3.1.4. Service Provider Mental Health and Well-Being

Many participants shared that investigating and prosecuting CSAM can have a significant impact on service provider mental health and well-being. Participants employed in the justice system discussed the adverse impact that viewing CSAM had on their mental health and quality of life. Indeed, some participants shared that the exposure to CSAM was a traumatic experience for them. Participants said:

*You don't get these images out of your head. It doesn't leave. So even though they [investigators] always say it doesn't bother them, that it's okay, I think it's there. What does it do long-term? (II9)*

*You view these images and it's traumatic. (FG14, 1)*

Other participants highlighted the importance of focusing on staff mental health and encouraging staff to seek professional assistance to maintain mental health wellness:

*I mean, honestly, folks who do anything to do with child sex abuse should be going to talk to someone on a regular basis just for their own mental health. (FG10, 3)*

*How are our sta*ff *getting that support to address the vicarious trauma? And to make sure that we're at least identifying it and recognizing it when we train. We always include that piece and talking about how people can develop their resilience around that kind of stu*ff*. (FG7, 2)*

Participants in senior or leadership roles specifically delineated concerns for their staff's well-being and noted the importance of establishing protocols to mitigate against the negative effects of CSAM. It was noted that people in leadership should check on their staff regularly and let them know they have support. Importantly, one participant shared:

*I think the population we generally forget about, too, is we have secretaries. They are in the trenches with us* . . . *We don't talk about their exposure to this stu*ff *[CSAM]. We assume that we're the only ones who have to go in and do all the hard work and the reality is just not true and it trickles all the way down to anybody who touches our file. (FGS7, 1)*

When talking about the impact of CSAM on service providers, many identified that by the time investigators and prosecutors have expertise in this area, they may be burnt out or transferred out of these units due to high levels of exposure to CSAM content. By the time people are competent in these roles, they are transferred to a different department or promoted to another position. As one participant notes, regarding the turnover in staffing:

*We've had a number of employees that have needed to get out, and once that happened it needed to happen pretty quick. (FG13, 2)*

Another participant highlighted the problems with turnover and the challenges that brings in adequately training staff:

*Every few weeks there's people turning over in SVU [Special Victims Unit]. So as soon as someone gets capacity or training, then they move on. (II15)*

The majority of participants indicated that addressing and seeking mental health support was essential for those working in the area of CSAM. However, some participants worried about the possible repercussions of utilizing available psychological support. For instance, law enforcement was especially concerned about seeking therapy and having it used against them in the future, such as during a review for promotion or if there was an internal investigation. As one participant said, this concern stops many officers from coming forward with mental health concerns:

*It's a tough business to be in because we need it [mental health support]. We need the help. We're just a little worried about what will happen if it went against you. (FG9, 2)*

Many participants noted that supportive management, peer support, and a work environment that encourages staff to address mental health and wellness, were factors that made this challenging work more manageable. For example, relating to their workplace, one participant noted:

*They o*ff*er all the resources that I think someone could need, whether it be therapy, whether it be time o*ff*, or whether it be just someone to talk to. A majority of all that comes with the people you're working with. That's why this unit's really tight knit. (FG14, 1)*

Another participant stated that self-care was essential in this field:

*The importance of self-care for frontline service providers and law enforcement is critical to being able to maintain just a personally healthy perspective within work that we're doing because it's really traumatic work to deal with. (FG13, 1)*
