Details
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. Social Work Decision-Making: A Guide for Childcare Lawyers is a comprehensive guide for lawyers and professionals seeking to understand the policies and procedures involved in such social work practice.
What's new in this edition?
The book has been fully revised and updated to take account of all relevant changes to law and practice including:
- The Laming report 2009
- Family Procedure Rules 2010 and Practice Direction 12A
- Public Law Proceedings Guide to Case Management 2010
- Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010
- Various revised volumes of Children Act 1989 guidance
- Best practice guidance Preparing for Care and Supervision Proceedings 2010
- Fostering and Adoption Regulations and Guidance 2010 and 2011
- Recommendations of the Family Justice Review 2011
- Munro Review of Child Protection 2011
The 2nd edition also includes completely new chapters relating to contact, kinship placements and special guardianship.
- The legal framework
- Social work in practice
- The referral to the Local Authority
- Local authority investigations
- Assessment
- Child protection planning
- Looked-after children
- Fostering
- Family and friends care arrangements
- Contact
- Adoption
- Special guardianship
- Leaving care
- Analysis
Elizabeth Isaacs Barrister, St Ives Chambers
A barrister at St Ives Chambers, Birmingham specialising in public and private childcare law. She worked as a local authority child protection social worker for 8 years before being called to the Bar in 1998 and has substantial legal and professional experience of all areas of children and family work, including physical injury, child sexual abuse, mental health, domestic violence and public interest immunity. She is frequently asked to provide advice and training for solicitors and local authorities about legal practice and procedure in all areas of public child law.
Carmel Shepherd Children's Guardian; Local authority panels chair, trainer and consultant
A freelance practitioner working as a chair of adoption and fostering panels, independent social worker, children’s guardian, and trainer. She has over 20 years’ experience of working in local authorities as a social worker, team manager, and service manager. Her expertise is working with children and families where there are child protection concerns, and she has been involved in the formation of local authorities’ policies and procedures in child protection, fostering and adoption. In the early 1990’s she was instrumental in introducing Family Group Conferences to social work practice in London.
“provides practitioners with a very useful road map through local authority terrain … a very useful resource for case preparation … it is invaluable”
Association of Lawyers for Children
“a useful guide”
CHILDRIGHT
“useful … well worth it”
Professional Social Work
“a valuable reference … extremely accessible”
Student Law Journal
"If you're a child care lawyer, your professional activity will inevitably invole liaison with and contact with social workers. This excellent book will help you understand the role and practice of the social worker....clear and very readable volume....extensive research resources....meticulous footnotingand table of cases, statues and statutory instruments, plus a detailed index....this book can certainly provide invaluable assistance to you in your day to day practice"
Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers
