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How to Stay Safe During Home Visits
by Aksana Nikolai
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Overview
A home visit involves visiting clients at their residences for reasons such as providing medical care or evaluating a family's domestic environment. Professionals who often make home visits include social workers, case managers and community health nurses. Home visits can be daunting, because there are no hospital security guards or backup agency personnel to turn to. If you hold a position that may involve making home visits, familiarize yourself with the measures you can take to stay safe during the visit.
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Step 1
Designate a colleague at your agency or hospital as your monitor. The monitor needs to know your visitation schedule for field visits. Provide the monitor all visitation addresses and directions to each destination. Call the monitor to check in when you arrive at the home. The monitor should set a timer for the time allotted for the visit. Check in with the monitor again when you get in your car and leave the visit. The monitor should contact you if you do not call within the agreed-upon timeframe.
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Step 2
Wear modest shoes and clothing that will not attract a lot of attention. They should allow you freedom of movement in case you need to make a quick getaway. For this reason, you should also sit close to the door during the visit. Keep your car keys in your pocket in case you do not have time to grab your bag when fleeing. Do not bring valuables such as expensive jewelry into the residence.
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Step 3
Arrive for the visit early. Take a few minutes to survey the neighborhood. Identify nearby safety areas, such as restaurants or stores, which you can reach quickly in the event of an emergency.
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Step 4
Park your car in well-lit areas where other cars cannot block you in.
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Step 5
Do not enter the residence if the party you are scheduled to see is not there yet; wait in your car.
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Step 6
Make sure that you are able to receive cell phone signals from inside the home.
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Step 7
Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Avoid, whenever possible, turning your back to the person or family.
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Step 8
Ask that all pets be secured during the visit.
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Step 9
Do not go inside the home, or leave the home if you already entered, in situations when you feel that your being there will further aggravate tense or dangerous circumstances. Ask when would be a better time for you to visit, or say that you will call to schedule the next visit. Such temporary focus shifts can often diffuse tense situations. Prepare and rehearse an excuse for cutting the visit short.
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Step 10
Use an excuse to leave if another family member enters the room and is dressed inappropriately. Leave immediately if you see illegal drugs, weapons, evidence of other illegal activity or extreme changes in behavior, for example, fidgeting or clenching of the firsts. These are all potential sings of forthcoming confrontation.
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Step 11
Call the police or sheriff's office if abuse, violence or other illegal activity has taken place or if you see that the home environment is otherwise unsafe. Place the police report of the incident into the family's/individual's file and give it to a supervisor.
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- Cell phone
Colleague acting as your monitor
Modest shoes and clothing with pockets that allows freedom of movement
- Cell phone
- Colleague acting as your monitor
- Modest shoes and clothing with pockets that allows freedom of movement
