This book explores legal concepts, legal reasoning, and legal processes--illustrated with case vignettes from social work practice--in order to provide social work practitioners and students with practical and accessible legal knowledge. It introduces readers to scholarship about the law and to conceptual knowledge that can be applied to any interaction with the legal system. The volume features a discussion of recent reform movements, including Alternative Dispute Resolution, and an appendix of sources for legal information and research on the law.

This new edition gives a clear and up-to-date picture of how the Children Act 1989 is working. All chapters have been updated with the latest case law, legislation and guidance.

This exciting new textbook introduces students to the key aspects of the law and legal frameworks essential for social work practice in Australia. Simple and easy to read, it communicates the complex legal concepts in practice in ways students can easily understand. With a focus on human rights and ethical conduct, it's both concept based, examining the ways of thinking and understanding law and social work interactions, and topic based, exploring the different specific areas of law which social workers are most likely to come into contact with. This is essential reading for any student taking a unit in Social Work Law. Specific to Australia, it accounts for Australian jurisdictions, and can be easily integrated into the classroom context, with case studies, questions for discussion and links to further resources, including interactive resources and a website to support further learning and provide updates to changes in the law between editions.

How do social workers in the UK legal context act ethically? What do we understand by ethics and how does social work law relate to it? Social work practice in all countries incorporates a clear, unstinting commitment to social justice, but what is social justice? Using an applied, practice-based and refreshingly ′real′ approach, this text bridges the gap between law and ethics. Each chapter opens with a case study which considers ethical dilemmas in real life practice. Chapters have been designed to help students strengthen their critical reflection skills, encouraging consideration of the legal and ethical dimensions of social work generally and in personal practice. Topics such as care proceedings, adoption, community care, youth justice, mental capacity and accountability explore how understanding and application are equally important.

An invaluable resource for all social workers in practice with children and families, this book examines key issues such as child protection, family support, care planning, adoption and case preparation for court. With illustrative case studies throughout, the text is divided into two sections: " Part 1 explores the legal context of social work practice with children, examining how international human rights standards are absorbed within domestic law. " Part 2 explores the application of the law, policies and systems to individual case work, illustrating rights-based thinking in practice. Accessible to those without a background in law, the book highlights links between social work standards and legal values and rules. With promotion of the rights of children and families a measure of professional competence and legal obligation, the book helps readers satisfy social work standards and use their knowledge of the law to improve their practice. The book is vital reading for all levels of social work student, including those undertaking the post-qualifying award in child care, as well as being an indispensable resource for practitioners working with children and families. Jane Williams is a lecturer in law at the University of Swansea. She specialises in social work law, and children′s rights. Other publications include Children and Citizenship (SAGE, 2007), co-edited with Antonella Invernizzi.

"This is the first book to give social workers the tools to understand their clients' legal needs and rights and to address them collaboratively and effectively. Lyn Slater and Kara Finck ground their text in a comprehensive grasp of the legal system and the inequities of race, class, and gender that shape clients' experiences. Social Work Practice and the Law is a powerful call for social workers to be passionate and skillful advocates for their clients. Essential reading for social workers and lawyers alike who serve low-income people entangled in systems that so often fail them." Dorothy Roberts, JD Kirkland & Ellis Professor, Northwestern University School of Law Author, Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare Based on the author's innovative and nationally recognized prototype for inter-professional work at Fordham University, this is the only volume about social work and the legal system that is written from the social worker's perspective. Devoid of "legalese," the book is designed to help social workers develop the ability to reappraise, question, and challenge the law to best serve their clients. It aims to promote the development of a more strategic relationship with the legal system-a partnership that can achieve more creative and just solutions to social problems. Exhaustive in scope, Social Work and the Law identifies current national and international trends and legal movements that support and invite inter-professional, critically competent social work participation. The book also identifies and explains the essential knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes necessary for the attainment of collaborative critical competence when interacting with the legal system. Each chapter includes vivid case studies based on actual collaborations that illustrate the application of theory to practice. Chapters also include legal, social work, and evidence-based resources. Key Features: Promotes a proactive approach to the ways in which social workers can use law to promote clients' best interests Addresses all domains of social work practice-child welfare, housing law, educational access, disability law, benefits, and more Offers abundant case studies taken from the authors' real-life work Devoid of "legalese" and written from a social worker's perspective

Trusted for over 25 years, 'Law for Social Workers' expertly guides students throughout their studies and into practice. The authors skilfully combine accessible legal explanation, real-life case studies, and valuable practice-focused advice.