In honour of Social Work Week this year, I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to the front-line workers in the child-serving system, and to applaud their chosen theme, “Social Workers Promoting Greater Social Equity.” This theme reminds us that social workers fill a key role in ensuring that B.C.’s most vulnerable children have the same opportunities as their peers. Currently, we know this is not the case. Children and youth in care, despite their resilience, lack the advantages of a stable home life and many have experienced a range of traumas. They depend on their social workers to connect them with the services and caregivers they need and deserve. It is not an easy job. Social workers have unpredictable days, filled with travel and meetings with children and their families, teachers and health care providers. Many work long hours, well beyond a “normal” work day, driven by their dedication to the children and youth who depend on them.
This Social Work Week, join me in commending British Columbia’s caring and committed social workers. Let us show our gratitude for their hard work as champions for the most vulnerable children and youth, and help ensure that they have the support and resources to attain a goal we can all stand behind: more equitable opportunities and better outcomes for all of our province’s children and youth.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond
Representative for Children and Youth, British Columbia
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