Support for CYFS urgent recruitment drive

The PSA supports the urgent recruitment drive for social workers announced today by the Child Youth and Family Service, as existing social workers are under extreme stress and need help fast, PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff said today.

“The large amount of caseloads which our members are having to deal with needs an urgent response. A new intake of 90 social workers will go some way towards alleviating the pressure.”

Richard Wagstaff said the PSA wanted to see social workers supported at this time instead of being criticised as they attempted to carry out a difficult and sensitive job with inadequate resources.

“New Zealand seems to have a major problem with the way we treat out children and in many cases Child Youth and Family is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Instead of using social workers as a political football, and criticising the very people who are trying to prevent more harm to our children, there should be encouragement and support for them in their difficult work”.

Richard Wagstaff said the recent baseline review of Child Youth and Family which found that the service had been struggling with insufficient funding and resources confirmed what PSA has been saying for some time.

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