Sign posted in the seating area of the public defender’s lobby.
Last week a group of IV-E Child Welfare MSW students, who are currently interning at Hennepin County Child and Family Services in various child protection/child welfare units, had the opportunity to meet with some Public Defender Attorneys for the Juvenile Division. As students prepare for their work in public child protection, one area they are becoming more familiar with and getting experience in is the court process. They are also learning more about the various roles other professionals have in the court process with families. In our meeting, students were able to hear more about the role of the public defender in court, learn more about their work with families, listen to their perspectives on practice challenges and successes and increase their understanding of their own role as a child protection social worker. We appreciated having this opportunity!