Preventing Firearm Injuries and Deaths among Clients: An Action Plan Model for Social Workers

Social workers are uniquely positioned to support clients in crisis to reduce firearm access. However, many report needing support in navigating conversations and awareness of available options. Authors sought to understand the decision-making process social workers use, to choose which interventions (e.g., out-of-home storage) are appropriate to reduce firearm access for clients in crisis. Ten individual and group semistructured interviews were conducted with 29 social workers in Washington State; participants discussed experiences with clients at risk of harming themselves and/or others with a firearm and responded to two case examples. Grounded theory was used to develop an action plan model describing how social workers choose which interventions to pursue. Participants described two categories that influence their decision-making process for reducing firearm access for clients in crisis. The first category, sociopolitical context, included structural intersectionality, policies, professional ethics, workplace environment, and values. These influenced the second category, collaborative safety planning intervention for reducing firearm access, a process that included considering client factors, social worker actions, and options for reducing firearm access. This model can be used to develop trainings for social workers to educate them on processes to reduce firearm access for clients in crisis.