We’re delighted to now be working on a new project focused on addressing rising levels of compassion fatigue and burnout among professionals in community care, health, and social action. Through a combination of community-led workshops, evidence-gathering, and restorative practice, The ECHO (Empowering Communities, Helping Others) Project aims to prevent mental health decline, promote sustainable leadership, and strengthen the wider care ecosystem in the region.
The third sector is experiencing a crisis of burnout. Frontline staff, including carers, charity workers, and community leaders, report increasing emotional exhaustion, secondary trauma, and lack of formal support. These individuals form the invisible backbone of community health. Without preventative interventions, there is a risk of increased sick leave, attrition, and avoidable mental health decline, all of which place pressure back on NHS services.
As part of The ECHO Project we are running a series of workshops that are open to all, but are particularly aimed at those working in the third sector and any caring professions — people who give so much of themselves to others and sometimes forget to pause and care for their own wellbeing. Our first workshop, Understanding Compassion Fatigue – Supporting Those Who Care, took place on October 17th. The upcoming workshops are:
- Boundaries That Build: Protecting Our Energy for Sustainable Working, Friday 14th November, 12pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boundaries-that-build-protecting-our-energy-for-sustainable-working-tickets
- Cultural Pressure and Invisible Labour, Thursday 4th December, 12pm: Tickets to be announced
- Collective Care and Peer Support, Friday 6th February, 12pm: Tickets to be announced
This project is proudly funded by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation and is being delivered in partnership with KTG Impact Associates.