To think social workers need much better protection when they visit threatening families?

[Jane379]

After the recent terrible case of Preston Davey, I noticed some posts on threads here mentioning the danger social workers are often in when they DO try and report things. Threats from the families, outright intimidating behaviour when they do visit etc

Police etc have weapons. Social workers are mainly women so more physically vulnerable,,and they can't carry weapons of course. Naively I assumed they were protected from aggressive clients, but it seems there's shockingly little protection.

AIBU to think social workers visiting agesssive families need something like a bodyguard? More protection than they currently get, anyway. Few jobs require people to visit potentially aggressive and dangerous homes with such minimal protection. With the amount of cases, the danger, etc , it's no wonder it's hard to recruit social workers.

If there were more male social workers- and more generally- maybe they could help on challenging visits? I expect aggressive clients would be more reluctant to intimidate if men were present.

I've heard of more attacks on adult social workers. (I've worked in Children's and Adults). Some people with serious MH or LD have zero impulse control or consideration for consequences.

There are lone working apps now that are used with GPS, automated check ins so if you don't check in on time it raises an alert and panic buttons. Some of them have 24/7 monitoring, similar to your house alarm system so it doesn't rely on a line manager being available and remembering to check in on an employee.

Sorry I had two threads open and got the posts mixed up. But - social workers are often mums. Often mums with challenges in their own lives (eg experience of poor parenting, the care system, experience of DV, parents of SEN kids etc) that has inspired them to go into social work. Not sure why you'd think they wouldn't be.

I know they exist, I've had similar when working for a private housing company. Never known of a system like that being used in a local authority though. I'm assuming due to cost and it not being deemed important enough.

I agree with this, I started my career in assertive outreach MH, some of those visits were dicey. The only difference was it was a bit easier to buddy up with colleagues (that might have changed since though)

Yes, surveys seem to suggest high rates of intimidation. Surely bodycams would at least be one thing that could be done...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=basw.co.uk/sites/default/files/resources/insult-injury-social-workers.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjLjabZp62VAxXeVkEAHbWELBgQFnoECF8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1cQVZHs2qBLDU4Z3cXwCCY

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk/social-care-voices/just-part-of-the-job/&ved=2ahUKEwjOmtnjp62VAxUndUEAHegfFlwQFnoECD0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3D3OLfYlbxyxYCrK9W1Srq

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=basw.co.uk/articles/social-workers-exposed-online-dangers-we-face&ved=2ahUKEwiOqq78p62VAxV9QUEAHQTBK3cQFnoECD4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0FA0D70tIuZFd9fsf4ZyGb

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news/half-of-social-workers-verbally-abused-during-solo-home-visits-in-past-year-finds-unison

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/social-workers-have-right-protection-and-support

https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/jun/03/social-work-fear-dangerous

Not about immigrants, I don't think, but you did say : 'I reckon they ought to employ some ordinary mums as social workers .' which is an odd comment : do you think the (mostly women) who work as social workers are some different species? Many are probably mothers.

Terrible mistakes and terrible SWs are definitely a problem, but that's no excuse to demonise everyone. The overstretched nature of the service is another huge issue.

It should be....

Ah right, thank you. This is important to understand. Another instance of traditionally female work being oddly and unfairly devalued.

This.

Good point. As pp said probably an actual bodyguard wouldn't work, but something is needed

This- something MUST be done!

I mean, an annual salary of 34k is less than £16.50 an hour. I'm not a SW but I do encounter them in my line of work and that is peanuts for what they do.
Yes, some of them are careless, or negligent, or dishonest, as in every profession. But the vast majority are doing their best in very, very difficult conditions.

This wasn’t just the fault of the social workers. It was a systemic failure (as always). The social workers will be the lowest in the chain.

SW do the brunt work of keeping children safe and this thread shows it’s an utterly thankless job with several posters claiming they’re lazy and don’t do anything to protect children while another handful of posters claim they make things up just to be vindictive and remove children unnecessarily.

Yes,,it seems to me some sws made awful mistakes but others also made awful decisions which contributed. Both the sister and a colleague were privy to disturbing remarks about Preston by Varley which they didn't report. The doctor overruled the nurse who raised concerns. The school where Varley worked also were taken in by his act.

