Public Service Association (PSA) members at the Crisis Response Unit met last week to consider a range of issues, including the Department for Families and Communities' (DFC) continued lack of funding and allocation of resources to Families SA and unanimously passed the resolution detailed below.

PSA members are bewildered that the department spends more time, energy and money on administrative functions and accountability than on it does on the core function of caring for and protecting South Australian children.

The motion was passed unanimously and reads:

"Members at the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) repudiate the Department's lack of action

and support in relation to the following;

• The lack of resources at CRU and the field affecting unmanageable workloads,

  serious child protection matters being closed with no action taken, high volumes

  of calls to the Child Abuse Report Line causing unreasonable long wait times or

  inability for notifiers to get through at all.

• The lack of additional resources to deal with the increased work loads that

  will result when Structured Decision Making (SDM) is introduced in Sept 2008.

• The financial disadvantage caused to shift workers in CRU due to the

  “Pay Cycle Realignment” and the withholding of 1 week's pay from workers.

• Inadequate recruitment and retention policies and programmes resulting

  in the Department's inability to retain experienced staff and attract new professionals.

• Continued use of short term renewable contracts with lack of permanency.

• Lack of Government funding to do all the work the Department is mandated

  to perform.

Members call on the Department to address these critical failings and continual lack of goodwill and support to its employees.

Despite this gross under resourcing and lack of goodwill workers have continued to 
provide the best service to its customers possible under difficult circumstances.

Members seek urgent action and resolution of the grievances noted above.

Failure by the Department to genuinely resolve these issues and to meet with the PSA
by Friday 22^nd August 2008 will result in members considering undertaking an
industrial campaign."

It is clear that should the department continue to exploit the goodwill of workers, members
will have no other alternative but to act in the community's (and their) best interest.

District Centres and other Families SA units work under similar conditions and budget
constraints. The PSA takes this opportunity to encourage members to ensure the
department is aware of all issues affecting their clients and themselves.

PSA WORKING FOR MEMBERS IN FAMILIES SA

18 August 2008