B.C. child welfare system facing workload, staffing crisis: report

The typical for children successful British Columbia says nan provincial kid use strategy is either successful a authorities of situation aliases adjacent to it pinch understaffing and unmanageable workloads.

A study released by Jennifer Charlesworth says nan situation for those moving for nan Ministry of Children and Family Development is unhealthy for staff, characterized by undue stress, burnout and fear, and there’s nary clip for nan authorities to hold to reside nan “critical circumstances.”

The latest investigation comes days aft her study connected nan torture decease of an 11-year-old boy who died astatine nan hands of relatives aft not being checked connected by a societal worker for 7 months.

Charlesworth says nan boy’s decease happened wrong nan discourse of a kid use agency that was not afloat staffed, had unstable and changing section activity and had an extended play of societal worker aesculapian time off pinch nary backfill.

Her agency conducted a study of 700 societal workers and managers and much than 80 per cent said they are incapable to decently do their jobs because their caseloads are excessively high.

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The study credits nan ministry pinch taking action to amended moving conditions and compliance pinch nan request for in-person visits pursuing nan boy’s death, but says much activity must beryllium done to support existent unit and enlistee much societal workers.

“Social workers successful this state person incredibly difficult jobs and to spot really understaffed and overworked they are is genuinely disturbing,” Charlesworth said successful a connection accompanying her report.

“We person known astir chronic understaffing astatine this ministry for decades, yet successive governments person not addressed these challenges. Now, present we are yet again, reeling from nan decease of a kid that was wholly preventable.”