mitigating CSI risks

Employers have a statutory duty (HASAW Act, 1974) to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. This means assessing risks and making sure that workers and others are as protected as is reasonably practicable from anything that may cause harm, effectively controlling any risks to injury or health that could arise in the workplace (HSE, 2022).  
 

Some ideas for employers to mitigate risks to employees' psychological wellbeing when they're exposed to others’ trauma and adversity

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• All staff and those involved in school’s decision-making processes need to be aware of the concept of CSI and its manifestations and where applicable, it should be included in risk assessments and policies. CSI, and discussion about it should be normalised and seen as a natural consequence of the ‘cost of caring’.  For information on training related to CSI and CSat, click here

• Consider when and how information about C&YP’s/families’ (and perhaps even staff members’) adversity/trauma is shared and who it needs to be shared with

• Consider the cumulative impact on staff with roles/responsibilities which put them at heightened risk of CSI, either through what they hear, or immersion in what they witness when teaching

• Provide opportunities for regular (i.e., preventative rather than reactive) check-ins and supported reflection.  Such reflection can be done in groups with peers/colleagues or individually. Often in health and social care sectors where there is a risk of CSI, ‘supervision’ is used.  There isn’t such a tradition of this in the education sector, but its use is growing and increasingly recommended (already mandatory in EYFS).  For more information on the reflective supervision in education that I provide, click here

• Where acute or repeated situations of second-hand trauma exposure occur, provide debrief and recovery opportunities, if necessary, provide or signpost to counselling

• Provide appropriate training and resources relevant to staff roles and expectations related to their work with C&YP living with adversity, vulnerabilities and/or trauma.

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It's not just an employer's responsibility to reduce the risk of work-related stress/harm.  Employees also have a responsibility to take reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety.

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Some ideas for self-care when exposed to others’ trauma and adversity

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• Acknowledge the ‘emotional toll’ of your work as a natural consequence and not as a weakness.  You can only get CSI if you care!  If personal trauma is unresolved or triggered, it may be necessary to seek specialist support for this from your GP or related service-provider

• Do your own dynamic risk assessments, taking account of the cumulative impact of your work and other relevant contexts

• Don’t leave trauma-related emotions unprocessed, connect with peers and colleagues.  Where possible, access reflective supervision or wellbeing coaching as a prevention (see services pages for more detail on these). These provide opportunities to offload and process emotions; get validation of actions taken; and support with difficult or unusual situations. If possible, don’t wait until you need a cure

• Recognise that you can’t solve every problem yourself and that the responsibility for doing so where others’ trauma and adversity is concerned does not lie solely with you (even though it might feel like it)

• Set limits and carefully consider what else can give if you go over these limits – sometimes the best thing to say is 'no'

• Accept that you can’t run on empty and taking time to ‘refuel’ is essential and not a luxury

• Give time to reflection rather than rumination, remember to include positives and celebrate your successes.  Although compassion satisfaction can’t prevent CSI, it is the most effective buffer against it

• As much as possible, intersperse things that cause you distress with things you find naturally rewarding and enjoyable, both at home and at work (work doesn’t just deplete psychological resources but is also a key source of psychological need satisfaction)

• Identify your own general wellbeing or coping strategies and apply them as often as possible

• Above all, be kind to yourself.

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Exposure to others' adversity and trauma is not the only psycho-social hazard in the education sector.  Having an understanding of the broader elements which also impact on educators' workplace psychological wellbeing is also helpful.

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