Confidentiality and privacy in social work

In Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work, Professor Donald T. Dickson presents the first study in twenty years devoted exclusively to an analysis of the many privacy and confidentiality issues that confront social workers in their practice, teaching, and research.

Professor Dickson, one of the country's leading experts in law and social work, examines a number of areas in which the competent professional must keep abreast of trends and changes. These areas are examined through a discussion of court decisions, statutes, and regulations drawn from across the country. Introductory material is included on law, legal systems, and legal research, providing a necessary foundation for understanding and working with the relevant laws.

Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work will enable social work practitioners, administrators, and students to understand and use the law to protect their clients, their agencies, and themselves. Family, health, and mental health practitioners will find in it authoritative guidance for working with clients - both children and adults - in individual and group settings.

Administrators will be made aware of the laws that protect client and worker privacy, and those that permit legitimate access to information. Educators and their students in both undergraduate and graduate social work programs will find this text an invaluable classroom resource.