Topic: poverty and social exclusion /social work in society
Order Description
Writing the Patch: You should write (and plan) the Patch using Doel and Sawdon’s (1999) continuums to show you would plan a group work intervention. You do not have space to discuss all twelve continuums so you should select the ones which are most relevant to the group work you are planning. (Preferred continuum provided below at the bottom of instructions) This will vary according to (e.g.): Which service users the group is aimed at (prefer to use single mothers service user group); What the aims of the groupwork are; i.e. what it is intended to achieve. To be able to explore them fully you discuss a maximum of five continuums. This must include continuums 3, ‘Mix’ and 4 ‘Leadership’. This is because they relate to two essential parts of the assignment: e two continuums, in particular, should be used to discuss: ? Continuum 3 ‘Mix’ – Empowerment and anti-oppressive practice; ? Continuum 4 ‘Leadership’ – mutual aid.
Please use clear and simple English that I can understand, this is a social work assignment therefore it should be more social work related,
Questions to be answered
1.With reference to anti-discriminatory practice, analyse the potential role of group work and mutual aid in promoting social inclusion and wellbeing of single mothers. (Answer the question in reference to a&b and see the underlined guidelines below)
a) what part anti-oppressive practice plays in single mother’s group work?
b) Why anti oppressive practice is important and how it can be used in group work practice?
With anti-oppressive practice you should recognise that the inequalities and oppression which occur generally in society also manifest themselves in groups. So in the single mothers group you should mention what forms of oppression are likely to occur and how they could be addressed. This of course depends on the composition of the group membership and so relates to Doel and Sawdon’s Continuum Three (see below).

2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how community oriented social work can be used to meet the needs of communities and services users, identifying the political and social factors that shape practice. (basically answer this question in reference to A) below and please make sure you use the underlined guidelines below to meet my essay requirements)
A) How social workers can use group work to promote mutual aid and empowerment to single mothers.
Mutual aid is sometimes presented as an absolute; e.g. self-help groups are run by their members without any professional involvement. However in practice groups often rely on professional support to varying extents. This relates to the Doel and Sawdon’s fourth continuum (‘Practitioner Led’ to ‘Selfhelp’). In discussing mutual aid you should look at reciprocity, the notion of ‘experts by experience’ (or experience knowledge) and thereby how it benefits single mother service users. This relates to empowerment, an aim of mutual aid is for service users to gain more control over their lives.
Composition of group membership

Continuum to be used
HISTORY/FORMATION
1. Created. (Members do not know each other brought together for the group
JOINING AND LEAVING
2. Open (members can join and leave at any time
MIX
3. Sameness ( group members have very similar different attributes)
LEADERSHIP
4. Slef help ( no involvement by professionals)
mutual aid When discussing each continuum
you should explain:
1) What the continuum is about
. 2) Why it is particularly relevant to the groupwork you are planning.
3) Where on the continuum you would like the group to be and what your rationale for that is.
With Continuum 3, for example, ‘Mix’ is about “how much difference and how much sameness does a group need to work well” (Doel and Sawdon, 1999: 79). So if you were planning a parenting group you might consider (e.g.) whether you would open it to any parents in an area, only parents of children in need or who are on a child protection; and/or might you aim to run it exclusively for single mothers, or for Dads? So if you were planning a parenting group for mothers ‘known to social care’ you would say that the group would be at the ‘sameness’ end of the Continuum 3.

Topic: poverty and social exclusion /social work in society
Order Description
Writing the Patch: You should write (and plan) the Patch using Doel and Sawdon’s (1999) continuums to show you would plan a group work intervention. You do not have space to discuss all twelve continuums so you should select the ones which are most relevant to the group work you are planning. (Preferred continuum provided below at the bottom of instructions) This will vary according to (e.g.): Which service users the group is aimed at (prefer to use single mothers service user group); What the aims of the groupwork are; i.e. what it is intended to achieve. To be able to explore them fully you discuss a maximum of five continuums. This must include continuums 3, ‘Mix’ and 4 ‘Leadership’. This is because they relate to two essential parts of the assignment: e two continuums, in particular, should be used to discuss: ? Continuum 3 ‘Mix’ – Empowerment and anti-oppressive practice; ? Continuum 4 ‘Leadership’ – mutual aid.
Please use clear and simple English that I can understand, this is a social work assignment therefore it should be more social work related,
Questions to be answered
1.With reference to anti-discriminatory practice, analyse the potential role of group work and mutual aid in promoting social inclusion and wellbeing of single mothers. (Answer the question in reference to a&b and see the underlined guidelines below)
a) what part anti-oppressive practice plays in single mother’s group work?
b) Why anti oppressive practice is important and how it can be used in group work practice?
With anti-oppressive practice you should recognise that the inequalities and oppression which occur generally in society also manifest themselves in groups. So in the single mothers group you should mention what forms of oppression are likely to occur and how they could be addressed. This of course depends on the composition of the group membership and so relates to Doel and Sawdon’s Continuum Three (see below).

2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how community oriented social work can be used to meet the needs of communities and services users, identifying the political and social factors that shape practice. (basically answer this question in reference to A) below and please make sure you use the underlined guidelines below to meet my essay requirements)
A) How social workers can use group work to promote mutual aid and empowerment to single mothers.
Mutual aid is sometimes presented as an absolute; e.g. self-help groups are run by their members without any professional involvement. However in practice groups often rely on professional support to varying extents. This relates to the Doel and Sawdon’s fourth continuum (‘Practitioner Led’ to ‘Selfhelp’). In discussing mutual aid you should look at reciprocity, the notion of ‘experts by experience’ (or experience knowledge) and thereby how it benefits single mother service users. This relates to empowerment, an aim of mutual aid is for service users to gain more control over their lives.
Composition of group membership

Continuum to be used
HISTORY/FORMATION
1. Created. (Members do not know each other brought together for the group
JOINING AND LEAVING
2. Open (members can join and leave at any time
MIX
3. Sameness ( group members have very similar different attributes)
LEADERSHIP
4. Slef help ( no involvement by professionals)
mutual aid When discussing each continuum
you should explain:
1) What the continuum is about
. 2) Why it is particularly relevant to the groupwork you are planning.
3) Where on the continuum you would like the group to be and what your rationale for that is.
With Continuum 3, for example, ‘Mix’ is about “how much difference and how much sameness does a group need to work well” (Doel and Sawdon, 1999: 79). So if you were planning a parenting group you might consider (e.g.) whether you would open it to any parents in an area, only parents of children in need or who are on a child protection; and/or might you aim to run it exclusively for single mothers, or for Dads? So if you were planning a parenting group for mothers ‘known to social care’ you would say that the group would be at the ‘sameness’ end of the Continuum 3.