Forensic Social Work – Fall 2019 3-Credit Graduate 7090-002, Thursdays 11:30 A.M
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School of Social Work 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 www.socialwork.uncc.edu Fall 2019 SOWK 5112: Forensic Social Work – Fall 2019 3-credit Graduate 7090-002, Thursdays 11:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. – CHHS 285 Susan McCarter, PhD, MS, MSW Office: 481E CHHS Office Hours: Fridays 9am-11am Office Phone: 704-687-7926 E-mail: [email protected] SOWK 7090: Special Topics in SOWK: Forensic Social Work (3). Forensic social work is the application of social work to questions and issues relating to judicial and legal systems. This specialty of the social work profession includes, but is not limited to: child custody issues, implications of child abuse and domestic violence, juvenile and adult justice services, corrections, competency and commitment, civil liberties and rights, mass incarceration, and probation and parole. Prerequisites: None. Course Rationale: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to forensic social work topics, settings, and professionals. Forensic social workers use specialized knowledge drawn from established principles and their application, familiarity with the law, painstaking evaluation, and objective criteria associated with evidence-based treatment outcomes. Forensic social workers offer relevant input to which the court can relate and conclusions/recommendations that can withstand critical review and rebuttal from opposing parties. Course Objectives: Objectives reflect the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). The corresponding statements are the required practice behaviors numbered as in the EPAS. As a result of successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the ability to: 1) Describe forensic social work and provide examples of forensic social work topics, settings, and roles and their alignment to our professional Code of Ethics. 2) Understand the structure of the juvenile and adult criminal justice system, their philosophies, terms, functions, theories, and trends. 2 3) Assess the unique impact of justice system involvement on specific populations and issues, including (but not limited to): a) Racial and ethnic minorities b) Persons with mental health issues c) Persons with substance abuse problems d) Women and families e) LGBTQIA individuals f) Veterans g) Immigrants 4) Examine forensic social work issues from multiple levels – individual, family, community, society 5) Develop ideas for practice and/or policy interventions which may address justice issues using the contributions of forensic social work-informed practice, policy, and research. SOWK 7090: Special Topics in SOWK: Forensic Social Work # Objectives Assessment Corresponding 2015 EPAS 1 Describe forensic social work Class EPAS 1.1. - Demonstrate Ethical and and provide examples of Participation, Professional Behavior - make ethical forensic social work topics, Community decisions by applying the standards of the settings, and roles and their Experience/FSW NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and alignment to our professional Professional regulations, models for ethical decision- Code of Ethics. Interview, and making, ethical conduct of research, and Course additional codes of ethics as appropriate to Reflection context (K, V, C&A) Summary 2 Understand the structure of the Annotated EPAS 4.3. - Engage In Practice-informed juvenile and adult criminal Bibliography Research and Research-informed Practice - justice system, their apply critical thinking to engage in analysis philosophies, terms, functions, of quantitative and qualitative research theories, and trends. methods and research findings. (K) 3 Assess the unique impact of Community EPAS 3.2 - Advance Human Rights and justice system involvement on Experience/FSW Social, Economic, and Environmental specific populations and issues, Professional Justice - Engage in practices that advance including (but not limited to): Interview social, economic, and environmental justice a) Racial and ethnic (K, V, S) minorities b) Persons with mental health issues c) Persons with substance abuse problems d) Women and families e) LGBTQIA individuals f) Veterans g) Immigrants 3 4 Examine forensic social work Professional EPAS 9.4: - Evaluate Practice with issues from multiple levels – Development Individuals, Families, Groups, individual, family, community, Project Organizations, and Communities - apply society evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. 