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Power point Presentation 3 Exercises.docx

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Power point Presentation 3 Exercises.docx

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reflections on assaults on social workers..

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reflections on assaults on social workers..

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I feel there’s a culture of hiding stress as fear showing fear/stress/emotions is a sign of weakness. There’s a poor culture from management in reassuring this isn’t the case. Perhaps due to caseload pressures. But there needs to be more resilience training as to what resilience means and that self-care is paramount in being beneficial to the individual and the workforce. And therefore, the quality of service delivered to the service user.

As in A & E, there should be a zero-tolerance policy on violence towards staff and prosecutions sought. With there being less of a culture of it being ‘understandable’ as they’ve received bad news.

There seems to be a failure of risk assessing but maybe this isn’t so much a failure of the individual but more of a need for better multi agency working. I.e. being able to shout up police more readily or a PNC then PCSO if recent markers on the property or individual.

Even though the social worker is capable of working as an autonomous individual in the decision making and execution of their decisions, there shouldn’t be a risk to their wellbeing when they’re trying to promote the well-being of others.

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Although there is absolutely no doubt that any violence against any kind of professional while undertaking duties within their job role is wholly unacceptable, there are a number of flaws with this mode of research and simply quoting percentages of this very small, very targeted research group, does not reflect a true representation of the what is actually happening with front line staff. That being said, I agree with Helga Pile’s comments in relation to the effects that this abuse can have on the wellbeing of staff and thus, staff retention. Unfortunately, however, I believe in order to tackle this issue it will take more than implementing policies to make significant change, although it is not a bad place to start. The acceptance that it is part of the job that is often rife within Social Work settings needs to be addressed in order for people to feel confident to report incidents of abuse. And attitudes such as the commenter ‘Sarah’ has that simply dismiss people’s experiences because they do not match their own are all too familiar.

I feel that another commenter ‘Paul’ summed up nicely what I would also have said. There is a fine line between accepting that aggression is part of the job, and having an understanding that the nature of some of the work is going to cause people distress, and thus increasing the chances of them displaying aggression. A lot of the time this behaviour is not punished in a court of law, but it serves their case very poorly and can sometimes lead to them being punished in other ways, for example aggression from a parent could be the deciding factor as to whether a child is returned to their parents care. Much like many other policies within Social Work, lengthy unworkable policies implemented nationwide do not take into consideration local risks, team sizes, area etc. Although it is important to set an expectation nationally of what should be in place, it would better serve the safety of the staff on the front line for the responsibility for safety policies and risk assessments to fall on the employer, or at the very least the Local Authority. I would also recommend that this becomes part of the Ofsted inspection. I find it odd that Local Authorities are regularly, and thoroughly inspected, to ensure their risk assessments for their service users are appropriate and effective, but their concern for the risk assessments for the staff who undertake this work falls by the wayside.
Alice Wiggans

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My thoughts concerning the community care article is that not enough is being done to protect Social Workers when they are working in the community. It is quite alarming the amount of statistics that show that there are no consequences for an attack on a Social Worker and that most employers find it to be too much hard work to follow up is unprofessional and undermining. 

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My thoughts concerning the community care article is that not enough is being done to protect Social Workers when they are working in the community. It is quite alarming the amount of statistics that show that there are no consequences for an attack on a Social Worker and that most employers find it to be too much hard work to follow up is unprofessional and undermining. 

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Also other Social Work professionals that have had good experiences should not be down playing or suggesting that the ones who do get attacked aren't as competent in their practice as they are. Its very patronising and unfair.

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Power point Presentation 3 Exercises.docx

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It is important that people recognise the danger that may be present at any home visit for social workers this includes managers, the courts when dealing with people who violently offend a social worker and of course the social worker themselves. It cannot be acceptable just because someone is a social worker they are “fair game” to be attacked. The courts must take these incidents as serious as they would do if it was anyone from any other profession, there must be zero tolerance. Social workers must work off the gut feeling, take precaution with their safety rather than risk. The managers must support any members of staff that does not feel comfortable in a situation and help them find a way to keep themselves safe and confident in their role

