British Journal of Social Work (2004) 34, 37-52
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Social Work, Liberty and Law
Professor of Law and Head of Department, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, John Williams is a member of the Wales Committee of the Legal Services Commission and is an honorary consultant to the British Association of Services for the Elderly. His main research interests are in social services law with particular regard to vulnerable adults. From 1993 to 1999 he was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Correspondence to Professor John Williams, Department of Law, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DY, UK. E-mail: jow{at}aber.ac.uk
Summary
The relationship between law and social work is complex. Does law assist practitioners to promote rights, or is it confined to ensuring accountability and regulating practice? This article explores law's role, and its limitations, in promoting liberty, or more accurately ‘constitutional liberty’. Does law provide practitioners with liberty-based values capable, if necessary, of legal enforcement? The paper argues that there is no simple answer; law impacts on social work in different ways and there is little consistency across and within client groups. However, it concludes that law is one of the tools that social workers can use to promote liberty.