Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Understand the relationship between the constitution, statutes, and case law with respect to their precedent value.

2. Gain a foundation for a constitutional analysis of the different levelof discrimination experienced by people based on color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other minority status.

3. Have a basic understanding of the legal landscape affecting social work practice, particularly as they relate to social work ethics, malpractice, and forensic social work.

4. Gain a basic understanding of the national and state-led policies in family an child related laws such as marriage, child abuse/neglect, child custody, and adoption.

5. Pinpoint and articulate legal issues in a case scenario they may find themselves in, in the course of social work practice; and to know a basic course of action to protect their clients and themselves.

6. Conduct a basic legal research in areas pertinent to social work practice.

7. Appreciate the link between social work, social policy, and learn to maximize the law in advocating for social justice and for client populations at a disadvantage. 

8. Gain a basic understanding of leading international conventions related to the family and their well-being, and how it impacts their practice both domestically and internationally.

9. Gain basic skills in advocating for policies that assist those who are living in poverty, discriminated against, live with disabilities, or otherwise disadvantaged.