- Cook Government commits $3.7 million in
temporary incentives to attract and retain regional child protection staff for critical
roles in five regions
- Temporary incentive package will provide
financial support for eligible staff and comes into effect from 1 July 2023
- Reinforces Cook Government's commitment to
supporting vulnerable families and keeping children safe
The
Cook Government will invest $3.7 million for a temporary staff attraction and
retention package to boost critical child protection workforce numbers across
five regions of Western Australia.
The
Department of Communities has developed the package, which will be made
available for new and existing employees up until 30 June 2024 in identified
critical roles to help bolster frontline staff.
The
temporary incentive package will commence on 1 July 2023 and offer eligible
staff:
- up to $13,000 in additional financial support in
the Kimberley and Pilbara regions;
- up to $10,000 in Mid-West and Gascoyne regions;
and
- up to $6,000 across the Goldfields-Esperance and
Wheatbelt regions.
These
payments will be in addition to existing employment entitlements.
The
package builds on a range of other strategies that are already being
implemented to attract child protection workers including:
- frontline talent campaigns of online marketing,
career expos and partnerships with community organisations to target State,
interstate and international candidates and apply regional recruitment
solutions to employ more locally based candidates;
- social work student placements to provide a talent
pipeline and strengthen graduate recruitment efforts;
- additional targeted international recruitment
campaigns; and
- Regional Talent Registers, streamlining the process
of identifying talent in regional areas through a simplified application
process for candidates.
The
frontline child protection workforce is critical in helping to protect
vulnerable young people and their families, and the State Government continues
to respond to challenges faced in the current labour market to attract suitably
qualified and experienced staff.
Comments attributed to Child Protection
Minister Sabine Winton:
"I've
had the great opportunity to meet with and hear from hundreds of child
protection workers throughout the State over the past six months. These staff
care so much for the children they support and work tirelessly to keep them
safe.
"The
work they do is incredible, and we value what they contribute to our community
so much, which is why it's important we support them as best we can.
"A
big part of that support is being able to retain experienced staff and attract
new people to fill vacancies in these critical regions, which is why we've
created this package.
"This
package further builds on a range of strategies that the State Government has
already implemented to boost our child protection workforce, particularly in
our regions."
