Legal literacy: Social workers’ conceptualisation and application in practice

This presentation will introduce and explain ‘legal literacy’. You’ll gain a great overview of the topic and a consideration of the key questions to ask when engaging in the legal issues your clients face.

Legal literacy is a term used to describe the knowledge needed to understand the legal system, but how does it apply to social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand? Hannah Verheul-Cane leads this presentation which will introduce you to the topic of legal literacy. Hannah will explore current literature to extend the definition of legal literacy, acknowledging social elements that overlap with the law. The health and care and protection sectors, which are most prominent within the current literature, will be the basis of case examples. A case study, which applies across sectors, will be analysed to start putting some of these ideas into practice. Webinar participants will gain an overview of the topic and consider the key questions to ask when engaging with the legal issues your clients face.

Presenter bio:
Hannah Verheul-Cane (she/her)
Kai Tahu, Dutch, English, Irish
BSW (Hons)
Current PhD candidate at The University of Canterbury
Hannah is a social worker with a passion for legal literacy, legal education, and a commitment to addressing inequities in legal systems for Māori and marginalised. She has seven years of practice experience working for Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust, a health and social service organisation. She also utilises her knowledge to upskill other social workers through teaching at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, The University of Canterbury. Hannah is pursuing research into the legal literacy of social workers.

Cost:
Free to ANZASW members
$25 to non-members