Charity workers in social care and support roles are "overwhelmed by the emotional demands of the work" and are being "left without meaningful support", a survey is warning.

Four in five have experienced vicarious trauma from “the emotional toll of supporting others in distress”.

Half said the impact on their health, wellbeing or ability to do their job “was significant”.

But less than one in ten say they received “timely and effective” support.

The survey has been carried out among Welsh charity sector workers by Charity Job Finder and found that just under a quarter received no support at all to deal with the emotional demands of their work.

Half warn that their concerns are “not taken seriously by their employer or the wider sector”.

Some say they have been forced to resign or reduce their hours due to the demands of their work “while others said they had nowhere to turn”, said Charity Job Finder, which is calling for better access to counselling and clinical supervision among workers.

Trauma-informed management training is also needed, with support “embedded into team culture, it adds.

“The emotional burden on staff in social care and support roles is real, widespread, and too often ignored, “ said Suzanne Millison, safeguarding manager at Wales charity body WCVA.

“One participant put it perfectly: ‘If you claim to work with clients to help them be safe and well, you must do the same for your staff.’

“That principle is central to all our safeguarding work. We need to build cultures where wellbeing is not seen as an optional extra, but as a core part of delivering safe, effective services.”

Charity Job Finder senior partner Bev Garside added: “This report is a wake-up call. For too long, the emotional wellbeing of frontline charity workers has been treated as a personal matter – something to be quietly managed, absorbed or ignored.

“But vicarious trauma is not just a personal issue. It is a systemic risk.

“Organisations have a duty of care, and boards need to treat staff wellbeing as core to delivering safe, effective services.

“If people are burning out in silence, the impact is felt far beyond the individual. We cannot continue to build services on the emotional sacrifice of the workforce.”

Earlier this month a survey by St Martin in the Fields found that more than half of charity workers in the homelessness sector say they “feel at risk of burnout”.

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