Lismore and Ballina child protection caseworkers stopped work to protest outside the defunct Community Services Centre (CSC) in Lismore yesterday, (Wednesday, April 24) at midday after two years of working without an office. They have been joined by Ballina child protection caseworkers who had their office shut in January.
Child protection caseworkers in the Northern Rivers say the failure to find them fit premises from which to work are a symptom of a broader crisis in the department. They explained that child protection caseworkers in the Northern Rivers report chronic understaffing and staff burnout.
‘One in four child protection caseworker positions are unfilled in the Northern Rivers. That means the Lismore CSC is ten child protection caseworkers short, the highest vacancy rate in the state,’ they said in their press release.
‘Only one in six children reported to authorities in the Northern Rivers as at risk of serious harm (ROSH) is seen by a child protection caseworker, the worst response rate in the state, well below the state average of one in four which is already dismal. Right now if cases are allocated they are the most serious and will likely lead to removals, as there simply isn’t enough staff to intervene early so as to keep children with their families.’
Previously 100% response rate
Ballina CSC before the pandemic had a response rate of 100 per cent. Last year Ballina CSC had just three caseworkers and only minimal cases were allocated during that time. When the previous government took over in 2012 Lismore CSC had nine teams; they currently have three. Balina CSC had five teams; they currently have two.
‘The child protection caseworkers that are left are relatively inexperienced and 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. The situation in the Northern Rivers is even worse than other parts of the state.
The Public Service Association (PSA), which represents the workers, says action will commence with a series of rolling campaign rallies across the state and escalate as necessary.
Need 500 case workers now
Child protection caseworkers are demanding Minister Kate Washington and the Minns Government immediately:
- Recruit another 500 caseworkers
- Give caseworkers an immediate and substantial pay rise
- De-privatise foster care
The department’s own data shows for the quarter ending December 2023, 18,582 Children and young people were reported as at ROSH with only 2,707 children seen – that is 15 per cent of all ROSH reports.
Earlier this month child protection caseworkers declared the child protection system is now in crisis in New South Wales, and announced the commencement of an industrial campaign to force the NSW government to act to save thousands of at-risk kids from further harm.
Premier Chris Minns needs to intervene, said PSA Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright.
‘The most vulnerable children in New South Wales are at risk of serious harm, or even worse, because child protection caseworkers are chronically understaffed, exhausted and management just aren’t listening to their concerns,’ said Mr Wright.
‘But the response to this crisis by the Department of Communities and Justice management is to shut their Lismore and Ballina offices’ rather than increase resources.
‘In 2022 Lismore experienced its greatest flood in its history. But since then our local members in Community Services have been subject to a drought – a drought of resources, a drought of ideas and a drought of effort from their senior management’
‘PSA members are now concerned that we are at risk in NSW of exposing the very same vulnerable children we are meant to be supporting to even greater harm through a broken system.
‘Chris Minns needs to immediately onboard another 500 child protection caseworkers to address the attraction and retention crisis in child protection, otherwise the system will collapse.
‘To be fair the current government didn’t create this mess but it’s up to them to fix it.
‘These child protection caseworkers are passionate about their work, and they want those on the North Coast to know no urgent child protection responses will be impacted during their protest, and that skeleton staffing will be maintained at all times during this protest.
‘But they feel they have to do something as management just aren’t listening to their concerns,’ said Mr Wright.
This is a huge disgrace for our local area
WTF government? Fund the Child protection services now.
They are way over worked under staffed .
Imagine going home every night knowing it’s your job to help these vulnerable children and there not a damn thing you can do about it as there’s just not enough people to go around AND working with out a central office is just plain SLACK and unacceptable. There’s plenty of empty space down the cbd that easily could be an office.
Fund Child Protection Service Now !
Maybe save a bit of the $92Million for child protection services in stead of it all going to Israel to wage and perpetuate war !
What $92 mil please Getme?
I know of at least 15 Master of social work applicants who applied for chd.protection work in the area and all were refused employment.
Is this the funding to which you are referring?
“ 16 January 2024
Australia will provide an additional $21.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the Middle East, including in response to the urgent and ongoing humanitarian needs resulting from the Hamas-Israel conflict.
