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Forensic Court Systems, Reporting and Testifying

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Spring 2026 Program Dates
April 7/8, 2026​

Register Now

$195 FSWA Members / $245 Non-Members  (add $25 after March 25, 2026)

​Day 1 2:00-6:30 Eastern Time

Day 2 2:00-5:30 Eastern Time

(Participation both days is required)

​The Forensic Court Systems, Reporting and Testifying Certificate is a program sanctioned by the Forensic Social Work Alliance (FSWA).   It would be appropriate to list or note this certificate among a professional’s specialized areas of training. It would not be appropriate to list as a credential after one’s name (e.g. Sallie Sue, FSWC). The program is being offered in a virtual/online format.   The format will allow for viewing of the presentation and supporting materials as well as interaction between the presenters and participants in real time.  Registered participants will receive instructions on how to gain access to this event via email approximately one week prior to the event.  If you have questions about the Certificate, please contact Jim Campbell at jim.campbell@nofsw.org.

Course completion requirements: To earn CE credit, social workers must register for ce credit, log in at the scheduled time, attend the entire course and complete an online course evaluation. Certificates of completion will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.

​​The Forensic Social Work Alliance, provider #1823, formerly the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit.  ACE provider approval period: 07/18/2023–07/18/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 7.0 continuing education credits.

National Organization of Forensic Social Work is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0876.

​System requirements: 
• Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher, MacOS 9 or higher, Android 4.0 or higher
• Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 9.0 or higher, Google Chrome, Firefox 10.0 or higher
• Broadband Internet connection: Cable, High-speed DSL & any other medium that is internet accessible.

Presenter Bios 

Additional Bios

Learning Objectives and references

​Forensic Court Systems, Reporting and Testifying Certificate Curriculum

Areas of Training Focus:

  • Specific skills and techniques for successfully navigating legal and court arenas

  • Several distinct roles through which social workers commonly interface with the law

    • Child welfare

    • Public Defense

    • Expert Witness

  • Organizational leadership elements regarding agency policies, supervision and consultation

  • Impact of equity and social justice as ethical considerations

  • Illumination of some of the overarching societal issues impacting social systems, policies and regulations. 

Curriculum

1. Introduction – Overview of court systems and social work roles interfacing with those systems

  • Disclaimers and limitations

  • Introduction of guiding case study (additional details to unfold over the course of the training)

  • Training structure and participant engagement expectations

2. Forensic Report Writing: Best Practices and Ethical Duties to Court and Clients

  • Templates for the organization, analysis, and opinions required for forensic report writing

  • Review the ethical obligations, and trips and traps, for report writing

    • Do you attach your CV and why is that important to the Court?

    • What does it mean to explicitly disclose your hypotheses and why you accepted or rejected one or more?

    • What makes your report (and opinions) more likely to be admitted in evidence?

    • When is your work product and file subject to the attorney-client privilege?

    • When can the other lawyer read your file and are your edits protected?

    • How much can a lawyer have input into drafting your report under federal and state rules of procedure?

    • What data is reliable and how to critically use evaluations and diagnoses?

    • How do you avoid explicit and implicit biases in report writing? 

3. The call to court

  • Agency policies (host versus human service)

  • Subpoenas

  • Other disclosure avenues

4. Testifying

  • Strategies

5. Mock Court – participant presentations in the form of “testimony”