Social Work in Mandated Settings

Overview

Course description

This course teaches students to collaborate with individuals and families in identifying and implementing both short- and long-term goals within formal systems of support. Goals may include addressing mental health, substance use, and child welfare concerns. Students will use strength-based approaches and skills to empower families. Students will learn about culturally appropriate practice and approaches and how to engage individuals and families from diverse backgrounds. Students will learn ways to work with reluctant service users and will assess collaborative practice with individuals and families, and on interdisciplinary teams.

Course content

Working with individuals and families to set and carry out short- and long-term goals in mandated services
Engaging, assessing, and planning with individuals and families in systems such as mental health, substance use, and child welfare
Using strengths-based and relationship-focused approaches to support and empower families
Using evidence-informed social work skills, such as motivational interviewing and strengths-based practice
Working effectively with reluctant service users, including managing safety and de-escalating conflict
Practising ethically and in culturally responsive ways with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds
Working respectfully with Indigenous individuals, families, and communities, including understanding the impacts of colonization, and following community protocols
Working as part of interdisciplinary and cross-agency teams, including addressing power, communication, and role clarity
Understanding and applying legislation, policies, and legal responsibilities in mandated social work practice

Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, and presentations.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course.

Typical means of assessment include the following:

Written papers
Presentations
Projects
Exams
Participation
Attendance

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Use engagement, assessment, and planning skills that help individuals and families in mandated settings to achieve goals, address challenges, and sustain change;
Explain factors contributing to the over-representation of Indigenous and other marginalized populations within formal systems of support;
Apply strength-based and culturally responsive approaches to work with individuals and families from intake to closure, including utilizing community supports;
Describe wise practices with Indigenous individuals, families, and communities, including policies and protocols for engagement and visits to Indigenous communities;
Implement strategies for working with reluctant service users, including approaches to engagement, de-escalation, and safety when resistance or aggression is present;
Explain the roles, responsibilities, and competencies required for effective interdisciplinary and cross-agency collaboration,
Describe practice settings for work with mandated individuals and families;
Demonstrate critical awareness of legal frameworks and policies informing assessment, planning, and intervention with individuals and families within formal systems of support;
Analyze power, authority, and professional role clarity in mandated contexts.

Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:

Rooney, R. H., & Mirick, R. G. (Eds.). (Current edition). Strategies for work with involuntary clients. Columbia University Press.

Requisites

Prerequisites

SOWK 3233

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

September 2026 (Current)

September 2025

September 2015

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution	Transfer details for SOWK 4233
Simon Fraser University (SFU)	No credit