Published: October 22, 2009 07:14 am      

Social workers: Work environment still unsafe

FRANKFORT — Kentucky social workers told lawmakers Wednesday they are still being threatened and in dangerous situations, despite recent heavily touted legislation intended to improve their working conditions.

Key provisions of the 2007 “Boni bill” remain unfulfilled, social workers told a legislative panel Wednesday. Mounting caseloads, combined with insufficient funding and a lack of social workers, have led to some unsafe situations with clients, they said.

“We can’t ensure the children’s safety if we can’t even ensure our own,” Barbara Cowan, a social worker from Kenton County in northern Kentucky, told the interim Health and Welfare Committee, which consists of House and Senate lawmakers.

The “Boni bill” was passed in 2007 after the death of Boni Frederick, a social worker ambushed, stabbed and bludgeoned three years ago while on the job. The legislation, among other things, authorized state officials to hire more workers and make security improvements.

The legislation, which hailed as a milestone in Kentucky, authorized $6 million in spending to hire more social workers and improve their safety. Lawmakers also gave social workers increased access to criminal records.

But during the last fiscal year, there were nearly 640 reports of various incidents involving social workers that included threats, attacks, intimidation, verbal abuse and sexual harassment, said Shelia Patrick, an eastern Kentucky social worker who addressed the panel.

Worker shortages have lead to rushed judgments and unnecessarily delayed family reunions, she said.

“The Boni bill has not hit the mark,” Patrick said.

Many social workers do not have panic devices and many do not have enough security cameras or guards to ensure their safety, Patrick said. Although wait times for criminal background checks have decreased, access is still limited after hours and from out in the field, she said.

Vikki Franklin, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said officials were “pleased that the members of the General Assembly share our interest in the well-being of Kentucky families and children and in the programs and services delivered by this Cabinet.”

Patricia Pregliasco, a Louisville social worker who also testified Wednesday, says she and her colleagues are stretched too thin. She urged lawmakers to give social workers more money, even at a time when the state is facing an estimated $160 million budget shortfall in the current fiscal year that ends next summer.

State Rep. Tom Burch, a Louisville Democrat and the panel’s co-chairman, said lawmakers should allocate more money for social workers. He said he’s shadowed social workers in the past to see what their job is like.

“It’s a scary job,” Burch said. “Some days are good days, some days you’re better to stay home.”