Thursday 12 September 2024
The Child Protection and Family Support (CPFS) office in Geraldton and Carnarvon will close this morning, as members of the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) continue rolling morning stop-work action, calling on the Cook Government and Department of Communities to act with urgency and address the crisis in the system.
Emergency protocols will be in place at closed offices to ensure access can be provided in emergency situations.
CPFS workers from Geraldton and Carnarvon in the Midwest Gascoyne district will join their counterparts in six other districts, including regional offices in Albany, the South West and Wheatbelt, who have already taken part in morning stop-work actions. Workers are at breaking point and call on the Cook Government and Department of Communities to come to the table with the same level of urgency and concern that they are, to ensure every child has an allocated caseworker and access to the vital support they need.
CPSU/CSA Acting Branch Secretary, Melanie Bray, said with National Child Protection Week just last week, the Cook Government and Department of Communities needed to front up to the discussion about this year’s record number of children and families in Western Australia on the unallocated list.
“Today’s action in Geraldton and Carnarvon highlights that despite rolling stop-work action now entering its third month, it seems key decision-makers are still failing adequately to respond to the crisis in front of them. Failing to adequately respond to record unallocated cases, failing to adequately respond to attraction and retention issues in the agency, and failing to adequately respond to years of the Department not meeting the crucial benchmarks for child safety investigations. Failing to adequately respond to the very real crisis our members are facing equals failing to properly deliver crucial services to vulnerable children and families in Western Australia.
“In the Midwest Gascoyne District, where these offices are located, over 40 children and families do not have an allocated caseworker. Of the completed Child Safety Investigations in the past 12 months to the end of July, only 17.8% were completed in the 30-day benchmark, with an average of 120 days. That is the worst regional percentage and the second worst regional average days to complete in the state.
“How is it acceptable in a jurisdiction like Western Australia, with the capacity and resources available to it, that the Cook Government and the Department of Communities that this is the current sad state of affairs for Child Protection in Western Australia?”
ENDS
Notes
- Members in Geraldton will gather outside 45 Cathedral Ave in Geraldton at 9am for a short rally. Members will then march up Cathedral Ave and Marnie Tce, returning to the office by 11am for morning tea.
- Members in Carnarvon will lock their offices to members of the public, except in emergency situations.
- CPSU/CSA Lead Organiser, Alex Wallish, will be available to take questions on notice for A/ Branch Secretary, Melanie Bray, who will provide written answers to journalists by 1:00pm.
- The CPSU/CSA covers 44,000 general public sector workers, one-quarter of the WA public sector, including child protection officers, youth custodial officers, park rangers, veterinary scientists and dental technicians.
- Note to Journalists: Please ensure the full acronym, “CPSU/CSA” when mentioning us. “CPSU” is typically used to refer to the Union that covers Commonwealth, ACT and NT public sector workers. We are related but separate organisations.
For more information or to arrange further comment from Acting Branch Secretary Melanie Bray, please contact CPSU/CSA Reception on 08 9323 3800 and ask for the Media and Stakeholder Engagement Officer.
