Our First Batch in Mumbai for Forensic Social Work. Please read syllabus for more info

1. Forensic Social Work: COURSE SYLLABUS
Title: Forensic Social Work
Course Duration: 2months/Sundays/2hrs
Office Hours: Before & After Class or By Appointment
Course Description: Forensic social work is the practice specialty that focuses on
the intersection between law and health and human services.
It requires the ethical knowledge and skill capacity to balance the mutual and
conflicting interests of client and community. Multidisciplinary in nature, forensic
social workers are found in such settings as child protective services, guardian ad
litem programs, juvenile offender treatment programs, mitigation services, victim
services, witness assistance programs, and domestic violence shelters.
Apart from work in forensic settings, social workers increasingly encounter client
problems (e.g., termination of parental rights, vulnerable adults, child abuse and
neglect, and foster and permanency placement) that require them to work
effectively in cross-disciplinary settings with police, court personnel, attorneys,
and, corrections officers. The purpose of this course, therefore, is to gain familiarity
with the structure of the Indian criminal and civil legal system with an emphasis
on those areas relevant to forensic social work, including expert testimony, rules of
evidence, risk assessment and management, and theories of causation of violence
and aggression. The course also focuses on delineating and managing the
dilemmas between social work and legal ethics, the social worker’s authority, and
the tension between social control and social support.
Student Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
a. Understand forensic social work including purpose, functions, practice
roles, and practice settings.
b. Demonstrate familiarity with the adversary process including the steps in
civil matters and criminal prosecution.
c. Identify relevant social work values and ethics, apply them toward
resolving ethical dilemmas encountered in forensic social work practice, and
critically appraise the relationship between legal and social work ethics.
d. Comprehend and articulate relevant theories and models of offender
causation including the influence of oppression and socioeconomic injustice.
e. Demonstrate an understanding of best practices in developing mental
health evidence for forensic purposes.
f. Utilize assessment skills relevant to determining competency of an
accused to understand rights, waive rights, to be tried, and be executed.
Required Reading Materials: Necessary Hand-outs, worksheets as provided by
the Instructor.

2. Assignments and Academic Calendar
Date Class Instruction & Assignment
04-11-2018 Introduction to course and syllabus overview Dynamics of Local
Court System
11-11-2018 Forensic Risk Assessment, Roles, and Specialized Practices
Reading Assignment
18-11-2018 Evidence: Crime Scene to Lab
25-11-2018 Forensic Services and Programs for Adult Offenders Drug Courts,
Jail Mental Health Services Competency and Capacity to Proceed
02-12-2018 Writing Reports for Court
Indian Judicial System
09-12-2018 Class Project/Presentation
Expert Witness
16-12-2018 Mid-Term Exam
23-12-2018 1.Sexual Offender-Risk Assessment and Subtypes
2. Reading Assignment
30-12-2018 Child Custody Evaluations
Juvenile Justice Process, Assessment and Treatment
Course Requirements and Grading Policies:
A student’s final grade will be an average of the following:
1. Class participation and attendance (10%).
You can expect to receive full credit in this area if you attend class regularly and
participate in class discussions.
2. Mid-Term Exam (35%)
3. Analysis Paper (20%)
4. Final Exam (35%)
Exams will be composed of true/false questions, multiple choice questions, and
brief essays.
Paper Requirements: Each student will compose a three to five page (double
spaced, 12 point font, one inch margins) analysis on an insanity case.
The paper will be graded as follows:
1. Content (75%) 2. Grammar (25%)
Final Grades will be scored on a standard metric:
1. 90% to 100% = A
2. 80% to 89% = B
3. 70% to 79% = C
4. 60 to 69% = D

3. 5. Below 60 % = F
Course & Instructor Policies:
Make up exams will be allowed only on an emergency basis. Proof of the emergency
must be provided (e.g., physician’s note, police report, etc.).
Late papers will be accepted one week after the due date and will be reduced by one
grade level.
No electronic devices are allowed during testing.
Cells phones should be silenced during class.
The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are subject to
change at the discretion of the instructor.