Legal Issue of the Month

The "Legal Issue of the Month" provides an overview of a specific legal topic of relevance to social workers from the perspective of a particular legal decision. Topics are updated monthly and previous topics remain available for viewing.

The Legal Issue of the Month is not published in August and December.

• Social Workers and Continuing Education Requirements (November 2009)
• Social Workers and Confidentiality for Court-Ordered Juvenile Treatment (October 2009)
• Social Workers and Accommodations for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Clients (September 2009)
• Confidentiality and Minors’ Reproductive Rights: A Case Example from Ohio (July 2009)
• Social Workers and Identity Theft: The FTC "Red Flags" Rule (June 2009)
• Social Work Supervision for State Licensure (May 2009)
• Responding to a Subpoena (April 2009)
• HITECH HIPAA for Social Workers (March 2009)
• The Social Worker and the Home Office (February 2009)
• Social Workers and the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 (January 2009)
• Social Workers and the Kennedy v. Louisiana Death Penalty Case (November 2008)
• Recent Cases on Child Welfare Workers’ Liability for Removal of Children (October 2008)
• School Social Workers and Student Strip Searches (September 2008)
• Social Workers and the California Same-Sex Marriage Cases (July 2008)
• Social Workers and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) (June 2008)
• Social Workers and Coaching (May 2008)
• School Social Workers and Confidentiality (April 2008)
• Social Workers and Legal Policy Development (March 2008)
• Social Workers and “Duty to Warn” State Laws (February 2008)
• Legal and Ethical Issues in Social Worker – Lawyer Collaborations (January 2008)
• Social Workers and Confidentiality for Couples Counseling (November 2007)
• Social Workers and Child Custody Evaluations (October 2007)
• A Review of the Supreme Court’s 2007 Affirmative Action Decision (September 2007)
• *A Review of the Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling (July 2007)
• *The NASW Code of Ethics and State Licensing Laws (June 2007)
• *Social Workers and the National Provider Identifier (May 2007)
• *Social Workers and e-Therapy (April 2007)
• *Social Workers and Non-custodial Parents’ Requests for Records (March 2007)
• *Social Workers and Fee Collection (February 2007)
• *Current Issues in Health Privacy (January 2007)
• *Social Workers and Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption (November 2006)
• *Social Workers as Volunteers (October 2006)
• *Social Workers and Student Loan Forgiveness (September 2006)
• *HIPAA Help for Social Workers (July 2006)
• *Social Workers and Psychotherapy Notes (June 2006)
• *Children’s’ Rights to Confidentiality  (May 2006)
• *Social Workers and the CIGNA Managed Care Settlement  (April 2006)
• *Overview of the LDF Amicus Brief Database (March 2006)
• *Social Workers and End-of-Life Decisions (February 2006)
• *Social Workers and Post-Disaster Record Keeping Questions (January 2006)
• *Parental Rights and Responsibilities for Lesbian and Gay Parents (November 2005)
• *Social Workers and Record Retention Requirements (October 2005)
• *Social Workers and Disaster Relief Services (September 2005)
• *Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege in the Military (July 2005)
• *Social Work Licensure: Practice and Title Protection Reviewed (June 2005)
• *Social Workers, Medication, and Scope of Practice (May 2005)
• *Social Workers and HIPAA Security Standards (April 2005)
• *Social Workers and Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege: Jaffee v. Redmond Revisited (March 2005)
• *Social Workers and the Duty to Warn (February 2005)
• *Review of State Balloting on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (January 2005)
• *Are Public Social Workers Liable for Failing to Prevent Child Abuse? (November 2004)
• *What Do the Courts Say about Same-Sex Marriage? (October 2004)
• *Social Workers and the USA PATRIOT Act (September 2004)
• *Legal Developments in Treating and Prosecuting Pregnant Substance Abusers (July 2004)
• *Business Expense Deductions for Psychotherapy (June 2004)
• *HIPAA for Social Work Employers and Administrators (May 2004)
• *Social Workers and International Human Rights (April 2004)
• *Social Workers' Rights as Probationary Employees (March 2004)
• *Social Workers and Civil Liability for Failure to Report Child Abuse (February 2004)
• *Social Workers and Capital Punishment for Juveniles (January 2004)
• *Social Workers and Legal Developments in Gay Rights (November 2003)
• *Megan’s Law: Protecting the Public or Branding Offenders? (October 2003)
• *Social Workers as Death Penalty Mitigation Specialists (September 2003)
• *Social Workers, HIPAA, and Subpoenas (July 2003)
• *Is it Necessary for Protective Services Social Workers to Obtain a Warrant to Investigate a Child Abuse or Neglect Complaint? (June 2003)
• *Social Workers and “Any Willing Provider” Laws (May 2003)
• *A First Look at the HIPAA Security Regulations (April 2003)
• *HIPAA Compliance Toolkit (March 2003)
• *Social Work Ethics and Non-Compete Clauses in Employment Contracts and Independent Contractor Agreements (February 2003)
• *Social Workers’ Rights to Prompt Payment (January 2003)
• *Protecting the Confidentiality of NASW’s Professional Review Process (November 2002)
• *An Analysis of Revisions Of The Final Federal Medical Privacy Regulations Under HIPAA (October 2002)
• *Can States Limit Managed Care Decisions That Deny Medically Necessary Health Treatment? (September 2002)
• *What Legal Rights Do Convicted Sexual Offenders Retain in Involuntary Prison Treatment Settings? (July 2002)
• *Do Social Workers Owe a Legal Duty to the Alleged Abuser of a Client? (June 2002)
• *What Have the Courts Said about Welfare Reform? (May 2002)
• *What Are the Rights of Children in Gay and Lesbian Families? (April 2002)
• *What Direction Are the Courts Moving with Affirmative Action? (March 2002)
• *Are Licensed Clinical Social Workers Authorized to Provide Expert Witness Testimony Concerning the Diagnosis and Treatment of Emotional and Mental Disorders? (February 2002)

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