Case One: A child custody case A single mother of two children (Charlotte) moved in with a partner (Thomas) who has a long criminal history, which included offences against children. There were reports made that the partner was abusing the children. You have worked with this family over the past one year and on recent visit you observed bruises on the older child, and you had conversations with Charlotte about the welfare of the children. Charlotte refused to accept that her partner was a potential risk to the children, and she prioritised him over the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of the children. The children's father was contacted and said he was willing to take care of the children, but he has had little contact with them since the separation. Charlotte feels she has the right to keep the children. The matter was brought before the Children's Court, and you have been invited to send a report to the court.

Recognise that your court report may be intended to advocate for your client in certain matters including granting custody, leniency, increase contact with children, or as may apply to each case. Your role in this report is to share information about the social context and circumstances of the client and their story and how these relate to the given legal issue before the courts through good assessment and sound judgement. You are encouraged to be creative in structuring your report. However, you may consider: 1. Include an introduction that outlines the purpose of the report and what will be covered in the report. Your introduction should also indicate which case you have chosen and your intended outcome for your client. Do not repeat the case in your report. 2. Establish your credential: Indicate who you are, your qualifications, number of years of experience, and how long you have worked with this client. 3. Provide background information/context to the issue before the court. 4. Demonstrate your ability to conduct a social work assessment (professional judgement) that considers the legal context. Assess the situation by identifying and discussing the elements of the case you consider important to support your argument 5. Support your position and argument with relevant social work theories, principles, values, and relevant legislations associated with the issue before the court. 6. Given your background understanding of the case and your assessment provide possible outcome/interventions/recommendations that could support the clients. You can draw on the relevant literature to support your position.