I know this isn't limited to social work, but its usually routine in social work to work an extra day per week unpaid, eg working late on visits, logging back on after the kids are in bed (esp managers) or logging on for a few hours at the weekend, even on a 'good' week. So the hourly rate isn't really reflective.
For many people in social work it's well paid compared to the alternatives (eg support/care/childcare work) but it's not compared to the pressure and responsibility in other professions.

I think social workers and paramedics, and other professionals going into unpredictable, isolated and frequently contentious situations in private residences should all have bodycams. The technology for solid GDPR to protect everyone involved is available now, so all incidences of people accessing footage are monitored and it only needs accessing if a specific concern is raised by either party.

I also think solo working in these contexts is ridiculous, out of hours GPs all have a driver/ assistant with them for much more predictable and easier to risk assess cases but apparently the rest of us minions are disposable. We don't need two qualified staff together, just a entry level pay point assistant.

Yes the threshold is far to high to intervene. As a paediatric health professional we make referral after referral, phone calls, emails, to raise our concerns. A recent case had seven different professionals raising serious safeguarding concerns, some of which were visiting twice weekly and knew the family well. Abusive emails and messages from the father were shared with social care, records of numerous missed appointments and negative medical consequences as a direct result. The SW visited once after months of us raising serious concerns, and the Dad was apparently sweet as pie and closed the case after a 30 minute visit. A couple of us cried, as we knew sooner or later a child would be seriously harmed or worse, and despite us pleading for SW to intervene, nothing. In all the tragic cases, professionals and or public have raises concerns which were not taken seriously enough. I appreciate SW must be a very difficult job, but so is visiting a family where the child is suffering, with the parents knowing you have made a referral which was not acted on, so they then feel untouchable. We make these referrals knowing that there is a very real chance it may make things worse, and knowing that there is small chance of actual meaningful intervention. But refer we must, as its part of our job. We have no option but keep visiting in child's best interests, we cannot 'close the case'. But it often feels risky and my DH keeps asking me to go private after a few unpleasant incidents, for my own safety.

Agree about the sister and the colleague but we dont know they would have been listened to. Wonder what they think now or whether she's visiting her horrible brother in prison. These people like Varley don't even give a shit about their own family and the embarrassment they have to face of being related. Let alone their victims and their family.
How on earth can you care so little for anyone. Isn't he remotely embarrassed at all his school and family etc know what he did. Repulsive.

The foster mum definitely should have had her concerns listened too. I read this will be changed. Lessons will be learnt as usual.

I am an area social worker (so Frontline dealing with referals and then in my LA we work through assessment, and keep cases whatever outcome. They only transfer if the children become subject to a full care order).

I have had police officers who are amazed I just trot down to my visits when they would never attend the home (flagged for known weapons and other markers) as standard without lots of protection in place. However, how else can I carry out my work? We do work very differently to the police, we have to form and maintain restorative relationships rather than just force our way in looking for crimes.

I have worked in frontline child protection for 20 years, and the standard is that the initial visit is undertaken by 2 workers then usually I am on my own. During this time I have have experienced physical harm twice which I suppose is not bad going, but also not okay. I still experience pain from a whip lash injury following an assult.

This!

That's horrible, I'm really sorry. 💐 You sound really brave but you shouldn't need to face that.

Do you think bodycams and pair work as standard would help? Something must be done!

That sounds incredibly hard. 💐 When you say SWs are closing the case then is that due to thresholds being too low? Or SWs being too lenient? Or a mix of both?

In your job, do you not have much protection from aggressive parents either?

There aren’t enough social workers to carry the case load as it is, and people are leaving the profession in droves. Budgets for children’s services are having their budgets cut by tens of millions every year and teams carry significant vacancies. You couldn’t staff a team to do joint visits.

Social work urgently needs a rethink and some honesty about what the State is able to reasonably do in terms of meaningful intervention in family life, and serious investment. Without those two things social workers will continue to be harmed (and leave) and more importantly children will be harmed and killed.