New program connects Indiana DCS workers with peer mental health support

Up to 50 percent of child welfare workers are at high risk of developing secondary traumatic stress or related conditions, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. A new program provides wellness support for child welfare workers in an effort to combat mental health conditions.

The Worker2Worker program provides frontline staff at the Indiana Department of Child Services access to a free and confidential hotline. The hotline is staffed by retired DCS workers, like Susan Lesko.

Lesko works for the program as a peer coach specialist and has 40 years of experience working at Indiana DCS. Lesko said she would often put her job before everything in her life, including herself.

“How can anybody in any position in the workforce do a good job for someone if they’re not taking care of themselves first,” Lesko said.

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Sarah Sailors is the chief deputy director at Indiana DCS. Sailors said the work the frontline staff does on a daily basis is difficult and can be traumatizing.

“I’m really hopeful that our staff will take advantage of this program,” Sailors said. And they’ll find it to be helpful, and supportive so that we see less burnout, we see less turnover and that people then are highly engaged every day in the work that they do.”

Indiana DCS partnered with the National Center for Peer Support and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care to launch the program.

The hotline is available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. More information about the program is available at worker2workerindiana.com

Timoria is our labor and employment reporter. Contact her at tcunningham@wfyi.org.