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Power point Presentation 3 ExercisesAssessment on entryHow would you leave?Is there any pets?Who is in the property?Does the person seem tense?Do you know where the phone is?Red FlagsSomeone leaves the room for no apparent reasonSomeone else enters that you are unaware ofSomeone becomes agitated during the conversationSomeone becomes abusive and threateningTrigger EventsSomeone maybe receiving info that they do not agree withSomeone maybe upset and find the whole process distressingSomeone maybe suffering with depression

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Power point Presentation 3 ExercisesAssessment on entryHow would you leave?Is there any pets?Who is in the property?Does the person seem tense?Do you know where the phone is?Red FlagsSomeone leaves the room for no apparent reasonSomeone else enters that you are unaware ofSomeone becomes agitated during the conversationSomeone becomes abusive and threateningTrigger EventsSomeone maybe receiving info that they do not agree withSomeone maybe upset and find the whole process distressingSomeone maybe suffering with depression

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it is extremely important for us as social workers to think about our own safety and therefore carry out risk assessments as we don't know what kind of situations we might have to face due to the kind of work that we do. 

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it is extremely important for us as social workers to think about our own safety and therefore carry out risk assessments as we don't know what kind of situations we might have to face due to the kind of work that we do. 

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It is so important like in any other job that social workers carry out risk assessments as they are constantly coming into contact with new people who have completely individual personalities and the behaviour of people can be completely unpredictable. It saddens me to hear about the treatment social workers are vulnerable to, especially considering the reason they are in this profession is to help vulnerable people and improve their quality of life.

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It is alarming that social workers are accepting that being abused or assualtted is expected within the job role. There needs to be better understanding of the problem and better training. Social workers are there to help not to be abused. 

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It is alarming that social workers are accepting that being abused or assualtted is expected within the job role. There needs to be better understanding of the problem and better training. Social workers are there to help not to be abused. 

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It worried me how common things like assault and verbal abuse to social workers is. It helps to demonstrate why Risk assessments are needed and should be done to the highest standers.

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Assessment on entry
Make sure you have done a full risk assessment before going to the place. knowing the area a bit and where a good escape room if needed. When arriving fully assess the room your in knowing exits and checking for weapons.
Red Flag
Things like; changes in behaviour like aggression, verbal abuse, body language.
Trigger events.
Death, losing rights to children, relationship break down and Mental health.

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People should not think they can treat social workers however they want, there should be no tolerance policies that people have to adhere to like there is in health services. Equally social workers should not think that it is just part of the job. 

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People should not think they can treat social workers however they want, there should be no tolerance policies that people have to adhere to like there is in health services. Equally social workers should not think that it is just part of the job. 

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Assessment on entry –-	Ensure you know where your nearest exit route is -	Have a code word arranged with the office -	Be aware of your surroundings and who is present Red flags – -	Sudden in behaviour -	Aggression-	Body language Trigger events – -	Authority-	Family being removed -	Relationship breakdown-      Mental health 

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Assessment on entry –-	Ensure you know where your nearest exit route is -	Have a code word arranged with the office -	Be aware of your surroundings and who is present Red flags – -	Sudden in behaviour -	Aggression-	Body language Trigger events – -	Authority-	Family being removed -	Relationship breakdown-      Mental health 

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Its not right that people think its okay for Social Workers to go through this. Its not part of a job as there is no job description saying we will get abused and we have to tolerate that. If this happens then something needs to be done and put in place to ensure it wont happen again. It shouldnt be happening in the first place but if/when it does, Social Workers need to get help and speak to someone about this

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Articl eresponse - I found it worrying how people talk to and teach social workers and how this is common when practising. The article proves how important risk assessments are. 

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Articl eresponse - I found it worrying how people talk to and teach social workers and how this is common when practising. The article proves how important risk assessments are. 

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Assessment on entry means assessing as you enter an unknown environment. You should ensure that you know where all the exit points are as the closest to you may not be an option, have a safety word arranged with your team in case of an emergency and have your phone and car keys to hand. Red flags are highlighted when there are potential safety concerns, these flags could include a change in the persons character, someone else who you are unaware of appears or the person appears to become aggressive. A trigger for someone can be anything, some examples could be their mental state, their emotional state, breakdown in relationships, fear of losing their families or it could be that they have an issue with authority. 

