Managing Aggression (The Social Work Skills Series, 1)

202 Pages·2001·0.71 MB·English

by  Ray Braithwaite

MANAGING AGGRESSION
Managing Aggressionis a workbook designed for everyone who works in social care
and anyone who has ever faced, or is likely to face, aggression at work. It provides a
range of useful skills to help manage aggression, and shows staff placed in difficult and
dangerous situations by their employees how to address the issue effectively by reducing
the potential for violence. Individual chapters include:
Workplace culture * Causes of aggression * Assessing risk * Organisational
responses to violence towards staff *Managing aggression *Bullying at work *Ethnic
and gender issues *The consequences of aggression *Alternatives to aggression.
In examining the requirements of an employing agency to ensure its ‘duty to care’
for staff, Managing Aggressiongives examples of good and bad practice and is packed
with case studies and scenarios, charts and best-practice documents, learning objectives,
activities to test knowledge and understanding, summaries of key learning points and
key references.
Ray Braithwaiteis a consultant and trainer in managing aggression and/or violence at
work. He was a lead trainer and speaker in the national ‘No Fear’ campaign, aimed at
reducing levels of violence towards social care staff, and has worked on local and central
government bodies. He has published numerous articles on managing aggression in a
range of professional journals and is the author of Understanding Violence: Intervention
and Prevention(1992).
the social work skills series
published in association with Community Care
series editor: Terry Philpot
the social work skills series
• builds practice skills step by step
• places practice in its policy context
• relates practice to relevant research
• provides a secure base for professional development
This new, skills-based series has been developed by Routledge and Community Carework-
ing together in partnership to meet the changing needs of today’s students and practitioners
in the broad field of social care. Written by experienced practitioners and teachers with a
commitment to passing on their knowledge to the next generation, each text in the series
features: learning objectives; case examples; activities to test knowledge and understanding;
summaries of key learning points; key references; suggestions for further reading.
Also available in the series:
Commissioning and Purchasing
Terry Bamford
Chair of the British Association of Social Workers and former Executive Director of Housing
and Social Services in Kensington and Chelsea
Tackling Social Exclusion
John Pierson
Institute of Social Work and Applied Social Sciences, Staffordshire University
MANAGING AGGRESSION
Ray Braithwaite
London and New York
First published 2001
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001.
© 2001 Ray Braithwaite
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Braithwaite, Ray, 1950–
Managing aggression / Ray Braithwaite.
p. cm. – (The social work skills series ; 1)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Violence in the workplace. 2. Anger in the workplace. 3. Aggressiveness. I. Title. II. Series
HF5549.5.E43 B728 2001
650.1 ′3–dc21 2001019954
ISBN 0–415–24379–3 (hbk)
ISBN 0–415–24380–7 (pbk)
ISBN 0-203-19391-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-19394-6 (Glassbook Format)
For Chris

CONTENTS
List of figures xi
Case studies xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction 1
How to use this workbook 1
1 Workplace culture 3
Objectives 3
The culture of inevitability 5
Strategy: defining ‘violence’ 7
The ‘a part of the job’ culture 9
The no-value culture 13
Implementing change 14
Strategy: the concept of zero tolerance 15
Strategy: sanctions 16
Influencing workplace culture – individual level 17
Influencing public opinion 18
Conclusion 19
Key points 19
References 21
Key reading 21
2 Causes of aggression 22
Objectives 22
Identifying the causes 25
Key points 37
References 37
Key reading 37
3 Assessing risk 38
Objectives 38
What the law requires 39
VIII CONTENTS
A definition of violence 40
What elements make up a risk assessment? 42
Risk assessment – the format 53
Applying the model 53
Key points 54
References 55
Key reading 55
4 Organisational responses to violence towards staff 56
Objectives 56
Under-reporting 57
Proactive approaches 59
Key points 71
References 74
Key reading 74
5 Managing aggression 75
Objectives 75
Part A: The effective use of body language 76
Key points 87
References 87
Key reading 87
Part B: Assertiveness 88
Key points 98
References 98
Key reading 98
Part C: Defusion techniques 98
Key points 112
Key reading 112
Part D: Physical interventions 112
Key points 117
References 117
Key reading 117
6 Bullying at work 118
Objectives 118
Overview 119
Identifying bullying 120
Harassment and bullying 121
Who bullies? 124
So what can be done? 128
Key points 132
References 132
Key reading 132
CONTENTS IX
7 Ethnic and gender issues 134
Objectives 134
Ethnic/cultural issues 134
Gender issues 142
Key points 147
References 147
Key reading 147
8 The consequences of aggression 149
Objectives 149
ABC charting and the consequences of violence 150
Consequences to you 151
Consequences to the perpetrator 156
Consequences to the staff team 162
Consequences to other service users 164
Key points 166
References 166
Key reading 166
9 Alternatives to aggression 167
Objectives 167
Individual responses available to service users 168
Group work 174
Key points 176
References 177
Key reading 177
Bibliography 178
Index 182