BASW & SWU response to attack on social worker

We are shocked and appalled at news that a social worker was stabbed while carrying out his duties

BASW and SWU are appalled at the shocking news that a social worker has been stabbed on the evening of Friday 6th August, while conducting a welfare check on a child. 

Our thoughts are with the social worker, their family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time.

Social workers carry out essential duties alongside emergency workers such as police and ambulance services and this incident highlights the dangers that they can face.  

Social workers do a crucial and difficult job in protecting, supporting and advocating for vulnerable adults and children in communities up and down the UK.  

We join together with all social workers and the wider community to wish him and the police officers also attacked a full and speedy recovery.

In a joint statement, the leader of Haringey Council, councillor Peray Ahmet, and the local authority's chief executive, Zina Etheridge, said:

"Social workers do an incredibly important job. Their safety is of uppermost importance to us,

"This type of incident, while rare, is an important reminder that frontline staff across the public sector put themselves in harm's way to do their jobs and we should all express our thanks and support for them as they do so."