A positive relationship between a social worker and their client can make all the difference. But that’s not the only relationship a social worker should value. They also need to be comfortable with the law they are practicing under.
“Often, social work students don’t recognize that connection—that intimate relationship that our profession has with the law,” says Sherece Shavel, assistant professor of practice in the School of Social Work. “The presence of the authority of law is woven all throughout what we do as practitioners.”
It’s an intimate relationship that Dr. Shavel hopes more social work students immerse themselves in, so she developed a new course, “Social Work and Law,” in collaboration with UTA’s Pre-Law Center. Students develop an understanding of the legal environment as it pertains to the social work profession and learn how they should act in certain legal settings, such as during a testimony.
The hallmark of the course is a courtroom simulation where social work students are questioned by mock trial students acting as defense and prosecution. UTA junior social work student Sophia Gyles considers the course a blessing.
“The class gives you a sense of what it would be like in court, to speak on behalf of clients and be a representative for them,” Gyles says. “I think that anyone who is going to be a social worker needs to take this class.”
