Tackling abuse and assault in the workplace: Checklist for workplace reps

Steps to take when members have been assaulted at their place of work. 

Published:
Download
Checklist England Wales Northern Ireland Behaviour Health and safety Rights at work
  • Has the incident been recorded?
  • Has the SLT been informed?
  • Does the member need medical attention?
  • Does the school have provisions in place for the member to recover and receive appropriate support following the incident?
  • Is there an agreed time before the member has to go back to class or work with students again?
  • Does the follow-up support for staff include supervision from a specialist or qualified colleague?
  • Look at NEU’s Violence and Assault Against Staff in Schools model policy to ensure that your employer’s policy is compliant.  
  • Familiarise yourself with your workplace policies on managing pupil behaviour and use the NEU’s Behaviour Policy Checklist to ensure the policies are appropriate.
  • Where incidents of assault against teachers and support staff are increasing in your workplace, ask your SLT to provide training in de-escalation techniques and consider adopting a trauma-informed approach across the whole school to address the underlying issues causing behavioural challenges. You can access Trauma-Informed Practice and Approach.  
  • Has training in de-escalation been offered?
  • What measures have been put in place by the SLT to address this?
  • If the member is working with a student known to have behaviour that challenges, is an individual behaviour plan in place for that student? Is the plan effective in supporting the student and staff working with them?
  • Does the member have time within designated hours to meet with students’ families to discuss behaviour approaches and triggers?
  • Use the NEU Bargaining Cycle Flow Chart to work collectively with your members and implement effective change in your workplace.
  • Where there are a number or pattern of a violent incidents you may wish to consider requesting a NEU violence survey by emailing healthandsafety@neu.org.uk and stating the name of your school and how long you wish to run your survey for. When the results come through, these can be shared with management and used to press for improvements. 

Pregnancy

To ensure pregnant members are protected look at the information for reps.

Back to top