Social Work and the Law

SW770, Section 001

This introductory course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the law, legal processes, and legal systems as they relate to social work practice as well as to introduce students to the field of forensic social work. Forensic social work is defined by the National Association of Forensic Social Workers as "the application of social work to questions and issues relating to law and legal systems, both criminal and civil." This course is designed to challenge students to think about the variety of ways that social work practice and law intersect. In particular we will cover five major aspects of this intersection: the significance of courts and case law to issues of social justice; the role of social workers as witnesses (lay and expert) in judicial proceedings; judicial advocacy and the role of social workers in class action law suits used for social reform or protection of civil rights; the use (and misuse) of social science by the courts; and legal regulations and case law that impact social work practice. Students should understand that any single week in this schedule could be expanded to a full semester of study. So students are advised to think about each week as an introductory case study to the ideas under investigation in that unit.