Many of us work in very stressful jobs, often dealing day by day with very challenging service users or those with multiple, complex problems. This Explainer stresses the importance of looking after ourselves and our colleagues and starts to explore some of the issues organisations need to address in relation to staff care and professional standards.
We all have challenging jobs
Even though most of us are not offender managers nor delivering specialist sex offender treatment, any work with offenders will be stressful and may occasionally or potentially be dangerous. Sex offenders will often deny or minimise what they have done, sometimes even trying to blame their victims. They may attempt to manipulate staff in various ways too.
Thus, our day to day practice needs to be a constant balance between offering support, paying due attention to safeguarding and public protection issues and also working with our colleagues to ensure our safety and well-being. An earlier Explainer in this series looks at some of the interventions support workers might apply with sex offenders which are compatible with the principles of public protection and rehabilitation. It might be helpful to read alongside this one.
