Some N.B. child protection social workers left out of negotiated wage top-up, union says

Some child protection social workers have been left out of a new wage top-up, which the union representing those employees says has created a "poisonous" work environment. 

In its final month, the Blaine Higgs government signed a new contract with CUPE 1418 that included a bonus for child protection social workers, meant to attract people to an often-challenging field, Shawna Morton, union president, said.

But since the deal was struck, Morton said the province has "picked and chosen" which workers are eligible and that's having the opposite effect of attracting and retaining these crucial professionals, with some now threatening to quit over the issue.

The disagreement hinges on one line in the collective agreement. It specifies that the bonus, which is 15 per cent of the biweekly pay rate, will apply to "any social worker who is regularly and continuously assigned to child protection investigations or on-going child protection."

That amounts to about $400 to $575 added to a worker's biweekly pay, retroactive to late July, the union said.

Morton said 30 child-protection temporary-care social workers, who work with children temporarily placed in the government's care, are not receiving the bonus. 

However, their colleagues in the same unit, who work with the families the children were taken from, do receive the premium. 

Having a responsibility to children in temporary care doesn't mean those workers are not also "regularly and continuously" providing protection services, said Morton.

"To sum it up easily would be to say that their main responsibility is the voice of the child," she said. 

The province said Wednesday it's aware of the situation but would not commit to extending the top-up to those currently excluded. 

"The Department of Social Development is aware of the concerns brought forward by CUPE 1418," spokesperson Kate Wright said by email. 

"We continue to work with our partners to ensure everyone meeting the eligibility requirements, as agreed to in the collective agreement, receives the top-up."

Morton said on Thursday the province told her that a grievance the union submitted on the issue was denied. 

Overlapping duties

There is a section in the contract that allows for workers "occasionally assigned to child protection investigations or on-going child protection," to receive the bonus only for the hours they spend on those tasks.

But Morton maintains these workers deserve the same bonus as their colleagues. 

"It's a hard, demanding job, and the responsibilities that they have are parallel to child protection workers who are managing the family," she said. 

"To me, there's a need to keep both at the premium level, because otherwise they're going to have vacancies in those [temporary care] positions, which is going to impact the workers doing the child protection management of the families."

Having some social workers assigned to children temporarily in care of the province and others carrying out child protection investigations was one recommendation made in the 2019 George Savoury review of New Brunswick's child protection system. 

"It is not possible to do a good job when doing both of those roles," he wrote in the report.

But the clear division envisioned in that report has not actually happened, Morton said, as social workers assigned children in temporary care also have responsibilities related to investigations, apprehension, documentation and court preparation. 

A job description provided to CBC News says the "Child Protection Temporary Care social worker" will "build a meaningful relationship with the child/youth" and "assume responsibility for the child/youth's care and wellbeing." 

But it also says those social workers must conduct investigations "with the Child Protection Social Worker and/or as the primary social worker."

The child protection workers now receiving the top-up differ in that they do not work with children in temporary care, said Morton.

However, she noted, all of the province's 275 child protection workers were included in the 4.8 per cent wage top-up in the previous collective agreement.

"In my heart of hearts, when we negotiated, to me there was no difference whatsoever. So when we left that table we were very clear in our minds that all child protection workers were getting it," she said. 

Shortly after the collective agreement was signed, a news release from the province said the premium would go to "front-line social workers in child protection."

Social Development did not answer questions about why child protection social workers managing children in temporary care would not meet that definition.  

Staffing key to child protection

Ultimately, she worries about the implications for keeping child protection units adequately staffed.

"I've had two in Saint John alone tell me they're done — they're not going to do this if they don't get the premium," she said.

"Even when you don't look at the money piece alone ... it just creates for a poisonous work environment, and it's not fair to have that. Those units need to have as much gel and as much cohesion and collaboration as they possibly can."

Savoury's review came after five children were found in their Saint John home in a severely neglected state – malnourished, covered in feces and with rotting teeth — despite countless warnings to Social Development about their safety. 

His investigation into New Brunswick's child protection system identified caseload and staffing as a major factor in the system's ability to keep children safe.

"A number of the staff stated that they are concerned that children may be at risk, due to their high caseloads, and inability to meet departmental standards," Savoury wrote. 

"While the protection of children from abuse and neglect is the primary focus of social workers and supervisors, the reality is that the caseload/workload, the lack of technological resources, the slowness in filling vacant positions, all make it very difficult."