Risk Assessment and Social Work

1. Stephen A. Webb
Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland

2. What is risk assessment?
What are core risk assessment skills?
Why is risk assessment so central to social work
processes?
How do you carry out a risk assessment?

3. Risk analysis, risk assessment and risk management
are ever-expanding industries. Risk is intimately
linked to notions of trust, blame, danger, uncertainty
and pleasure. Some writers claim we are now living in
a 'risk society'. Sociologists and some social work
academics argue that risk as a calculative capacity to
predict probable outcomes, does not accurately
reflect current social conditions. These are better
described in terms of uncertainty, and reliance upon
risk is grounded in an illusory confidence inexpert
knowledge.

4. Carrying out a risk assessment should be underpinned by an
understanding of the issues and the best knowledge available.
The aim of risk assessment is to improve decisions, by making
risks explicit and by reducing unpredicted behaviour or events.
Some practitioners argue that risk assessment must be a
continuous process in which the social worker weighs the
factors in a particular case to determine the level of risk or
safety for a particular service-user. In this session we examine
different types of risk assessment schedules and consider
whether they can accurately predict the level of risk associated
with various cases. To make an effective risk assessment
decision, social workers and other stakeholders need to know
what potential harm a situation poses and how great is the
likelihood that people or the environment will be harmed.
Research has identified that different risk assessment tools have
particular strengths and weaknesses

5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the five
risk assessment schedules?
What kinds of pattern do they follow?
Are they scientific (e.g. Objectively measurable)?
What are the problems with risk measures?
Are they factual measures or value laden?

6. Work together in groups of 4-5 and critically examine
the five risk assessment formats to provide a critical
overview of their various strengths and weaknesses?
How would you design different risk assessment
schedules?

7. Objectivity
Calculation
Probability
Actuarial Practice
Scientific truth and fact
Think critically about the example risk assessment
schedules distributed
Language
Stereo-typing
Hard to Measure
Relies on truthful responses by service users
Things change over time

8. There are three key texts for this module:
Kemshall, H. (2002) Risk, social policy and welfare Open University Press.
Kemshall, H. & Pritchard, J. (1996) Good Practice in Risk Assessment and
Risk Management Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Webb, S.A. (2006) Social Work in a Risk Society, Palgrave Macmillan.
There are also two essential journal articles that must be read:
Munro, Eileen (1999) 'Common Errors of Reasoning in Child Protection.'
Child Abuse and Neglect 123, no. 8.
Stalker, K. (2003) 'Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Social Work',
Journal of Social Work , Vol.3, No.2, pp.211-233