The Stresses Arising from Violence,Threats and Aggression Against Child Protection Social Workers

• Summary: This article examines the effects of violence by service users in England and Finland against child protection social workers. Proposals derived from analysis of research findings for improved policies and practice in agencies, with particular reference to England, are discussed. In addition, results and implications of a smaller number of interviews with social workers in Finland are explored.

• Findings: The research found that there are a number of different effects resulting from violence on child protection social workers, depending on the particular configuration of factors involved in any particular situation. These include concerns about the effects of user violence on the ability of social workers to protect children; the importance of managers keeping a focus on workers’ safety, particularly when threats are not always obvious to others; staff support strategies; responses to violent service users; and how workers’ experiences can be employed to improve risk assessment and risk management.

• Applications: This article suggests that the experiences of and learning by social workers derived from incidents of violence need to be more systematically included in policy development and review. In addition, attitudes and procedures need to be in place which allow social workers to report their concerns and have them dealt with effectively.