Social worker injury/illness
Case reference FOI2022/01753
Published 4 January 2023
Request
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST
1. In the last financial year 2021/22 how many incidents did your authority record where qualified social workers were physically assaulted by members of the public while carrying out council duties? Please give a brief description of the circumstances of each incident and the injuries sustained ensuring you give the sex of the social worker who was assaulted.
2. How many working days were lost to the council because social workers were off sick with injuries that had been sustained in the attacks referenced on Question 1?
3. How many places have been provided on training courses for social workers at your authority in the last financial year 2021/22 which are aimed at giving them either (i) self-defence training, or (ii) methods and technics to defuse potentially violent situations?
4. In the combined total of the last five financial years please state the amount of compensation that has been paid to your social workers as damages for injuries sustained in their work as a result of an assault? Please note that I am after payments made in the last five financial years regardless of when the claim was lodged or when the assault took place.
5. In the combined total of the last five financial years please state how many claims for compensation you have received from social workers claiming damages for injuries sustained as a result of an assault while working for your authority. NOTE: This should include all claims received including those that are still in progress or were rejected, as well as those that were settled.
Response
1. In the last financial year 2021/22 how many incidents did your authority record where qualified social workers were physically assaulted by members of the public while carrying out council duties? Please give a brief description of the circumstances of each incident and the injuries sustained ensuring you give the sex of the social worker who was assaulted.
In the financial year 21/22, there were no reports made by social care workers concerning physical assaults.
2. How many working days were lost to the council because social workers were off sick with injuries that had been sustained in the attacks referenced on Question 1?
N/A, as no reports were made.
3. How many places have been provided on training courses for social workers at your authority in the last financial year 2021/22 which are aimed at giving them either (i) self-defence training, or (ii) methods and technics to defuse potentially violent situations?
0
Conflict management and personal safety courses were not widely available as an open course to council staff in 2021/22, and at that time social workers were not able to sign up to them. There are now open courses that they can attend, but these were not available during the time period in question.
4. In the combined total of the last five financial years please state the amount of compensation that has been paid to your social workers as damages for injuries sustained in their work as a result of an assault? Please note that I am after payments made in the last five financial years regardless of when the claim was lodged or when the assault took place.
A: We have no record of any payments being made to or by social workers as damages for injuries sustained in their work as a result of an assault over the past five years.
5. In the combined total of the last five financial years please state how many claims for compensation you have received from social workers claiming damages for injuries sustained as a result of an assault while working for your authority. NOTE: This should include all claims received including those that are still in progress or were rejected, as well as those that were settled.
A: We have no record of any claims being made to or by social workers as damages for injuries sustained in their work as a result of an assault over the past five years.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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