An evaluation of a group skills lab for social group workers in Australian schools

A partnership between Catholic schools and a university in Western Sydney, Australia, focused on a group skills development program for social workers and wellbeing staff, based on mutual aid and experiential learning. In a shortage of literature on this issue, this article reports on the design, implementation and evaluation of the program, referred to as the Group Skills Lab. The article seeks to contribute to knowledge and learning about best practices for social workers engaged in group work in schools in Australia, highlighting the unique contribution of social group work (rather than classroom teaching), the application of in-the-moment group dynamics (rather than prepackaged programs) and the role of a facilitated mutual aid approach in group worker training. The impact and process evaluation of the lab points to benchmarks for the design and delivery of future programs and sets a collaborative research agenda for social group workers in schools.