Impact of Stressors on Front-Line Child Welfare Supervisors

The Six Dimensions of Child Welfare Employees’ Occupational Well-Being

“…On the one side, child welfare workers have to deal with emotional harm caused by the work with deprived or traumatized clients, and on the other side, they have to fulfill the work tasks predefined by the organizations. Child welfare employees are the intersection between the service user and the service provider, with the task of satisfying the requirements of both sides (Dill 2007;Ruch et al 2010). Therefore, an effective and successful cooperation between employees and the organization requires special attention and depends on multidimensional factors, which are also implemented in the proposed model.…”

“…Radey and Figley (2007, p. 207) understand CF as "a direct result of exposure to client suffering." Work-related emotional overload, related to staff-client interaction, represents the major risk of developing CF (Dill 2007;Sprang et al 2007). The concept of CT refers to emotional reactions to present work experiences, triggered by the social worker's past life experiences (Kanter 2007).…”

“…That is to say that harmful childhood experiences of the worker are the reason for the emotional distress caused by the current work with children and families. The concept of vicarious trauma describes the negative impact of work with traumatized clients in a cumulative process, which can lead to changes in self-and professional identity (Agass 2002;Bride et al 2007aBride et al , 2007bDill 2007).…”

“…Horwitz differentiates direct and indirect trauma experienced by the social worker and caused by the work with clients. The concept of secondary traumatic stress occurs when the social worker is closely touched by the clients' trauma, which differs from the trauma conception in that the social worker is not experiencing a trauma himself or herself (Bride et al 2007a;Dill 2007;Kanter 2007;Sprang et al 2007). The authors of the various studies refer to a personal trauma history as a significant risk factor to develop a secondary trauma stress syndrome.…”

The Effective Child Welfare Unit Supervisor

“…Oversight of large caseloads, exposure to severe and disturbing details about multiple child abuse cases, high levels of accountability, and systemic pressures that may result in premature or erroneous, possibly fatal decisions are but a few of the unique stressors faced by the child welfare supervisor (Dill, 2007). Supervisors discussed the emotional stress that results from the dual role of handling both emotional and professional aspects of the work.…”