Digital emotions and emotional labour among professionals supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children

This article examines the intersection between voluntary sector work, emotions, and remote service provision among frontline staff supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children online during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the findings of two interrelated projects, we consider how frontline workers experienced and managed digital emotions and emotional labour. Like professionals in other sectors, staff in the refugee sector experienced stress and overwhelm due to challenges faced during the rapid digitisation of the sector at a time of crisis. The findings also highlighted nuanced emotional experiences that were distinct to staff working remotely with unaccompanied refugee children, such as role dissatisfaction and empathy. Emotional labour was particularly intense for staff working in the refugee sector who needed to establish online boundaries with the young people due to their heightened vulnerabilities. The study also demonstrated that training on how to cope with digital emotions was beneficial to staff’s self-esteem and knowledge.