work with American Youth” (1948)
4. Gisela Konopka’s “Therapeutic Group Work with Children” (1949)

It all appeared in a time span of hardly two years.

However, the decade of the 1960s witness the decline in the popularity of group
services as the result of push towards a generic view of practice and the movement away
from specializations and the number of professional group workers reduced.

The late seventies saw the reemergence of a professional journal, Social Work
with Groups in 1978. “The Association for the Advancement of Social Work with
Groups” was formed. Group workers throughout the US and Canada came together and
held the first Annual Symposium for the Advancement of Group Work in 1979. Each
year since then, the annual symposium on group work as a practice method has been
convened religiously without fail.

Group work has also made inroads into the south-east Asia, especially India (to be
discussed later) and China. Top Chinese leaders have advocated strongly for social work
and in 2006, the government launched a series of new social policy initiatives aimed at
professionalizing social work.

In addition, group work as a method of social work came to India with the
introduction of professional social work education in 1936, a decade after it was
acknowledged as formal method of practice in the West. Even though there is evidence
of the group approach being used in various contexts – in delivering charity services,
imparting religious education through oral tradition, in mobilizing people for the freedom
struggle against the British, in social reform strategies as in the Sarvodaya and Bhoodan
movements. However, there is very little documentation or hardly any theorization based
on it.

The Association of Schools of Social Work jointly with the Technical

Cooperative Mission (USA) laid down minimum standards for group work practice acted
a benchmark to the developments in India. V.D. Mehta (1987) and Helen Joseph (1997),
two social workers who attempted to trace the historical development of group work in
India, agree that the theoretical perspective taught in the schools of social work in India
and the practice models are primarily

American as in the case of social work itself. All the schools of social work in
India teach a course/paper in social group work (alternatively titled as “social work with
groups”) at both the graduate and the postgraduate levels. The practice of social group
work in India is generally limited to correctional and other residential institutional
setting, hospitals and so on in the urban areas. The general activities undertaken were
recreational, educational and cultural in character.
 Group work method was also practiced in community work, as in the case of
mahila mandals and yuvak mandals, but it was primarily recognized as community work.
Practice of group work is also given emphasis through the fieldwork programme in some
schools. Students placed in agencies and open communities work with groups of children,
youth, adults and elderly who are either ‘sick’ or healthy in urban and rural areas.

HISTORY OF GROUP WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are stark differences between the US and the Philippines in terms of individualism
versus collectivism. Individualistic cultures are loosely integrated and everyone looks after his or
her own self-interest, whereas collectivist cultures are tightly integrated and everyone looks
after the interest of his or her in-group. In collectivist societies, individuals are relationship
oriented and primarily aim to fulfill their obligations toward their in-group. Amongst the 50
countries, U.S. ranked 50th as the highest individualistic society, whereas the Philippines
ranked 21st leaning towards collectivism which bodes well because Filipinos are known to be
highly relational and used to working and being in groups.

In order to examine the nature of the current theories and practices of a part of the profession
of social work, it is necessary for us to view this part. Social sgroup work, as one of the methods
of the social work profession, was introduced during the first quarter of this century. It emerged
at a time when there was a profession between social workers who primarily regarded the causes
of social problems as those within people and others who located these causes primarily within
the social situations in which people with problems were living.

In the Philippine Context

Pre- historic Filipinos lived in small scattered communities usually located along mouths
of rivers and coastal plains were they get their foods and daily living. The Headman and the
leader of their community is called “DATU” The Datu claims to be the arbiter and leader of
their tribes in times of danger. Social welfare work in those times centered around mutual
protection and economic survival. This cause groups to band together and communities to
link with each other through marriage among their members.

During spanish period, communities were grouped together to form pueblos, creating
large concentrations of people in an area which resulted in health and sanitation problems,
personal maladjustments and economic dislocation. There was also problem of destitution or
indulgency resulting from the positive methods of the Spanish conquerors towards the defiant
“ Natives”. As such, the motives was religious, that is to do good to others for the salvation
of their souls. This was the teaching of the church which the Spaniards brought with them
and which for many years was the underlying philosophy behind all social welfare in the
country. In addition, the early Spanish missionaries not only taught religion to the Filipinos
but also administered hospitals and asylums. Hospitals Asylums, orphanages for the poor and
needy such as…

a. 1565- Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi Hospitalio de Sta. Ana

b. 1578- Franciscans Sternberg General Hospital (San Lazaro)
c. 1587- San Gabriel 1596- San Juan de Dios Hospital 1612
d. Hospital Real 1645- Nueva Caceres in Naga 1742- Hospital for Cava Lents in
Bagumbayan

