What policies and procedures need to be in place?
The short answer to this question is quite simply those that are required. If there is a likelihood of staff having to manage people who can be difficult to the point of being threatening, intimidating or dangerous, then health and safety legislation demands that the employer addresses this in order to minimise the risk of injury to staff. This would normally be in the form of policy and procedures. If there is no likelihood at all of staff harm, then policy and procedures are irrelevant.
Whether and what procedures are required will be determined by risk assessment. A comprehensive examination of the tasks of the agency should identify where there is the potential for staff being hurt - these are called 'hazards'. A further assessment should be made of each of these hazards about the likelihood of the harm actually occurring, and, if it did, what would be the severity of the consequences. If the overall assessment is that the risks are always negligible or tolerable, then no action may be required. However, if the judgement is that staff may face unacceptable risks, then the employer must look to see how the risks to staff can be minimised. This is often where policy and procedures are used.
An 'aggression and violence' policy is the employer's recognition that staff face the possibility of meeting danger from service users and other members of the public while doing their jobs. Further, it is a statement of commitment by the employer to the ongoing safety of the staff and also a catalogue of intentions - that is, what will be done within the organisation to make it tolerably safe for staff, such as preventive measures, staff training, incident reporting and monitoring, post-incident management, and so on.
Obviously a written policy is only of use if it is applied within the organisation. Employers are justifiably warned that, in the event of a nasty incident and an inspection by the enforcing authority, such as the Health and Safety Executive, it is not simply the written policy that is subject to scrutiny, but also how it is applied on a day-to-day basis to support staff adequately in the course of their work. Also, all staff need to be aware that an official agency policy has the force of law within the agency and it can be used in determining outcomes in, say, an industrial tribunal.
Risk assessment will often highlight the need for approaching certain tasks and situations in particular ways in order to minimise the risk of injury to staff. These are what are called 'procedures', a set a job instructions. Typical procedures required in health and social care settings might include monitoring who is on the premises and where, provision and use of safety equipment such as mobile phones or radios, how to summon support, traceability systems, lone working, joint working in certain circumstances, working out-of-hours, rehearsed verbal and non-verbal approaches, informing colleagues, reporting and recording incidents, leaving a situation, calling the police, physical self-protection, use of control and restraint, dealing with the aftermath of an incident, and so on.
Procedures are not meant to be straitjackets, denying staff the opportunity to use their professional skills and judgement. They are intended to protect and support. If they don't, then obviously they need to be revisited. Experience suggests that the most acceptable and appreciated procedures are those that have been devised in consultation with the staff who have to use them, and that are non-complicated and not adding significantly to the workload. Ideally, procedures should become workplace habits.
Finally, staff should never forget that procedures designed in a health and safety context are mandatory. They must be followed, and staff discretion is severely limited. There are many cases of front-line staff being prosecuted through the criminal courts when their failure to follow laid-down safety procedures has had catastrophic effects for colleagues.
Willie More
Learning resources to help you manage violence and aggression issues and other situations that can arise when dealing with people
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People Skills provides an excellent foundation for learning about self-management skills, interpersonal skills and the problem-solving skills required by a wide variety of managers and professionals. |
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Tackling Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace (Russell House Publishing, 2009)
Bullying and harassment are increasingly recognised as major problems in the workplace, and can occur whenever staff or managers abuse or misuse their power over others. They can have devastating results on the individuals concerned, and also cause significant difficulties for the organisation itself, in terms of: reduced effectiveness caused by the tension and ill-feeling generated; legal problems; and the risk of the organisation gaining a reputation for being a poor employer. |
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DVD ResourcesHandling Aggression (Avenue Media Solutions) This DVD has been prepared to help a wide variety of people to develop their understanding of how best to handle situations that may involve aggressive behaviour. It is a 37 minute presentation that is divided into five parts. Part One discusses the steps that can be taken to prevent aggression. Part Two explores the warning signs that we need to learn how to recognise. In Part Three, the discussion switches to a consideration of how we can defuse situations that involve aggression. In Part Four, the focus is on protecting ourselves. The final part is concerned with dealing with the aftermath, ‘picking up the pieces’, as it were. This DVD offers a sound foundation for more confident and effective approaches to situations that involve actual or potential aggression. |
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Tackling Bullying and Harassment (Avenue Media Solutions)
This DVD has been prepared to help a wide variety of people to develop their understanding of the need to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace. It is a 35 minute presentation that is divided into five parts. Part One defines and explains bullying and harassment Part Two explores the causes underlying the problems involved. Part Three outlines the costs of bullying and harassment. Part Four discusses how we can prevent these unacceptable behaviours from occurring. The final part examines how we can and should respond to bullying and harassment when they do arise. This DVD offers a sound foundation for more confident and effective approaches to situations that involve bullying and harassment. |
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Managing Conflict (Avenue Media Solutions)
This DVD has been prepared to help a wide variety of people to develop their understanding of conflict and therefore be better equipped to deal with the challenges that conflict presents. It is a 30-minute presentation that is divided into three parts. Part One discusses the prevalence and impact of conflict, making the point that conflict is far more common than people generally realise and also potentially very problematic in a variety of ways. Part Two examines four different levels of conflict and explains why it is important to distinguish between them. The final part introduces ‘The RED Approach’ as a basis for managing conflict. This DVD offers a sound foundation for more confident and effective approaches to conflict situations. |
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Dealing with Stress: A 3-DVD Set (Avenue Media Solutions)
In the modern workplace it seems that stress is never far away. In the highly pressurised world we work in today there is a challenge to us all to make sure that we do not allow potentially stimulating and rewarding pressures to reach a level where they become harmful and destructive stress. Individuals and organisations that fail to take seriously the challenge of stress in the workplace are risking some very serious and harmful consequences. To help avoid the damage that stress can do and to support efforts to deal with it effectively. DVD 1 is entitled Understanding Stress and provides an introductory overview for everyone concerned with the problem of stress. It explains the difference between pressure and stress and emphasises the need to understand the three dimensions of stress (pressures – coping – support). It also outlines the various costs to be paid for not dealing with stress. DVD 2 is entitled Meeting the Stress Challenge and focuses on the individual’s responsibility for keeping pressures within manageable limits. It also helps learners to understand the causes of stress. As such, it provides a foundation for preventing stress. DVD 3 is entitled Managing Stress and emphasises the manager’s role in keeping stress at bay. This covers legal and professional requirements, identifies some common pitfalls to avoid and highlights positive steps that managers can take. It provides a firm basis for effective management and positive leadership. Each DVD is approximately 30 minutes in length and the set includes additional learning resources that can be printed out from pdf files on the DVD to offer up to two days’ training. |
Tackling Aggression and Violence home page
