Keeping Safe and Working Effectively For Social Workers and Health Professionals

Social workers and health professionals are often placed in situations where they are verbally or physically threatened by service users and others. This book helps them recognise potential risks in situations, when to avoid involvement, and how best to manage these risks, giving them the confidence to work effectively.

Suitable for practitioners, students, leaders and supervisors, this book covers topics such as managing risks, improving safety awareness, teamwork and organisational support within the modern-day context.

Specifically, this second edition includes:

• Interviews from current senior and first line managers in children’s and adult social care and health services, front line staff and more.
• A new chapter on managing online and digital issues including managing the transition of back to work after Covid-19.
• Greater emphasis on the responsibilities of employers and their duty of care to staff.
• Further elaboration on the impairment of decision-making under stress caused by imitation and threat.
• The use of new therapeutic approaches in reducing threat from service users and better responding to their needs.

This book helps students to become aware of the factors which may affect judgement in child protection cases and assist in managing cases on placement. It helps professional practitioners in managing the anxieties associated with their current case load and provides strategies to manage these unfortunately common workplace experiences.