Tragedy of baby’s death shows a system in crisis

 Awful tragedy heartbreaking for Tasmania
 Family of baby need support, sympathy and compassion
 Child protection workers need community’s care and support in impossible situation
 Child protection workers badly let down by Minister who refuses to act
The tragic death of a baby girl after notifications to Child Safety Services should focus increased attention on a system in crisis.
Shadow Child Safety Minister Josh Willie said the sympathies of all Tasmanians should today be with the child’s family along with child protection workers trying to care for and protect the state’s most at-risk children in a system where resources have been slashed to an untenable point.
“Like all Tasmanians – and as a dad to a young son – I’m deeply concerned for this baby’s family but also deeply concerned for Child Safety officers and Child Safety staff who no doubt would be traumatised by this terrible event,” Mr Willie said.
“But the fact of the matter is child protection workers at the frontline have been begging the government and Minister Jacquie Petrusma for more resources and more officers for three years now but those pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“It was only three weeks ago that CSS workers took the extraordinary step of waking off the job – putting their livelihoods on the line – in protest of the fact that they have not been given the resources to adequately do their job and offer protection to Tasmanian children who need it most.
“Mrs Petrusma should have listened.”
Josh Willie MLC Shadow Child Safety Minister