Social workers feel help is coming CORNER BROOK CLIFF WELLS The Western Star

Joan Burke, minister of Child Youth and Family Services, speaks to Crystal Foote, a social worker, at a meeting in Corner Brook to discuss the new department with front line staff Friday. — Star Photo by Cliff Wells

In the lobby of the Corner Brook Child Youth and Family Services office, you get a sense of the low priority that had been placed on the service.

Among the four-year-old Reader’s Digest magazines and mostly outdated government pamphlets, there are loose crayons with wrappers faded to grey. A nearly empty toy chest sits with a worn play bench as well as old vinyl-covered stacking chairs with wood-covered arms. The floor is clean, but covered by two mis-matched colour asphalt tiles — a tan streaked set on the largest part of the room and where a wall used to be, a grey-streaked patch sits.

Over the grey tiles sit three more vinyl-covered seats at a countertop with two dividers, which is sway-backed. The dividers are pulled away from the wall. There’s a wood-framed wicket with drill-holed plexi-glass hiding a receptionist.

That’s the first impression of Child Youth and Family Services as it stands now.

Joan Burke, minister of Child, Youth and Family Services, stopped in Corner Brook to talk to the social workers who are going to be part of her new department soon. They will be transferred from Health and Community Services, and Burke said the designation as a department of government carries with it a connotation of higher priority.

Burke has visited more than 20 of the 52 family services offices around the province and she intends to visit the remainder by the end of the summer.

This past week she stopped in Stephenville, Stephenville Crossing, Burgeo and Piccadilly. She’s also toured the Northern Peninsula, Deer Lake and Port aux Basques on her trip around the province.

She listened to the concerns of the social workers, but told them not to expect a quick-fix.
She figures it will take 3-5 years before Child Youth and Family Services is running the way it can and should.

There have been several “consistent messages” Burke has received from the workers so far in her tour. The information technology system, which has not been helpful at all, needs to be revamped. Social workers feel they needs adequate resources to allow them to focus on social work instead of other duties

“There’s actually optimism regarding the new department,” Burke said. “The front-line workers are very supportive of government’s decision to start the new department. That’s a consistent message.”

Burke said the optimism is well founded.

Since government received the report of the inquiry into the death of Zachary Turner in 2006, a ministerial committee was struck oversee the implementation of the recommendations. When social workers told government there was no result after it invested $24 million and 200 new positions in Child Youth and Family Services with, it became apparent to them a new department needed to be formed.

A legislation review is underway and amendments will be introduced. Once that’s done, policies need to be reviewed, training needs to be done then supervision must be done.

“To think we’re going to go in and throw money at this with a load of quick fixes is not what the social workers need right now,” Burke said.
“We also have a field of social work right now that is de-valued. It certainly doesn’t have the profile to reflect the work. We recognize child protection is the most difficult form of social work.”

Shirley Terry, program manager for Child Youth and Family Services in Corner Brook, said the social workers asked a lot of questions of the minister: Is there a new computer system in the future? Are they staying in the same buildings? What services will be in place? Will they finally get the support they need to appropriately handle cases with complex needs?

Terry said having the support to meet the need is the biggest challenge that face the front-line workers right now.

Case load is also a huge problem across the province.

“It’s always been an issue,” Terry said. “It’s been an issue for years. They’re more complex than they used to be, so there’s a lot going on in the families we deal with. It’s not just one issue, there’s lots of issues. There’s complex cases and a lot of them.

“I think this whole process of the minister coming and speaking to what the new department is going to look like initiates a lot of hope... It’s hope that help is coming.”