Home Visits

Not all social workers will be required to attend home visits, but if you work in child welfare like me it is a normal part of your week.

There are two types of home visits: unannounced and planned.  Unannounced usually occur if there has been a report of a child protection concern and the worker attends the home immediately.  Depending on the nature of the concern and the family's history with children's services the worker may attend alone if they do not believe their safety will be at risk.  However, if there are reports that either parent is intoxicated or if they have a history of being violent, the worker should attend with the police.

The planned home visit can occur as part of an ongoing investigation, it could be one of the terms of the court order, or it could be a part of the agreement that the family has to work with children's services.  These planned visits can widen with anyone receiving child welfare services or those who work with children's services such as foster parents. 

Usually there are identified goals to the meeting: to review and sign paperwork (including plans and court documents), receive/give updates, provide referrals, discuss ongoing concerns, and overall discuss progress.

Many social workers feel that it is difficult to squeeze in home visits due to their busy schedule.  However, it they may be breaching the court order if they do not attend the home as frequently as the order states.  Scheduling might also be an issue for the family, especially if they work or have several other appointments or programming that they must attend.  This may mean meeting the family at lunch time or after hours.  Supervisors may be reluctant to have social workers meet clients after hours.  First is the overtime and second is the security of the worker.  If the social worker feels in anyway uncomfortable with the home, even if it is an unsubstantiated concern they should attend the home with another worker during regular business hours.  This ensures other staff will know where they are and will notice if the workers are late returning.

Also for safety reasons, the social worker should always have a fully charged cellphone (preferably work phone) with them.  They should also avoid travelling in the dark.  Having a full tank of gas is also important, especially if it is a long drive to the home.  Most agencies should have policies such as these but I thought I would review them as sometimes it is easy to forget about these common sense policies when we are so busy! 

Too many times have social workers put their client's well being first while attending home visits.  As a result there are social workers who have been harassed, assaulted, and sadly even killed.  Each individual client and social worker is different however in general social workers try to see the best in people and they can ignore their intuition which tells them when someone might be dangerous.  We all believe that this can never happen to us.  But it does happen and the only thing we can control in these situations are our own actions. 

Rules that I have whenever attending a home is that I always keep the keys to the vehicle handy in my pocket.  I also lock my personal belongings in the vehicle out of sight.  I leave my shoes/jacket on if I have any feelings of uncertainty in the home or if it is not sanitary.  I have also heard of workers getting boxed in in driveways so I usually park on the road and up a ways if I am using my personal vehicle.  Also, I note the exits in the home and I try to sit nearest to the door in case I need a quick escape. 

Thankfully I have not been in any dangerous homes where my safety was put at risk but I do know that if it is necessary, I will not hesitate to make up an excuse to leave an unsafe situation.  Leaving the client's home does not make you a bad social worker, it makes you a smart one, even if it turns out later your fears were unfounded.  You do not want to get into the practise of not listening to your intuition.  Visits can always be rescheduled to occur at the office or at a public location.  If visiting the home is absolutely necessary, it is your duty to advocate that another worker go with you, or a police member attend if the home poses any risk to you.  You are not weak, you are using common sense.

Remember, as social workers all we have to protect ourselves are our wits!


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