Ethical Challenges in Forensic Social Work

Many social workers become involved in legal proceedings on their clients’ behalf. A subset of practitioners identify themselves as forensic social workers. Forensic social work is typically defined as the application of social work knowledge and skills to questions and issues relating to law, legal institutions, and legal proceedings. This social work specialization often entails collaboration with other professionals, especially attorneys, on clients’ behalf. This collaboration sometimes leads to ethical dilemmas, especially related to commitment to clients; informed consent; client confidentiality and privileged communication; conflicts of interest; and interdisciplinary collaboration. The purpose of this article is to identify common ethical challenges in forensic social work; apply relevant social work ethics standards; discuss risk management models and protocols to protect clients and practitioners; and discuss potential ethics challenges when forensic social workers are subpoenaed during legal proceedings.