Forensic Social Work is the application of social work to questions and issues relating to law and legal systems. This specialty of the social work profession goes far beyond clinics and psychiatric hospitals for criminal defendants being evaluated and treated on issues of competency and responsibility. A broader definition includes social work practice which in any way is related to legal issues and litigation, both criminal and civil. Child custody

Child custody

Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...

 issues, involving separation

Legal separation

Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...

, divorce

Divorce

Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

, neglect

Neglect

Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....

, termination of parental rights, the implications of child

Child abuse

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...

 and spousal abuse, juvenile and adult justice services, corrections, and mandated treatment all fall under this definition.

Functions of the forensic social work practitioner may include...

Providing consultation, education, or training to:

• Criminal justice, juvenile justice, and correctional systems
• Law makers
• Law enforcement personnel
• Attorneys, law students, and paralegals
• Members of the public

Diagnosis, treatment, and recommendations:

• Diagnosing, assessing, and treating criminal and juvenile justice populations
• Diagnosing, treating, or making recommendations about mental status, children's interests, incapacities, or inability to testify
• Serving as an expert witness
• Screening, evaluating, or treating law enforcement and other criminal justice personnel

Other functions:

• Policy and program development
• Mediation, advocacy, and arbitration
• Teaching, training, and supervising
• Behavioral Science Research and Analysis

Forensic social work practitioners engage only in forensic activities within their areas of competence and expertise.

United Kingdom

The first appointed psychiatric Social Worker in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 was in 1936.The British Association of Psychiatric Social Workers was inaugurated only in 1930.
Most of the expertise in England and Wales has been concentrated within the Special Hospitals. – Ashworth

Ashworth Hospital

Ashworth Hospital is a high security psychiatric hospital at Maghull in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England.Ashworth is one of only three high-security specialist psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales, along with Rampton and Broadmoor, that exist to work with people who...

, Rampton

Rampton Secure Hospital

Rampton Secure Hospital is a high security psychiatric hospital near the village of Woodbeck between Retford and Rampton in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire, England...

 and Broadmoor

Broadmoor Hospital

Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...

. at Broadmoor Hospital the first qualified l worker was not employed until 1969.

America

Forensic social work has been done since at least 1899 coming out in part, of the settlement house movement, and the expansion of urban charity work.

Role of the Social Worker

The social worker bridges the gap between the two worlds of
hospital and community.

America

In America the Forensic social worker, has a variety of functions, including social assessments for various courts including Family Court

Family court

A family court is a court convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, such as custody of children. In common-law jurisdictions "family courts" are statutory creations primarily dealing with equitable matters devolved from a court of inherent jurisdiction, such as a...

,and providing assessments and aftercare for psychiatric hospitals.

United Kingdom

In the U.K. the forensic social worker has several duties, including applications for hospital admission,when necessary, arrange aftercare and social assessments among others . The social worker fulfills the role of the Social Supervisor to specify suitable accommodations for discharged patients, and to assess risk.
They provide social care reports to the Mental Health First Tier Tribunal.