Conditions so bad that 74% would consider comparable jobs in other fields
St. John's (13 June 2008) - A survey conducted on behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) supports the union’s ongoing concerns about a shortage of social workers in the province.
NAPE president Carol Furlong says 69% of those surveyed feel they have "inadequate time to devote to their caseloads" while 93% feel administrative or other duties "take away from the time they require" to attend properly to their caseloads.
"More than half say they can’t leave their jobs at the office when they are done for the day," Furlong adds.
"It is easy to see why social workers feel their caseloads are unmanageable, when 69% report there’s a shortage of social workers in their workplace, and more than half say there are vacant social work positions where they work."
Meanwhile, a staggering 74% of those surveyed said they would "consider leaving social work if offered a comparable job in another field."
"Clearly the employer must offer greater incentives if it hopes to keep social workers in the job," Furlong says.
Social workers provide support to some of the most vulnerable members of society. Their clients include children, the elderly, families in crisis, people seeking to adopt, foster parents, individuals with mental health issues and those struggling with addiction. The survey was conducted on NAPE's behalf by an independent research firm. NUPGE
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