The History of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work

Abstract

The National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW) has a long and vibrant history. As indicated in the Bylaws, the objective of NOFSW is the advancement of the practice and education of forensic social work including, but not limited to, the development and delivery of courses of instruction in the area of social work and the law, the development of standards of practice, and the promotion and publication of research all for the purpose of improving and developing the capabilities of its membership, as well as informing the public regarding forensic social workers. This is a brief commentary on the establishment of the organization. In 1982, two forensic examiners, as designated by the State of Michigan, wondered if there was a similar job description for clinicians and=or social workers in other states. These certified forensic clinicians, Barbara O’Neal and Dane Hughes from the Department of Social Work at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ann Arbor, decided to examine forensic social work practice throughout the United States and Puerto Rico (Hughes & O’Neal, 1983). They constructed a questionnaire based in part on the work being done by forensic psychologists and then surveyed all the centers of forensic psychiatry listed in the Academy of Psychiatry and in law journals. Once follow-up letters were sent, they received responses from 340 practitioners (an 85% response rate). The results of the survey indicated that forensic social work was being done far more often than reported on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.