Fear in social work practice

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss what the latest research, practice models and policy guidance mean to your practice.

This episode in our mini series about practice during the coronavirus pandemic is about fear and social work. It covers how fear can impact on practice, what helps social workers maintain concerns at a manageable level, support from managers and particular sources of fear during the pandemic such as lack of PPE, whether vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and the impact on people with mental health problems. The expert guest is Brian Littlechild, professor of social work at the University of Hertfordshire. The questions were asked by Joanna Silman, content editor at Community Care Inform.

2:01 – What is ‘fear’ in the context of social work?

6.03 – Causes of fear during the pandemic

8.34 - Getting support for fear-inducing situations

14.17 - Being assertive

20:32 - The SAFE approach (Support, Assertiveness, Fit, Empathy)

Community Care Inform subscribers can access additional resources and a written transcript of the podcast here on Inform Children https://www.ccinform.co.uk/learning-tools/fear-and-social-work-podcast/ and here on Inform Adults: https://adults.ccinform.co.uk/learning-tools/fear-and-social-work-podcast/

Law and guidance referred to:
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents
The High Court judgment in Walker v Northumberland County Council (1994): https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/1994/2.html

Social Work England guidance on applying the professional standards
https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/standards/professional-standards/
Social Care Wales code of professional practice and practice guidance
https://socialcare.wales/fitness-to-practise/codes-of-practice-and-guidance