Social Work and Law: Judicial Policy and Forensic Practice

Helping social workers understand how to operate within the complex legal environment.

Social Work and Law exposes students to the ways in which social work and law intersect. Students will explore the judiciary’s contributions to important social policy issues and the knowledge social workers need to effectively participate in the judicial process.

An introductory unit presents basic legal concepts, describes the workings of the court system, and shares strategies for avoiding malpractice. The units that follow cover a variety of topics to give instructor’s options for their course and allow students to study their interests. These topics include issues related to children, domestic violence, older adults, the death penalty, health, discrimination, LGBT rights, and the rights of students and immigrants.

Upon completing this book readers will be able to:

• Understand how social workers operate within the complex legal environment
• Identify the role of law in shaping human experience and explore how competent social work practice can influence legal processes and outcomes
• Examine how law and social work intersect in relation to particular populations and fields of practice
• Assess the conformity of judicial decisions with social work values and ethics, while understanding the underpinnings of judicial decisions and why they might differ from social work decision-making
• Distinguish between case law and statutory law, understand the role of each, and recognize how their dynamic interaction contributes to the development of social policy