A Standards-based Inventory of Foundation Competencies in Social Work with Groups

Abstract

Objective: This article describes the development of a measure of foundation competencies in group work derived from the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. Developed by the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, the Standards have not been widely used. An instrument based on the Standards can help advance evidence-based teaching and practice. Methods: Items were drawn from the Standards yielding a 70-item inventory measuring two domains for each item: how important the item is for successful group work and how confident the respondent is about demonstrating the skill in practice. Psychometric testing involved 426 mostly students. Results: The alpha for both the importance and the confidence subscales was .98, with low standard errors of measurement. Developed directly from the Standards, the inventory had prima facie content validity, further supported by expert ratings. Significant correlations between the subscales and validators supported a range of validity analyses.