Child Safety Service staff will today take the unprecedented action of walking off the job in response to the Hodgman government’s failure to adequately resource their vital work.
Staff will no longer accept work arrangements that require them to prioritise the needs of one vulnerable child over the needs of another because there are simply too few staff.
Staff in Child Safety Service have raised their concerns with Minister Petrusma for 3 ½ years and despite reviews, restructures, name changes and promises of additional staff the situation has become worse.
“Our members are just asking for sufficient staff to allow them to care and support every Tasmanian child reported at risk,” said CPSU Assistant Secretary Thirza White.
“Caring for vulnerable children should be one of the highest priorities of any government and the fact the Hodgman government refuses to properly fund this work is unacceptable,” said Ms White.
Despite the number of children being reported at risk continuing to grow year on year the number of staff employed to care and support them has not grown at the same rate. Unmanageable workloads make working for Child Safety Service extremely difficult so experienced staff leave and funded positions are often left vacant for lengthy periods.
“To ensure every child reported at risk gets the support they need a ratio must be established between the number of children/families in need and the number of Child Safety Service staff,” CPSU Assistant Secretary Thirza White.
“Too many children continue to fall between the cracks because our Child Safety Service is under resourced. The action by staff today is a clear indication they will no longer accept that fact,” said HACSU Assistant Secretary Robbie Moore.
TOM LYNCH | Secretary Community & Public Sector Union (SPSFT) Inc.
