Ask a Social Service Advocate/Ask an Investigator

This virtual resource series is hosted over Zoom every other month, with programming alternating between Ask a Social Service Advocate and Ask an Investigator. It aims to bridge the gap between the SWIM community (Social Workers/Social Service Advocates, Investigators, & Mitigators) and Public Defender offices who do not have current access to SWIM resources.

Sessions consist of hour-long Q&As that provide a space for participants to direct any general and case-specific questions to seasoned social service and investigative Public Defender staff. For Public Defenders without SWIM staff and newer investigative and social service employees, this is an excellent opportunity to speak with those who have more experience. All participants can benefit from hearing more SWIM-focused perspectives related to their casework and from understanding why these perspectives are so integral to public defense as a whole.

Some past sessions, such as the Ask a Mitigation Specialist training, have also focused on more specialized topics. Our most recent Ask a Social Worker session took place on September 26 and featured Allegheny County Forensic Social Worker Samantha Etzi, who answered questions about mental health and competency.

Anyone interested in future programming can request to be added to the PDAP listserv for weekly updates. No advanced registration is required.