Zahli Whitman always knew she wanted work with at-risk kids, and towards the end of her social work degree the 23-year-old worked for the Department of Child Safety for about a year.
“[Growing up] I realised how important it was to get involved sooner rather than later, and how that can really set up your life,” she said.
She was considering working with the department in Rockhampton as a child safety officer (CSO) when she graduated at the end of last year, but found the caseloads confronting.
Woman smiles at camera in graduation gown
Ms Whitman graduated from her Bachelor of Social Work in December last year.(Supplied)
According to the Department of Child Safety, there were 22 vacant positions for CSOs between Rockhampton, Gladstone, and Emerald as of the start of January.
“It was just a little bit hard to have those really in-depth conversations because we were trying to get through our caseload so quickly,” Ms Whitman said.
Cindy Smith from the Australian Association of Social Workers said the caseloads in Queensland, were high.
“Some other states and territories have a best practice threshold of about 15,” she said.
Ms Whitman said the load on workers here, was much higher.
She said there are only two cultural practice advisors — who provide culturally-appropriate casework support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families — in the Rockhampton centre.
Woman looks at camera with neutral expression
Ms Whitman says a fair caseload would help CSOs to get to things appropriately.(ABC Capricornia: Scout Wallen)
She said from the outset the inadequate staffing levels made it a highly stressful job.
“However, if we just had staff, then we would all have a very fair caseload and the ability to get to things appropriately,” Ms Whitman said.
Pressure on the state’s system
A leaked report from January last year showed that child safety staff believed their workloads were “unsustainable” and “problematic”.
Then an ABC investigation into the deaths of Darcy and Chloe Conley in February pushed the issue of Queensland’s child safety capacity into the national spotlight.
Young girls sits on a curb with knees huddled up, back turned to camera.
Ms Pascal said large caseloads could be putting children at risk.(ABC News: Dean Caton)
Jan Pascal, head of the College of Social Work at the Central Queensland University, said those 22 vacancies shows how prevalent burnout and the “churn-through” of staff is.
“If the services aren’t there then children’s wellbeing, the family wellbeing, would be at risk because they can’t access the services that they need to,” she said.
“That’s when you start to see the horrible situations that do make the news, when children die in care or die before care can come.”
How the child safety system failed Darcey and Chloe
Before Darcey and Chloe Conley died inside a hot car, authorities prematurely closed their file on the children and failed to heed later warnings that the toddlers were at risk, an ABC investigation reveals.
A designed image showing Darcey and Chloe, Kerri-Ann Conley and Peter Jackson in front of a house.
Read more
Julieanne Cork, the department’s regional executive director for the central Queensland region, said when they have this amount of vacancies they must bring in other professionals.
“We absolutely have to work out ways to still be able to deliver service services to the kids,” she said.
In an effort to increase the recruitment and retention of graduate CSOs, the government has announced a pay increase for entry level officers.
Starting salaries will increase to between $94,553 and $103,029 plus 12.75 per cent superannuation for graduate students.
Ms Whitman said that if this had been in place when she was looking for her graduate role she would have considered staying.
“All the team leaders and all the staff they’re really lovely, and everyone’s very passionate about their jobs,” she said.
Zahli Whitman graduated at the end of 2023 and did not stay on as a CSO in Rockhampton.(Supplied)
Ms Pascal said although graduates are an important part of the workforce, creating a sustainable working environment to keep experienced CSOs in the job is critical.
“It’s really important that people are remunerated adequately for what they do and the long, long hours they put in,” she said.
“But, it’s a short-term incentive.”