Developing a Forensic Social Work Program Through Practitioner-University Partnerships

1. Developing a Forensic Social Work Program Through Practitioner-University Partnerships Stacey D. Hardy, Ph.D., JD, LCSW Robert Mulligan, MPS, LCSW

2. Agenda • Overview of Forensic Social Work Education & Certificate Programs • Program Development (using UNLV and LIU as examples) • Program Genesis • Planning • Implementation • Evaluation and Modification • Interactive Exercise – Assessing Program Viability • Wrap-Up and Next Steps

3. FSW Certificate Programs

4. Areas of FSW Education & Practice Some are more obvious than others • Criminal and Corrections • Mitigation Specialists • Mediation • Restorative Justice • Family (e.g. custody) • Child Welfare • Policy, Lobbying, & Public Service • Health (e.g. HIPPA and other laws impacting health settings) • School (e.g. IDEA and other laws impacting education settings) • General Social Work Practice (risk management, legal and ethical issues, malpractice)

5. Areas of FSW Education & Practice (con’d) • Offering mental health and social work services, clinical and otherwise, to employees and their families of the criminal and juvenile justice systems - with a particular focus on law enforcement officers and their families; • The entire landscape associated with Juvenile Justice, (PINS Petitions, Juvenile Delinquency petitions as well as their family members; • Family Court parameters , i.e. Orders of Protection, assisting family members when they are witnesses or victims of family based crimes. • Assisting individuals when they are required to offer testimony in all, of the above areas - as well as when the FSW is acting as an advocate in plea negotiations with either Attorney's General offices, AUSA's or district attorneys.

6. Our Origin Stories University of Nevada, Las Vegas Long Island University Initial frustration with Social Workers losing their compass and aligning themselves with the criminal and/or juvenile justice system Approached the University with the idea for FSW program Crafted courses as a ‘thank you’ gift to the university • A social worker in a foreign land i.e. law school • Seeking complementarity • Identifying an interdisciplinary nexus: common ground – advocacy • preparing social worker for forensic jobs/settings

7. Updates – Current Status UNLV - > George Mason University Long Island University Program launched Fall 2011 2 classes offered per semester Instructors have over 40 years of combined experience in macro and clinical FSW • Program launched Fall 2005 • Successfully bridged School with community through small student cohorts • Victim of budget cuts as program was being transition to 100% online • GMU ????

8. Parallel Process Direct Practice Intervention Stages (micro) Program Development Stages (macro) Exploration, Assessment and Engagement Focus Groups Planning Practice and pedagogy Implementation Curriculum development Evaluation and Modification Program evolution • Exploration and Engagement • Planning / Goal Setting • Assessment • Intervention • Termination (Transition)

9. Direct Practice -FSW Skills, Knowledge and Values • Individual v. Group Intervention/Treatment • Eclectic v. Generalist Approach • Boundary Issues with Criminal Justice Personnel (probation, parole, corrections officers) • Recordkeeping – “less is more” doctrine • Advocacy & Compassion (in a criminal justice context) • Mediating & Family Case Conferencing - neutrality

10. Exploration and Engagement • The NEED • Majority of criminal and family law human services are provided by social workers • Few programs; no uniform expectations of competency • Local/regional needs? • Making the Practitioner-University connection • Personal network or affiliations • Opportunities for scholarship; collaborations • Field practicum as a key avenue for building FSW partnerships

11. Planning Phase • Working with our professional organizations • NOFSW - should lead the charge! • Developing educational standards; FSW competency guidelines • Foster program development connections • NASW – Social Work and the Courts (specialty practice section) • ABA - Section of Dispute Resolution

12. Implementation Phase • Cultural Competence • Practitioners - learn to understand the university culture, and • Universities – learn to honor the contributions of practitioners • CSWE Accreditation and Core Competencies • Social work educational programs view all programmatic changes and proposals through the lens of their accreditation status • Social work educators view all proposals through the lens of tenure and promotion • Use social work skills to effect change in social work education!

13. Evaluation and Modification • What are the goals of a FSW program? • What qualities of an FSW worker should the program aim to produce? • What are the benefits of the prospective FSW program to the university, the social work profession, and society (justice)? • How YOUR program addresses the answers to the above questions informs how the program should be evaluated and modified along the way.

14. Interactive Exercise • Building University – Practitioner partnerships: Practitioner Perspective • List all university contacts in local social work program • If you don’t personally know any SW faculty, how might you make a connection? • Who can act as your faculty ALLY? (shared vision) • What are local faculty areas of research or expertise? • Can link most areas of SW to FSW • List action steps to survey FSW colleagues about the education and training they wish they had? • Curriculum and continuing education opportunities

15. Presenter Bio – Stacey D. Hardy, Ph.D., J.D., L.C.S.W. Dr. Hardy combines her background/training in social work (M.S.W., 1988), clinical psychology (Ph.D., 1994), law (J.D., 2006) to promote transformative experiential learning through field education. She joined the faculty at George Mason University after having served as the Director of Field Education for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for nearly 13 years. While at UNLV, she was administratively active in such diverse capacities as Graduate Coordinator, Child Welfare Title IV-E Coordinator and Assistant Director of the School of Social Work. In 2008, she was the recipient of the NASW-Nevada Chapter Social Worker of the Year Award. She is a past-president of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, and contributes to the editorial board for the Journal of Forensic Social Work. Her other scholarly and service interests include clinical supervision, management and program development, and cultural competence. • Contact Information – George Mason University, Dept. of Social Work shardy8@gmu.edu (703) 993-4245

16. Presenter Bio –Robert Mulligan, M.P.S., L.C.S.W. Robert Mulligan holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Adelphi University, Garden City, NY and Bachelor’s (1978) and Master's (1981) Degrees in Criminal Justice, C.W.Post of Long Island University. Mr. Mulligan has worked for Nassau County Jail Social Worker for Nassau TASC program of the Educational Assistance Center in Port Washington, NY from 1979 through 1987. This employment involved conducting in-depths evaluative interviews with inmates, determining appropriateness for the TASC program and completing thorough forensic valuations with treatment recommendations to the Court. He additionally ran weekly drug and alcohol treatment groups for the inmates from 1980 through 1983. He has been Certified as a DWI evaluator treatment provider in NYS since 1988. He is currently in private practice (1987 to present) - specializing in Psychotherapy and Forensic Social Work. He has participated in thousands of criminal and juvenile justice cases with charges ranging from Petit Larceny to Homicide - from local Courts, County Courts through Appellate Division in NYS My mitigation reports have also been accepted in several Federal District Court matters from coast to coast. He has offered testimony, (written and oral) in all previously mentioned jurisdictions. He is grateful and humbled by the fact that he has had a waiting list (of candidates vying to work with him) since shortly after opening his doors. He offers clinical supervision to other licensed social workers as well as provides field supervision to graduate-level students. He has also discovered a love for teaching and is an adjunct professor at

17. Thank You! For your attendance and participation in this workshop!