New Taskforce set up to help protect social workers from violence and abuse

Date published: 12 November 2018

The Department of Health has established a new Taskforce to tackle the serious problem of threats and attacks on social workers in Northern Ireland.

The Taskforce has been set up to improve the safety and well-being of social work staff and will consider the professional and organisational arrangements that employers should put in place to support their staff.

Chief Social Worker Sean Holland will chair the group which will have representatives from trade unions, Directors of HR, Trusts and senior leaders in social work on it. A recent report by the British Association of Social Workers NI (BASW NI) highlighted the scale of the problem revealing that almost 9 out of 10 social workers in Northern Ireland experienced intimidation, three quarters have received threats and half have been subject to physical violence.  

Speaking after the first meeting of the Taskforce, Mr Holland said: “Social workers in health, justice and all sectors face challenges including threats and violence with a rising problem being the use of social media to intimidate workers.

“These experiences have a hugely negative impact on their job performance, physical and mental health, and their personal and family relationships. Often social workers express an understanding as to why some people they work with may behave in certain ways but that does not make unacceptable behaviour any more acceptable.

“Social workers are people trying to make the lives of children and adults who may be vulnerable, better and safer and it is not tolerable that during the course of their daily jobs that they face such abuse.

“When it comes to intimidation, threats and violence, employers need to understand how to meet their responsibilities to employees to fulfil their duty of care and to do that they have to understand particular issues associated with social work.”

The Taskforce will develop best practice guidance for employers that will specify:

  • what steps they need to take to adequately discharge their duty of care including what appropriate training should be provided for social workers in situations where there is a potential threat;
  • the circumstances when lone working is not appropriate;
  • steps that they must take to address threats and intimidation delivered by social media;
  • the need for employers to maintain comprehensive records of intimidation, threats and violence to staff;
  • how to support staff reporting issues to the police; and
  • the need to ensure working environments are safe not just in terms of the physical environment but also in terms of staffing and ethos.

Mr Holland reiterated that attacks on social workers will not be tolerated: “I often talk with pride about the state of social work in Northern Ireland. I am not proud of these statistics on threats and violence and quite simply they are not acceptable. The culture that nothing can be done and abuse goes with the territory for social workers doing their jobs has been challenged. It is not okay and something can and will be done.

“I am looking forward to working with BASW NI, NIPSA and other partners to make sure that best practice in this area is standard practice. This is a Northern Ireland initiative but I hope that our work will be of assistance to employers in other parts of the UK.”

Notes to editors: 

 

  1. The BASW NI report is available at https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/insult-injury-social-workers.pdf
  2. For media enquiries please contact the Department of Health Press Office team on 028 9052 0575 or email pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk. For out of hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110 and your call will be returned.
  3. Follow us on twitter @healthdpt

 

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