Two practitioners discuss cases that led to them facing intimidation and verbal abuse, undermining their mental health and ultimately causing them to leave their previous roles

Separately, Anne, who was a frontline children’s social worker, decided to leave the profession because she felt unprotected after dealing with a safeguarding case where she experienced verbal abuse, intimidation from the parents and unexplained incidents. She is now a children's home manager.

In this episode of The Social Work Community Podcast, the practitioners share their stories of how incidents that they could not explain left them feeling scared, dismissed and too embarrassed to seek help. They talk about the impact these experiences had on their health and what support should be available to social work practitioners in similar situations.

A complex and sensitive topic

Community Care recognises that these are complex and sensitive issues. We approached a number of organisations for contextual comment in relation to the issues discussed in the episode, but none was able to respond.

This episode reflects the experiences and perspectives of the two practitioners featured, based on cases they encountered in their professional roles. It is not intended to make generalisations about any culture, faith, nationality or community in the UK, nor should it be interpreted as wider comment on any community as a whole.

If you're a social worker who has had similar experiences to Alisha or Anne or you offer support to practitioners who have, get in touch via: communitycare@markallengroup.com 

Article from Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/01/fgm-mother-of-three-year-old-first-person-convicted-in-uk