The Social Workers Guide To Children And Families Law

Now fully updated and with up-to-the-minute guidance, this is the only book you will need to make sense of the key elements of law involved in social work with children and families in England and Wales. Accessible and jargon-free, this everyday reference explains the fundamental concepts of parental responsibility and human rights, and the provisions of private and public law, including care proceedings and adoption. This second edition incorporates recent changes including the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance for inter-agency working, the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Crime and Courts Act 2013 as well as the latest case law. Checklists, charts and highlighted points allow for easy reference, and illustrative case scenarios put the law into context. This comprehensive and easy-to-use guide will be an invaluable resource for practising social workers, as well as trainees, students and those studying for post-qualifying awards.

Social workers are constantly making decisions under pressure. How do policy, law, research and theory influence what they do? This important book provides the answers with a crystal-clear map of the field of social work with children and families. Focused on four major themes - family support work, child protection, adoption and fostering, and residential child care, and reveals in detail all the challenges that social workers face every day. Edited by the highly respected Martin Davies, this authoritative and illuminating book argues that the skill of the social worker can have life-enhancing consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in society. It is an essential investment for students, educators and practitioners alike.

The UK legal system in the area of social work with children and families can be bewildering and complex and it is vital therefore that any textbook on the subject uses case law, case studies and research to critically-engage social workers and students alike. This book does just that - by examining, and putting into clear practical context, the current law and policy relating to social work with children and families. A guide for both students on placement as well as Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) entering their first roles within children and families teams, Practical Child Law for Social Workers is essential reading for a fast-paced and complex area of social work.

′An excellent introduction to social work with children and families. It links practice with legislation and highlights relevant research findings′. - Mr Dan Burrows,Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University Working with children and families is one of the most challenging, skilled, but ultimately rewarding, areas of social work practice. Social workers need to be able to work with a diverse group of children and their families: from babies to teenagers, single parents to two-parent families and multi-carer families, as well as with a diverse group of professionals, such as the police, schools, hospitals, health centres and various community organisations. They need to be able to understand the law, policy and legislation that surrounds social work with children and families, while continually developing their own skills. Such skills include communication, preparation and planning, intervention, recognition, identification and assessment of significant harm, recording and report writing, managing oneself and the work, problem solving, research and analysis and decision making. This fully revised new edition aims to guide you through all of these areas and more. There are chapters on safeguarding, substitute care for children, family support for children and families, life story work and direct work with children.

The Social Worker's Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health provides a comprehensive guide to working with children and young people who are experiencing mental health problems, and equips the reader with the knowledge and skills to provide the best service to these vulnerable young people. The first part of the book considers what role social work can play in child and adolescent mental health, and explores key ideas related to mental health and young people, including attachment issues, children's emotional development and common and complex mental health problems. The author then covers how social work skills and methods can be applied to working with children and young people with mental health problems, including guidance on assessment tools, intervention, and multi-disciplinary working. The final section focuses on the wider context, such as legislative and policy frameworks and the importance of considering cultural, spiritual and religious identity. Case examples, reflective activities and practical exercises are included to underpin theory and knowledge. This book will be essential reading for all pre- and post-qualifying social work practitioners involved with children, adolescents and families, in particular those working in mental health settings, as well as approved mental health professionals.

'See You In Court' answers questions frequently asked by social workers in real cases, and gives information on court structures, basic rules of evidence, the roles of those involved in the proceedings, and court etiquette. The process of giving evidenceis discussed, including how to deal with cross-examination.

Social workers working with children and families are required to make complex and difficult decisions on a daily basis, which often result in court proceedings. This book is a comprehensive guide for childcare lawyers and other professionals in the UK seeking to understand the policies and procedures involved in social work practice. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to take account of all recent UK developments, including the reissued Public Law Outline, the revised 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (March 2010), new UK case law in respect of section 5 social work records and local authority duties, guidance relating to the Integrated Children's System (ICS), and new guidance for secure accommodation provision. Contents include: the legal framework * why do lawyers need to know about social work? * the referral to the local authority * the local authority response - the s47 investigation * the assessment process * child protection planning * the local authority's duties towards looked-after children * fostering * adoption and permanency * leaving care * how to analyze the local authority's decision-making process

This revised edition details organisational systems and structures that are part of the assessment and planning process for looked after children. This is closely interwoven with discussions about their emotional development, educational, health and cultural needs and how these needs can be met through social work and a range of other services. The views of looked after children are highlighted through case studies and summaries of research findings, and the range of skills and knowledge necessary to support looked after children through the key events they experience, including loss, change and the development of new relationships, are explained and illustrated.

"[A] concise and detailed description of a very complex issue...rich in detail and insight." --Leslie J. Temme, LCSW School of Social Work, Adelphi University "[A] 'must have' resource for practicing professionals and an invaluable teaching tool for social work students....This is precisely the book that mandated reporters seek to assist in the reporting process and understanding their legal obligations." --Keva M. Miller, PhD, LCSW School of Social Work, Portland State University In all states, social workers are required to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and face serious penalties if they fail to do so. But not all cases of abuse are obvious. Mandated reporters are thus confronted with a host of both legal and ethical quandaries when filing a report: What are the responsibilities of mandated reporters? What are appropriate grounds for reporting abuse? How and when should a report be made? Does reporting suspected abuse violate client confidentiality? What if my employer encourages me not to report my suspicions? Addressing these questions and more, this book provides clear definitions of different types of child abuse, including physical, sexual, and emotional, and delineates guidelines on how to identify risk factors and signs of child maltreatment. The authors also clarify difficult ethical issues, including client confidentiality and privileged communication, and present numerous case studies and theoretical vignettes culled from their own experiences as social workers. This guide will be the one resource mandated reporters and social work students cannot do without.