How the Caregiver Learns to Care: Institutional, Resource, and Emotional Tensions Among Sexual Assault Support Staff

This study examines the institutional and emotional dynamics within a multidisciplinary team that consists of law enforcement (LE), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and sexual assault support staff who handle child sexual abuse cases. Employees interpret trauma differently depending on the organizational framework they operate within. The way professionals construct trauma shapes caregivers’ outlook on the process and ultimately affects how they care for their children. While LE and DHHS prioritize legal compliance, the sexual assault support staff advocate for trauma-informed care. Using semi-structured interviews with seven sexual assault support staff members who identified as women or non-binary, this research explores the way they manage the gendered burden of emotional labor, the systemic undervaluation of trauma-informed practices, and the emotional challenges caregivers face in supporting child survivors. Findings show the friction between the multidisciplinary team, emphasizing the need for integrated trauma-informed training and community-based support systems for caregivers.