Working Together - lawyers and social workers collaboration in child protection

Dan Fauset, Senior lecturer, Law and Criminology, and Ruth Bastin, Lecturer, Social Work, and Social Care and Community Studies, have collaborated to share their skills and knowledge with both Law and Social Work students

Dan and Ruth teach family law and social work students respectively. The field of child protection is a challenging and important area of professional practice. It is multi-disciplinary and involves careful collaboration between lawyers and social workers to ensure the right measures in place to protect vulnerable children. On 7^th and 10th March they shared their expertise with students from both degrees in interactive workshops which explored the roles and challenges for both professions. Crucially, students were made aware of the benefits that can be achieved when different practitioners combine effectively, particularly in such a sensitive area of work. The sessions gave students the chance to think in ways beyond their immediate studies and to appreciate different perspectives in their approach to child protection practice. Overall, the students found the sessions to be rewarding and stimulating.

Some comments:

“I found the talk extremely interesting. It made me more aware of the possibility of social work as a career, which I had not previously considered. I particularly liked the use of the scenario as I found that this was more engaging and interactive.” 

“The lesson with Dan was interesting, I particularly enjoyed the different case examples Dan provided.”    

“I enjoyed the session and found the case studies very informative and the activity we did showed us an insight to the views from all parties. This was quite difficult when listening to the different views as I was the parent so had my own views but then listening to the local authority and judges views I could see how as social workers we can be put in very difficult situations.”