Yellowknife (May 19/06) - Safety was on the minds of many in Yellowknife after parole officer Louise Pargeter was murdered during a routine visit to a client in 2004.

The parole board initiated several changes to its protocols this year to help prevent future violent incidents.

Number of calls to Yellowknife social services: 2003/2004 - 915 2004/2005 - 860 2005/2006 - 635 Cases social workers take on 2003/2004 - 350 2004/2005 - 360 2005/2006 - 362 Cases taken to court 2003/2004 - 224 2004/2005 - 235 2005/2006 - 276

The lessons learned following that tragedy apply to many who work closely with troubled people in need of counselling or support, said Les Harrison, director of social programs for the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority.

"It brought to light the need for safety. A lot of clients are angry or upset, and that's to be expected," he said.

Around the same time that Corrections Canada changed its policies, new safety training became mandatory for family and community social workers. Harrison said the training didn't have to do with the Pargeter murder specifically, but it does address situations where social workers could be in danger.

Social workers learn how to deal with physically or verbally aggressive situations, he said.

That means taking mandatory safety training, which gives workers the tools to deal with "tense" situations, said Harrison.

According to the Child and Family Services Act of the NWT, social workers are allowed to enter homes without a warrant to investigate claims of child endangerment. That can lead to threats and verbal abuse against the workers.

"One evening I was on a call from a panicked neighbour who said they saw domestic violence happening across the street with a child being whisked inside the house," said family and community social worker Brian Kolback.

"When the father (came) home, it was a tirade of verbal abuse."

Before leaving for the call, Kolback reported the incident to his supervisor and asked that the RCMP accompany to him to the house.

Between the three officers and Kolback, they managed to calm the man down and he explained the situation. No further action from social services was required following the conversation.

Kolback said most of the people he works with aren't verbally or physically aggressive, but his job can put him in the middle of such situations.

That's why social workers are often accompanied by the RCMP or a second social worker if there is potential for trouble, especially if workers have to visit homes after hours, said Harrison.

Other protocols involve carrying a cell phone at all times and making sure to keep in touch with their supervisor.

If situations are escalating, social workers must find a way to get things under control, said Kolback.

Social workers intervene before anger is expressed in a physical way, or give clients time to cool down before speaking again, said Kolback.

People sometimes have a hard time understanding that the workers are trying to do what is best for the family, said Harrison.

There are 12 family and community social worker positions budgeted for the Yellowknife, and some are still vacant.

An occupational health and safety committee, with representatives from several departments in health and social services, also exists to create new safety protocols.