“Business as Usual”: Child Protective Services Workers’ Perceptions and Experiences of and Responses to Client-Perpetrated Violence

Abstract

Client-perpetrated violence (CPV) against child protective services (CPS) workers is prevalent and problematic for workers and clients leading to psychological distress, physical injury, and compromised service delivery. With accumulating evidence of prevalence and detrimental consequences, few studies examine the characteristics of violent incidents among CPS workers. This study explores how CPS workers perceive CPV through exploring characteristics of incidents that they experienced. We applied components of the stress process model to consider the importance of workers’ perspectives when interpreting violence and its effects. We used inductive, thematic analysis to analyze interview data focused on workers’ experiences with CPV during their first 3 years as CPS workers. The qualitative subsample ( N = 34) was drawn from the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families (FSPSF), a statewide, longitudinal sample of recently hired frontline child welfare workers. With few exceptions, workers experienced a variety of physical and nonphysical violence. Some experienced more frequent exposure than others, particularly those who defined yelling as violent. Workers identified predictable patterns of violent circumstances and people, and commonly felt that their agencies treated violence as “business as usual.” The high prevalence of violence, often predictable, indicates the importance of promoting a violence-free workplace through agency culture and responding to workers’ reports of CPV with empathy and support. In addition, given workers’ diverse perceptions of CPV, a manual could provide definitions of CPV, procedures to increase worker safety, and procedures to respond effectively to violence. Skill-based trainings can support workers at all levels to minimize, yet prepare for and handle, violence.

Investigating the cyclical hypothesis of client aggression as a ‘loss spiral’: Can child protection worker distress lead to more client aggression?

“…Furthermore, many child protection agencies around the world have increasingly moved toward corporate-style forms of governance that sometimes work at odds with social work values (Berrick & Altobelli, 2018;Munro, 2011Munro, , 2019Radey et al, 2020). In such an organisational context, the negative emotions of CPWs can be considered unprofessional and their expression is discouraged, creating a context where emotional distress is likely to grow (Munro, 2019;O'Connor, 2020).…”

“…Disengaging emotionally, however, is not the only form of coping used by CPWs. Another way of coping with the negative consequences of client violence is to seek support from immediate supervisors (Lamothe et al, 2018;Littlechild, 2005b;Radey et al, 2020;Smith et al, 2017). CPWs have been found to turn to their supervisor for feedback on their interventions, reassurance, flexibility (i.e., changing work schedules) and inclusion in the decision-making process regarding violent clients (Lamothe al., 2018).…”

“…Supervisors sometimes fail to recognise the potential of aggressive clients to interfere with clinical objectives (Tuck, 2013;Newhill, 2003;Stanley & Goddard, 2002). Consequently, CPWs often refuse to disclose their experiences for fear of being blamed or considered incompetent, or because they view aggression as 'part-of-the job' (Lamothe et al, 2018;Newhill, 2003;Radey et al, 2020).…”

Work-related trauma exposure: Influence on child welfare workers’ mental health and commitment to the field.

“…Due to the nature of their work, and the settings in which they practice, child welfare workers are at a higher risk for incidents of CPV when compared with other human service workers. Some studies report nearly 100% of workers experiencing at least one incident during their career (Laird, 2014;Littlechild, 2005aLittlechild, , 2016Radey & Wilke, 2021;Radey et al, 2022). CPV can result in physical injury, anxiety, stress, and reduced effectiveness and efficiency of workers (APNA, 2008;Enosh et al, 2015;King, 2021;Littlechild, 2005b).…”

Exposure to Client-Perpetrated Violence in the Child Welfare Service: Prevalence and Outcomes Using Two Different Measurement Methods

“…In some settings, such as in the child welfare service, this labeling and identification might be both challenging and difficult for the employees ( Andersson & Överlien, 2018 ). While child welfare workers have an increased risk of being exposed to work-related violence, many workers and child welfare agencies also perceive this as a normal and inevitable part of their job, or as a “call-for-help” on behalf of their clients and users ( Andersson & Överlien, 2018 ; Lamothe et al, 2018 ; Radey et al, 2022 ). Combined, having this mindset may increase the employees’ threshold for labeling these aggressive acts as violent incidents.…”