Ethics and Law

Courts Matter to Social Workers: A Call for SCOTUS Ethics Reform

Courts Matter to Social Workers: A Call for SCOTUS Ethics Reform

By Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW – NASW Senior Policy Adviser Recent revelations of possible ethical violations by U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Justice Clarence Thomas ― as well as Justice Samuel Alito ― have led to calls for broad ethical and standards reforms for the court....

Vermont court rules in favor of patient in Mental Health Parity case

By Paul R. Pace, News staff The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008 still awaits a final federal rule to implement the law. However, progress was made for patients’ rights on April 30 when the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont gave...

NASW files amicus brief in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl

NASW, through its Legal Defense Fund, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The case involves whether the Indian Child Welfare Act applies to a private adoption initiated by a non-Indian parent. Previously, the South...

Social Workers and Child Abuse Reporting | Law Note

Social workers may find themselves torn between their commitment to their clients’ interests and their responsibility to the larger society when faced with the possibility of reporting child abuse to authorities.

Social Workers as Expert Witnesses: Law Note from NASW Press

NASW Law Note: Social Workers as Expert Witnesses Courts of law rely on information offered in evidence as the basis for decisions rendered. Evidence comes in many forms, including photographs, recordings, devices, forensic evidence, documents, and individual...

Court ruling supports NASW friend of the court brief

The New Jersey Supreme Court in September ruled in favor of requiring greater specificity from prosecutors when they seek to waive youth into the adult criminal court system. The ruling is a victory for NASW and other organizations that joined in filing an amicus...