Child Protection Caseworkers will protest outside of the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Gosford Community Services Centre on Wednesday 14 August 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 now, if cases are allocated, they are the most serious and will likely lead to removals, as there simply aren’t enough staff to intervene early 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 10 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 who remain 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:

• Recruit another 500 Caseworkers
• Give Caseworkers an immediate and substantial pay rise
• De-privatise foster care

Premier Chris Minns needs to intervene, said PSA General Secretary Stewart Little.

“The most vulnerable kids in this state are at risk of serious harm, or worse, because Child Protection Caseworkers are chronically understaffed and exhausted,” said Mr Little. “Child Protection Caseworkers are now concerned that by exposing vulnerable children to a broken system they may suffer even more harm.

“Chris Minns needs to immediately onboard another 500 Child Protection Caseworkers and give them a pay bump while he’s at it, to address the attraction and retention crisis in Child Protection, otherwise the system will collapse.

“To be fair, the current NSW Government didn’t create this mess but it’s up to them to fix it.

“Child Protection Caseworkers are passionate about their work, and they want the people of Gosford 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.”

Event details

Child Protection in Crisis/Domestic and Family Violence in Crisis – campaign event
Date Wednesday 14 August
Time 12:30pm
Location The Gateway Centre, 231-237 Mann Street Gosford.

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