Written by
Citizen staff
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Thursday, 16 July 2009 |
Child protection workers in Terrace, Prince Rupert and Kitimat have received word that six full-time positions will be eliminated in their region because of provincial government budget cuts.
Staff who work with vulnerable children and families at risk were told by their managers the cuts are necessary to ensure that the office can balance the costs of front-line social workers with the money allocated by the Campbell government to pay for salaries.
It's anticipated that child protection and guardianship services across the north will face similar cuts.
"Poverty is at the root of most child protection cases," said Darryl Walker, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union. "With rising unemployment and more people on welfare, the economic downturn has put even more pressure on families, particularly in northern communities like Terrace."
Walker said he has written the new minister of children and families Mary Polak seeking a meeting to raise concerns about the proposed cuts, and to make the case for the Liberals to step up investment in social programs to help British Columbians deal with the economic crisis.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 July 2009 )
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