Staff burnout in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE) in England

Abstract

Staff working in secure settings tend to experience elevated levels of work stress and burnout, with most of the evidence emerging from studies conducted in adult prison settings in the United States. There is a general lack of research on staff working in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE) in England. The present study examined levels of burnout in a range of staff groups across CYPSE settings using data collected between October 2018 and March 2019. Findings revealed moderate burnout levels across a sample of 383 staff from 17 sites. Frontline operational staff in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) had significantly higher burnout levels than operational support staff, health staff, and non-disclosed staff, but their burnout profile did not significantly differ from residential, operational management, and education staff, according to the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Our findings indicate YOI frontline operational staff may be a particularly vulnerable group for whom workplace support is essential to reduce burnout rates, as are other frontline staff with a considerable amount of direct interaction with young people in secure settings, such as teachers and residential staff.