Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice

No. 273: Violence, threats and intimidation in the lives of professionals whose work involves children

Freda Briggs, Donna Broadhurst and Russell Hawkins
ISBN 0 642 53831 X ; ISSN 0817-8542 ; CRC 15/01-02
February 2004

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Abstract

This paper reports the findings from a recent research project which investigated the occurrence, and impact on health, work and well-being, of violence, threats and intimidation in the lives of professionals engaged in the protection of children who have been abused or where abuse / neglect are suspected. The study was based on a survey of 721 participants from a variety of professions involved in child protection. Findings indicate the extremely stressful nature of working in situations that involve child protection, with over 90% of respondents reporting that they were subjected to intimidating experiences in the course of their child protection duties within the last five years, while nearly a quarter had been physically assaulted. Of concern was the perception by almost three-quarters of respondents that nothing in their training had prepared them for exposure to threats and violence in the workplace. The effects of intimidation, threats and violence were reported as predominantly psychological, with the majority of respondents (74%) reporting emotional and/or health effects as a result of experiencing abusive behaviours. Over two thirds of respondents reported feeling burnt out by their work. The study has considerable significance for statutory child protection agencies, professional trainers and university educators in all professions involving children. It also poses a significant challenge to employers to improve management response to workers who encounter abuse and intimidation.

This paper is taken from the report of research undertaken with the assistance of a grant from the Criminology Research Council.

References

• Full report: Violence, threats and intimidation in the lives of professionals whose work involves child protection
• Media release: Child protection professionals experiencing high levels of violence
• Fact sheet: Threats of violence against professionals whose work involves children
• Criminology Research Council
• Information on how to order this publication