scottwallard.com

Interesting piece in Governing.com – Jonathan Walters discusses some common administrative and workplace safety challenges that social service organizations face today. If you haven’t read his stuff at Governing.com, it is worth checking out.

One challenge is simply maintaining staffing levels.

“The low pay, the long hours, the constant pressure, the politics involved all add up to a level of wear and tear that drives people out of the profession and into other work–or at least into other branches of the work that aren’t so difficult.”

Turnover is problematic. Good staff transfer off the frontline, are promoted to administrative positions, or are hired away by other governmental or private organizations. The frequent churning of staff is particularly problematic in rural areas or remote communities, where there may not be large pools of professionally trained staff seeking work. Turnover also is a function of funding. Staffing levels can be unpredictable due to cuts in program funding. In my own work, I’ve found that about 1/2 of service organizations experiencing funding cuts have to reduce staffing levels as a result.

Walters details a meeting with county government service administrators and discussing the problem of turnover, particularly among child welfare caseworkers, where he asked if turnover could be reduced by offering frontline staff more money.

“No,” came one response that drew wide and vociferous agreement, “they want guns.”

Guns? Likely a somewhat glib response to his question about turnover, but Walters cites several survey findings highlighting the risks caseworkers face when completing their daily duties.

A 2002 survey of 800 social workers found that a fifth had been the victims of violence and that two-thirds had been threatened.

A 2006 national study of 5,000 licensed social workers found that more than 40 percent regard personal safety as a day-to-day on-the-job concern.

Nearly 600 exit interviews of human services workers and found that 90 percent had experienced verbal abuse, 30 percent had been attacked and 13 percent had been threatened with weapons.

These data points are consistent with the security – sometimes armed security – in place to ensure staff safety in many health and human service organizations. Not only do caseworkers encounter individuals whose behavior may be unpredictable due to mental health and substance abuse problems, but caseworkers often also are the bearers of bad news that can negatively affect families and draw emotional responses. For instance, caseworkers generally are the ones to notify families of removal of children from homes, denial of benefits, lack of eligibility, and cuts to assistance.

In addition to ensuring that federal, state, and local government maintain public commitments to supporting social service programs and cultivating greater private support of social service organizations, Walters notes the importance of legislation moving through Congress designed to strengthen the field of social work and promote safety for caseworkers. A rundown of the agenda prmoted by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and its advocacy partners can be found here.