Event date: 10/10/2025 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM Export event Kyle Northam / Friday, August 15, 2025 / Categories: Uncategorized Social Workers in Public Defense Criminal Practice Webinar NASW-WA Live Webinar Social Workers in Public Defense Criminal Practice Webinar (1.5 CE's) NASW-WA Live Webinar October 10, 2025, 9:00 am - 10:30 pm, PST, via Zoom 1.5 CE Credits Presented by Chelaina Crews, MSW Register Now: http://tinyurl.com/2p9sft3x Price: $40/NASW Members. $60/Non-Members Webinar Summary: Social workers are a unique and vital part of legal defense teams within the criminal justice system. Public defense social work is a small but growing field, with opportunities to work on multidisciplinary teams in a unique context, supporting and advocating for individuals who have been marginalized and dehumanized by both society and the legal system. This training aims to explore the landscape of the criminal legal system in Washington, the role of a social worker within a multidisciplinary defense team, and how this work supports broader goals of macro-level advocacy and social change. It will also address implicit bias that social workers internalize about the social construction of crime and "criminals," and discuss how defense social workers can address this same bias within members of the criminal legal system through mitigation, a method of contextualizing an individual's criminal legal involvement through a person-centered and trauma-informed lens. Goals and Objectives: Reframing the perspective of individuals identified as "criminals" and the role of their defense team within the legal system Building a better understanding of overlapping systems of oppression that intersect within the legal system Contextualizing the social worker's role and impact when working with justice-involved individuals Exploring the concept of mitigation as a tool for advocacy and transformative justice Presenter Bio: Chelaina Crews, MSW (she/they) is a Social Worker at the Snohomish County Public Defender Association in Everett, Washington, where they work with indigent adults and adolescents who have been charged with crimes. Chelaina has been a defender for 4 years, and is currently the Social Work Unit Supervisor, overseeing a team of Social Workers and Client Advocates. Chelaina holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Development from Washington State University, and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington. They have been in the social work field since 2014, serving individuals, youth, and families in Snohomish County experiencing housing instability and homelessness, foster care involvement, poverty, and mental health crises. Chelaina is also a volunteer at the Northwest Community Bail Fund, where they support the bail fund's mission through writing for their blog and newsletter. Previous Article Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Management Webinar Next Article Common Tax Deductions for Social Workers with Heard Print 57 More links Social Workers in Public Defense Criminal Practice WebinarRegistration Link