Guest dolly1 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thank you for having the courage to come forward and admit just how difficult it was. I am glad you managed to put this experience behind you, but people need to realise the the long term effects of bullying can last for a considerable period of time, even when away from the situation, it is worse when it is initiated by professionals who work in a department which strives to represent the most vulnerable members of society. As a survivor of DHCS I can only emphatise with what you went though as I am sure we have similar stories to relate. The fact that we have one lone voice telling the world how wonderful it is now is is not representative of the situation as it was. I do hope potential recruits consider their options seriously before embarking on such a life changing venture without paying some attention as to why DHCS are still trying to recruit staff. Consideration should also be given to those representatives who portrayed a positive account at the interviews, they all had the opportunity to return to the UK to see family and friends cost free, their motives may be considered dubious at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolly1 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 It would take a lifetime to explain the horrendous experiences that workers suffered at DHCS. I will try and retrive a copy of a list of extensive complaints which were submitted to management when I worked there as UK recruits demanded meetings to address the issues. This will highlight the number of concerns, but from memory the DHCS were not open and honest in their interactions with potential recruits. They did not tell people until they arrived in Canberra (even though I later spoke to their legal department who had encouraged them to do so) that unless they have a MSW they may not be eligible to join the Australian Association of Social Work, and you cannot work anywhere else in Australia without joining. Most of the recruits who stayed in Canberra had children, or had a certificate in social work, but years of experience. They had all gone out with the intention of moving to somewhere once they had completed two years, which is the minimum time you need to stay before you have to repay relocation monies. Then they discovered they couldn't move, and a lot of them are stuck. There are major differences in ways of working there. Social workers are not allowed to call themselves social workers, as it offends the Australians who are not qualified. Noone else in my team was qualified, all Australians, one had a diploma in physical education and one in home economics. They have no experience/knowledge of social work theory/risk assessment/attachment etc etc and all had a case management role. Social workers mainly completed affidavits for court, but their assessments were not valued, all parental assessments were completed by psychologists. There were no pre birth case conferences, parents, even those who had murdered children were allowed to take new babies home while DHCS waited for a report/referral to come in, which explains why they had so many child deaths. Risk thresholds were high, and the UK recruits were all given the violent/aggressive clients. But I would assume that any skilled social worker could manage those difficulties to the best of their abilities. However one aspect which could not be overlooked was the bullying which I have attested to, was rife and came from the top down, anyone who complained was victimised and bullied and forced to leave, including Australians. If you google David Lander, he is a solicitor in Canberra he has a high media profile including podcases where he talks at length about bullying within DHCS. Sadly, I could go on and on. I was horrified by the way some UK recruits abused the system and openly defrauded the department without consequences. One insisted on utilising her relocation monies to buy new furniture for her house in Ireland which she rented out, her argument being that if she wasn't relocating to Canberra she would not have to replace her furniture with inflammable items. When she arrived in Canberra she used the remaining relocation money to purchase a car, all of which was approved by DHCS. She also persuaded another recruit who was moving from the same city to carry a small box of personal items and that she would repay monies when her items arrived. Due to her deceit and lies, she persuaded the shipping company to accept extra items and placed it on the other recruits account. In total she sent twelve huge packing containers of personal effects which she refused to pay for when it arrived, leaving the recruit out of pocket to the tune of thousands of dollars.. This same woman cheated on her medical assessment report and failed to report that she had been out of work for over a year because of health difficulties. This is the calibre of worker which DHCS approved, hence it struck me that DHCS were so desperate to recruit anyone they accepted this immoral and openly fraudulant type of person, who has brought the profession into disrepute. I have never contribued to a forum of any nature before I came accross this site, but was so compelled to do so because I really think people should know what they are likely to encounter. I have years of front line social work practice, and consider myself to an honest, hard working employee, but I have never in my life experienced anything like the appalling treatment I received through DHCS. I had to sell my house in Australia and return to UK at great financial expense, but if things had been even bearable I would have remained. I am now grateful on a daily basis to work alongside professionally qualified, experienced social work staff who are not prejeduced in working with clients. . I am not just one disgrunted employee, I am in touch with several other survivors of DHCS