Staff Experiences of Stress and Coping in a Residential Treatment Facility for Youth

Working in social services tends to be very stressful for workers. Caregivers are asked to work long hours, complete paperwork and administrative tasks and are responsible for the care and wellbeing of others. Eleven female Childcare Workers were interviewed to determine what causes them stress at work and how they cope. Stress was caused by: long hours, no breaks, low wages, unpaid work, poor communication, consistency and training, high expectations of staff, temper tantrums, abuse, and anxiety about meeting resident’s needs. Workers would like more support from their managersand reported a lack of effective teamwork. Many reported not coping well with the stressors of this job and most reported that they take their work stress home with them.