Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Social Work Department offers free workshop: “Risk Assessment, Violent Clients, & Practitioner Safety”
|
The USI Department of Social Work, in association with Owensboro Area Shelter and Information Services (OASIS), is offering a free workshop, “Risk Assessment, Violent Clients, and Practitioner Safety,” Thursday, August 9, at the University of Southern Indiana. The workshop will be led by Dr. Cristina Newhill, an internationally-recognized expert on client violence in social work practice. Newhill is associate professor of social work at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of Client Violence and Social Work Practice: Prevention, Intervention, and Research. “We’re thrilled that USI and OASIS can make this workshop available for the community,” said Patricia Loehr, USI instructor in social work. “We are getting a very positive response on the nature of the workshop. We need to make sure we remain safe in practice.” The Tri-state social work community lost a colleague in the line of duty in 2006. Boni Frederick, a social services aide with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Union County, was fatally beaten and stabbed in Henderson when she took an infant for what was to be a final home visit with his mother. The mother and her boyfriend have since been charged with Frederick’s murder. Many communities have sought Newhill’s expertise on violent clients and social worker safety in the wake of such a tragedy. “I believe this is a passion of hers, reducing the risk for people in practice,” Loehr said. Loehr coordinates the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) field placement program, placing students within 250 area agencies. A BSW student at USI must perform 450 hours of field placement during senior year. Two hundred people have already registered - including administrators, Loehr is pleased to report. “The workshop is not just for people who work in the field. Administrators need to know the data, and how to set up safety programs for their employees. That’s what we want to see: frontline people and the directors of agencies.” The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Carter Hall in the University Center at USI. Five continuing education units (CEU’s) will be awarded to participants. An optional lunch costs $10, or participants may bring their own lunches. Though the workshop is free, registration is required and space is limited. For more information, contact Loehr through the USI Social Work Department at 812/464-1843. |
Copyright © 2013 University of Southern Indiana. All rights reserved.