Child Protection Workers to Rally Over Child Safety In Liverpool
23 July 2024
Child Protection Caseworkers will protest outside the DCJ Helpline and Domestic Violence Helpline in听Liverpool听on Wednesday 24 July at 12.30pm over unacceptable risk to child safety in NSW.
Only one in five children reported to child protection services as at risk of serious harm (ROSH) are being seen by a child protection caseworker.
Right听now,听if cases are听allocated听they are the most serious and will likely lead to removals, as there simply听isn鈥檛enough staff to intervene early so as to keep children with their families.
In some parts of the state only 13 per cent of children are seen.
Child Protection Caseworkers report chronic understaffing and staff burnout.
One in ten Child Protection Caseworker positions are unfilled in NSW. But the vacancy rate on any given day is as high as one in five, often more.
The Child Protection Caseworkers that are left are coping with the extra workload of colleagues who have left.
One in two Child Protection Caseworkers leave in their first two years of employment with the department.
Child Protection Caseworkers are demanding Minister Kate Washington and the Minns Government immediately:
鈥 Recruit another 500 Caseworkers
鈥 Give Caseworkers an immediate and substantial pay rise
鈥 De-privatise听foster care
Premier Chris Minns needs to intervene, said 色狼社区General Secretary Stewart Little.
鈥淭he most vulnerable kids in this state are at risk of serious harm, or worse, because Child Protection Caseworkers are chronically understaffed and exhausted,鈥 said Mr Little.
“Child Protection Caseworkers are now concerned that by exposing vulnerable children to a broken system they may suffer even more harm.
鈥淐hris Minns needs to immediately onboard another听500 Child听Protection Caseworkers and give them a pay bump while he鈥檚 at it, to address the attraction and retention crisis in Child Protection, otherwise the system will collapse.
鈥淭o be fair the current NSW government didn鈥檛 create this mess but it鈥檚 up to them to fix it.
鈥淐hild Protection Caseworkers are passionate about their work, and they want the people of听Liverpool听to know no urgent child protection responses will be impacted during their protest, and that skeleton staffing will be听maintained at all times听during this protest.
鈥淏ut they feel they have to do something as management just aren鈥檛 listening to their concerns,鈥 said Mr Little.
Event Details
What: Child Protection in Crisis/Domestic and Family Violence in Crisis 鈥 Campaign
When: Wednesday 24 July 2024
Time: 12:30pm
Where:听23-31听Moore Street Liverpool听