Courtroom and Report Writing Skills for Social Workers

Clare Seymour is a registered social worker and qualified teacher at post-16 level. From 1998 until retiring in September 2009 she was senior lecturer in social work at Anglia Ruskin University, where she taught social work law, professional accountability and communication and interviewing skills to social work students at undergraduate and master’s level. Since leaving Anglia Ruskin University, she continues to work as a practice educator for social work degree students and as external examiner for the social work degree at Reading University. Her social work experience includes 16 years of local authority social work, latterly in a child care team where she had a wide experience of court work, and bereavement support within a general practice. Richard Seymour is a senior circuit judge assigned to the Queens’ Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. He has a first class honours degree in law from Cambridge University. He was in practice as a barrister until 2000, was appointed QC in 1991, and has been a president of Mental Health Review Tribunals. He jointly edited Kemp & Kemp The Quantum of Damages, 4th ed, 1975, contributed the legal chapters to publications on practice and procedure for the quantity surveyor and the architect in practice.

• IntroductionPART I: THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM IN CONTEXTHistorical DevelopmentThe English Legal System in PracticeLegal Language and Decision-makingValues and Principles in Law and Social WorkPART II: PREPARING FOR COURTLegal Advice and RepresentationAchieving Excellence in Case RecordingWriting Formal Reports for CourtPART III: ATTENDING COURTCourt Rules, Etiquette and Practical MattersGiving EvidenceCross-ExaminationWhat Happens Next?Conclusion