Asylums and Orphanages

a. 1594- La Real Casa Misericordia

b. 1868- The founding Hospital of San Jose for the mentally ill, and the Venerable
Congregacion de Sacerdotes de San Pedro Apostol
c. 1611- Venerable Third Order of Sampaloc Nuestra Seňora de La Consolacion and
the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Assylums
d. 1882- Hospicio de San Jose
e. 1655- Archico Fradia de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno de Recoletos
f. 1885- Asilo de San Vicente de Paul 1699- Real Y. V. O. T. de Sto. Domingo

Schools
 a. 1565- Parochial School of Cebu
b. 1595- San Ildefonso College
c. 1589- Colegio de San Ignacio
d. 1601- Colegio de San Jose
e. 1694- Sta. Isabel
f. 1750- Sta. Rosa
g. 1717- Colegio de San Felipe
h. 1745- Artillery School
i. 1817- Ateneo de Manila (Obras Pias)
j. 1696-Sta. Catalina

While, americans occupied the country and introduced a new educational system, new
health methods, and religious freedom. The Civil government created an agency, the Insular
Board, to coordinate and supervise private institutions engaged in welfare work. The American
government created the Public Welfare Board with the passage of Legislative Act No. 2510,
essentially to coordinate the welfare activities of various existing charitable organizations. Such
as, the Philippine chapter of the American Red Cross was established to take charge of disaster
relief in the country and to administer Red Cross funds from the United States.

Furthermore, the administration of social welfare in the Philippines was marked by

significant developments when Frank Murphy became the Governor-General. Scholarship grants
for professional training in social work in the United States were made available. In fact, Josefa
Jara Martinez who obtained a diploma in Social Work in 1921, worked for the Public Welfare
Board where she started to introduce the scientific approach in social work.

The Filipinos taking over reins of government during Commonwealth Period specifically
Health, Welfare programs were expanded and improve new services were organized such as
rural charity clinics, quarantine services, home for mentally ill, defective children as well as for
the aged and infirm and welfareville 

2nd World War which brought death and immeasurable suffering to the country’s
population was to last for 3 years from 1942 to 1944. Social Welfare activities during the period
consisted mainly of giving medical care and treatment, as well as food and clothing to the
wounded soldiers, prisoners and civilians. The bureau of Public Welfare which was closed when
the war broke out was reorganized by the Executive Commission and instructed to attend to the
General Welfare of the residents, and to give food & comfort to release prisoners for
concentration camps.

In 1946, the Bureau of Public Welfare re-opened but lack of funds limited its operations.
The Bureau became the Social Welfare Commission and was placed under the Office of the
President. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was created
by the United Nations General Assembly to further maternal and child health in economically
underdeveloped country. Also, in 1948 – UNICEF became active in the Philippines, establishing
basic health care services to mothers and children, consisting of medical care, feeding programs
and health education.

THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADMINISTRATION

Division of Public Assistance

Assistance was given in the form of material aid like food, financial aid, transportation aid,
medical aid, institutional care and work relief.

Service was rendered in the form of rehabilitation services and administration and supervision of
rehabilitation projects and workshops.

Child Welfare Division

Casework and guidance services for children are under this unit.

Division on Rural Welfare

This was created by Administrative Order No. 7, on September 5, 1951.

It deals with the mounting social problems in the rural areas.

“Self-Help” became the underlying philosophy for the rural community development projects.

1965 – Republic Act 4373, “An Act to Regulate the Practice of Social Work and the Operation
of Social Work Agencies in the Philippines”
– The law requires completion of a Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree, one thousand
hours of supervised field practice, and the passing of a government board examination in social
work for licensing or registration as a social worker.

– It is the formal recognition of social work as a profession in the Philippines.

THE SEVENTIES

September 8, 1976 – The Department of Social Welfare became the Department of Social
Services and Development shifting emphasis on the traditional, often institution-based social
welfare to community-oriented programs and services.

June 2, 1978 – President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1397, converting departments
into ministries thus the Ministry of Social Services and Development. The organizational
structure, functions and programs remains the same.

The sixties and seventies marked the existence of voluntary organizations and establishment of
even more agencies.

THE EIGHTIES

The Self-Employment Assistance was upgraded to make it more responsive to its client’s needs.
Case Management System was launched. Social Welfare Indicators monitor the level of well-
being of the MSSD service users.

January 30, 1987 – President Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 123, reorganizing
MSSD and renaming it Department of Social Welfare and Development. The Department was
evolving from mere welfare or relief agency to the greater task of development. The approach
taken by the agency during this period is described as preventive and developmental,
participative and client-managed.
THEORIES OF MAN AND HIS LFE CYCLE UNDELRYING SOCIAL GROUP WORK

The human being must always interact with others, changing them and being
changed by them.