who would be more than willing to talk to anyone about it, one of whom only returned in 2010 because of the bullying she was subjected to there, so it still exists. regards Dolly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 OMG - Dolly - Thank you so much for explaining more about the situation - it was so heartfelt I know it to be honest. I'm saddened by the fact that so many "professionals" are so unscrupulous and clearly do not do the job for the right reasons - to support vulnerable families. When I arrive in Canbera I will look for work and may need to consider posts in DCHS although (thankfully) it will not be social work ... However your honest, open posts will allow me to be cautious and mindful - thank you so much x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgen Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 You are absolutely right about the head of department who regularly recruits for staff UK and N Ireland, it's likely a free holiday to catch up with family as he relocated from there. As for the reasons as to why many social workers have left care and protection social work department, no doubt he could provide you with interesting answers but probably not all of them accurate. But as a survivor of DHCS child protection in Canberra I can give you an extensive list of why recruits from UK and Ireland did not stay. This can be verified by other staff who have escaped, at great personal and financial cost to themselves. In terms of work experience, it is more of a case management role, there is no culture of working in partnership with families. In child protection there were no pre birth case conferences and risk thresholds were so high that many children suffered. As for relationships with staff, Australian collegues are unqualified social workers, have no experience or knowledge in social work theory or practice. Most of them are racist and refused to with with that they referred to as 'abbos' Aboriginals. The culture of bullying from the top down was horrendous, the working hours were extensive and the UK and Irish recruits were all given the difficult cases which involved familes who were extremely dangerous. I was badly assaulted, but received no support whatsoever. I could go on and on. You should really google a solicitor in Canberra called David Lander who has successfully pursued cases where staff were illegally sacked because they made complaints about the system. The Canberra Times, local newspaper has written quite a lot about bullying in DHCS, but the goverment has turned a blind eye which raises questions as to whether the bullying eminates from the top. I hope this information is helpful to anyone considering pursuing an application to Canberra DHCS. You are just so right! It's the same in Victoria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgen Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 If you can last the 2 years! Last week I got a sms out of the blue from one of the last round of recruits who manged to escape and is now working in WA. Sad really because Canberra itself is quite a nice place. 2 yrs is like a life sentence in aussie social work, I only lasted 3 months and even that felt too long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolly1 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Did you work in DHCS too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgen Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I worked for DHS which I presume is the same thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livethedream Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 2 yrs is like a life sentence in aussie social work, I only lasted 3 months and even that felt too long! Has anyone had a positive experience of social work in Oz??? Just curious. as possibly looking to emigrate in around 2 1/2 years time. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest50198 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I am hearing a lot of negative comments from people on this thread who may have had personal issues in their workplace and are attributing or transferring their grievances in a public forum which ethically as a social worker I have serious issues with. I have difficulty understanding that as qualified and I presume experienced social workers, whose professional values include*upholding public trust and confidence in social services, would accuse people of bullying and use discriminatory language in a public forum whether they are in that current employment or have left the employer they apparently remain to have issues with. There will be procedures in place to deal with these issues ina more respectful way and may i also suggest that professional counselling or mediation is sought given that the incidents you appear to be discussing occurred many years ago and are in the past. It's not even clear if any others who contributed worked there or just listened to idle gossip? I'm sorry but I do not share the view 'fore armed is fore warned' but rather feel these views are quite toxic and one sided, perhaps it's more interesting that the views come from a select few? I joined this forum to prepare and make connections with people who were in a similar situation to us, the excitement of this move, the experiences that await and the expected and unexpected challenges this entire journey will bring.