Client violence toward children and youth services social workers

Client violence toward social workers is a serious issue for the profession, social service agencies, and those with whom we work. Although the demands and stresses faced by those who work in children and youth services have been well documented, few studies have explored the safety risks encountered by these practitioners. The present study describes social workers' experiences of client violence, using data from a survey of randomly selected National Association of Social Workers members from two states. Children and youth services social workers were compared with practitioners from other fields and were found to be significantly more likely to have experienced either a threat, property damage, or an attempted or actual attack, with fully three-quarters reporting at least one incident. In the children and youth services respondents' depictions, client gender (male) and age (younger) appear to be risk factors for violence. The data suggest that client violence exacts a high cost from individual social workers, including negative emotional reactions, changes in feelings about work, and changes in how practice is conducted. Respondent comments are provided for illustration. Recommendations are made for agency and individual actions to enhance safety.