Keeping safe and working effectively for social workers and health professionals / Brian Atkins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Atkins, Brian, 1947- author.

Series:

Critical skills for social work.

Critical skills for social work

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social service--Safety measures.

Social service.

Medical care--Safety measures.

Medical care.

Social workers--Crimes against--Great Britain.

Social workers.

Violence in the workplace--Great Britain.

Violence in the workplace.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (126 pages)

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Routledge, 2025.

Summary:

Helps social workers and health professionals recognise potential risks in situations, when to avoid involvement, and how best to manage the risks.

Contents:

Introduction to the Second Edition

1. The extent of violence against social care workers and health professionals

Introduction

Current examples of work-related intimidation, threat and violence

Intimidating behaviour

Threats

Violence

Impact

Examples from England and Wales

Outside the UK

Violence against health professionals

Impact on practice

Impact on the performance of social care organisations

What has been done to address this issue?

Is the situation getting better?

The lived experience of today's social workers

Consequences

Key learning points

Taking it further

2. The physiological and psychological impact of violence and intimidation on professional decision-making

Immediate, unexpected threats or aggression

Violence and aggression in response to triggers

Long-term intimidation and realistic threats of violence within the professional/client relationship

Physiological responses to threats and violence

Working with violent and aggressive families

Job context

The importance of the professional relationship

The question of power

Research summary

Hostage theory

Stockholm syndrome

Impact on protective workers

Coping strategies

Differences between terrorist hostage and child protection situations

The broader impact of hostage relationships on work effectiveness

Research findings

What are the implications for practice and for employers?

3. What practitioners can do to keep themselves safe

Safety awareness

Travelling

In the car

Public transport

In the street

In service users' homes

In the office/interview room.

In community locations outside the home

Risk assessments

Risk assessment of service users

Risk assessment of activities and situations

Case example

Teamwork

Building on training

Responsibilities of staff

4. What organisations can do to keep staff safe

Why social care and health organisations should keep their staff safe

Key questions for employers

Job design

The duty of care for employers

Key responsibilities of employers

Supervision

Supervisor checklist to support safe practice

Planning interventions

Team working

Lone working and staff safety policies

Employer's self-audit

Legal responsibilities

Policy

Risk assessment

Action required

Response to incidents

Audit and review

Single- and multi-agency working practices

TRAINING IN WORKING SAFELY

5. Keeping safe in an incident

The causes of violent and aggressive behaviour

What the behaviour is trying to achieve

Functional Behavioural Analysis

Expressions of violence and aggression

Trauma-informed practice and strengths-based approaches

Critical reflection

The cycle of emotional arousal

Baseline behaviour

The trigger phase

The escalation phase

The crisis phase

The recovery phase

The post-crisis depression stage

The physiology of stress: what is actually happening to the body when it is under stress?

Body language and non-verbal communication

How our own behaviour can affect outcomes

Batari's box

Recognising and using body language for personal safety: distinguishing between warning and danger signs

Warning signs

Danger signs

What can you do to protect yourself and manage situations of aggression and violence?

Conflict management techniques

Apologise.

Listen

Understand

Give information

Remove the audience

Give space

Stay calm

Get them to sit down

A word about humour

De-escalation techniques

Responding to aggressive and violent behaviour assertively

Effective resolution versus winning

Self-protection

The importance of keeping safe distance

Basic breakaway training

What techniques and approaches to use when

Post-crisis reactions

Note

6. Post-incident responses

Reflective exercise

The role of colleagues

The role of managers and supervisors

Actions in respect of the perpetrator

Duty of care to staff

Support from colleagues

Support from managers

Debriefing

Management responses

7. Working with highly resistant families

Types of resistance

Working with resistant families

An assertive approach

Good supervision and maintaining focus

Strengths-based approaches

8. Working in non-responsive institutions

Workplace culture

A positive workplace culture

UNISON

Government documents and codes of practice

What you can do as a practitioner in health or social care

9. Performance management in social care

Performance management in relation to staff safety

Competence and accountability frameworks for individual professionals

Development of Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs)

Staff training for social workers and health professionals

Supervision training

Management training

Resources and work environment

Recording of incidents

Positive publicity

Organisational performance

Assessment and care planning.

Reports to child and adult protection conferences

Management of child and adult protection conferences

Monitoring and surveillance in child and adult protection

Core groups

Courts and care proceedings

10. Working effectively in stressful situations: putting it all together

A framework for safe and effective working

Practitioner

Supervisor

Team

Agency/organisation

Inspector

Local and national government

11. Summary of issues

Final thoughts

Summary of chapters

Chapter 1: The extent of violence against social care workers and health professionals

Chapter 2: The physiological and psychological impact of violence and intimidation on professional decision-making

Chapter 3: What practitioners can do to keep themselves safe

Chapter 4: What organisations can do to keep staff safe

Chapter 5: Keeping safe in an incident

Chapter 6: Post-incident responses

Chapter 7: Working with highly resistant families

Chapter 8: Working in non-responsive institutions

Chapter 9: Performance management in social care

Chapter 10: Working effectively in stressful situations: putting it all together.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-04-037642-8

1-04-105590-0

1-04-037366-6

1-915713-34-X

9781041055907

OCLC:

1393303582