{"id":12574,"date":"2026-03-03T09:45:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T09:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/?p=12574"},"modified":"2026-03-09T09:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:04:32","slug":"supporting-the-next-generation-of-social-workers-with-courtroom-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/supporting-the-next-generation-of-social-workers-with-courtroom-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting\u00a0the\u00a0next\u00a0 generation of\u00a0social workers with courtroom skills\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lauren Martins and Claire Yates explain how, in the face of ever-increasing scrutiny on child safeguarding, they are building a meaningful bridge between theory and practice, and preparing the next generation of social work professionals to navigate\u202fa system\u202fwhich intervenes directly in private family life to support safer outcomes.\u202f\u202f<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a continued national focus on safeguarding\u202freforms,\u202fFamily\u202fCourts\u202fand Social Workers\u202fare under intense scrutiny. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy discussions, shaped by the\u202fDepartment of Education (DFE), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ),\u202fand Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panels (CSPR), are focusing on early, timely\u202fintervention\u202fand\u202fthe critical role of robust\u202fevidence\u202fin ensuring\u202fsafe\u202foutcomes for children. Understanding these priorities on paper is one thing, experiencing the reality of how they play out in\u202fa courtroom\u202fis quite another.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stepping beyond the\u202flecture theatre\u202f<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have just finished delivering our fourth cycle of court skills days to Social Work students at CCCU.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than\u202fteaching\u202fchild protection law solely through\u202ftraditional lectures, we designed\u202fthree\u202fCourt Skills Day focused on a realistic\u202fchild protection\u202fscenario. Students took on roles\u202fin\u202fa simulated family court,\u202faddressing the Judge,\u202fpresenting\u202fevidence, being\u202fcross-examined by counsel\u202fand\u202fexperienced\u202fthe formality, pressure and responsibility that comes with\u202fpresenting evidence that will\u202fimpact\u202fdecisions about a child\u2019s future.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift in learning was immediate\u202f <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a traditional classroom, students can describe the threshold criteria or the welfare checklist. In the courtroom, the\u202fweight of decisions is felt, needing to\u202fjustify assessments clearly,\u202fwithstanding\u202fchallenge\u202fand\u202fthinking\u202fcarefully about proportionality and permanence \u2014 issues central to current policy debates.\u202fStudents saw how social work evidence is tested and how judicial reasoning balances risk,\u202frights\u202fand long-term welfare.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaboration was key\u202f <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u202fworked closely with external partners including barristers,\u202fthe\u202fjudiciary,\u202fand an independent social worker. Their\u202fexpertise\u202fbrought authenticity\u202fthat\u202fno lecture could replicate.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This multi-disciplinary approach mirrors the reality of child protection proceedings. Family justice is not delivered in silos; it relies on careful coordination between social workers, legal\u202fprofessionals\u202fand the court.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when policy stresses joined-up safeguarding and improving professional standards, our teaching model reflected exactly that.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A positive response <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Students described feeling more confident in articulating\u202ftheir evidence and rationale\u202fand more aware of the importance of precise, evidence-based reasoning. Many said the experience helped them understand how their written reports translate into courtroom.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most\u202fencouragingly, alumni have since contacted us to say the intervention supported them during their newly qualified year. They reported feeling less intimidated when giving evidence and better prepared for cross-examination. In a field where confidence and clarity directly affect outcomes for children and families, that preparation matters.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family courts are often discussed in the context of reform,\u202fdelay\u202fand pressure. Universities have a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to that debate\u202fby not\u202fjust\u202fteaching law or practice,\u202fbut through\u202fpreparing professionals capable of navigating\u202fa system\u202fwhich intervenes directly in private family life to support safer outcomes.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By moving learning\u202ffrom the classroom to\u202fa courtroom and grounding it in current child protection policy,\u202four contribution is\u202fboth\u202ftimely\u202fand essential.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lauren Martins, Senior Lecturer and BA Hons Social Work Course Director, and Claire Yates, Senior Lecturer and Social Work Skills Lead<\/em><\/strong>, in the School of Social Work, Education, and Teacher Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will be presenting for Social Work England on the court skills days in celebration of World Social Work week, 16 March 11am-12pm online. Book here<\/a> if you want to find out more. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lauren Martins and Claire Yates explain how, in the face of ever-increasing scrutiny on child safeguarding, they are building a meaningful bridge between theory and practice, and preparing the next generation of social work professionals to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":242,"featured_media":12578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3942],"tags":[6798,6794,3533],"class_list":["post-12574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-work","tag-child-protection","tag-family-courts","tag-social-work"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"Jeanette Earl","featuredImage":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/437\/2026\/03\/CCCU-courtroom.jpg","postExcerpt":"Lauren Martins and Claire Yates explain how, in the face of ever-increasing scrutiny on child safeguarding, they are building a meaningful bridge between theory and practice, and preparing the next generation of social work professionals to […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/242"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12574"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12662,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12574\/revisions\/12662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}