Exploring the workplace well-being of staff at a new integrated community mental health service for children and young people

Parry, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5666-1997, Eve, Zarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3945-2042, Brockway, Alice, Di Basilio, Daniela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3786-442X and Stamou, Vasileios ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8061-8246 (2023) Exploring the workplace well-being of staff at a new integrated community mental health service for children and young people. Mental Health Practice, 26 (5). pp. 26-32. ISSN 1465-8720

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Abstract

Background There is a lack of research into the workplace well-being of community mental health professionals. Given children and young people’s increasing needs for mental health support in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it is timely to explore the workplace well-being of community mental health teams. Aim To explore the workplace well-being of staff working in a new integrated community mental health service for children and young people. Method Eleven mental health professionals from a range of disciplines took part in the study. The 11 participants completed an online questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, which measures levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Three of them also took part in an individual semi-structured interview. Findings Participants felt hopeful and optimistic about the future of the service, felt supported by managers and peers, and wanted to enhance their skills to meet children and young people’s increasingly complex needs within the constraints of a service offering brief interventions. Participants displayed high levels of compassion satisfaction, low levels of burnout and particularly low levels of secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion Emotionally supportive leadership, a culture of continuous learning and peer support may reduce the uncertainty felt by community mental health staff about a new service and create optimism about the future, which may in turn contribute to workplace well-being.