Continuing Education Workshops

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Social Workers, whether in clinical or agency services, must determine the scope of a minor’s authority to consent to treatment, the right to release records (and to whom), and a child’s right to autonomy. Each of these “rights” and “duties” creates ethical and legal traps for the unwary. In this seminar, the ethical and statutory elements of informed consent and confidentiality for minors will be discussed.

• Participants will enhance their understanding of the application of Federal and State law to treatment and interventions for minors, including confidentiality, communications and records, and informed consent for treatment.
• Participants will develop a means to assess and incorporate in their practices the rights of minors to autonomy and self-determination during treatment and intervention, including medications.

The workshop will focus on the ethical issues most often faced by social workers, including dual relationships and boundaries, mandated reporting obligations, responding to legal process, note taking and obtaining appropriate consent to treat minors.

• Participants will enhance their understanding of some common breaches of the NASW code of ethics.
• Participants will learn to assess the above issues and what that can do to avoid legal and ethical traps.

Psychosocial Assessment is a basic introduction to the content, reliability, use, risks and benefits of systematic identification of the strengths and challenges of individuals as they relate to status and functioning within the social environment. The course will also include discussion of the importance of maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the information, the need to obtain prior consent for assessment, and the responsibility that the information obtained will only be used for benefit of the individual. Participants will understand the different categories of diagnoses and will be able to apply them within the context of the assessment.

• Participants will develop skills to conduct a comprehensive psychosocial assessment, enhance their understanding of the use of the psychosocial assessment, and learn how to structure a psychosocial assessment to ensure that the information is reliable, that the needs are identified and that cultural and spiritual components are included.