Abstract

Now fully updated and with up-to-the-minute guidance, this is the only book you will need to make sense of the key elements of law involved in social work with children and families in England and Wales.

Accessible and jargon-free, this everyday reference explains the fundamental concepts of parental responsibility and human rights, and the provisions of private and public law, including care proceedings and adoption. This second edition incorporates recent changes including the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance for inter-agency working, the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Crime and Courts Act 2013 as well as the latest case law. Checklists, charts and highlighted points allow for easy reference, and illustrative case scenarios put the law into context.

This comprehensive and easy-to-use guide will be an invaluable resource for practising social workers, as well as trainees, students and those studying for post-qualifying awards.

This is a stunningly good piece of work. Many whose work involves the law find it a horrible dark space, and practitioners can try to make do with a working knowledge or skirt around it - leading to unsafe work and poor practice. But here is a book that is friendly in tone and spot on with guidance that makes it all 'start to make sense'. You come away from Lynn's book wishing you could meet her. She is a wise presence who makes you feel you could venture out into this alien territory and her knowledge makes it all look easier than it is. With the destruction of legal advice services, we all need this knowledge now. It is the perfect overview with practical information and case-study snippets to help the reader to emerge with a real grasp of the legal system and its day-to-day implications and application. This should be manna for social workers, and it is also a great foundation stone for all of us involved with children and families.
James Pirrie, Solicitor, Collaborative Lawyer, Arbitrator and Mediator, Family Law in Partnership, London

Praise for the second edition:

'This book lives up to the high standards of the first edition, updated to take account of recent court judgments and the many changes to child and family legislation in England and Wales. Lynn Davis writes authoritatively and with crystal clarity. She explains the law helpfully, with direct relevance to real-life social work practice. The book is full of useful features such as key points for practice, readable summaries of court decisions, realistic and thought-provoking case studies and handy checklists. Every child and family team should have a copy in their office.'

Dr Jonathan Dickens, School of Social Work, University of East Anglia
Lynn Davis is an independent legal trainer and consultant. She has specialised in child care law since 1989, and has acted as a solicitor for local authorities, parents and children. She regularly provides legal training for professionals working with children and has taught on the law module for student social workers. She is the author of See You in Court: A Social Worker's Guide to Presenting Evidence in Care Proceedings and A Practical Guide to Fostering Law: Fostering Regulations, Child Care Law and the Youth Justice System, both published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Exceptional value for money. It covers the whole range of roles and responsibilities that local authorities address, and I have no doubt this content will assist all child care social workers acting as 'agents' of the local authority to practice efficiently, effectively and above all safely. I could go on - but go and buy the book and see for yourself.
Professional Social Work
Children law and court proceedings are changing. The role of the social worker as an expert has been re-affirmed and clear, analysed and considered evidence from social workers is essential. We judges depend on social workers' professionalism and in my view it is vital for social workers to have an understanding of the law. No-one asks them to be lawyers but they must understand what the law is, its limitations and also the tests the court applies. This book is readable, practical and clear and allows the social worker to gain the essential knowledge they need to undertake their role in the court system.
Christopher Simmonds- District Judge of the Principal Registry of the Family Division and Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission
Most of the chapters are punctuated by relevant and recent case law examples... this book is a useful tool for social workers... This book is comprehensive in its coverage of the vast array of issues in children and families law and... is very readable, bringing the complexity of this terrain to life.
Nushra Mansuri, Professional Officer, BASW
Professional Social Work
This is an extremely timely publication with the onset of new legislation, revised statutory safeguarding guidance and significant changes to the family justice system. Davis declares that "the time is right for a newly confident social work profession to reclaim its rightful place in the court process.". Davis's coverage of the issues is both global yet intricate in her attention to detail and references to contemporary themes. An absolute must for social workers who want to be on the 'front foot' in their practice.
Nushra Mansuri, Professional Officer, British Association of Social Workers

Praise for the first edition:

'Social work practitioners and family lawyers will benefit from reading this work and gain even more from it if they are able to have a copy close to hand while at work.'

Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law
I highly recommend this book to students, newly qualified workers, frontline practitioners and their managers. It is a valuable tool to have in one's armoury for those involved in children and families social work.
Children and Young People Now