Due to the challenging nature of the setting, residential childcare staff are at risk
of developing compassion fatigue, including burnout and secondary traumatic
stress. There is also opportunity to experience compassion satisfaction from
supporting young people in need. These concepts are under-researched in
residential childcare, as is work engagement; a sense of vigour, dedication and
absorption at work which is beneficial for employees and organisations. This
quantitative study investigated the relationship between compassion fatigue,
compassion satisfaction and work engagement in staff working in independent
residential childcare organisations in England, Scotland and Wales. The study
used a within-participants design using correlational analyses, with a sample of
100 participants who completed a self-report questionnaire. Work engagement
was positively correlated with compassion satisfaction and negatively correlated
with the burnout aspect of compassion fatigue but not secondary traumatic
stress. However, the absorption component of work engagement was positively
associated with secondary traumatic stress, reflecting that burnout and
secondary trauma are distinct aspects of compassion fatigue that relate
differently with work engagement. It is recommended that residential childcare
organisations be aware of, and implement support structures to prevent or
minimise, both burnout and secondary traumatic stress in their employees