Public sector child protection workers will rally today at the office of Katrine Hildyard, Minister for Child Protection and Minister for Women, calling for immediate action to address dangerous understaffing, unsustainable workloads, and low pay in South Australia's child protection system.
The rally follows alarming early results from a PSA survey of Department for Child Protection (DCP) staff, revealing a workforce pushed beyond breaking point.
· Over 50% of respondents report feeling unsafe while working at Department of Child Protection in the last 2 years
· Over 50% of respondents are likely leave the agency in the next 12 months if a fair pay rise is not secured through enterprise bargaining
· 59% of respondents have encountered issues in service due to staffing levels or high workloads
PSA Assistant General Secretary Charlotte Watson said the survey underscores a system in crisis.
"Child protection workers are being placed in dangerously volatile situations on a regular basis. Staff face physical threats, attempts to harm them, and incidents where their safety is jeopardised - yet responses to serious safety reports are often token at best," Ms Watson said.
"And while the work is highly specialised, skilled, and high risk, many workers start on salaries as low as $58,000 a year. That is not enough to recognise the responsibility, the trauma, or the danger these staff face daily. They are expected to do the same job as higher-paid roles, yet are not rewarded fairly. This is unacceptable."
Child protection workers report escalating caseloads, chronic vacancies, and mounting pressure to meet statutory obligations with inadequate resources. Many cases are going unopened because there simply aren't enough workers.
"Through the pandemic we were essential. Now, experienced social workers are leaving, agency staff are being relied upon, and the system is being pushed to breaking point. Workers and the children they protect are paying the price," Ms Watson said.
The PSA is calling on Minister Hildyard to immediately:
- Commit to safe and sustainable staffing levels.
- Address excessive and unsafe caseloads.
- Improve support, training, and resources for frontline staff.
- Deliver a fair enterprise bargaining offer that recognises the skill, risk, and complexity of child protection work.
- Provide transparent plans to stabilise the workforce and retain experienced staff.
"Our members enter this profession because they care deeply about children," Ms Watson said.
"It's time the government respected that commitment by valuing their work, ensuring their safety, and paying them fairly."
Mardi Niven, Admin Services Officer, PSA Delegate
"I love this work, but I could leave tomorrow for a job in the private sector that pays $10-15,000 more and doesn't put my safety at risk every day. The pressure on families is growing -substance use, mental illness, homelessness, poverty - and desperate people can become verbally and physically threatening. We simply don't have the staff to safely respond, and cases are going unopened because we cannot keep up.
We were called essential during the pandemic, but now we've been forgotten. The government is recruiting overseas, NGOs are funded to offer higher pay and better benefits, and yet those of us doing the high-risk work are being left behind. It's time to value child protection workers. Respect the work. Respect the worker."
Darrel Wedge, Caseworker, PSA Delegate
"The work in child protection has become increasingly complex and is no longer psychologically or physically safe. Staff within case management are managing five to six times more administration that ever before, while also facing the very real and serious consequences from failing to meet extreme workload expectations. We are under constant pressure to meet unattainable KPIs and are threatened with performance management, misconduct or worse still, termination, if we raise concerns.
Our dedicated youth workers in Residential Care are subjected to constant violence, with staff being frequently assaulted, hospitalised and traumatised, with it now being acceptable, normalised and expected to come part and parcel with the job.
High turnover is rife, staff are completely exhausted, skipping meals and losing sleep out of fear. This is a workplace under immense pressure and it's unacceptable that people are being forced to work in fear just to keep their jobs.
Our children and young people are our priority, but we cannot provide them the care they deserve under these conditions."
Linda Magin, Department of Infrastructure
"67% of ASO2 roles are held by women, and these jobs are paid below the award. These are some of the lowest-paid positions in the public sector, and the people doing them are struggling to make ends meet. That is not gender equality. Fair pay for these workers is essential - not just for day-to-day survival, but for their financial independence, their protection from financial abuse, and their ability to build superannuation for the future. Adelaide is now one of the least affordable cities in Australia, yet many public servants are taking home just $740 to $1,000 a week. These roles are overwhelmingly held by women who are being hit hardest by rising rents, childcare costs, groceries, fuel and other essentials. This has moved well beyond a cost-of-living issue-it's a well being crisis affecting families, staff health, and the quality of the services we provide."
