Social Work Decision-Making: A Guide for Childcare Lawyers (Second Edition)

Social workers working with children and families are required to make complex and difficult decisions on a daily basis, which often result in court proceedings. This book is a comprehensive guide for childcare lawyers and other professionals in the UK seeking to understand the policies and procedures involved in social work practice. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to take account of all recent UK developments, including the reissued Public Law Outline, the revised 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (March 2010), new UK case law in respect of section 5 social work records and local authority duties, guidance relating to the Integrated Children's System (ICS), and new guidance for secure accommodation provision. Contents include: the legal framework * why do lawyers need to know about social work? * the referral to the local authority * the local authority response - the s47 investigation * the assessment process * child protection planning * the local authority's duties towards looked-after children * fostering * adoption and permanency * leaving care * how to analyze the local authority's decision-making process