* My family and I are about to embark on one of the most frightening and enlightening journeys and my hopes for joining this forum was to help us along this path, not to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us. Objectivity and an ability to consider all aspects of a situation is paramount in social work so I'm jumping to conclusions just yet. May I wish those who were also successful in gaining positions all the very best with the process from the visas/move and relocation and getting your dream started, we are looking forward to continuing with ours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_shel Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 I am hearing a lot of negative comments from people on this thread who may have had personal issues in their workplace and are attributing or transferring their grievances in a public forum which ethically as a social worker I have serious issues with. I have difficulty understanding that as qualified and I presume experienced social workers, whose professional values include*upholding public trust and confidence in social services, would accuse people of bullying and use discriminatory language in a public forum whether they are in that current employment or have left the employer they apparently remain to have issues with. There will be procedures in place to deal with these issues ina more respectful way and may i also suggest that professional counselling or mediation is sought given that the incidents you appear to be discussing occurred many years ago and are in the past. It's not even clear if any others who contributed worked there or just listened to idle gossip? I'm sorry but I do not share the view 'fore armed is fore warned' but rather feel these views are quite toxic and one sided, perhaps it's more interesting that the views come from a select few? I joined this forum to prepare and make connections with people who were in a similar situation to us, the excitement of this move, the experiences that await and the expected and unexpected challenges this entire journey will bring.* My family and I are about to embark on one of the most frightening and enlightening journeys and my hopes for joining this forum was to help us along this path, not to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us. Objectivity and an ability to consider all aspects of a situation is paramount in social work so I'm jumping to conclusions just yet. May I wish those who were also successful in gaining positions all the very best with the process from the visas/move and relocation and getting your dream started, we are looking forward to continuing with ours! So you would rather people lie & say how rosie it is and wish you and your family well for the future? Social workers are not immune to the feelings that are bought about by bullying and intimidation solely because of their training. Nor should they ignore such behavior, even the UK has a national whistleblowing procedure! You assume Australia has the same such procedures, social work/council statutory duties and the same ethics and values statement in place that the UK has when if you look into it they don't and are unlikely to for many years. How can one be upholding public trust by allowing and being part of an organisation that breaches that trust by discriminating against staff and service users. Being part of the problem is directly breaching that trust. I don't actually think 2009/10 is many years ago. That was the last time ACT came on a recruitment drive in the UK, flying back with a plane for of qualified workers. And only 3 years later they are needing to come back again to recruit! I have spoken on this and 3 other forums to 6 other people who have returned or left ACT having only gone in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgen Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I am hearing a lot of negative comments from people on this thread who may have had personal issues in their workplace and are attributing or transferring their grievances in a public forum which ethically as a social worker I have serious issues with. I have difficulty understanding that as qualified and I presume experienced social workers, whose professional values include*upholding public trust and confidence in social services, would accuse people of bullying and use discriminatory language in a public forum whether they are in that current employment or have left the employer they apparently remain to have issues with. There will be procedures in place to deal with these issues ina more respectful way and may i also suggest that professional counselling or mediation is sought given that the incidents you appear to be discussing occurred many years ago and are in the past. It's not even clear if any others who contributed worked there or just listened to idle gossip? I'm sorry but I do not share the view 'fore armed is fore warned' but rather feel these views are quite toxic and one sided, perhaps it's more interesting that the views come from a select few? I joined this forum to prepare and make connections with people who were in a similar situation to us, the excitement of this move, the experiences that await and the expected and unexpected challenges this entire journey will bring.* My family and I are about to embark on one of the most frightening and enlightening journeys and my hopes for joining this forum was to help us along this path, not to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us. Objectivity and an ability to consider all aspects of a situation is paramount in social work so I'm jumping to conclusions just yet. May I wish those who were also successful in gaining positions all the very best with the process from the visas/move and relocation and getting your dream started, we are looking forward to continuing with ours! You talk of ethics? Social work in Oz will seriously compromise all of your social work ethics. I think it's arrogant of you to at least not listen to the advice you are being offered, these issues are still current and not historical, I only returned in January so still feeling raw. You can't anticipate the differences in SW in UK and OZ but what you can do is listen to the realities from those that have experienced it first hand. Are you going with children? If so, make sure you have xcellent childcare because the expectation is that you'll be working well past 6pm every night! The attraction of the lovely aussie weather? You'll be lucky to see any of that Mon-Fri!