Vicarious Trauma in Schools
When we think about safeguarding in schools, it’s easy to centre our focus entirely on the pupils. Implementing our duty of care, focusing on protection, support, and intervention is paramount in our thinking.
However, there’s another group quietly absorbing the emotional weight of this work: the staff. Especially those on the frontline: DSLs, pastoral leads, and support staff, who are often exposed to seeing and hearing the hardest of things which they may carry home long after the school bell rings.
This kind of exposure doesn’t come without consequences. Over time, it can chip away at emotional resilience and start to reshape how people think, feel, and function, both inside and outside of school. That’s the essence of vicarious trauma.
Vicarious trauma happens when someone experiences emotional or psychological strain from dealing with other people’s trauma. It’s not the same as ‘burnout’ or general stress. It goes deeper, often affecting how someone sees the world, affecting safety, trust, and even relationships.
Originally discussed in therapeutic settings, it’s now clear that it’s a growing concern in education too. And why wouldn’t it be? In schools, safeguarding leads might manage multiple disclosures in a week, sometimes in a single day. It’s not just the immediate conversations either. There are meetings, reports, follow-ups, and all the background ‘noise’ that comes with worrying about children who are living in unsafe situations.
The impact isn’t just anecdotal, it’s measurable. The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024, published by Education Support, offers a clear view of how school staff are coping under mounting pressures.
- 78% of education professionals said they were stressed at work.
- 81% reported experiencing symptoms of poor mental health due to their job.
- 72% said their workload was unmanageable.
- 54%, felt their organisation did not support staff mental health well.
- Among senior leaders, 90% reported feeling stressed, with 51% saying they had considered leaving the profession due to pressures on their mental wellbeing.
These figures paint a concerning picture. For those in safeguarding roles, already dealing with trauma, risk, and high emotional stakes, these conditions are especially difficult. If we want safeguarding to be done well, we must also safeguard the people doing the work.
It’s not just about numbers. Anecdotally, many DSLs talk about sleepless nights, constant worry, and a sense that the job is all consuming. It is clear that whilst schools focus on child protection, they may be overlooking the wellbeing of the staff involved safeguarding roles.
Recognising the Signs
The early warning signs of vicarious trauma can be subtle. A short temper here, some avoidance there. But left unacknowledged, it can build into something much more difficult to manage. Staff might:
- Feel emotionally drained, even after weekends or holidays
- Start avoiding certain cases or pupils
- Lose the sense of fulfilment they once found in the job
- Develop sleep problems or persistent worry
- Become unusually critical or detached
- None of this is about weakness, it’s about impact and it’s a conversation schools need to start having.
Supervision and Support
In health and social care, regular supervision is a given. In schools, it’s still far from standard practice. But that’s beginning to change, with the recognition that structured supervision in education settings, especially for DSLs, is essential.
However, the current model is problematic. These sessions shouldn’t be about box-ticking. They should offer space to reflect, share emotional load, and seek support in a non-judgmental setting. As in the health and social care model, supervision should not be linked to professional development. Currently all too often, supervision in school settings is carried out by senior leaders also involved in decisions about staff career progression, which negatively impacts on staff accessing the help and support they need.
The practical and emotional role of safeguarding is intense work. Expecting staff to fit it in between lessons or on top of other major roles not only increases the risk of safeguarding practice failures, it’s a recipe for ‘burnout’. Leaders need to look carefully at workload. If someone is carrying out multiple roles such as DSL, behaviour lead, and SENCo, that is not sustainable.
Staff will only speak up about how they’re feeling if they trust the culture. This starts with leadership. If senior leaders talk openly about mental health, others are more likely to follow. If seeking help is seen as professional—not problematic—then staff are far more likely to access what they need before things spiral.
Whether it’s an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), access to counselling, or local partnerships with mental health services, staff need routes to access support outside the school walls too. And they need to know how to use them, without fear of stigma.
When safeguarding is done well, it can change a child’s life. But currently it comes at a cost- staff wellbeing. If schools want to build and keep strong, effective safeguarding teams, they must look after the people who hold that responsibility.
Vicarious trauma might not always be visible, but its effects are very real. Recognising the emotional toll of safeguarding work isn’t just beneficial for staff, it’s a vital part of protecting children, too.
SSS Learning Safeguarding Director
19 May 2025
