Experiences of Service-User Violence and Coping Strategies Employed During Social Work Service Delivery: Suggestions for Ensuring Social Workers’ Personal Safety

Zimunya, Shingirayi; Alpaslan, Assim

doi:10.15270/58-1-996

SWORK

2022

DOI: 10.15270/58-1-996

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Experiences of Service-User Violence and Coping Strategies Employed During Social Work Service Delivery: Suggestions for Ensuring Social Workers’ Personal Safety

Shingirayi Zimunya

Assim Alpaslan

Abstract: Workplace violence or incidents where social workers are abused, threatened or assaulted by service users in executing the duties related to their work is acknowledged as a serious concern and an occupational hazard in many countries. This type of violence directly and indirectly challenges social workers’ safety, health and wellbeing. In this article, emanating from a qualitative research project, 14 South African social workers’ experiences of service-user violence and their coping strategies employed during… Show more

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Cited by 3 publications

References 41 publications

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The Perils of Service Provision in Unsafe Areas: Providing Continuing Services to Youth during Gang Violence in the Cape Flats, South Africa

Dykes,

Brey,

Carelse

et al. 2024

SAJSWSD

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Youth involvement in criminal gangs is rife in a particular area of Cape Town, the capital city of Western Cape, South Africa, known as the Cape Flats. But the Cape Flats is not unique and the youth’s susceptibility to join these gangs cuts across cultures and societies. Wherever there is marginalisation and disadvantage, social issues emerge that are difficult to combat because of systemic and structural barriers. Community workers and those who live in these areas are often at their wits end trying to combat the allure that gang membership holds for their teenage children. This article reports on a study that was part of a larger research study conducted between 2016–2018 by social work students at a university situated in the area. The article reflects the findings of the 2018 study that focused on the perceptions and experiences of those who work or provide services in the area. The aim of the study was to explore the participants’ experiences of gang violence during service provision and their opinions about ways to address their concerns. A qualitative approach, utilising an intervention mapping design was used. Individual interviews were conducted with 325 service providers on the Cape Flats. Two main themes emerged from thematic data analysis, namely, impact on service providers and service delivery, and suggested interventions and solutions. The implications of the findings are that the increasing violence has severe consequences on service provision in communities and is disruptive and traumatising to everybody involved.

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The Perils of Service Provision in Unsafe Areas: Providing Continuing Services to Youth during Gang Violence in the Cape Flats, South Africa

Dykes,

Brey,

Carelse

et al. 2024

SAJSWSD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

South African Social Workers’ Lived Experiences of Client Violence

Pretorius

Herbst

2022

SAJSWSD

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Studies on the workplace protection of social workers indicate that this group is at high risk of being subjected to client violence during their careers. In this article, we report on the qualitative phase of a larger study investigating client violence among South African social workers. The objective of this study was to explore South African social workers’ experiences of client violence. We used a purposively selected sample to identify participants for semi-structured qualitative interviews. The data were analysed by implementing Tesch’s approach of thematic analysis. The primary themes that emerged are normalising client violence, identifying precursors to violence, defining elements in the process and the aftermath of client violence. These themes and related subthemes were used to construct a conceptual model to better understand the client violence in the delivery of social work services in South Africa. We conclude with recommendations for further research in this area.

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Experiences of the Social Workers in the Field of Social Assistance Regarding Security Risks

TAŞ,

KARATAŞ

2023

Nişantaşı Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

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Sosyal hizmet uzmanları zorlu koşullarda sorunlarıyla baş etmeye çalışan müracaatçılarla çalışmaktadır. Bu görevleri esnasında pek çok riskle karşılaşabilmektedir. Sosyal yardım alanında çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanları ise pek çok sorunu beraberinde getiren yoksullukla baş etmeye çalışan müracaatçılarla çalışmaktadır. Sosyal yardımlar çoğunlukla ev ziyareti aracılığıyla sosyal inceleme yapılmasını gerektirmekte ve bu durum sosyal hizmet uzmanları için riskleri artırmaktadır. Bu çalışma sosyal yardım alanında çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının karşılaştığı güvenlik risklerine ilişkin deneyimlerini ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma için sosyal yardım alanında çalışan uzmanlarla yüz yüze ve çevrimiçi görüşmeler yapılmış, kendilerine ne tür güvenlik riskleriyle karşılaştıkları, bu risklerle nasıl baş ettikleri ve kurumsal destek görüp görmedikleri hususlarında sorular sorulmuştur. Bu çalışma ulusal alan yazında oldukça az çalışılan müracaatçı şiddetine ilişkin sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının deneyimlerini ortaya koyması bakımından önem taşımaktadır.

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Experiences of Service-User Violence and Coping Strategies Employed During Social Work Service Delivery: Suggestions for Ensuring Social Workers’ Personal Safety

Cited by 3 publications

References 41 publications

The Perils of Service Provision in Unsafe Areas: Providing Continuing Services to Youth during Gang Violence in the Cape Flats, South Africa

The Perils of Service Provision in Unsafe Areas: Providing Continuing Services to Youth during Gang Violence in the Cape Flats, South Africa

South African Social Workers’ Lived Experiences of Client Violence

Experiences of the Social Workers in the Field of Social Assistance Regarding Security Risks

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