The topics of civil and criminal liability, guarantor status, in particular for minors or for adults who as a result of mental or equivalent impairment are incapable of making decisions on their own as well as notification obligation are playing an increasingly important role in the practise of social work. Social workers are in a responsible role through their professional mandate and the relationship of trust with their clients. In danger scenarios, they often have to quickly decide between the postulate of confidentiality, voluntariness or non-interference and the direct intervention in highly personal, fundamentally protected areas of life. They thereby become liable for both illegal intervention as well as negligent omissions. The seminar deals with legal basics and by means of practical cases, with solutions and strategies in dealing with these situations.

Course contents

• Civil and criminal liability
• Guarantor status in psychosocial care and counselling
• Confidentiality vs. notification-/disclosure-/testimony-obligation/refusal to testify
• Duty of disclosure and surrender of documentation

Lecturer

Elisabeth Weber-Schigutt

Graduate social worker, solicitor, registered mediator in civil-law matters, training in applied psychotraumatology in counselling and pedagogy (trauma counsellor), leadership of the AKUTteam Lower Austria at the Lower Austrian Provincial Academy, independent lecturing and teaching at St. Pölten UAS and Danube University Krems.