This funding will be directed to conflict affected populations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to address the ongoing regional refugee crisis, with a focus on women and children.
As part of this package, Australia will provide –
$4 million to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to continue delivering urgent and emergency services and supplies.
$6 million through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), to provide urgent lifesaving assistance including food, shelter and emergency health care.
$11.5 million to refugee programs in Lebanon and Jordan, at this time of increasing regional instability.
This package reinforces Australia’s longstanding commitment to the region and builds on Australia’s total humanitarian commitment since the Hamas terror attacks on 7 October to more than $46 million.”
foreign minister.gov.au
Or from dfat.gov.au:
“ The humanitarian situation in Gaza is grave, with more than 1.7 million people displaced, access to water very limited and humanitarian supplies running out.
Australia calls for safe, unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarian workers and supplies to enable the delivery of lifesaving support.
Australia has announced more than $52 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the region, with a focus on Gaza. Our support will provide essential supplies and support services.
The total support package includes:
$13 million through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to provide food, water and medical care to victims of the conflict.
$13 million to provide essential support and services with a focus on women and children, to be delivered through UN agencies such as UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
$3 million to respond to emerging humanitarian needs as a result of the conflict.
$6 million through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), to provide urgent lifesaving assistance including food, shelter and emergency health care.
$11.5 million to refugee programs in Lebanon and Jordan at this time of increasing regional instability.
$4 million to UNICEF to provide urgent services, including for women and children.
$2 million to the new mechanism of the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza to facilitate expanded humanitarian access into Gaza.
Australia’s humanitarian assistance was announced on 14 October 2023, 26 October 2023, 16 January 2024 and 15 March 2024.
Australia continues to monitor and assess the humanitarian situation and stands ready to provide further support.”
Or from al Jazeera.com:
“ Australia to unfreeze UNRWA funding as Israel attacks Gaza aid seekers
Australia to restore $3.8m in funding to embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees and pledges additional Gaza aid.”
Totally agree with above comment by Getmeoutahere. Outrageous neglect of children at risk and needing support. The critical tasks by the staff requires appropriate support and funding. Instead our taxes are being used to provide arms and support for the bombing and murder of children in Palestine. Our country needs to practice ethical governance.
They failed me, 23 years ago. Not much has changed
I am a member of informal grandparent carers group in the Northern Rivers.
Many grandparents can detail horrific experiences of child protection agencies not doing any ROSH (risks of significant harms)assessment investigations at all and not helping grandparent carers gain children’s court care orders for their grandchildren’s long term safety welfare & development.
Most of the children in grandparent out of home care (oohc) have been known to child protection authorities since birth and as a result have anxiety,complex ptsd or learning delays, perhaps adhd and or undiagnosed autism and very few had baseline health assessments upon entering the grandparents care by DCJ. Cases are simply closed & referred to Centrelink or the Family Court only, which is totally inadequate to address child protection matters.
Historically dcj were able to obtain care orders until the child is 18 years of age. Now due to repealing certain sections of the Care Act a care order can only be for two years!! and;
Only the Secretary of DCJ can apply for a Care order -making accessing the children’s court almost impossible.
We used to have “supported out of home care packages “ but that was repealed in December 2016 leaving the grandparent carers bereft of pragmatic supports to meet the children’s immediate and long term high care needs.
The privatisation of foster care has meant some agencies have been working toward restoration to the family without any up to date risk assessments, as obliged and regardless of the court order in place!
Further under s 7 of the Care Act there is no duty of care!!! Etc etc.
Other perspectives and variables need to be taken into account, besides the remaining staff in this article, if the NSW child protection system is to be structurally functional again, rather than the source of aggravated injuries due to the systemic and structural neglect as things stand on so many levels.
The child protection system has been broken for a long time now as highlighted in the Tune report publicly released in 2018.
How sad that we have had to wait for the remaining staff and PSA to bring this to public attention only after the Children’s Commissioner Ann Hollands April 2023 report on child maltreatment was released .
I welcome a root and stem investigation into DCJ’s NSW child protection system finally.