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Assessment on entry means assessing as you enter an unknown environment. You should ensure that you know where all the exit points are as the closest to you may not be an option, have a safety word arranged with your team in case of an emergency and have your phone and car keys to hand. Red flags are highlighted when there are potential safety concerns, these flags could include a change in the persons character, someone else who you are unaware of appears or the person appears to become aggressive. A trigger for someone can be anything, some examples could be their mental state, their emotional state, breakdown in relationships, fear of losing their families or it could be that they have an issue with authority. 

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Assessing risks straight away. Always make sure you know your exists and anything that you might need to think about doing in order to exit. Always try to leave your shoes on and have your care keys and bags close to you

Red flags: Be prepared and know what your red flag is. Be aware in changes of peoples behaviour

Trigger: If you know information that could make someone angrily hesitate from triggering them thoughts as this could lead to putting yourself at risk.

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assessment on entry: means making an assessment upon entry of an unknown environment. it is crucial to be aware of exit points within the house and other hazards. Being vigilant and aware of your surroundings is important and always have a number on speed dial that would be able to come to your aid.

red flags: reg flag circumstances are more than likely going to lead to lack of safety. change in a persons character can indicate a red flag situation.

triggers: triggers can come in all ways. it can be how you look at someone, your body language, what you say or how you say something that can trigger a person into maybe becoming emotional, aggressive, agitated etc. always be weary with regards to triggers and what types of triggers different people have.

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upon watching the video i felt nothing but shock regarding the violence inflicted upon social workers and how they just accepted it as part of their job. I feel that there is a serious issue here that needs to be addressed and changes most definitely need to be made. There needs to be a high level of support for these social workers.

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I feel shocked at the sheer level of violence that social workers have had to deal with, but even more shocked at the number of social workers who feel it is just a part of the job. This is wrong and something that needs to change. I think it is something that managers need to be aware of and more vigilant in handling reports of violence towards staff.

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my thoughts on the article are shocked at the number of social workers who have received abuse and a risk of danger and the lack of support for them. there is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed.

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When reading this article, I found it concerning how violent acts towards social workers are seen as 'part of the job'. In no instance should anyone feel uncomfortable or under threat when working, and it is something that need to be addressed more seriously. Reading this, does emphasise the importance of health and safety measures such as pre visit risk assessments and the understanding of red flags and triggers as well as what to do when put in a potentially dangerous situation.

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Reading through this was really alarming in terms of the lack of regard that is given for violence towards social workers at is assumed its part of the job. There should be some sort of assurance or protection for SW. Experiences like those mentioned within the article have a lasting impact e.g mentally. It does illustrate why training in risk assessment and de-escalation is vital in this practice.

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Assessment on Entry-
An assessment on entry defines immediate assessment made when entering an unknown environment i.e. someones house. Ensure you are aware of your exit points, sit in a position in the room which makes for the easiest exit strategy the incase of an emergency and be aware of your surroundings and noises at all times. Have an emergency number on speed dial.

Red Flags-
A red flag situation can lead to safety issues. This being things such as a sudden change in the persons character or voice, a change in language becoming threatening and aggressive, abnormal behaviour, the appearance of an unknown person. Identify red flag and develop an exit strategy.

Triggers-
Events that might trigger the person you are visiting to become angry or agitated. Things such as losing their job, personal issues such as a broken relationship, threat of losing home or children, argument with family or friends, receiving bad news such as illness. Be aware of types of triggers and the impact they can have.

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Power point Presentation 3 Exercises
Assessment on entry

Read case files and information about family before visit.learn about location before visit.learn as much about the family/temperament before visit.make travel arrangements beforehand.on entry look for exit points and any immediate signs of danger.

Red Flags

Change in character.threatening undertones.direct threats,aggressive blame.substance misuse.abnormal behaviour.

Trigger Events

fired or made redundant the threat of court action personal crisis bad news in the family loss of control

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being a social worker allows you to come face to face with many dangers and risks, this is why risk assessments should be taken seriously to avoid injuries and putting employees in danger

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what i have learnt from recognising risks 

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what i have learnt from recognising risks 