Print |
E-mail to a friend
NEWS
Dangers of social work gain attention
HUNTINGTON -- In social work, the responsibilities are many, the pay is low, and the risks are clearer than ever.
Since the death of social worker Brenda Lee Yeager in Cabell County in July, many people are taking a hard look at safety in the field. Among them are lawmakers who announced last week that they would study the issue during interim sessions, advocates in the social work field and, of course, social workers themselves, such as Alice Downey-Hunter.
Downey-Hunter has been a social worker for 11 years and currently works with many children with behavioral problems for Kanawha Valley Center in Cabell County. While she said she rarely feels threatened, she is more cautious since Yeager's death.
"You could be working with somebody you've worked with for years and think that you know them," she said.
Downey-Hunter said she carries her cell phone and has made a plan with family and people in her office in case of emergency. However, she said some areas in Wayne and Cabell counties don't have cell phone service, and some homes don't have phones or neighbors for miles.
Many social workers say they can never be sure what will be behind the door when they arrive at a home.
"I've seen some agencies that send people out alone. That kind of concerns me -- I won't lie," said Tiffany Pittman, supervisor of In-Home and School-Based programs at Prestera Center. "It would bother me if I were that person."
Police said Yeager, 51, was killed during a routine visit concerning an infant in the Mount Union area of Cabell County following a dispute over the child. Three people -- Steven Anthony Foster Jr., 23, Rosemary Forney, 22, and Steven Anthony Foster Sr., 51 -- were charged with crimes connected to Yeager's death and the disposal of her body. The younger Foster and Forney lived with their infant child at the Mount Union Road address.
Job-related violence and threats are common in social work, according to the National Association of Social Workers.
In a 2002 survey of 800 social workers, 19 percent reported they were victims of violence, and 63 percent said they had been threatened. In a 2006 national study, 44 percent of 5,000 social workers said they faced personal safety issues at work.
A study by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees found that 70 percent of front-line child welfare workers had been victims of violence or threats in the line of duty.
Call for action
The West Virginia chapter of the National Association of Social Workers has called for legislative action since Yeager's death. It wants to see policies and staff levels that ensure social workers never go alone into potentially violent situations. The chapter also says social workers should have self-defense training and technology to improve safety.
House Speaker Rick Thompson and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin recently authorized a select committee's request to study social worker safety during the West Virginia Legislature's interim meetings, which take place three days a month when the Legislature is not in its winter session.
Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, said he already has begun discussions with social workers to get their thoughts on safety.
The West Virginia Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that increases penalties for crimes committed against state social workers and other job classifications. The bill does not apply to Yeager's case, however, because she was not a state employee, an association spokesman has said.
Kentucky has faced similar concerns, following the death of social services aide Boni Frederick during a home visit in 2006. In 2007, the Kentucky Legislature passed the Boni Frederick Bill.
The Kentucky law aimed to increase security at social workers' offices, provide technology to increase safety and give employees 24-hour access to criminal records.
Hank Cecil, a social worker for 15 years and representative of the Kentucky chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said the bill didn't go as far as he had hoped, but some positive changes were established.
He and others had hoped better use of technology, such as global positioning equipment to track social workers, would be included in the bill. But that fell through because of the expense and the state's difficult terrain, Cecil said.
However, the bill did establish a computerized reporting system to track threats and violence against social workers. The bill also implemented a policy requiring social workers make home visits in teams and increased safety training for everyone in social services.
Policies re-examined
In April, social worker and self defense instructor Janet Nelson brought her "Everyday Self Defense" program from Florida to West Virginia for the second time. She first provided training at the state's chapter of National Association of Social Workers in 2007, and she has been invited back in 2009.
Nelson said she teaches workers to stay calm and think through options when a situation starts to escalate. She also teaches various escapes and strikes in case of physical harm. While most efforts across the country are focused on using nonharmful tactics, it's important to be prepared for the worst, she said.
"If someone is banging our heads against the wall or pulls a knife on us and is stabbing us, we have to fight," Nelson said.
Nelson said it's up to the states to establish laws to better protect social service workers. While most incidents involve verbal abuse, she said she's seen attacks increase since the mid-1990s.
Jenkins said he will continue to seek suggestions to find out what may need to be done, from improving communication to sending social workers to homes in teams. He also plans to look at existing home visitation policies and safety training.
"These issues I know may impose challenges on the budget of an agency, but my view is that we ought to put everything on the table for discussion and not discount any ideas just because somebody says that would cost too much," he said.
'It's a hard job'
For years, many home visits in Kentucky were made alone. Often employees would go on calls not knowing what to expect, Cecil said.
"You walk into a meth lab -- that is all kinds of dangerous. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can walk into something like that," he said.
Many say state employees face even more unpredictable home visits, as employees such as Child Protective Service workers are sometimes required to remove children from homes.
"It's a hard job. You don't really know what you're getting into until you get here," said Hope Smith, social services coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Social workers often come and go at the state department, and all have more cases than are recommended, Smith said.
"The stress is really hard for someone who really cares about what they do -- to know that they can't do everything," she said.
Some social workers in state and private agencies answer calls in the middle of the night and travel to rural homes to counsel families.
Smith said the state tries to avoid sending workers into homes alone when possible, and employees are asked to tell supervisors if they ever feel unsafe.
She said the department always has one on-call social worker and one on-call supervisor in each county for each social work section. She said the CPS on-call person is called in the middle of the night almost daily.
Smith said DHHR social workers assigned to new investigations essentially are visiting those homes "cold." She said social workers in all areas, including those investigating adult abuse and neglect, face risks.
However, she said serious threats aren't made very often, and assaults occur even less.
Jenkins said he will talk to social workers of various kinds, including those whose services are voluntary, like Yeager's employer -- Pro Careers and First Care Services.
"Certainly Yeager shows that there are risks at every level of the home visit," Jenkins said.
