This workshop offers keys to prevention and intervention strategies for secondary traumatic stress (STS) that are effective in child welfare organizations.

Child protective services are unique organizations in that their purpose and activities are organized around the experience of trauma- the fear and dissociative responses of children to continuing abuse and neglect. This can result in secondary or vicarious traumatic stress for child welfare workers that can mirror that of the children and families. There can be considerable costs to child welfare workers and their supervisors alike from emotional and psychological distress resulting in diminished job effectiveness and high turnover of employees in the field. This presentation focuses on what we know and what we can do to address STS, with a focus on the unique challenges of supervisors and workers.