SOCW-358 - Legal Skills for Social Workers - 3.00 Credits

Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:

At a Personal Level:

• clarify your beliefs and values as they relate to the use of power inherent in application of laws and statutory authority related to your practice as a social work professional;


• critically reflect upon your knowledge base about the law and legal skills as social work professionals, your ability to understand critique and use relevant literature and research on this content, and your direction for additional training;


• understand your professional obligations in relation to consensus building, negotiation, restorative justice, advocacy, mediation, arbitration, investigations and testifying in court;

At a Theoretical Level:

• understand the link between law, social policy, social change and social justice in your practice;


• identify the range of options/processes available to social work professionals when resolving conflicts in the social services;


• relate the larger theoretical and policy issues to the application of skills in practice situations e.g. feminist legal theory, anti-oppressive practice theory, empowerment, ecological, development theory;

At a Practical Level:

• describe the principles of administrative fairness along with legal skills in practice;


• identify a continuum of conflict resolution processes-i.e consensus, negotiation, mediation, arbitration and restorative justice-and recognize when to use and when not to use these in practice situations;


• describe and apply appropriate advocacy skills in practice situations;


• demonstrate the process of investigative interviews and the documentation and presentation of the results of investigations in formal legal processes;


• identify the skills of giving evidence in a formal legal setting; and
  
  


• use the above skills in a way minimizing oppression and promoting the rights and interests of clients especially those marginalized and discriminated against in society.