Re-living the storm – The Paradox of trauma narratives: A qualitative study exploring indirect trauma among youth justice practitioners

The child–practitioner relationship is crucial in encouraging engagement in justice settings while providing a relational space for the child to feel supported and nurtured. Within such relational spaces, trauma narratives may be shared with practitioners, which can manifest in healing for the child but leave emotional residue with the practitioner. Therefore, issues stemming from indirect trauma, such as secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma, emerge as a potential outcome of a relational, trauma-informed way of working and thus require careful management and support mechanisms. This article will consider the child–practitioner relationship advocated within trauma-informed youth justice, the emotional demands of working through a relational lens and, consequently, indirect trauma as a risk for youth justice staff within the justice system.