Effort Honoring the Memory of Teri Zenner Endorsed by the National Association of Social Workers

NASW takes action against slicing domestic programs

 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -Congressman Dennis Moore (Third District-KS) announced the introduction of a bipartisan resolution today to raise awareness about potential job-related violence against social workers and case workers. The resolution, which has been endorsed by the National Association of Social Workers, would encourage state and local agencies to improve the safety of social service employees.

"A strong program of community service workers is vital to the best interests of our nation's vulnerable populations," Moore said. "We have a responsibility to make sure that those who have dedicated their lives to helping others have the resources and support they need to do their job well and return home safely."

The resolution has been a long-time goal of Matt Zenner of Olathe. His wife, Teri, was killed Aug. 17, 2004, while making a home visit to a client in Johnson County. Since the killing, Matt Zenner has worked tirelessly to improve the safety of social workers and bring the daily dangers they face to the public's attention.

"What happened to Teri I wouldn't want to happen to anybody," Matt Zenner said. "But it happened for a reason. Our society now has so much greater access to weapons, but we've given our social workers nothing."

The National Association of Social Workers found that among members of the Child Welfare Specialty Practice Section, 19 percent had been victims of violence and 63 percent had been threatened at some point in their careers. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the association, underscored the importance of preventing this type of violence in a letter of endorsement to Congressman Moore.

"As first responders for troubled families, dedicated social workers and caseworkers far too often put their own safety in jeopardy to ensure the safety of others," she said. "While many public and private child-serving agencies have developed safety plans for their employees, many others have yet to address the issue in a meaningful way. It should not take additional tragic deaths like that of Teri Zenner in order for every agency to take safety seriously."

National studies have also quantified the risks faced by social workers. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed 1,200 social workers, most of whom said they had been in a work-related violent situation at least once. A 1999 study by the University of Michigan found that of 1,600 social workers, 3 percent had been assaulted by a client and 23 percent had been threatened with assault. One in four said they had a colleague who had been assaulted by a client.

Sky Westerlund, executive director of the Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, called the resolution a strong first step toward the goal of social worker safety.

"I think it's really courageous of the congressman to take what happened to Teri Zenner and make things better for social workers," she said. "People don't pay attention until something In October 2004, Moore hosted a forum with Matt Zenner to discuss how agencies can protect workers who make home visits and safeguard themselves at work.
"My first step was local," Zenner said. "Now there needs to be national awareness. With Congressman Moore making this a national deal, I'm hopeful agencies everywhere will begin providing training to their workers."

really bad happens, but this resolution gives the opportunity to talk about it in a broader way."
Westerlund said Zenner's death had made people more aware of the dangers social workers face in Johnson County, but had had little impact outside the county.

Johnson County Mental Health recently implemented a new "Work Place Safety and Agency Response to Violence" program. Case workers now have an electronic calendar and tracking system so supervisors always know where workers are during home visits and can check in to make sure they are safe. Workers also have the option of declining to visit a home in which they feel threatened and have greater access to clients' medical histories and backgrounds. Employees received self-defense training and attended seminars on how to deal with potentially violent clients. The agency is also exploring the possibility of using cellular phones with GPS tracking capabilities.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.