5 Develop ideas for practice Professional EPAS 4.3. - Engage In Practice-informed and/or policy interventions Development Research and Research-informed Practice - which may address justice Project use and translate research evidence to issues using the contributions of inform and improve practice, policy, and forensic social work-informed service delivery. (K, S, C&A) practice, policy, and research. Dimension of each competency that is addressed: K - knowledge, V - values, S - skills, C&A - cognitive and affective reactions Instructional Method: Face-to-Face Required Texts: Rome, S. H. (2013). Social Work and Law: Judicial Policy and Forensic Practice. Boston, MA: Pearson. [ISBN-13: 978-0-205-77689-4] Graduate Grading Scale: A = 90-100% B = 80 - 89% C = 70 - 79% U = Below 70% Evaluation Methods: Class discussion and participation 10 points Community Experience/FSW Professional Interview - Shared 20 points Annotated Bibliography – Instructor Only 25 points Professional Development Project - Varied 40 points Course Summary Reflection – Instructor Only 5 points TOTAL: 100 points Topical/Unit Outline: Forensic Social Work – SOWK 7090 – McCarter – Fall 2019 Introduction Module 1 – Introduction to Forensic Social Work and Course Overview - 08/22/19 Course Introduction REaCH: Social Work Read: NASW Code of Ethics The Law Examine/Watch: Course Overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gy8B5yrSD 0 4 Consider: What is social work? What is the law? How are these similar? How are they different? Examine/Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMY6lOVjQ gs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtuHEPQYIt w 19:17 Hmm…Process/Respond: Dividing into four groups, determine which of the current Supreme Court (2019-20 Term) cases have social work implications: Group 1 – Allen v. Cooper through County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund Group 2 – Dept. of Homeland Security v. U of CA through Intel v. Sulyma Group 3 – Kahler v. Kansas through NY Rifle v. City of NY Group 4 – Opati v. Republic of Sudan through Thole v. US Bank https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019 Listen: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2018/17-7505 5 Policy, Practice, and the Legal Environment Module 2 – Social Work and the Legal System - 08/29/19 History of SW and Law REaCH: Types of Law, Types of Courts Read: Chapter 1, two articles, and one report: Civil v. Criminal Proceedings 1) Madden, R. G., & Wayne, R. H. (2003). Social work and the law: A therapeutic jurisprudence perspective. Social Work, 48(3), 338-347. doi:10.1093/sw/48.3.338 2) Scheyett, A., Pettus-Davis, C., McCarter, S., & Brigham, R. (2012). Social work and criminal justice: Are we meeting in the field? Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 32(4), 438-450. DOI: 10.1080/08841233.2012.705241 3) Wilson, M. (2010). Criminal justice social work in the United States: Adapting to new challenges. Washington, DC. NASW Center for Workforce Studies. Consider: What is the relationship between social work and the law? How has that relationship changed over time? How is that relationship today? Hmm…Process/Respond: How are the values/ideologies of social work and the law similar? How are they different? Module 3 - Law & Judicial Policy, Law and Forensic Practice - 09/05/19 Case Law REaCH: Supreme Court Read: Chapters 2 & 3 Forensic Interviewing Examine/Watch: Testifying in Court https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDJS6P2vfi0 Forensic Evaluations and Forensic Reports Consider: Do you think the NASW Code of Responding to a Subpoena Ethics does an adequate job of providing us with guidance on how to respond to a subpoena, when doing so might jeopardize client confidentiality? Hmm…Process/Respond: Imagine having client records subpoenaed over the client’s objections. What would you do? Which is more important: facilitating justice, or protecting the therapeutic relationship? Module 4 – Influencing the Judicial System, Practicing within the Law and Theoretical Foundations for Forensic Social Work 09/12/19 Selecting Judges REaCH: Amicus Briefs Read: Chapters 4 & 5 and visit Expert Witness Testimony https://www.naswnc.org/page/JudicialElections Informed Consent Examine/Watch: Confidentiality and Privilege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5g2Xhwk Social Work Records 0M Consider: Judges in North Carolina are elected. Determine who represents your district on the bench and what their judicial record has been. 6 Hmm…Process/Respond: If they run again, would you support them? Who will be running in upcoming judicial races? Children and Families, Health and Justice Module 5 – Child Welfare, Child Advocacy Centers (CACs), and Forensic Interviewing, Human Trafficking – 09/19/19 Definitions and Trends in Child Maltreatment REaCH: Adoption Read: Chapters 6, 7, 8 Definitions and Trends in Child Custody Examine/Watch: Child Advocacy Centers https://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_pryce_to_trans Human Trafficking form_child_welfare_take_race_out_of_the_equati on?language=en Consider: Model Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluations. NASW – Oregon Chapter. Available at: http://nasworegon.org/resources/child-custody- evaluation-guidelines