News

Today Community Care takes a stand on behalf of its readers as Polly Neate launches our 1999 campaign, to protect social workers from violence and the consequences of the abuse they face in their daily work.

It is time to bring the hidden fears of social workers into the open, and to say firmly that violence and excessive levels of stress can no longer be tolerated by those who work to help the most marginalised and disadvantaged profession, and Community Care's campaign intends to change that.

This magazine has a history of achieving change through its campaigns, with the help of thousands of readers. The magazine has raised the profile of issues both within the social care field and in the public and parliamentary arenas. We are unique in having readers who will write to their MPs, organise and sign petitions, and lobby both government and the media - all for the sake of service users. But until this year Community Care has never run a campaign directly to benefit its readers. Care leavers; young carers; elderly victims of abuse; people with learning difficulties who are victims of crime - all these have benefited from you response to campaigns. Now, in our 25^th anniversary year, we have decided to lobby directly on behalf of front-line social care professionals. And not a moment too soon, as our survey results show today.

We intend to build on work already done by, for example, the British Association of Social Workers, the Association of Directors of Social Services and the National institute for Social Work to achieve a higher profile for the issue of violence in social work. We must succeed, for our aim is bold and goes far beyond profile-raising: we intend to reduce the levels of violence and stress in social work.

Campaigning against the violence and stress suffered by social care professional should not mean stigmatising service users. It does not mean labelling certain groups as violent or difficult. It does not mean disregarding the relationship between professional and client, which must often continue even after violence has occurred or when stress has become intolerable. But it does mean searching for ways to make the relationship between social workers and clients safe, and enlisting the help of experts - both practitioners and service users - in that search. We can learn from progress on other fronts. Anti-racist and anti-sexist environments, for example, are those in which racist and sexist speech and behaviour will not be tolerated - from anyone. Anyone, whether service user or professional, who is a victim of racism or sexism is encouraged to report it and ensure appropriate steps are taken. Similarly, in the anti-violence and anti-stress environment that our campaign is promoting, both our readers and their clients will benefit from safe relationships and the knowledge that action will be taken to protect them.

For too long, social workers who have suffered violence have suffered in silence. "It's part of the job," they are told, while their employers continue to ignore measures that could improve matters. In the pages of Community Care, our campaign will examine training, policy and procedures for employers, guidelines for individuals, ways of defusing potential conflicts, making workplaces safer and protecting workers in the field.

We will also examine what lessons can be learned from other professions such as nursing and the police. And we will look at the way those who do suffer violence are treated. Wider issues are no less important. For example, how does the poor public understanding of social work, and constant ill-informed criticism in the media, contribute to levels of violence? Because one of the most important things for victims of violence is to know they are not alone, we will regularly feature case studies in which social workers discuss their own experiences, and we would welcome information on the experiences of readers, which can be treated anonymously.

For the rest of 1999, you will see considerable coverage of the campaign in Community Care, which we hope will be useful. But it doesn't stop there. We will publish a petition with the magazine which will be presented to the government, and a model letter which can be sent to MPs. The magazine will set up workshops around the country, where readers can debate and learn about violence from the acknowledged experts. And we will ensure that the campaign is heard in government. The campaign will conclude with a major national conference.

Our mission statement speaks for itself (see below). Organisations are signing up and we will keep readers informed of progress. Our aim and objectives demand action from both government and employers. Achieving them will demand action from you.

Mission statement

"Violence and stress in social work have reached unacceptable levels. We welcome the government's impending violence reduction strategy - and hope it will reflect the views and needs of the whole profession.

"We believe that the new General Social Care Council should take this on as a priority issue and include violence and stress reduction plans in its code of conduct and employers' plans.

"In the future we would like to see local social care providers issuing written plans on dealing with violence against social workers in their community. This could include the creation of "violent incident registers" and mandatory training for staff.

"At a national level we would like to see guidelines and targets to reduce violence in social work."

Overall aim

To reduce the levels of violence and stress in social work.

Objectives

To ensure the forthcoming General Social Care Council makes this issue a priority, including violence and stress reduction plans in its code of conduct.

That local authorities should provide mandatory training for staff in risk management and handling violence.

That the government should issue targets for the reduction of violence in social work.

To increase public awareness and promote understanding of violence and stress in social work.

That all violent incidents be registered and closely monitored by those providing social care.