STAFF RETENTION ON THE IMPROVE

A long-term strategy to better support child safety workers is paying dividends, Child Safety Minister Margaret Keech told Parliament today.

Mrs Keech said the separation rate for child safety workers had slowed appreciably in recent months as the strategy took effect.

"Supporting staff has been my number one priority since I became Child Safety Minister just over a year ago and I’m encouraged to see that staff separations have dropped 8 per cent so far this financial year," Mrs Keech said.

"The retention of staff is a major challenge for child protection agencies across Australia.

"I never accepted that we could not improve our retention rate. Since I became Minister, ensuring we improve support to staff has been a priority – and we are now starting to see the results."

Mrs Keech said staff turnover is, in part, reflective of the demographics of the Child Safety workforce, which is approximately 86 per cent female and 45 per cent under 35 years of age – in contrast to the public sector average of 66 per cent female and 26 per cent under the age of 35 years.

"Our frontline officers work in the face of threats and abuse from parents – the same people whose abuse and threats caused us to intervene in their families in the first place," she said

"Despite that, 85 per cent of those who have left say they would return to the Department. In fact, 105 have rejoined since July 2007."

Mrs Keech said a number of initiatives have and are being implemented to reduce separations. They include:

• The creation of a new staff support branch
• workload reduction strategies;
• incentives and accommodation support for those working in rural and remote areas;
• better on-the-job and leadership training;
• mentoring of inexperienced staff;
• improving career paths;
• promotion of almost one-third of frontline CSOs from PO2 to PO3 level, thanks to a special budget allocation of $2.2 million this financial year that will put up to $315 extra in CSOs’ pockets;
• expanding entry qualifications to diversify the workforce;
• working with the Queensland Public Sector Union to provide a more flexible workplace and better work/life balance for staff; and
• converting close to 400 suitable temporary staff to permanent status.

"The Bligh Government is confronting the challenge head-on by valuing and supporting our child safety staff," Mrs Keech said.

"We are looking over the horizon to build a better child protection system and a more stable workforce."

ENDS

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