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I am hearing a lot of negative comments from people on this thread who may have had personal issues in their workplace and are attributing or transferring their grievances in a public forum which ethically as a social worker I have serious issues with. I have difficulty understanding that as qualified and I presume experienced social workers, whose professional values include*upholding public trust and confidence in social services, would accuse people of bullying and use discriminatory language in a public forum whether they are in that current employment or have left the employer they apparently remain to have issues with. There will be procedures in place to deal with these issues ina more respectful way and may i also suggest that professional counselling or mediation is sought given that the incidents you appear to be discussing occurred many years ago and are in the past. It's not even clear if any others who contributed worked there or just listened to idle gossip? I'm sorry but I do not share the view 'fore armed is fore warned' but rather feel these views are quite toxic and one sided, perhaps it's more interesting that the views come from a select few? I joined this forum to prepare and make connections with people who were in a similar situation to us, the excitement of this move, the experiences that await and the expected and unexpected challenges this entire journey will bring.* My family and I are about to embark on one of the most frightening and enlightening journeys and my hopes for joining this forum was to help us along this path, not to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us. Objectivity and an ability to consider all aspects of a situation is paramount in social work so I'm jumping to conclusions just yet. May I wish those who were also successful in gaining positions all the very best with the process from the visas/move and relocation and getting your dream started, we are looking forward to continuing with ours! Personally I couldnt give two hoots whether new recruits come or not however I do believe that people should be made aware of what has gone before and I would hate people to have a horrible experience in Canberra (history is the best predictor of the future after all!) Let us hope that things have changed wonderfully and none of you have the slightest problems however if what we have done is to raise your antennae and maybe make some provision for protecting yourself before you burn any bridges then that is better than nothing. I would imagine that if you felt people had knowingly kept information from you which would impact on the way that you do your preparations then you would (justifiably) feel mightily pi$$ed off. I know that I was encouraging of the last round of recruits (and had coffee with several) - I knew that they had a mentoring plan set up (various reports about the efficacy of that from several people) and I know that they systematically selected people with families - whether their intention was benign or entrapping I have no idea. They thought that families would be more likely to settle and more reluctant to uproot kids from schools - and I can imagine that if you have your kids settled and bought homes then moving would be more difficult. The first intake were largely singletons and they did not have a good time which is fairly common knowledge in Canberra despite all sorts of threats and legal gagging orders - gossip, I grant you, but no smoke without fire. I am sure none of us wish you anything less than the very best of luck and hope that your skills will benefit Canberra's disadvantaged. In the past, newcomers have certainly tried to engender some fabulous collaborative practice and they were missed when they departed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolly1 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I would like to respond to some of the comments you have made in your last post. You state that you did not wish ‘to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us.’ If you check the posts that have been submitted you will find that they come from a variety of sources this is not one person’s sole account. You also need to be made aware that many of the recruits who left under duress were subjected to legal gagging mechanisms; hence the full truth cannot be revealed. In your comments you suggest that people have had personal issues in their workplace and are attributing or transferring their grievances in a public forum. We are all professionally qualified social workers with a wealth of experience behind us, yet to seek to denigrate them and suggest that there are lone reports of bullying or personal issues is a gross insult to everyone who survived the experience of working with DHCS. I agree that there should be procedures in place to deal with the bullying; however there are no whistle blowing procedures in place. Indeed anyone who challenged the system was ostracised and subjected to further abuse until the point where they were forced to leave the department. As far as I can see from reading the posts on these forums, the contributors who have been courageous enough to highlight the bullying they were subjected to, they, did not listen to idle gossip, but actually experienced this first hand while working for DHCS. I am very concerned about your lack of empathy and compassion for what people were subjected to. As you may be aware, research indicates the classic response of the bully when challenged is to ridicule the victim, and cast aspersions on their character thus isolating the person further. This is the stance which you have taken, which is exactly what management in DHCS did. You should consider yourself fortunate that you have not been bullied in the workplace, and hopefully because people like