Social Work Response to Emergency Services Should Expand

SPS: Social Work and the Courts

Social work has decades of experience collaborating with law enforcement when responding to social problems.

Police social workers are in a unique position to inform the profession about realistic approaches to providing emergency services to vulnerable populations experiencing social problems, consistent with the mission of social work, says George Patterson, PhD, LCSW-R, ACSW, a project evaluator.

In addition, innovative first-responder programs that use social work expertise require social workers who possess knowledge and skills to collaborate with the 911 emergency call system, law enforcement, and other first responders, Patterson says in the latest Section Connection newsletter for the SPS for Social Work and the Courts.

Patterson says emergency responses to social problems include not only domestic violence, mental health crises, and substance use, but also family and neighbor conflicts. Consequently, emergency responses for other types of social problems also need to be considered. Among them is the development and implementation of innovative programs that respond to emergencies experienced by vulnerable populations without law enforcement involvement, he stated. Such programs assign social workers as first responders to 911 emergencies without law enforcement presence or involvement. Due to safety concerns, however, a law enforcement presence may still be required.

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