social work practice and the law - Springer Publishing

16 Social Work Practice and the Law
legal and nonlegal services in one location. This is potentially the most exciting
and valuable way social workers could target their knowledge and skills and
participate in a long-term solution for closing the justice gap.
Other professions are beginning to make the connection between a
state of health and wellness and the importance of accessing the legal
system to intervene in environmental conditions that both cause and
effect disparate health, mental health, economic, social, and educational outcomes
for different groups of clients. An example of this movement is the
development of medical–legal partnerships (MLPs). MLPs train health care
providers such as doctors, nurses, and social workers to understand the
social causes of their patients’ health concerns and identify those patients
whose stressors may be ameliorated or resolved by legal intervention
(http://www.medical-legalpartnership.org). Poor housing conditions, food
and energy insecurity, educational and employment factors are just a few
examples of nonmedical problems that present significant barriers to health
and through medical legal partnerships are addressed in the health care
setting rather than referring the client out. Early process and outcome
studies show improved client health outcomes, lower levels of client stress,
higher uptake of benefits and entitlements, decreased avoidance of medical
care because of concern with cost, improved clinical workforce skills, and
cost benefits to the medical institution (Paul et al., 2009; Teufel, Brown,
Thorne, Goffinet, & Clemons, 2009; Weintraub et al., 2010).
The ecological theories underlying collaborative, multidisciplinary programs
that focus on intervention at the level of the client’s environment and
on prevention should be a familiar and comfortable framework for social
workers. Social workers have the values, knowledge, and skills to not just
effectively participate in interdisciplinary collaborations but also to organize
and become leaders in collaborative service delivery. The following chapters
of this book will present the knowledge, values, and skills you need to collaborate
with other professionals and your clients in ways that address client
needs and client rights. You will learn to appreciate how the activation of
client rights can be a critical tool for advancing and realizing a strength-based,
empowering social work practice that moves beyond disparate outcomes and
meets the health, mental health, social, educational, and economic needs of all
people in an equal and socially just way.