Perspective from Labor: ACS Social Workers in SSEU Local 371

Yolanda Pumarejo,, LMSW, Executive Vice President, Social Service Employees Union Local 371

Our labor organization, the Social Service Employees Union Local 371, represents approximately 18,000 public sector workers who provide social services in New York City, and 2,000 are social workers with MSWs. They provide a myriad of social services.

We represent our members from the entry-level position to the supervisory level, advocating and supporting worker rights. SSEU Local 371 social workers continue to be at the forefront of social issues and have always demonstrated their commitment to the children and families of New York City.

Our members work in many city agencies including the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). They are the front line workers and supervisors who dedicate their lives to ensure the
well being of the most vulnerable members of society.

First Responders

In child welfare, it is these workers who go into the most dangerous areas of the city to protect a child’s life. It is they who confront resistant and sometimes aggressive clients. It is they who must make immediate assessments about a child’s well being. As first responders, our workers are able to develop a rapport with these families and be the most effective agent for change. They assess their client’s needs, develop a service plan and provide crisis intervention and counseling.

In addition, there are specialized units of Child Evaluation Specialists who facilitate appropriate services between the child protective specialist, the case planner (the agency) and the family, once a child is placed in foster care.

The Challenge of High Caseloads and Understaffing

Our social workers in Child Welfare must continuously deal with high caseloads and the expectation to do more with less, as many city offices are chronically understaffed. Workers must continuously negotiate and balance a child welfare system in which the emphasis is on investigation and prosecution, rather than the mission and goals of social work. In the end, it becomes a major challenge for even the most skilled social worker.

In order to provide the best services to the children and families of New York, there must be a strong commitment by the agency and its managers to respect and utilize their employees’ skills and abilities to the fullest. This includes utilizing their own social workers to provide immediate direct services, as well as ongoing preventive services.

Management must continue to recognize the importance of a supportive work environment. They must focus on providing quality social services, rather than just meeting deadlines and mandates.

Need for Incentives

In NYC our Child Welfare workers continue to make a difference by focusing on the needs of the child, which include a functioning family unit whenever possible. Public sector social workers are in a unique position to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in need. There
must be incentives, therefore, to ensure that those graduating from schools of social work look to the traditions of social work and move to careers in public service.

There needs to be a continued partnership with professional organizations such as NASW and schools of social work for full scholarships and loan forgiveness. The correlation between a well paid workforce and retention and recruitment of qualified staff cannot be underestimated.

Currently, in Child Welfare, there is an exemption from the social work licensure requirement. In 2010, when this exemption expires, there will be a greater challenge for the City of New York to provide pay differentials and career opportunities to ensure the most skilled and experienced workers stay on.

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