Burnout and Relationship Quality in Residential Childcare – Exploring the Role of Care Worker and Teacher Emotional Intelligence

The quality of relationships between staff and children in residential childcare is crucial for fostering healthy psychological and emotional development in vulnerable populations. This study explores the links between staff burnout, emotional intelligence (EI) and the quality of interactions in childcare facilities providing residential care and full-time education in the UK. More specifically, the aim of the study was to assess the role of EI in mitigating burnout’s adverse effects on staff-child relationships. Using cross-sectional survey data from 78 participants (70.5% residential childcare workers; 29.5% residential teachers), the results indicated a significant negative association between burnout and relationship quality, with EI showing a positive correlation with better relationship outcomes. However, contrary to expectations, EI did not moderate the link between burnout and relationship quality, suggesting that even individuals with high EI are not fully protected from the impacts of burnout. Further analysis revealed that client-related burnout had a particularly detrimental effect on staff-child relationships, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.