Every Child Counts

June 2025

Huge win for members in Child Protection!

Your Department of Communities (Child Protection) CSA Agreement 2024 is now in effect! This new agreement provides workers in the Child Protection system with a raft of new pay and conditions entitlements, including a qualification allowance and a reduction in increments, to ensure that this workforce receives the respect it deserves in caring for the most vulnerable members of our community. Securing this agreement is the culmination of years of hard work by CPSU/CSA Members; making sure your voices were heard, leading to rolling industrial action in District Offices across the State, and a historic rally at Parliament House. The strength of your action has forced the Government and Communities to listen and act.

Simply speaking, it puts your issues and your conditions in the spotlight.

What does this mean for workers covered by the new agreement?

For the first time in history, the Child Protection workforce will be united under one set of conditions. You will stand together during bargaining and have the opportunity to fight for conditions unique to the work you do. You can find the full agreement on the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission website.

These significant wins come on the back of other huge achievements, secured as a result of Child Protection members standing together in collective action.

Government announcements of $30.9 million committed to boost the number of frontline child protection workers in Western Australia.
Increased funding for additional placements.
Increase to Foster carer subsidies.
The Complexity and Intensity Tool Pilot for caseload management. This is due to be completed at the end of this year and should change the landscape of workloads for CPFS workers.
Your Union Delegate Caitlin Green has been released to work with the Union to represent members in the upcoming important projects.
An Attraction and Retention Working Group will commence within the next couple of months. Your Delegates will be involved in forming strategies on how we best attract and retain workers and foster carers in the CPFS space.
A data sharing MOU between the Union and Communities for a clear and transparent understanding of the critical issues facing the child protection workforce.

"CPSU/CSA members in the Child Protection and Family Support system should be incredibly proud that their collective, statewide action has led to real transformative change for some of Western Australia’s most vulnerable children and families.”
- Mel Bray, Branch Secretary

What is next for members in Child Protection?

Securing this agreement is only the beginning, Child Protection members need to build on this momentum to ensure that the system adequately supports the vulnerable children and families as well as the hard-working people who work in it.

FEBRUARY 2025

Groundbreaking offer of a Child Protection specific agreement

Throughout 2024, CPFS members took unprecedented rolling action in District Offices across the State, followed by a historic rally at Parliament House. The strength of our members' actions has forced the Government and Department of Communities to listen and act.

Members' sustained collective action forced the decision-makers to come up with solutions to the issues facing child protection workers. A transformative proposal is now on the table in the form of a Child Protection and Family Support specific agreement.

This means an Agreement that has the capability to address the unique circumstances that arise in the CPFS environment. Simply speaking, it puts your issues and your conditions in the spotlight.

The new agreement offer also provides:

An uplift to the pay of child protection and fieldworkers to assist in the attraction and retention of these crucial roles.
A reduction in increments to increase pay and reduce the time it takes to reach the top of your level.
A qualification allowance to support field workers to achieve a recognised qualification.
A review of CLO and Admin Officer JDF’s.
A review of fixed-term contracts to increase permanent employment opportunities.
An enforceable overtime clause when caring for children out of hours.

A full offer analysis and comparison document can be found below.

DOWNLOAD THE CHILD PROTECTION OFFER PACK

Join the campaign

Child Protection workers and the Union have been trying to engage with the Department about their workload for years.

Our message is simple. Members want a system that protects vulnerable children and families by having a properly resourced CPFS, both now and into the future.

Join the fight for a better Child Protection System today!

CAMPAIGN RESOURCES