ABSTRACT
Social workers deal with risk in relation to a large number of different groups of service users. This chapter discusses risk, using examples from social work relating to child welfare. It then considers how social work students are prepared through their training to deal with risk. Reading the work of Brearley and O' Sullivan the student may feel that they could be more actively involved in assessing risk by breaking it down into hazards, dangers and strengths and then analysing any situation in the light of this analysis. This gives the social worker more professional autonomy and creativity. A social work culture that is defensive may be the reality that many new social workers find in their offices and may not be the best circumstances in which to practice. The social worker may feel anxious about their choice of career, recognising that they will be working with the complexities and messiness of people's lives.