me have challenged the system in DHCS there is less likelihood of you being subjected to the same thing. However given that a recruit returned to UK in January with the same concerns indicates that there has been no real change in attitude within DHCS. I do wish you and your family the best of luck in their venture and hope that you are not subjected to the bullying which previous social workers experienced. As you have stated you do not want ‘to read one persons views of alleged situations without any other evidence before us’ it may be helpful to examine extracts from the minutes of a meeting which was held with all UK recruits and Australian staff who were working in DHCS. This was ultimately submitted to management for consideration. As union representatives were present these minutes are accessible when you join DHCS. Needless to say no action was taken by management to address the concerns which include but are not restricted to the following One of the main problems in this organisation is the culture of bullying which has been observed consistently. Individual professional ethics dictate that staff will not behave in an oppressive manner in order to gain promotion. Individuals do not want to be employed in a department which is synonimous with bullying and individuals are currently actively seeking employment elsewhere. It was agreed that the CEO and Minister were probably not aware of the issues around bullying and the task was going to be bringing these concerns to their attention. It was generally agreed that senior. Management. were not hearing the concerns through avenues such as WCC's etc. It was observed that promotion appears to occur when someone is perceived to be in the 'in group' and is not necessarily achieved/represented by qualifications, experience or meritocracy. There were consistent and worrying examples of concerning treatment within the department: The department waited until a Team Leader (A) went on annual leave before undertaking a 'witch hunt' in which they sought to secure negative information about him. These actions undermined and destabilised the current team and subsequently resulted in considerable fragmentation of the team In the interim another Team Leader (B) utilised a social occasion in order to make derogatory remarks about Team Leader (A) This Team Leader (B) also utilised another social occasion when other professionals from Care and Protection Services were present, to make derogatory remarks about a member of his/her own team. Team Leader (B) has also made crass remarks about a Senior Practitioner who no longer is employed in this department. Team Leader (B) made malicious remarks to other colleagues about why this Senior Practitioner was no longer employed in this department. Team Leader (B) stated that the Senior Practitioner had been sent to 'special projects' which was a euphemism for someone being removed from their duties. Team Leader (B) stated that the Senior Practitioner was subsequently transferred to the 'departure lounge' which is also a euphemism for being sacked. The negative and scurrilous behaviour which the Team Leader (B) demonstrated does not appear to have been challenged or addressed. As Team Leader (B) subsequently secured a permanent position, it would appear that this unprofessional behaviour appears to be have been rewarded. Staff feel this culture of 'bitchiness' is unprofessional and does not generate a sense of loyalty to this organisation. It leads to staff feeling afraid that they might be the next target of management's wrath. The department have also not been transparent and open when advising colleagues why a Senior Practitioner was no longer in his position. This Senior Practitioner had complained about bullying within the department. Providing false and inaccurate information has not assisted in ensuring that remaining staff feel secure and supported. While acknowledging the need for confidentiality and the right to privacy, on occasions such as this, there should be clear communication which could be directed through team leader. This lack of openness generates fear and insecurity among staff. There should be an acknowledgement of the impact of management’s actions on remaining staff. Within one team, one individual has been permitted to publicly denigrate other staff practices and case management without consequence. This staff member has caused tension and dissent among team members who have attempted to work professionally with everyone. Team members are punished for associating with colleagues whom she perceives as 'the enemy' Other staff had to leave the organisation as a result of persistent bullying by a manager. Despite the fact that this manager's behaviour is common knowledge, this behaviour has also not been challenged. There is no recognition of extra hours, working from home etc which is required if deadlines are to be achieved Despite working extra hours consistently in order to manage the volume of workload, it is personalised if outcomes are not achieved It was agreed that there needed to be greater focus on staff retention. It was commented that continually organising/attending staff farewells was incredibly bad for morale. Staff are feeling greatly undervalued and suffering from the general low morale. Staff believe that accurate information is not filtering up to the legislative committee (eg - it is believed that the legislative committee are of the opinion caseloads are adequate and they have not been provided with any information to the contrary.) It was raised that if caseworkers were not completing their caseloads, this was "personalised" and the workers were made about to be "slack." Issues with excessively high caseloads were raised several times. One staff member stated her belief that senior management. . Believed the dept was currently working at full staff capacity. It was widely and strongly agreed that this was not