Client violence toward social workers: a practice and policy concern for the 1990s.
Social Work › Vol. 40 Nbr. 5, September 1995
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Client violence toward social workers: a practice and policy concern for the 1990s.
After police officers, social workers run the highest risk of work-related violence directed at them (Kipper, 1986). Because of the nature of social work, which often involves aspects of social control, some clients display hostility and violence. Furthermore, in some situations budget cuts and understaffing have led to increased vulnerability of social workers to violence (Hiratsuka, 1988; Petrie, Lawson, & Hollender, 1982; Schultz, 1987, 1989).
In the United States during the past five years, several social workers have been killed and scores more have been injured in the course of their work. Robbyn Panitch, a 26-year-old social worker in Los Angeles County, was stabbed to death by a client in her office at Santa Monica Mental Health Center (Simon, 1989). Panitch was talking to her fiance on the telephone when a client burst into her office and attacked her with a knife. Her fiance, hearing her screams over the phone, immediately called the employees at the front desk, who notified the police. By the time two male employees were able to disarm the client, Panitch had been stabbed 31 times in the face and neck. She died two hours later. In Pittsburgh, 27...See the full content of this document
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