THE SOCIAL WORKER IN A JUVENILE JUSTICE CLINIC

Matthew Rosenbaum, LCSWCenter for Juvenile Law and PolicyLoyola Law School, Los Angeles

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Introduction

Who am I? Ex-economist Worked in Child Welfare/Domestic Violence Worked internationally in Guatemala and Chad Currently a social worker at the Center for

Juvenile Law and Policy at Loyola Law School How did I end up here?

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The Juvenile Justice Clinic

Established in Fall 2005 Began with one ex-public defender, a social

worker and five students Why was a social worker hired for the

clinic? The director believed in a holistic approach to

legal representation The social worker’s role was limited

Conducted psychosocial assessments

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The Juvenile Justice Clinic

The clinic then expanded along with the role of the Social Worker More time was needed to be spent building

relationships Increased involvement with clients and other

service providers This increased relationship building positively

impacted the work with the clients and the legal representation

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The Role of the Social Worker

How do we interact with: Law professors Clients Law students Other service providers’

Benefit of the social work presence Challenges of the social work presence Commonalities and differences between

Social Workers and attorneys How are the differences reconciled?

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Vignettes

Name – Sex – Age at arrest – Charges – Issues Outcomes – Interactions with:

Law student, client and other service providers Relevant Social Work issues and challenges