COLCHESTER — Almost a year after state social worker Lara Sobel was gunned down leaving work, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed two bills into law Thursday intended to protect social workers from assault.
The governor honored Sobel’s memory during a training day for Department of Children and Families employees in Colchester. Lawmakers and DCF officials and many of Vermont’s social workers were also in attendance.
“These laws are an acknowledgement that we all know there is nothing we can do to bring Lara back, but what we can do is honor her legacy to insure that we protect (social workers),” Shumlin said.
Sobel was allegedly shot by a woman who had lost custody of her child in a case that Sobel was involved in with. She was killed while leaving the state offices in Barre last August.
Sobel worked for DCF and was remembered for her commitment to children. Her death prompted discussions in the Legislature about how to protect social workers who are asked to intervene in tense, emotional and potentially dangerous family situations.
The new laws allocated $1 million to provide trained law enforcement security at DCF facilities, in the hopes of improving safety. In addition, another provision creates an enhanced penalty for assaulting a social worker, placing it in “the same category as the protection that police responders and medical responders have right now,” Shumlin said.
Social worker Trissy Casanova, a colleague of Sobel’s, was a major advocate for the bills. Casanova testified multiple times in front of lawmakers stressing the importance of protecting social workers over the past year, showing “real compassion,” Shumlin said.
Casanova has worked at DCF for thirteen years. She said most of her colleagues have been threatened, stalked or assaulted throughout the years, but they continue to serve, she said.
Casanova said the bills show that lawmakers are paying attention to the important role of social workers and the need to ensure their safety.
“Our voices were heard, and it feels so good,” she said.
DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz said the new laws are part of an ongoing process to affirm the contributions of social workers in Vermont and acknowledge the risks they face regularly. He urged those present to continue working to improve the lives of social workers.
“Lets keep moving forward,” he said.
