• Summary: This article examines the effects of violence by service users in England and Finland against child protection social workers. Proposals derived from analysis of research findings for improved policies and practice in agencies, with particular reference to England, are discussed. In addition, results and implications of a smaller number of interviews with social workers in Finland are explored. • Findings: The research found that there are a number of different effects resulting from violence on child protection social workers, depending on the particular configuration of factors involved in any particular situation. These include concerns about the effects of user violence on the ability of social workers to protect children; the importance of managers keeping a focus on workers’ safety, particularly when threats are not always obvious to others; staff support strategies; responses to violent service users; and how workers’ experiences can be employed to improve risk assessment and risk management. • Applications: This article suggests that the experiences of and learning by social workers derived from incidents of violence need to be more systematically included in policy development and review. In addition, attitudes and procedures need to be in place which allow social workers to report their concerns and have them dealt with effectively.

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This article examines the relationship between the causes and effects of fear in child protection

Background: The NSF specifies that mental health service providers should have a locally agreed proforma for assessing risk. Risk assessment proformas (RAPs) currently in use vary considerably in both structure and content. This study describes some similarities and differences.Method: We requested a copy of each provider trust's RAP. These were assessed across a range of structural characteristics, including layout, design, data coding, and were also studied for their content.Results: Some consistency was seen in the themes addressed: suicide/self harm, risk to others (notably violence) and vulnerability were well represented. Several additional themes were notable by their absence. There was general conformity in the way in which data was coded, with most using tick box categories. However, there were striking differences in layout quality and usability and many common problems were identified.Conclusions: RAPs as currently used in NHS mental-health practice vary in structure, content, length and quality. We question (i) the most common approaches in recording risk data in RAPs, and (ii) whether the focus on three domains of risk acts to neglect other, less dramatic, areas. Risk assessment procedures need to be critically evaluated and the introduction of standardized tools would be advantageous in this respect.Declaration of interest: This work was supported by NHS R&D Support funding awarded to Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust.

This article presents findings from a survey of the experiences of child protection workers in England when working with parents who exhibit aggression and violence. This work explores the effects on workers in their professional lives, and on themselves and their families in their private lives. The article examines workers' thoughts and experiences about the effects of parental hostility on workers' ability to protect children. The article also details workers' experiences of the nature and effectiveness of training and support in this area. These findings are then examined in the light of the results of an analysis of the literature, including the findings from serious case review (SCR) reports in England (official inquiries into the causes of child deaths where the children are known to social and health services). The majority of the 590 respondents in the survey were social workers (n = 402; 68%), reflecting the fact that case management of child protection cases in the United Kingdom is the responsibility of social workers working in statutory agencies. This article addresses, from a consideration of the secondary analysis and the original research findings from the survey, how individual workers, managers, and agencies can best understand and then respond effectively to aggressive parental behaviors.