POLICE SOCIAL WORK CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Author: Sylvester Amara Lamin & George Jacinto

ABSTRACT

Police social work is back to revitalization as there has been a growing demand for collaboration between police departments and social workers to intervene in mental and behavioral health crisis calls. Police departments usually deal with social control strategies and social workers primarily work on the social rehabilitation of individuals. This article describes the challenges and opportunities of police social work and offers models for strategic partnerships and collaborations. The paper also describes the significance of teaching police social work courses in programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and encouraging social work students to do their practical education in police departments or work with police officers in crisis response teams.

Keywords: Police social work, collaborative strategies, policing

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