Community Services caseworkers from across NSW walked off the job for an hour to highlight a staffing crisis that is preventing effective child protection in NSW.  The spontaneous action by PSA members follows the NSW Government’s outrageous claims in the Sunday Telegraph that blame female workers taking parental leave for a staffing crisis that is crippling effective child protection in NSW.  The walk-out has exposed the NSW Government’s failure to properly resource child protection.

The action by members also highlighted the recent “Caseworker Dashboard” figures that show the number of children being reported at risk has risen by 21% in the past 2 years.

This leaves nearly 55,000 children across NSW who have been reported as being at “risk of significant harm” (ROSH) without a face-to-face response from a child protection caseworker.

PSA Assistant General Secretary Steve Turner wrote to the Minister for Family and Community Services Gabrielle Upton on 26 February.  Minister Upton still has not responded to this letter and has failed to agree to meet to discuss these serious issues.