Understanding how social workers are used in Luzerne county Public Defenders Office...

1. From Adjudication to
Disposition
How Social Workers are useful
from the Juvenile System to Adult
System

2. What is a Social Worker?
 Social Workers are defined as:
Professional and academic discipline that
seeks to improve the quality of life and
wellbeing of an individual, group, or
community by intervening through
research, policy, community organizing,
direct practice, and teaching on behalf of
those afflicted with poverty or any real or
perceived social injustice.

3. What is a Social Worker ?
 Social Workers are mostly used in social
policy, public administration, psychotherapy,
program evaluation, and international and
community development.
 Social work, an interdisciplinary field, includes
theories from economics, education,
sociology, medicine, philosophy, politics,
anthropology and psychology. In many
jurisdictions, clinical social workers are
licensed mental health professionals.

4. What can a social worker do?
 The use of a experienced social worker is a
great tool that can assist any attorney in any
area of the law.
 Professional Social Workers often find them
selves in a concentration area- Children and
Youth, Aging, Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol
Treatment, and many other specific areas.
 Using a experienced Social Worker (s) can
provide you with expert testimony, reports and
can even provide a clear understanding of the
social service field.

5. Model Juvenile Unit
 As utilized by the Public Defenders Office,
Juvenile Defender Unit – created by Al
Flora in 2010.
 In 2010 the Public Defenders Juvenile Unit
was named Model Juvenile Unit for its
work in the state.
 Comprised of two Masters Level Social
Workers, 3 attorneys and 1 legal aid.

6.  Thisunit is a specialized unit that works
directly and only with Juveniles from the
ages of 10-21 years old.
 Thesocial workers are also used as
experts in decertification hearings and
adult trials.

7. How to use a Social Worker
 Using a experienced Social Worker can
have huge benefits for your office.
 Social Workers understand and know
the systems, understanding how to
address lengths of stay, how to interpret
records, obtain information and provide
a clinical options to you, your client and
the court.

8. How to use a Social Worker
 Using Social Workers as experts can
assist in your defense of your client.
 Having the social worker provide a
recommendation that can be used in the
disposition phase.
 Assisting in providing information on the
level of care provided at placements and
facility.

9. Pre-Adjudication Phase
 Using a Social Worker in this phase is
critical.
 Interview and information gathering from
the family and client.
 Detailed reports produced include the
client’s medical, social, educational, and
family histories along with current
involvement of all psycho-social
programs and involvements in the
community.

10. Pre-Adjudication Phase
 This is a very important phase of using a
social worker.
 Having a social worker review the file,
interview the client, sit in meetings with
probation for intakes.
 The goal is to have a extra set of eyes
from a clinical view.
 Start to build a plan or recommendation
for the next phase of the case.

11. Preparing for Disposition
 Having a social worker prepare a formal
report to the attorney.
 This report would include background
information on the family, history of
family issues, list of placements, and
medical issues.
 This information is very important when
presenting a recommendation for
disposition.

12. Pre Disposition
 Why is this important?
 Bridges the gaps between cases
 Allows for a more solid individualized plan
 Allows time for the social worker to meet
with the family and develop a understanding
of what is to be expected or what could
happen.
 Relieves stress of your client and family.

13. Disposition
 Using a Social Worker for this phase is
critical and most beneficial.
 Having a detailed plan that the social
worker developed will assist in the
defense and disposition phase.
 Community Based Plans – this can be
created with the help of a experienced
social worker.

14. Community Based Plans
Aplan developed by a social worker
which could include any of the following:
 Out Patient Therapy
 Anger Management Groups
 Medication Management
 Psychiatric or Psychological Care
 Assistance in getting into programs
 Drug and Alcohol Programs

15. Placements and Detention
 Using a social worker to visit the clients at
a placement or detention center allows
you to get more information along with
detailed reviews of the placements.
 Brochures are just that Brochures…
 What does the facility REALLY look like?
 Are your clients better off in the community?
 Where/How many hours of treatment are they
getting?

16.  Having a experienced Social Worker on
your cases is invaluable, and can be
used to prevent placement, assist in a
solid transition home, and assist in your
cases from a human behavioral view
and provide your clients with a
specialized and extensive collaboration.