the case and this information was not reflective of staff experiences. It was raised that there are several staff currently acting in positions who do not have the training/qualifications/experience that was agreed to within the Allied Health Review. There was discussion that the qualifications of overseas recruits was not translating to other areas outside of the Dept. (eg - a Social Worker brought over from overseas may not refer to themselves as a Social Worker except within C&PS. This means that workers are restricted within their job options outside of C&PS.) It was agreed that definite career structures and promotion on merit should be applied rather than belonging to the ‘in group’ Staff all want to be better consulted of any changes occurring within the Dept. Staff are more than willing to work with several challenging, complex cases, if their work environment was supportive and open and communicative, but this is not the case. One staff member stated "we have this lovely building and staff still don't talk to each other." One staff member advised that 17 staff had left the DHCS within a 6 month period. It was agreed that staff are very committed to the work and were genuinely worried about poor outcomes for the children. For this reason only, staff were working back late and completing work above and beyond what could be seen to be manageable. One staff member reminded the meeting that multiple child deaths have occurred in one year, so far which adds to the stress. It was agreed that there were strength in numbers and no single person could be targeted and suffer as a result of raising concerns with management. Workers are having to undertake appraisals on top of existing work undermines and undervalues caseworkers and basically sends the message that their views about high volumes of work are not acknowledged or recognised. There is no consistent case weighting process in place in order to monitor the volume of work that a case worker is required Staff appear to be struggling to manage excessively high levels of risk Many staff feel they are not able to work effectively, and are only “crisis managing” the necessary cases. Staff are feeling very stressed and overwhelmed with the workloads that are being expected of them This along with the internal politics increases the stress staff are feeling. It seems as though the internal problems are the things that push staff over edge and make them feel that it would be better to be working in a different environment. Many overseas recruits do not have formally recognised qualifications that meet HP classifications. These individuals are being promoted above and beyond others that do hold formally recognised qualifications, and relevant experience. Individuals are being allocated cases without notice. For example, individuals are being told they have new cases via email without consultation, this increases stresses. One team leader will only communicate with UK staff on her team by email and refused to meet face to face for supervision. This team leader has consistently stated she ‘will not be told what to do by social workers from overseas’ Processes of grievances are not being followed. Staff are being told “it’s over” or “don’t get worked up about it” rather than issues being addressed and changes made to discipline/flag/address the issues. Transfers of cases are occurring when the client is exiting the system because of the bullying they experienced. This is bad practice as the client then needs to get to know another worker, and is subject to unnecessary change. Staff feel there is a lack of consultation occurring – that policies and practices are being changed without consultation, that staff are moving around with minimal notice, that management continues to be changed and last minute notice is given. Individuals and collectives want more consultation, more feedback, more information on what is happening within the organisation and its structure. A consultation process occurred recently however there was no feedback about what happened with this information, and the relevancy of information gathered. Staff are not feeling valued and needed within the organisation, and are hence moving on to “greener fields”. Staff want to be recognised for the work they are doing. They don’t want to feel expected to do more without any recognition. Many go above and beyond within their work, and go unnoticed for it. Staff want manageable case loads – they want to be able to provide early intervention skills, rather than always working with crisis intervention, and bandaid management. Staff want retention of staff to be higher – a better work place for all, so individuals want to stay. Work needs to be done on retention, not on recruitment all the time. Staff want openness and honesty. They want a free flow of information. They want the ability to say “no”, and not have it reflect badly on them. They want to feel like what they are saying is going to be heard, and if they are not coping, measures need to be put in place to support the person through tough times – for example lower case load, support in case work, administration support, accessibility to leave and/or part time work for specified periods of time. Staff want access to their leave - flex and holiday. They want quicker feedback on approval of leave so holiday bookings can be made. A majority of the time approval is given last minute, which is not appropriate, and becomes financially costly for last minute bookings. Better processes need to also be in place over covering other staff’s cases whilst they are on extended periods of leave. Currently workers are allocated colleagues case – pushing their caseload up significantly high. The case still sits with the original case worker; however another worker is allocated the work and babysitting. More discipline around staff treating other staff inappropriately in the workplace. The