October 5^th, 2023 Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Trauma, and Self-Care in Child Welfare

In this article we want to address compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and self-care in the context of working in Child Welfare and the professionals who do this work. All child welfare professionals are susceptible and our hope is that these resources can aid in your coping and self-care journey.

Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Trauma

In child welfare, compassion is an important resource that helps workers do their job effectively and equitably. However, continuously being exposed to the trauma of others can cause feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed. Learn more about Compassion Fatigue here.

Here are some a few resources to consider:

• Coping with Secondary Trauma
• Secondary Trauma Stress for Child Serving Professionals Fact Sheet
• Working with Survivors of Trauma
• Living within Window of Tolerance: Guide to Regulating Emotions (Free workbook)
• Self-Care to Address Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Self-Care

In child welfare and social work, self-care has become somewhat of a buzzword. We all know that it is important to take care of ourselves, but our competing responsibilities often get in the way and make even self-care feel burdensome. Learn about the National Institute of Mental Health's definition of Self Care Here.

Specific self care resources for child welfare workers are listed below. In reality, like most things, self care is unique to the individual. We hope these different perspectives can be useful.

• Healthiest Self Wellness Toolkit
• Social Work Self Care Starter Kit (University of Buffalo)
• Self Care and Protective Factors for Child Welfare Workers
• Taking Care of Yourself: Self Care Strategies for Child Welfare Workers
• National Child Welfare Worker Institute Self Care Resources