Violence to staff

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the incidence of violence to staff working in a social services department of a county council over a ten month period. The article discusses the difficulty in adequately defining violence to staff to cover the range of behaviour staff experience as both distressing and disturbing. The results of the survey record difficulties in staff reporting incidents but, with these reservations, suggests that whilst the likely frequency of attack on any one staff member is low, there are important features which can assist in predicting attacks. Male staff are more likely to be attacked than female staff, residential staff are more at risk than field work staff, moreover, staff in residential care for the elderly are at greatest risk. The most likely assailants are elderly people suffering from mental health problems or dementia and, having attacked a member of staff once, are likely to repeat the behaviour. This article provides guidance for practitioners on the importance of predicti...