Violence and Social Care Staff: Positive and Negative Approaches to Risk

Fear of violence and professional perceptions of risk can be seen in the context of wider processes of global uncertainty. Attention will first be focused on policy approaches to violence in the social care workplace. Some of the complex conceptual problems in defining violence and the extent and incidence of violence directed against social care staff will be discussed. It will be argued that individualised responses to violence will depend on the manner in which risk is viewed. Positive and negative ‘ideal typical’ conceptions of risk will be developed. These views of risk will then be related to violence and the social care workplace. The article concludes by considering some possible examples of good practice and implications for improved social work training.