Social Work Week Acknowledged in the BC Legislature - March 4th

Social Work Week was acknowledged in the B.C. Legislature yesterday by MLA Claire Trevena, who is the opposition critic for Ministry of Children and Family Development. 

Claire is the MLA for the North Island, which includes Campbell River, Port Hardy and many other places. 

MLA Gordon Hogg, for Surrey-White Rock, of the BC Liberal party, also gave a positive statement about social workers. 

Their statements can be found here on the Hansard debates @ 1350. 

Claire Trevena:

Mr Speaker, this week is officially an opportunity to celebrate Social Workers – those hard working people in the front lines who try to pick up the pieces in people’s lives, who deal daily with the problems of others and try to give stability to individuals and families in crisis.

The theme this year is Celebrating the Past, Present and Future. 

Unfortunately many social workers do not feel much like celebrating the present at the moment and are extremely concerned about the future.

Child and Youth Mental Health teams, short staffed and dealing with heavy case loads of kids in crisis – fearful that one will fall through the cracks. And they do. Suicides happen and they are not in isolation. The devastation to the families, to the community – and to the workers themselves who fear they might have been able to do something more, if they had the time.

Child protection social workers trying to keep on top of all their many files. And trying to work when they are still navigating the cumbersome and inadequate data management system, ICM as well as working with new reporting requirements.

Kids Helpline – the phone line that is promoted as Round The Clock help for kids facing abuse – is going unanswered. That’s because staff numbers have dropped by about a third – down to 40 people on the 24 hour service. Some of them are working three back to back shifts to provide cover and still they cannot answer every call. And those calls are not picked up elsewhere. They ring til they stop. 

The loss of a shift at the After Hours service, which covers the province during the hours the Ministry offices are closed, could mean more problems; there are times, as there were last month when there was a stabbing in Tsawassen, when 2 of the overnight social workers are tied up leaving just one to deal with the dozens of other calls from everywhere else in BC.

There’s a freeze on hiring or replacing staff – staffing levels are being kept at 92 percent – and that’s hurting the workers and the work.

When the worst happens it’s those front line workers who are in the spotlight. The back story is rarely known.

So take a moment this week to thank Social Workers for their dedication, for their commitment, and for picking up the pieces when no-one else is there.

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Gordon Hogg:  

Social workers have driven through snowstorms in northern British Columbia to save abandoned children. They've helped to guide and console families with end-of-life care, and they have provided support to people at all stages of life.

Those in the field of social work are often faced with extremely tough decisions, decisions that have lasting impact on the lives of individuals they are serving. But they're also guided by purpose, driven by a calling to improve the health and well-being of those they work with and those around them. We respect and honour their judgment in making these life-changing and difficult decisions.

Social workers and clinicians are dedicated advocates for human rights and for social justice. Every day they fight discrimination, open doors of access and create opportunities for those in need. Social workers and clinicians strengthen communities, build relationships and enrich lives. They believe in the dignity and worth of the person, nurture diversity and build brighter futures by educating society to the benefits of looking after each other.

Social work enhances the worth, self-determination and well-being of individuals, families and communities through the promotion of social and economic justice and respect for diversity.

March 3 through 9 is Social Work Week in British Columbia. Please join me in thanking the thousands of social workers and clinicians for their dedication and service to improving the lives of British Columbians.