Social workers suffer repeated attacks from clients in Washington state

Attacks on Washington state social workers have been increasing. Washington state poses a dangerous working environment for its staff of social workers, including some recruited fresh out of college who are left to handle many of the most challenging and troubled youth in the system alone.

Last month, a social worker with Washington state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) told the agency’s oversight board that she is recovering from an attack that was carried out by a foster youth in the state’s care. According to her family, the incident is an example of a systemic failure.



An investigation from KING 5 spoke with 30 current and former employees of the agency, a review of hours of police body camera footage and dozens of police incident reports, as well as internal DCYF emails and child welfare case notes.

During a virtual public comment period at a November 17 meeting of the oversight board, Deidra Van Every, a supervisor in the adoption unit said, "I wish you could see my face right now because my face is the poster child for the retention issues that DCYF foster case, social workers are facing every day.”

Van Every said that the week before a 16-year-old with a violent criminal record, who was staying in a Puyallup hotel being used as a shelter, attacked her.

Kjersta Smith, Van Every’s sister, said, "He punched her, kneed her, kicked her in the face, in the head, in her back, he dragged her by her hair, smashing her into the tables, and then he dragged her to the third-story window while yelling I am going to kill you.”

Van Every noted that though a security guard was there "He, through all of his efforts, could not pull this youth off of me. But he kept me alive until law enforcement showed up.”

Smith said, "This was a known problem, and she was afraid that something worse was going to happen, and it happened to her. I hope that she finds a safer workplace. If it is with DCYF, all the better."

"Child welfare workers are first responders, just like many other roles in public service," a DCYF spokesperson said in a statement to KING 5. "DCYF staff are very dedicated and caring people who work to ensure the safety of children and the well-being of families. We work very hard to not have them be at needless personal risk and are taking steps to resolve the situation that results in staff being placed in dangerous situations to care for youth." 

It is not just those working with youth who are at risk. Conditions are so dangerous in mental health facilities that a man residing at the scandal-plagued Western State Hospital was charged with murder in November in connection to the killing of his roommate.

In 2020, a formerly homeless man who suffered from schizophrenia stabbed a social worker to death at the site where the worker provided services to homeless clients.

The killing happened while the Seattle City Council finalized the 2020 budget, which slashed 20 percent from the already defunded police budget to partially redirect funds for social workers to provide services to the homeless.
 

Officials in the city of Everett are also sending social workers with firefighters to respond to 911 calls involving mental health issues.

According to The Everett Herald, the city will be using $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and a new $183,000 grant for the program.

The outlet noted that the social workers will also work out of libraries because the facilities are seen as safe public spaces where people use free resources and shelter.