Thanks to non-stop advocacy by SEIU 721 Children’s Social Workers, help is on the way for Antelope Valley CSWs in the form of major pay premiums to retain and attract more qualified CSWs at Antelope Valley DCFS offices, which have been especially hard hit by high turnover and staff shortages.
Led by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the LA County Board of Supervisors has directed the County CEO and DCFS to institute pay premiums worth between 5-10 percent of pay to help retain and attract qualified CSWs to deal with excessive caseloads caused in part by attrition and short-staffing at these offices.
These pay premiums will be a game-changer for increasing child safety and improving outcomes for children and families in Antelope Valley, but they are just the beginning. They are a model for the type of change we want to bring to other hard-hit DCFS offices as laid out in our “Road to Child Safety” report.
Please take a moment to read more about them here: download flyer
Retaining social workers here in the AV is only part of the problem since even this monetary plan won’t keep them if they don’t feel supported by management. Also, they’re hiring people just because they passed a test that has nothing to do with the work and because they have a degree but they have absolutely no experience with children, or working with families and that is a problem. They are rejecting people with work and life experiences that have masters degrees such as Forensic Psychology all because the degree doesn’t just say psychology as if it’s not still a… Read more »