A SOCIAL worker stabbed six times by a psychiatric patient - who has won a seven-year battle for compensation - claims last night that her profession is being used as “cannon fodder” by uncaring council bosses.

Mother-of-three Claire Selwood says social workers are not being given enough support by local authorities, which fail to understand the dangers and difficulties of their job.

Ms Selwood almost bled to death after she was stabbed by Graham Burton, 45, at a school in Easington Colliery, County Durham, in 2006.

Burton was later jailed indefinitely after admitting attempted murder.

Ms Selwood sued her employer, Durham County Council, and the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust and the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust as Burton had warned that he wanted to kill her two days before his discharge from Sunderland’s Cherry Knowle Hospital – but the threat was never passed on.

Ms Selwood, who now lives in Northumberland, settled out of court with the NHS trusts, which have agreed to pay her what is understood to be a six figure sum.

The kitchen knife used by Burton was left stuck in the social worker’s back after the attack and Ms Selwood lost five pints of blood.

Despite being disabled, in constant pain and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ms Selwood returned to work two years later.

She left Durham County Council, but went on to work for Northumberland County Council and Newcastle City Council.

However, the stress of the job, coupled with her medical and mental problems caused by the attack, meant she needed long periods off work, and she took ill-health retirement in September.

Ms Selwood said she was given very little help by her employers, particularly Durham County Council, which she claims “washed its hands” of her after she moved jobs.

She added that social workers generally were given insufficient support, despite doing a dangerous and difficult job.

She said: “You’re treated like cannon fodder – you’re facing verbal assaults and physical threats and there’s no back-up from the local authority.

“Social workers are getting back to their own kids at 7pm or 8pm completely exhausted and there’s no support for them.”

Ms Selwood said many social workers were suffering their own mental health problems as a result of the trauma they faced.

She added: “The usual result is they end up going off on sick leave, and then moving jobs. This means that good workers are not retained by the authority.

“However, it also means that the authority drain the last hours of life out of their workers, and do absolutely nothing to counteract the effect on them and their families of doing this dangerous job.”

Commenting on the settlement, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are pleased for Ms Selwood that her claim has now been resolved.

“Mental health services have changed considerably since this appalling attack. Both organisations have made improvements to the way they work and acted promptly to implement the recommendations of an independent investigation into the incident in 2010.

“Both trust’s offer their best wishes to Ms Selwood and her family for the future.”