Forensic Social Work

Explore the legalities and pitfalls of forensic social work!

Forensic Social Work: Legal Aspects of Professional Practice, Second Edition examines the professional specialty of forensic social work which involves testifying in court as an expert witness, investigating cases of possible criminal conduct, and assisting the legal system in such issues as child custody disputes, divorce, child support, juvenile delinquency, spouse or child abuse, and placing individuals in mental hospitals. As a student or professional social worker, you will explore a variety of ethical and legal issues, such as malpractice, licensing, credentialing, marketing for forensic clients, and presenting effective courtroom testimony. Current and fact-filled, this new edition discusses the origins of forensic social work and offers implications for future practice.

New material in this edition includes a chapter on how to establish a forensic social work practice, with information on how to bring in clients, generate new referrals and make other important contacts. Another new chapter expands on the first edition’s discussion of implanted memory versus recovered memory and the ways that social workers use and often misuse this information. A third new chapter examines credentialing requirements for forensic social work.

Forensic Social Work details legal conflicts you may face and offers suggestions on how to deal with these situations. Rich with examples, some aspects of forensic social work that you will learn about are:

• separating the role of the expert witness from the role of the fact witness while testifying
• understanding the motivations, payments, and positive incentives for entering the field of forensic social work
• avoiding malpractice lawsuits by understanding the criteria for liability
• guidelines for action when laws and ethics collide
• preparing for litigation
• duty-to-warn laws
• writing reports and contracts for the litig