Skip to search boxSkip to navigationSkip to main content

Social worker decision-making: a framework for legally literate accountable practice

Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Abstract

Social workers make decisions every day involving the protection of children and/or adults who are at risk of, or are experiencing, abuse and neglect, exercising power and authority derived from law. Social workers must act within the law: "doing things right." Accountable, legally literate practice additionally includes standards from administrative law when statutory duties are used. However, decision-making frequently also raises ethical dilemmas, including whether, when, and how to intervene in people's lives. Practice must, therefore, be ethically literate: "doing right things." Human rights, equality, and social justice issues will also feature in social work decision-making: "right thinking." This chapter presents a framework for social worker decision-making that is legally and ethically, but also emotionally, relationally, organizationally and knowledge, literate. It proposes that this framework is transferable across the different jurisdictions within which social workers practice, and that it helps social workers to make good as well as lawful decisions.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding Chapter Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 647-663 (17 pages)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 22/02/2024

Publication status

Published - 22/02/2024

Publisher

Cambridge University Press, United States, United Kingdom

ISBN (Print)

9781009100601

ISBN (Electronic)

9781009119375

Chapter Number

42

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/626835
  • Scopus: 105010670787

Host publication title

The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making

Host publication editors

  • Monica K. Miller
  • Logan A. Yelderman
  • Matthew T. Huss
  • Jason A. Cantone

Access to documents

Publication metrics

PlumX, opens in new tab

Usage
77
Captures
45