This paper discusses the value of a multi-method approach for studying violence against professionals. It is based on a project currently conducted by the authors on the extent and impact of violence against three professions working in the community (General Practitioners, Probation Officers...

In 2001, the Home Office launched the Offender Assessment System to help probation and prison staff predict whether known violent offenders will reoffend. One of the paradoxes of a system that predicts future risk of offending is its failure to appraise the fear of staff working with these...

Fear of violence and professional perceptions of risk can be seen in the context of wider processes of global uncertainty. Attention will first be focused on policy approaches to violence in the social care workplace. Some of the complex conceptual problems in defining violence and the extent...