Improving safety in social worker home visits

Findings and implications from UNISON’s social worker survey 2026 

Summary

• Solo visits are standard practice.
• There are no designated protections for newly qualified social workers. 
• High risk work is common in solo visits for social workers at all stages of their career.
• Social workers are more likely to face verbal and physical abuse when conducting a visit on their own. 
• Employer protections are inconsistent.
• The impact and emotional toll are resulting in sickness absence and driving social workers out of the profession.
• Increasing work demands and staff shortages cited as reasons for social workers undertaking solo visits.
• 50% of social workers had been verbally threatened in the last 12 months during a home visit. 
• Social workers who do not report abuse say they think it is part of the job and managers will ignore them. 
• Digital abuse is an escalating issue.
• Solo visits expose social workers to almost double the risk of online harassment.

Read the full report linked here or in the documents section below.