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Forensic Social Work: Essential Legal Skills for Practice

Level II 

Online - Training date TBA for 2025

Prerequisite: Forensic Social Work: Foundational Law for Social Work and Human Service Practice. 

Target Audience

If you have completed our Level -1 workshop in Foundational Law and your practice is related to the justice system and the courts, or you are new to practice and have an interest in attaining the skills and knowledge to work as a generalist in forensic social work, then this is a “must have” workshop for you. 

 
This workshop is appropriate for those interested in developing a subspecialty skill set in Forensic Social Work. It is ideal for those who want to learn the key strategies used in forensic social work practice and for those who wish to enhance their knowledge, confidence, and competence in this evolving and dynamic area of practice. It is also appropriate for those of you seeking new career opportunities in an emerging practice area. 

This workshop is appropriate for those familiar with common legal concepts impacting social work and human service practice. Ideally, the learner in this workshop will have taken Level-1 training in foundational law for social work practice or a law and social work course in their academic social work program. The practitioners most likely to benefit from this workshop are private practice clinicians, legal system navigators, courthouse social workers, parenting coordinators, hospital clinical social workers, those in corrections law, child protection services, psychiatric social work practice, mental health, youth justice, adult justice, those who do community practice with grassroots organizations and those with a general interest in forensic social work.

Workshop Summary

Social work practitioners are employed in workplaces that require their familiarity and knowledge regarding various legal concepts. When working in the justice system, social workers must have the “hands-on” essential skills to be confident and effective practitioners and meet the profession's social work standards and ethical obligations. Many services that hire social workers in beginner generalist or specialist forensic positions in the justice system offer in-house training specific to the worker’s tasks in the workplace. Professional development inter-sectional training in essential practice skills for forensic social work (social-legal skills) is currently limited or non-existent in Canada. Yet, a vibrant area of practice exists in other countries. Many schools of social work education in Canada offer academic courses that are evidence and theory-based in law and social work. There are no independent professional development programs that provide “hands-on” skills training that is focused on the intersection of law and social work practice (forensic social work) and the development of forensic social work as a sub-specialty of practice outside of the workshops and courses offered through the National Institute of Forensic Social Work. 

With this emerging field of practice and the demand for access to justice, social workers are taking on new roles in the justice system. The current trend in the practice of law in Canada is to resolve legal matters using less adversarial methods such as settlement conferences, mediation, parenting coordination, and restorative approaches. We are seeing an increase in the emergence of specialty courts. Yet, the demand and need for adversarial processes continue to increase, especially in child protection, criminal law, youth justice, adult criminal law, corrections law and human rights. Social workers are usually front and center in the justice process. As such, in fulfilling the duties of a forensic social worker in areas such as child protection, private practice social work, probation services, corrections, or at forensic hospitals, social workers must have an understanding of the processes of the court and the tools used by lawyers, crowns and judges and an understanding of collaborative law practice. Having the essential skills and knowledge of legal practice and procedures will align the work of a forensic social worker with that of the legal practitioner, the courts and the justice system. Forensic social work practice is dynamic, demanding and an evolving sub-specialty in Canada. 

This engaging and interactive four-week workshop on essential skills for forensic social work practice has lectures and “hands-on” skills-based components that will increase your practice skills when engaged with the legal system. The workshop is designed to develop the learner’s confidence, knowledge of legal processes, courtroom skills, writing and drafting skills of court documents, critical thinking skills and use of contemporary approaches that are grounded in core competencies for social workers such as anti-oppressive practice, cultural competence and humility, trauma-informed, and professional, ethical commitment. Through introductory-level interactive exercises, critical reflections, thought-provoking case studies, and skills-building exercises such as affidavit writing, forensic interviewing from a cultural lens, submission of expert evidence and testifying in court, you will learn to improve your forensic skills and increase your awareness of the law. Learners will gain skills that are realistic and best practice-based.

