Engaging Social Work Students in a Drug Intervention Treatment Court Experience: A University–Court Partnership

This article discusses a university—court teaching partnership that enables social work students to have a direct face-to-face experience of being present in court hearings, focusing on the Treatment Intervention Court in South Australia. Student experiences and perspectives were gathered through an anonymous online survey and thematically analysed. Five key themes found in the survey data were A real-life experience of attending court hearings; Learning about legal formalities; Social work roles within court settings; Ethical challenges of practice in court-ordered drug treatment programs; and Being supported in their learning. This university—court partnership maximises students' experiential learning of court processes, which is at the forefront of students being prepared for the social work profession.IMPLICATIONSCollaborative partnerships between universities and courts strengthen social work education by enabling students to develop practical insights into the procedural and relational dynamics of legal systems.Immersive learning experiences within court environments deepen students’ comprehension of social work’s role in legal contexts and promote critical reflection on the implementation of therapeutic jurisprudence and court-ordered interventions.