CONCEPS WHICH HELP IN UNDERSTANDING INDIVIDUAL DYNAMICS

1. The importance of early childhood experiences in the development of personality

2. The capacity of the human being to grow and change throughout his entire life
 3. The acceptance of the existence of unconscious and preconscious motivation
4. The capacity of the human being to act concsiously and rationally
5. The concept of ambivalence
6. The concept of defense mechanism

The basic needs of human being grows out of their physical, mental, emotional
nature. As such, the individual is not a separate entity but is a whole individual
interrelated with others. Man’s needs are all dependent on the interactions of man with
man because there is an inseperable connection exists between self-respect and freely
given relationship with someone else.

On the second thought, iIndividual achieves healthy development through a

healthy and appropriate group life throughout his life cycle.

A Healthy group life…

1. Provisions for the identifications with equals

2. Provisions for the warmth of belonging to morethan one person
3. Freedom to be and to express one’s self and to be different in the presence of
others
4. Freedom to choose friends one prefers
5. Opportunity to tryout one’s individuality while at same time permitting the
enjoyment of the uniqueness of others
6. Opportunity to exercise independence and to be allowed to be dependent
when this is necessary.
7. Opportunity to give to others as well as receive from them
8. Opportunity to feel that as an individual or as a group one has the strength to
influence one’s own fate
9. Opportunity to feel that as an individual or as a group, one has the strength to
influence one’s own fate
The very early in the life cycle individuals begins to interact with others.
Furthermore, the earliest group experience of interactions within family gives a child a
valuable mental and emotional learning experience which he begins to apply as he grows
and begins to reach out beyond the intimate family group to peers. The importance of
group experiences increases at the time the child enters school. Also, emotional and
intellectual growth occur in part through group interaction and in part though stimulation
emanating from inanimate objects and play.

The importance of group life is probably strongest in adolescence. They

experience a lot of changes in different domains such as physical, cognitive and
psychosocial. Such as sudden and dramatic changes in an adolescent’s body. Plus,
adolescent’s Cognitive Development is crucial with how they perceive themselves and
the world, including how they form relationships with other people. They can now think
abstractly, reason logically, think hypothetical possibilities, and impossibilities about life.
Adolescence is a period wherein confusion starts to arise in choosing what to
believe and what to accept.
Many choices are to be made:
1. Set of Values to follow
2. Choosing a Career
3. Choosing Friends
4. Establishing one’s Identity

Moreover, The adult was usually seen as a finished product with only remains
unfinished childhood traits to be ironed out. The adult life is a continuous developmental
process. As such, most adults find partial fulfillment of these needs in the family. They
are now responsible position of forming a healthy group life in their own families.

The healthy group life of the adults pivots around these two major groups
constellations. family circle and friendship group outside the family circle.In addition,
our culture at present offers comparatively good opportunities for outlets for the need to
participate and to gain importance in adulthood, but it provides little fulfillment of the
need to belong outside the narrow confines of the family

In conclusion, development does not cease with childhood but continues all
through the life cycle. The basic needs beyond the biological ones are the needs to
belong, to be an important individual, and to participate. In the life cycle these needs
must be fulfilled in a variety of changing small group associations. These associations
have specific characteristics in different age periods. At each stage of development
individuals must find fulfillment through qualitative group associations or they will be
damaged in one way or another. Also, no individual goes through the life cycle without
some damage.

Reference
Almanzor, A. (1966). The Profession of Social Work in the Philippines: Historical
Background. International Social Work. 9: 27-34.

Konopka, G. (1963). Social group work: A helping process. Englewood Cliffs,

N.J: Prentice-Hall.

McLeod, S. A. (2018, May 03). Erik erikson's stages of psychosocial

development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

McLeod, S. A. (2018, April 05). What are the most interesting ideas of Sigmund
Freud?. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html

Miller, I. (1964). Review of Social group work: A helping process [Review of the
book Social group work: A helping process, by G. Konopka]. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 34(4), 780–782. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0097533

Price & Artaras (2013) Professional ‘Imperialism’ And Resistance: Social Work
In The Filippines, Trabajo Social Global 2013, 3 (5), 28-53

Social Work & Beyond (2010)

https://socialangakingwork.blogspot.com/2010/01/history-of-social-welfaresocial-work-
in.html

Alafriz, Cristina & Calleja, Mendiola & Hechanova, Gina & Pesigan, Ivan Jacob.
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