Learning Goals and Objectives

 
The focus of this workshop is specific to the practice of social work in the justice system. It is a skills-based interactive online workshop. As participants/learners, you will be introduced to forensic social work practice basics from a skills-based social-legal lens in keeping with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. You will rely on your theoretical training in social work from previous academic studies and continuing education training in forensic social work practice. As a learner, you will increase your knowledge and develop essential skills for forensic social work practice based on four weekly- four hour modules that include: 

1. Core Competencies for Forensic Social Work Practice focuses on building forensic skills and enhancing knowledge for workshop learners regarding cultural competence and humility, critical thinking, unconscious bias, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed forensic interviewing, and working with diverse populations in legal systems. 

2. Tools for the Court focus on creating awareness and competence and developing skills in drafting court documents such as affidavits, custody and parenting assessments, cultural plans, Voice of the Child Reports, and the organization and readiness of the “business record,” to name a few.

3. You, the Expert, will guide the learner to develop the skills and knowledge for forensic social work practice in the courts by providing information and instruction specific to courtroom etiquette, presenting expert reports, testifying in court, advocacy and other core skills. 

4. Collaborative Inter-Professional Practice will consider best practice models used in collaborative social-legal settings and other inter-professional workplaces. To address possible conflicts such as competing ethics, an emphasis will be placed on standards of practice, codes of ethics, and liability issues that may arise for both professions in shared workplaces. Information specific to career opportunities in forensic social work practice and available resources will be shared. 

At the end of the four-week workshop, you will have increased your understanding, working knowledge, and legal drafting skills as a beginner generalist or specialist forensic social worker practitioner. Overall, you will have gained new skills and knowledge that enhance your confidence and competence and prepare you for new opportunities, benefiting your career, your clients, and your employer(s). 

About the Instructor

Shawna Paris-Hoyte, O.N.S, KC, MSW, RSW-CS, PhD (std) is an inter-professional and multidisciplinary practitioner who works as a private practice clinician, hospital and forensic social worker, an educator and a practicing lawyer. As a clinical and forensic social worker for over fifteen years, Shawna specializes in mental health and addictions. As a lawyer for twenty-five years, Shawna’s areas of practice are child welfare law, family law, human rights, youth justice, criminal justice, corrections law, administrative law, poverty law and social justice. Shawna provides instruction in clinical law practice to learners in their third year of law studies and instruction to BSW and MSW learners regarding a variety of social work courses, including Diversity in Canada, Law and Social Work, Human Development, Cross-Cultural Perspectives, and Field Practicum as an Agency Advisor and Faculty Advisor.

Shawna's work as a practitioner, consultant and researcher at a doctoral level in social work makes her a sought-after speaker on various topics. She designs and facilitates workshops related to the intersection of law and social work. She has presented on numerous aspects of forensic social work practice, including presentations at the National Organization of Forensic Social Work in the United States. Shawna is committed to developing the intersection of law and social work (forensic social work) as a sub-specialty of social work practice in Canada. In 2016, Shawna founded the National Institute of Forensic Social Work (nifsw.com), which focuses on professional development for practitioners in Canada in forensic social work.

Format

This workshop is comprised of four weekly modules. Each module requires approximately four hours of online work. Participants are required to complete all four modules and pass a short quiz at the end of each module or complete a skill-building exercise. 

Speed of learning and ease with technology will affect the time it takes to complete the course exercises. Basic technical and computer skills are required to watch online videos, post questions and comments, and navigate the website.

 
There are no scheduled lecture times. The course site is available 24/7.

This course requires approximately 4 hours of online study per week for 16 continuing education credit hours.

Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 35 participants.

To Register Contact:

Karla Hatt at: Coned@dal.ca

Continuing Education Coordinator

School of Social Work

FACULTY OF HEALTH  3201-1459 LeMarchant Street  PO Box 15000 | Halifax, NS  B3H 4R2  Canada