The Effects of Violence and Aggression From Parents on Child Protection Workers’ Personal, Family, and Professional Lives

Brian Littlechild, Susan Hunt, Chris Goddard, Judy Cooper, Barry Raynes and James Wild

SAGE Open, 2016, vol. 6, issue 1, 2158244015624951

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: child maltreatment; occupations; organizations; work; social science; social work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:6:y:2016:i:1:p:2158244015624951

DOI: 10.1177/2158244015624951

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