Lessons learned from integrating Social Work within Legal Clinics
Launched in 1991, the combined program in social work and law offered by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work is intended for students who wish to practice in the areas where law and social work intersect. Child welfare, juvenile and criminal justice, dispute resolution, immigration, Indigenous rights, mental health and family law are all examples of areas where law and social work overlap.
A study by Alicia Lam (MSW 2014), Vanessa Emery, Renee Griffin, and Professor Michael Saini examines the interprofessional collaboration that exists within legal clinics in Toronto and lessons that can be learned from these partnerships. Published in the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, the study “identified common themes and best practices for successful student social work programs in a range of legal clinic settings” and provided a list of recommendations.
Click here to read the article Integrating Social Work within Legal Clinics: An Interprofessional Perspective to Address Social-Legal Needs.
Learn more about law and social work at U of T:
- Read about U of T’s combined program in social work and law.
- Learn about Professor Michael Saini’s research and leadership.
- Read about the law and Master of Social Work networking event.
- View the announcement of alumna Robynne B. Kazina’s judicial appointment in the province of Manitoba.
Did you know?
In May, Professor Michael Saini will be named president of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) at the organization’s annual conference in Boston. Saini is one of only five Canadians to become president in the organization’s 61- year history and one of three social workers to take on the role. (The last time a social worker was president was 28 years ago.)