Department of Communities: CPSU/CSA secretary says child protection members could strike over staffing crisis

The union which represents WA child protection workers is threatening industrial action over what it says is “chronic understaffing” in the Department of Communities. The CPSU/CSA secretary Rikki Hendon said its child protection members had been providing evidence of understaffing for more than a year, but were frustrated at Government “inaction” and would be holding meetings next week to discuss escalating industrial action. “Staff at the Department of Communities are dedicated to working alongside at-risk families to ensure the safety of our State’s most vulnerable children but chronic understaffing is undermining the important work they do,” Ms Hendon said on Monday. “Workers carry excessive, unsafe and unsustainable workloads that place them and the vulnerable families and children they work with at risk.” Ms Hendon said the union had provided Minister for Community Services Simone McGurk with evidence of understaffing in October without response. It is calling for an extra 200 full-time child protection workers. “Our members have provided critical information to Minister McGurk about the risks of understaffing and have pleaded for manageable case loads that enable them to give every child they work with the time, energy and culturally appropriate support they need but are still waiting for her to act,” she said. “Child protection workers cannot continue to wait politely for Minister McGurk to take the action necessary to ensure the safety of WA’s most vulnerable children — industrial action is now on the table. “We have advised the minister that, to see any real change for our most at-risk children and families, she must increase the number of staff in child protection by at least 200 FTE as a matter of urgency.” Child Protection Minister Simone McGurk said the Government had increased the child protection workforce by 200 since coming to office and she was committed to responding to the union’s concerns. “After receiving a position paper by the union in early October, in mid-November I met with delegates and union officials and reiterated my commitment to resolving their issues. I outlined a mutually agreeable way forward,” she said. “Since coming to office, the McGowan Government has increased the child protection workforce by more than 200 full-time equivalent staff, and I remain committed to working to address existing vacancies and support staff in their important but often challenging work. “We are starting to see some good results – we have seen the first decrease in the total number of children in care since 1997. This is something the Child Protection workforce should be proud of – I know I am.” The union call comes after The West Australian revealed internal documents showed the department was “non-compliant” in multiple child safety key indicators. These included child safety investigations to determine whether a child is in need of protection. They are meant to be completed within 30 days but this was only happening in 28 per cent of cases with the average taking 78 days. Some children were also going years without updates to their child safety plans. Leaked internal reports had also warned of “wide scale and endemic” racism within the organisation which was leading Aboriginal workers to feel less valued and contributing to poor outcomes for First Nations people.