Relationship between work environment, supervision and emotional burnout among social-educational staff in residential cate settings for children and adolescents at-risk

Out-of-home care settings for children and adolescents are intended for those who have experienced abuse or neglect, or those whose parents are unable to provide them with adequate care. In Israel, the most common out-of-home care setting is residential care supervised by the Ministry of Welfare. Residential care settings provide a home for the children, as well as rehabilitation, care and protection. The therapeutic environment that exists in these settings is facilitated by the dedicated work of staff members belonging to both therapeutic and educational professions (the social-educational staff). These staff members accompany the children throughout the day and night, and create an environment that promotes the treatment, rehabilitation, education and enrichment of the children. Staff members are the basis for creating a positive environment for the children, one they encounter first thing in the morning and at the end of the day.  Despite the important role of the social-educational staff in the care and rehabilitation of children in residential care settings, the turnover of staff members is very high. This is harmful to the children and the organization itself. Many studies suggest that emotional burnout is one of the reasons for the high turnover rates.   

Hence, the current study focuses on emotional burnout among the social-educational staff (counsellors, coordinators, house mothers and social workers) in educational residential care settings supervised by the Ministry of Education and residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk supervised by the Children and Youth Service of the Ministry of Welfare. The study examines the causes and outcomes of emotional burnout. This work is based on the theoretical approach of several theorists and researchers who perceive the working environment to be more influential in the formation of burnout than individual characteristics (Boyas, Wind, & Kang, 2012; 2001Malach-Pines, 2011; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). These models postulate that work stress, emotional burnout and staff turnover all stem from perception of the work environment. The literature suggests that high burnout levels among social-educational staff members at residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk are related to work stressors and high intensity experienced in these settings (Dvir, 2007). This study examines an integrative multivariable model to describe the causes of emotional burnout and staff turnover among social-educational staff at residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk. 

The sample for this study consisted of 191 workers in residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk. This is a convenience sample; participants were located by means of the snowball technique. A self-report questionnaire was disseminated via the internet and at residential care settings, and workers were approached directly. The questionnaire included the following scales: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach & Jackson, 1981); intention to leave the organization scale; work stressors scale; the Work Environment Scale (WES; Moos, 1981); the Supportive Supervisory Scale (Aviram & Katan, 1989); and a demographic questionnaire.

The study’s main aim was to explain the formation of emotional burnout among social-educational staff at residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk through organizational variables such as ‘perception of the work environment’, ‘supportive supervision’, ‘work stress’, and explain staff turnover through ‘intention to leave the organization’.  Moos’s (2016) definition of the work environment was used for purposes of this study. This definition distinguishes between three components of the work environment: interpersonal relationships at work, personal growth from work, maintenance and change.  Supervision was defined according to the guidelines of Kadushin & Harkness (2002). According to this definition, supportive supervision is composed of three functions: administrative, educational and supportive. Work stress was defined in accordance with the stress model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as a product of the interaction between a person and his/her environment, emphasizing the influence of perception on stressful situations. The main study hypotheses were that there will be negative associations between a positive perception of the work environment and receipt of supportive supervision, on the one hand, and the experience of work stress and emotional burnout, on the other. Positive associations will be found between these variables and the intention to leave the organization. Most of these hypotheses were confirmed. 

The study findings reveal the importance of supportive supervision in an organization. The mechanism of supportive supervision contributes to a better quality of work life among the social-educational staff at out-of-home care settings, and decreases intentions to leave the organization. Receipt of supportive supervision is associated with a positive perception of the work environment; that is, social-educational staff members who receive supportive supervision perceive their work environment more positively. Additionally, perception of the work environment is associated with work stress and emotional burnout. This suggests that when supportive supervision is provided, the work environment is perceived more positively, work stress and emotional burnout are lower, as is the intention to leave the organization.

The study has both theoretical and practical implications. On a theoretical level, the study contributes to a better understanding of the effects of supportive supervision on lowering work stress, emotional burnout and turnover rates among social-educational staff at residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk. The integrative model presented in this study highlights the positive experiences associated with supportive supervision and its contribution to better quality of work life, in turn improving the services provided to children and adolescents in these care settings.

On a practical level, the findings of this study can be used to raise awareness to the importance of supportive supervision and the effects of the work environment on different aspects of the experiences of social-educational staff members at residential care settings for children and adolescents at-risk. Moreover, the findings of this study will assist in providing appropriate solutions to the various needs of workers.  This will decrease the work stress experienced by the social-educational staff, lower their levels of emotional burnout and assist in maintaining them within the organization. To achieve this, workers should be accompanied and supported by peers and managers, provided with supportive supervision and intervention programs that will provide emotional and practical skills to cope with work stressors. This is especially important for staff members who face high work stress and emotional burnout, and may alleviate their distress.