Wheatbelt child protection offices close as CPFS workers protest in Northam for urgent intervention

Wheatbelt child protection and family support workers walked off the job on Thursday and gathered in Northam to protest against the impending collapse of the system due to alleged under-resourcing. About 30 frontline, support and administrative employees from the Child Protection and Family Support members of the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association closed offices in Narrogin, Northam, Merredin and Moora as part of the continued strike action. In a statement released by CPSU/CSA they said this strike comes after earlier action in other regional offices. “Child Protection in WA is crying out for urgent intervention from Premier Cook to properly resource the sector, to ensure every child has an allocated caseworker so that no vulnerable children or families are left behind,” the statement read. The workers marched through Purslowe Park and Fitzgerald Street, passing the offices of Labor MP Darren West and Nationals MP Mia Davies. Rally leader and Northam office delegate Caitlin Green said child protection services are facing a crisis because they are understaffed, under-resourced and ill-treated. “Is there more to this State than mining and revenue? How do we raise the care factor and realise that the best indicator of a healthy society is that it looks after its most vulnerable.” Ms Green said the delegates and union want to have their caseloads reduced to prevent excessive work, receive adequate funding and commitment, increase carer subsidies and prioritise attraction and retention of frontline roles. CPSU/CSA acting branch secretary Melanie Bray said with National Child Protection Week next week, the Government has the perfect opportunity to act, reset the chronically under-resourced department and deliver world-class social work and support services for some of WA’s most vulnerable children and families. “Where’s the concern for vulnerable children and families? Where’s the urgency in ensuring the 1264 open child protection cases get an individual caseworker? “The need for a dedicated caseworker to work through the individual and complex needs of 1264 children, their trauma and achieve the best outcomes for their families? “Only 22.1 per cent of child safety investigations are being completed within the 30-day benchmark, with an average completion time over the past year of 86 days. “In a jurisdiction with the best finances in the country, this is simply unacceptable.”