Child protection workers have never faced a crisis like the one they are currently in, with workers crying in their cars, on stress leave, or terrified that a lack of resources will lead to a child’s death. This explains the current strike at the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa – but it also describes what workers are experiencing at Hamilton Child and Family Supports, HFCS.
“We look at what they’re facing in Ottawa and it’s a mirror of our experiences. We are the last line of protection for children. What does it say about our government’s values if those tasked with keeping children safe deal with chronic stress and not enough resources to do their jobs?” said Shannon King, a frontline protection worker and president of the CUPE 5300 representing roughly 190 workers at HCFS. In the last 18 months, HFCS laid off 19 frontline protection workers and refused to replace four others who left. “There’s no one else to cut. And it means that every worker who is still here is carrying a much higher burden while families get less support,” said King.
Last week, members of CUPE 5300 donated coffee and donuts to the picket line in Ottawa and $1,500 to their strike fund as a show of solidarity. Along with the donation, they are issuing a warning to Hamilton families and policy makers that they will be in the same position, desperately fighting for more resources, when bargaining begins in 2025.
For years, the mandate of child protection agencies has shifted from bringing children into care to supporting them in their communities. This is a laudable goal – but the shift has meant that when workers do need to remove a child for their own safety, the resources to do so are not there.
“Best case scenario is always to keep a child with their family, kin, or community. But we don’t live in the best case scenario. We have to protect against the worst. Placement is a last resort, but it’s crucial to keep children safe,” said King. “Right now we’re keeping children in unsafe situations not because it’s what’s best for them but because we don’t have the resources to do anything else. We are dozens of workers and beds short of truly being able to meet our community’s needs and that is what’s at stake in the next round of bargaining.”
A June report from the Financial Accountability Office laid bare that the Ford government is underspending on their own commitments to social services by a shocking $3.7 billion.
“This government has the money, they just don’t seem to care. Their message to workers and families is to find solutions that are safe enough but an encampment or a family members home without proper supervision is never safe enough for a child,” said Monique Taylor, NDP MPP and critic for Children, Community and Social Services. “We know this government has the resources to support both workers and families, to help both live their best lives. But when it comes to this government, it will never be their concern. Our community deserves to be a priority. They deserve better.”