Protecting and Promoting Client Rights

Protecting and Promoting Client Rights examines the inherent tensions within the family assessor role when there is no overarching compulsory regulatory body in social work. The book highlights why it is necessary to understand how social workers adhere to social work standards of practice within a family assessor role (AASW, 2018). It explores how social workers who undertake the role of forensic family assessors can meet the expected AASW Standards of Practice while also protecting and promoting the rights of their family court clients.

Presents the qualifications, training, tools and processes used by family assessorsExamines the challenges social workers encounter when applying the standards for practice, including application of knowledge to practice, values, ethics and professionalismFocuses on the roles of social work professionals within a forensic family law context

1. Introduction 2. Distinguishing Tensions in Forensic Social Work Practice 3. Examining Cross National Similarities and Variation in Family Report Writing 4. An Exploration of Research Methodologies 5. Data Collection: A Systematic Review of Global Practices of Family Assessors 6. Data Synthesis: Emerging Themes 7. Results 8. Discussion: An Examination of the Worldwide Practices of Family Assessors and the Relationship to Global Social Work Ethical Principles 9. Proposal for Additional Research 10. Limitations and Conclusions 11. List of tables 12. List of figures