Tackling violence against social workers and carers

Violence and abuse against social workers and people working in social care has reached “chronic” levels, according to the public services union UNISON. One social worker told the union: “I‘ve had threats made, not just against myself, but to my family and children. I have had my car vandalised on several occasions. I have been locked in a house, and had items thrown at me that have hit me.”

The union has launched a 10-point blueprint for combating the abuse and attacks, which have become a regular occurrence, with the setting up of a national register of attacks so that incidents can be monitored and analysed.