Child protection practitioners have been urged to prioritise self-care and continual professional development to prevent burnout and ensure effective support for children and survivors of abuse
The call was made at a training workshop organised by Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, recently
The workshop, themed: “Beyond the Frontline: Building Resilient, Skilled and Empowered Child Protection Practitioners Through Continuous Self-Development” brought together professionals working in child protection, including social workers, lawyers, counsellors and case workers
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mrs Bisi Ajayi Kayode, said, “Practitioners can not not effectively care for survivors if they neglect their own mental and emotional wellbeing”. According to her, continual training and proper welfare are necessary to equip child protection workers to deal with the emotional demands of their jobs
She said, “If they are not well-equipped, if they are not well taken care of and they burn out, they may not be able to support the survivors of child domestic work.”
Kayode also warned of the risk of vicarious trauma among frontline workers who are regularly exposed to cases of child abuse. “Every case worker is vulnerable to vicarious trauma. You may burn out and then, of course, we all experience reprisal attacks in this work.”
The Cece Yara CEO said, “The organisation is committed to continual capacity building and the adoption of international best practices in child protection, stressing that all interventions must be carried out in the best interest of the child”
Kayode commended the Lagos state government and its agencies for their collaboration in tackling child abuse, noting that child protection required the combined efforts of government agencies, civil society organisations, communities and development partners
The project is sponsored by Freedom Fund and funded by Gift of the US Government
Also speaking, a senior programme officer at Mirabel Centre, Mrs Alexis Adelu-Sanya-Kawa, said, “Frontline workers often devoted so much time to helping vulnerable people that they neglected their own personal and professional development. So, this training was designed to remind practitioners of the need to invest in themselves while carrying out their demanding responsibilities
Sanya-Kawa particularly stressed the importance of rest, warning that failure to take time off could lead to burnout and reduced effectiveness. Rest must be inculcated into your routine, achieving professional goals should not come at the expense of an individual’s wellbeing”
In her remarks, the Chief State Counsel, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Bureau of Public Defenders, Mrs Ajaga Sezat Olanike, said, “Child protection practitioners should measure their success by the impact of their work rather than the number of cases handled
Her major takeaway from the workshop is the need for practitioners to remain committed to their work while prioritising self-care
