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Social worker slaying has W.Va. pondering safety
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The sexual assault and killing of a West Virginia social worker has officials and safety advocates struggling to find ways to better protect those who work daily on potentially volatile issues of child welfare and family crisis management.
The burned body of Brenda Yeager was found last week near Huntington, two days after the 51-year-old social worker was scheduled to visit the home of Steven Foster Jr., 23, and Rosemary Forney, 22.
State Police say the couple assaulted and killed Yeager, whose body and vehicle were moved to a wooded area and set ablaze. The couple are charged with first-degree murder, and police say it will be up to prosecutors to determine whether other charges should be filed.
Steven Foster Sr., 51, is charged with third-degree arson, conspiracy and disposal of a body for allegedly attempting to help conceal the crime.
Other states have already added safeguards to prevent attacks on social workers, pairing them up for home visits or assigning a police escort. But such steps are likely to be challenging for West Virginia because of its limited financial and human resources.
Nonetheless, advocates say less expensive alternatives could help, from adding global positioning systems and radios to giving social workers access to criminal background checks and more frequent safety seminars.
“We go with clipboards and laptops into homes where other public safety personnel go carrying firearms,” said Sam Hickman, director of the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
Hickman said several surveys have found that 55 percent to 70 percent of social workers have felt threatened at one time or another. One of his members reported that clients display firearms during visits “just to send a ’subtle’ message.”
“We know that we’re entering potentially dangerous situations,” Hickman explained. “But I don’t think Brenda could see anything like this coming down the road.”
Work like Yeager’s, with the Right from the Start program, is not typically adversarial, said John Law, spokesman at the Department of Health and Human Resources. The program generally provides at-risk pregnant women and new mothers with advice on smoking cessation and child care.
More than a dozen social workers nationwide have been attacked in the past five years and some have been killed, said Gail Woods-Waller, communications director of the National Association of Social Workers in Washington. Though there is no research to suggest violence against social workers is on the uptick, she said attacks are garnering more news coverage than before.
“The good side, if there is one, in these tragedies is that people are paying more attention,” she said.
As the state looks for new safety measures, it can follow the lead of one of its neighbors.
Kentucky passed the Boni Bill in 2007, allocating $6 million to hire more social workers and buy equipment after aide Boni Frederick was slain during a home visit. The bill also allows employees 24-hour access to criminal records.
In Kansas, meanwhile, the husband of slain 26-year-old social worker Teri Zenner is pushing for both state and federal legislation.
Matt Zenner, whose wife died during what she thought would be a routine home visit in 2004, wants federal legislation that funds self-defense training and GPS technology. He also wants rules requiring social workers to check in with their offices upon arrival at a home.
At the state level, Zenner is promoting a bill that would make attacking a social worker a felony crime.
While sending social workers out in pairs could make people think twice about harming them, Hickman acknowledges low staffing levels at both state and private agencies could prevent that.
Rather, he said, West Virginia needs to ensure reimbursement rates cover not only a social worker’s wages, but also appropriate security measures.
Woods-Waller said professional social workers have training in how to handle families in distress and understand that they face certain risks.
“People have to be mindful of what they’re getting into,” Woods-Waller said, “but employers have to support them as well.”
Last year, West Virginia legislators passed a measure protecting social workers from liability in lawsuits, meaning they can’t be sued for doing their job. But the lawmakers failed to pass tougher penalties for harming a social worker employed by the state Department of Health and Human Resources.
Even that measure, however, would not have helped Yeager: She worked for a private group Pro Careers and First Care Services, not DHHR.
State Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, said it’s time for lawmakers to sit down and listen to social workers.
“I suspect they will have some voices that may not have been listened to carefully enough in the past,” he said.
