NASW Vermont task force urges tailored safety training, systemic supports under Act 115

At an April meeting of the House Health Care Committee, Lynn Currier Stanley, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Vermont chapter, told lawmakers that the task force convened under Act 115 of 2024 recommends organization-specific safety protocols, targeted training and systemic supports to reduce risks faced by social service providers.

The report, compiled by a task force formed under the act, found that gaps in basic needs and service access—poverty, food insecurity and housing instability—heighten client stress and can increase the risk of violence toward providers, undermining service quality and staff retention. “When people don’t have their basic needs met—shelter, nutritious food, physical and mental health—they’re at an increased risk,” Currier Stanley said.

The task force assembled research and practitioner expertise rather than trying to issue one-size-fits-all rules. Using 2023 data cited in the presentation, Currier Stanley said 9.7% of Vermonters live below the poverty line, more than 75,000 residents face hunger (including over 16,000 children), and Vermont’s 2024 homelessness rate ranked second in the…