Working With Social Workers

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Child Advocacy

Jess Sucherman, J.D., Alyssa Patzoldt, J.D.Tyra Moore, LICSW, LCSW-C

Kimberly Daulton, LICSW, LCSW-CAugust 2013

Overview of the Training

• Who We Are and What We Do• Social Work Practice Foundation• Improving Advocacy• Ethical, Legal, and Practical Issues with

Incorporating Social Workers• Skills for Effective Partnering

Who We Are

• Children's Law Center envisions a future in which every child in the District of Columbia has a solid foundation of family, health and education.

• Our Values• Holistic Representation• Impact• Creativity• Teamwork• Tenacity• Respect

What We Do

• The GAL Project• Best Interests Representation

• Healthy Together• Families First • Pro Bono Program

The Social Work Project

• Program development and structure • A spectrum of social worker involvement• Consultation• Integration

Models of Legal/Social Work Collaboration

• Agency• Multidisciplinary• Interdisciplinary/Employee• Consultant• Integrated

Social Work Practice Foundation

NASW Code of Ethics Preamble

• The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty

• Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. “Clients” is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

NASW Code of Ethics Preamble

• Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice.

• Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs.

• Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems.

NASW Code of Ethics

• The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values.• service • social justice • dignity and worth of the person • importance of human relationships • integrity • competence

Client Specific Ethical Principles

• Self-determination• Confidentiality• Who is the client?• Cultural competence and social diversity• Termination

Type of Social Workers

Micro Social Work

• Child welfare • Case Management• Mental Health• Hospitals/Clinics• School• Veteran Affairs• Military• Elder care• Prisons• Corporations

Macro/Mezzo Social Work

• Politics• Community Organizing

(Mezzo)• Research/Evaluation• Advocacy/Policy• Education• Supervision/ Consultation

(Mezzo)• Program Development (Mezzo)• Administration (mezzo)

Social Work Education and Licensure

• Education• Bachelors of Social Work (BSW)• Masters of Social Work (MSW)• Doctorate of Social Work (DSW)

• Licensure• Bachelors Level• Masters Level• Advanced Generalist Level• Clinical Level

Social Work Practice

• The value of relationships• Use of self• Strengths based/solution focused frame work• Process, not just outcomes• Empower versus enable• Informed rational decision making

Challenges to Social Work Practice

• Layers of bureaucracy• Jurisdiction/Agency specific stressors• Vicarious trauma and burn out• Personal capacity

Improving Advocacy with External Social Workers

Advocacy Through Collaboration

• Why collaborate at all? • Mobilize resources• Expedite timelines• Consensus as a means of best interests• Better outcomes for clients

• Thinking beyond collaboration• Increased quality in legal arguments• Robust expansion in advocacy

Improving Advocacy

• Making the most of relationship • Understanding and managing conflict• Embracing the global perspective• Increasing cross-training• Understanding the limits of social work

practice.

Improving Advocacy

• Recognizing advocacy perspectives• Managing confidentiality• Respecting and appreciating social work skill

set• Understanding credentialing

Incorporating Social Workers in a Legal

Organization

Caveats

• There are many ethical, legal, and practical issues with incorporating social workers into legal organizations

• This is an overview and highlights how CLC has addressed these issues

• This is dependent on particular organization needs and local rules and laws

Interdisciplinary Model

• Social worker is an integrated member of the team.

• Social worker is obligated to adhere to lawyer’s professional standards, including confidentiality.

• Social Worker is not an independent provider and uses his/her skills to support the work of the law office.

Ethical and Legal Issues

• Confidentiality/Informed Consent• ABA Model Rules 1.6 and 5.4• Mandated Reporting• Confidentiality walls• CLC’s jurisdictional solution

• Conflicts• Legal issues• Social work issues• CLC’s approach to conflicts

Ethical and Legal Issues

• Social worker as lawyer’s agent• ABA Model Rule 5.3• Represented party contact• Confidentiality• Legal standards drive advocacy

• Social workers in court• Practice conflicts• Values implications

Practical and Logistical Issues

• Role clarity• Lack of consensus• Loss of autonomy• Making use of limited social worker

resources

Practical and Logistical Issues

• Supervision• Cross training • Hiring social service staff• What do you need?• Salary• Interviewing• Interns

Effective Partnership

Skills for Effective Partnering

• Collaboration can be challenging! • Social workers and lawyers need to develop

self awareness in order to partner effectively.• There are a variety of skills that can enhance

collaboration in the best interest of client outcomes.

Skills

• Role Clarity• Positive Communication• Trust• Shared decision-making• Empathy• Acceptance

Skills

• Cross training• Shared Language• Process in place to protect client confidences• Understanding of people outside of

organization• Difference in world view

Questions? Contact Information

D.C.’s Children’s Law Center616 H Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 467-4900www.childrenslawcenter.org

Questions?

Kimberly Daulton, Director of Social Workext. 516, kdaulton@childrenslawcenter.org

Tyra Moore, Senior Social Worker ext. 557, tmoore@childrenslawcenter.org

Jess Sucherman, Supervising Attorneyext. 575, jsucherman@childrenslawcenter.org

Alyssa Patzoldt, Supervising Attorney ext. 532, apatzoldt@childrenslawcenter.org

Children’s Law Center works to give every child in the District of Columbia a solid foundation of family, health, and education. We are the largest provider

of free legal services in the District and the only to focus on children. Our 80-person staff partners with local pro bono attorneys to serve

more than 2,000 at-risk children each year. We use this expertise to advocate for changes in the District’s laws, policies, and programs.

Visit www.childrenslawcenter.org to learn more.