Experiences of compassion fatigue among health and social care practitioners supporting children and young people who self-harm

Aim Health and social care (HSC) practitioners are at an increased risk of developing compassion fatigue, particularly when working with vulnerable children and young people (CYP) who self-harm. This can negatively impact both practitioner wellbeing and the quality of patient care. Despite this, no research has explored experiences of compassion fatigue among HSC practitioners supporting CYP who self-harm. This study aimed to explore HSC practitioners' experiences of compassion fatigue when working with this population.Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 HSC practitioners supporting CYP who self-harm who identified as having experienced compassion fatigue.Results Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) and three key themes were generated: ‘compassion fatigue as an emotional balancing act’, ‘compassion fatigue as a mismatch between responsibility and influence’, and ‘professional evolution through compassion fatigue’. The findings highlight the complex interplay of relational, emotional and systemic factors influencing HSC practitioners’ experiences of compassion fatigue when supporting CYP who self-harm.Conclusions Clinical implications include the need for health and social care organisations to prioritise targeted workforce wellbeing interventions to better support practitioners and improve care for CYP who self-harm.