Family Services workers protest unsafe conditions, plead for more staff

Clark County workers with the Department of Family Services urged their leader Wednesday to capable much than 100 vacant positions arsenic they sounded an alarm implicit unsafe conditions for unit and clients.

The workers besides demanded region officials make policies to supply a harmless moving situation crossed the section including astatine Child Haven, the installation for abused, neglected and abandoned children wherever employees protested Wednesday.

Members of Service Employees International Union, Local 1107, which represents household services employees, staged the aboriginal greeting walkout to gully attraction to staffing shortages. Roughly 100 radical showed up, astir SEIU members, the labour radical said.

“With staffing shortages and minimal simplification successful paperwork, it lessens the magnitude of clip that unit tin adequately walk with families connected their caseloads,” said Michelle Maese, a supervisor successful the department’s specialized unit, successful a statement.

“This besides leads to precocious turnover, unit exhaustion and burnout,” Maese said.

The section would request much than 106 caller employees successful bid to instrumentality moving conditions to a harmless level, according to the union, citing an autarkic study.

Staffing issues person been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a hiring frost for astir a twelvemonth and is forcing the region to play drawback up, according to spokesperson Dan Kulin.

“The concerns national leaders shared with america halfway astir the tendency to adhd unit astatine the Department of Family Services, which absorption has been actively moving to accomplish,” Kulin said successful a statement.

The region has hired 29 caller unit members successful the past month, helium said, and it is interviewing and offering jobs to prospective employees weekly.

But beyond being understaffed, the national besides raised fears of its employees being ill-equipped to grip definite cases. For instance, children with terrible intelligence unwellness and autism are being placed astatine Child Haven, according to the union, and workers person been attacked, including 1 who was precocious thrown done a window.

“To code this, the region is moving to prosecute intelligence wellness professionals and make programs to conscionable the contiguous intelligence wellness needs of children successful our community,” Kulin said.

Contact Shea Johnson astatine sjohnson@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ connected Twitter.