Violence Or Threats Of Violence
When threatening behaviour occurs, care space staff can try to prevent it from escalating to physical violence by using interventions based on communication, de-escalation, mediation and the activation of friend networks conducive to promoting safety. It is important to know about how people’s behaviour can escalate to assault, and how this can be prevented. It is also important to have a clear plan that can be actioned by all staff without hesitation if an assault occurs.
If there is an escalating threat of harm to others, or an assault has occurred, immediately contact security and event management. Remove staff from the danger, and as many other guests/bystanders as possible without further risking the safety of staff. Seek medical attention for any injuries.
Providing Support
Often assault occurs when a person is stressed and some form of trigger occurs. A trigger can be something like exposure to physical or emotional threats, a sense of injustice, damage to a relationship or personal property, but sometimes the cause isn’t clear.
When a person is triggered their mind and body can move into a state of fight or flight, causing them to escalate as they undergo physical and psychological changes such as an increase in adrenaline leading to rapid breathing and pacing.
If a person is unable to manage this triggered state they may explode into one or more assaults resulting in threats or physical assault. This can look like shouting at another person, throwing things or physically attacking a person/s or object/s.
The good news is this level of energy is not sustainable and they will eventually move into a recovery phase where the physical and psychological changes caused by the trigger reduce and the mind and body return to baseline.
Often the energy exerted during the process above will result in fatigue and/or depression which can lead to things such as crying, hiding, and self-blame. The person may also have sustained injuries themselves during the assault.
Mitigating Assault In Care Spaces
Before an Assault:
The care space environment should be designed so that carers can easily be seen by others, and exit any inclosed spaces quickly. Sharp items or heavy objects that can be thrown should not be accessible, and carers should never work alone, either in the care space or out roaming.
Ensure the team are all aware of potentially dangerous people on-site or coming into contact with the care space, and have a safety code to call for backup if a situation escalates.
There should be a clear escalation pathway in place before the start of an event, including what to do if an assault occurs, who to contact, and who will lead the response. Similarly, there should be good communication about any developing situations between the care team, security, medics and event organisers.
All staff should be aware of how to verbally defuse potential violence, including:
Determining safety: Being aware of safety, signs of escalation and the staff’s own limitations in order to preventatively remove themselves from a dangerous situation.
Facial features: Appearing relaxed, serious (not stern), good eye contact (not staring) and attentive/focussed on the person.
Body stance: Standing diagonally a couple of metres away from the person, keeping hands down the sides with palms facing the person and keeping weight equally balanced on both feet.
Voice tone: Calm, quiet, slow paced and confident that you can help them while remembering to breathe.
Attitude: Letting the person know that you have time for them, that they are important, that you can talk about the issue and that you can work together to make things better.
Words being said: Not interrupting, clarifying misunderstanding, listening for emotional meaning, using their words or similar words, acknowledging their feelings (even if unstated), being willing to hear different views or opinions, looking for areas of agreement, and co-create simple steps for problem solving while maintaining own boundaries and the care space rules.
Ongoing informal threat assessments should be conducted when signs of escalation occur to determine the appropriate level of response (e.g. monitoring, contacting security, or contacting police). Things to consider include:
Capacity. Is the person immediately capable of following through on threats, or are they too intoxicated to stand? Do they have access to potential weapons?
Intent. Are threats being made with clear intent to cause harm to identified targets, or is the person mumbling to themselves with no other sign of escalation?
History. Have triggering event(s) recently occurred, does the person have a history of assaulting others, or have they been involved in a recent assault?
Escalation. Is the person showing physical or psychological signs of increasing escalation (as described above)? Are they getting more calm or more upset?
Vulnerability. Are there vulnerable people around the person, such as other people in care? Can you be with the escalating person and be reasonably safe?
Available support. Is there trained, experienced security on hand? How far away is the nearest police station? How familiar are volunteers with the signs of escalation and how confident are they with responding to it?
During an Assault:
If an assault is imminent or has occurred, the priority for staff should be to remove themselves from the situation and keep themselves safe. They should then immediately contact security and/or police to deescalate/restrain the person and potentially remove them from the event to prevent further harm.
While continuing to keep themselves safe, staff should help remove as many people as possible from the situation, including other staff, bystanders and vulnerable people in the care space (if that is where the violence is occuring).
Staff should never attempt to physically restrain the person committing the assault or get involved in a physical altercation; removing yourself and others from the situation is always the priority. If there is no opportunity for escape, reasonable force (i.e. without causing significant harm or striking) for the purpose of self-defence can sometimes be used. However, independent research into the legalities of this and consultation with security and/or police is highly advised.
After an Assault:
Notify event organisers and medics, and ensure anyone who has been physically injured receives appropriate medical attention. Similarly, ensure everyone involved in the situation receives emotional support, especially those that were active targets of the violence or who are in significant distress (including staff).
Monitor the risk of a re-escalation, or an additional assault occurring from someone else.
Complete a thorough incident report, covering who, where, when, what, why, injuries sustained, people and services notified, and actions requiring follow-up.
Always ensure that the event organiser is involved in deciding whether any escalation is needed (e.g. to the police by calling 105). This should consider whether there is serious and imminent risk of harm to people. The event organiser has a duty of care for people attending the event. While they can bring in services to support them to meet that duty of care, they cannot subcontract their overall duty of care to another provider. They may also want to consider responsibilities under the Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014 and can contact 0800 oranga tamariki for advice.
Resources
https://www.saswh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PART-Participant_Handbook-Basic-JAN2016r2021.pdf
https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/pla/content/onlinelearning/webinars/Assault_Cycle_Rev.pdf
https://www.youthaodtoolbox.org.au/managing-aggression-potentially-violent-situations