ignoring of inappropriate behaviours is placing others at risk of work related stress, distress, and ultimately staff wanting to leave. This is highly inappropriate and poor management. . Team leaders and Managers need to start to listen to, acknowledge, and appropriately deal with grievances. Individuals’ issues should be addressed, and others disciplined appropriately if need be. All individuals need to feel that if something done/or a behaviours is wrong and not appropriate, that they should feel secure in the fact that the issue will be dealt with and not looked over. I hope that should you ever require it, the participants in this forum will offer you support and comfort if you do experience some of the negative effects of working with DHCS, those couragous voices which you have dismissed and conveniently suggested they require psychological assistance. However I am mindful of the poem by Martin Niemöller First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me - and by then there was no one left to speak out for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_shel Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 WOW thank you Dolly. I have been bullied in the workplace but it seems not to be on the level you have experienced. Thank you for the union insights, very interesting reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Just wondered if anyone could shed further light - there are a couple of jobs (NOT SW) at ACT DHCS and there seems to be a number of departments eg Community Services, Housing, Office of Children, YP & Families etc - where does the bullying occur - is it one particular dept or all of DHCS or just within SW Teams?? Any advice welcome before I rush to apply for a job there! Thanks lots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Just wondered if anyone could shed further light - there are a couple of jobs (NOT SW) at ACT DHCS and there seems to be a number of departments eg Community Services, Housing, Office of Children, YP & Families etc - where does the bullying occur - is it one particular dept or all of DHCS or just within SW Teams?? Any advice welcome before I rush to apply for a job there! Thanks lots Just go for the jobs dont worry about whether you might be bullied or not. You are going to encounter bullying in many places unless you are extraordinarily lucky these days. If you need a job then go for it, once you have a job it is easier to find another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Just go for the jobs dont worry about whether you might be bullied or not. You are going to encounter bullying in many places unless you are extraordinarily lucky these days. If you need a job then go for it, once you have a job it is easier to find another. Brilliant reassuring advice .... and very true ... Thank You lots!! not sure I like the thought of being bullied anywhere - is that unique to ACT or AUS or anywhere ... I guess I've been lucky in my career so far ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Brilliant reassuring advice .... and very true ... Thank You lots!! not sure I like the thought of being bullied anywhere - is that unique to ACT or AUS or anywhere ... I guess I've been lucky in my career so far ... Dont know whether it is the uncertainty of the GFC or the promotion of incompetence or what but I have been quite gobsmacked at the reporting of bullying in the workplace here in ACT. Both my DH and I have experienced it in the latter years of our career and it was certainly a factor for us both retiring early but I thought we were just unlucky. However, in my current role I have almost come to expect it to be raised as an issue with the people I work with and am genuinely surprised when it isnt! (I work with people in a number of organizations both gov and NFP) I know that in my current workplace I havent encountered it at all (and what may be possibly construed as bullying I tell the perpetrator/s to pull their head in and laugh it off) but some of my ex colleagues have cited it as an issue for their departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 OMG that really isn't good - and almost off putting! I am genuinely shocked and disappointed that this should be the case. I guess we have 2 years in the ACT and can always try somewhere else in Oz if we are unlucky enough to experience it. I Suppose forewarned is forearmed.... Thank you Angela x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grazer77 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi Dolly I have just been offered a post in ACT C&P feel quite worried after your posts, can you give any more info before I accept?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolly1 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi there, good luck with the Canberra experience and if there is anything I can help you with, you only have to ask. I guess if you have read my posts your foremost fear is bullying which still occurs. Sadly I wasn't the only one who left because of bullying. At one stage 11 staff left the department because of the bullying of one manager. I am still in regular contact with one woman who moved to England who had an appalling experience who would be more than willing to talk to you about it. I met an Australian woman who left for the same reasons, she has also said she would be willing to talk to you too. Another woman is a friend of a friend, she is one of the last recruits and she's just come back with the same stories. I can provide contact details if you want any other opinions. The others who left are contactable on facebook, but I don't know if they would be willing to talk about it, as most people just want to put the experience behind them. I do hope the same thing doesn't happen to you, but it is best to be prepared. Can I ask what qualifications you have? As DHCS did not tell people (even though I later spoke to their legal department who had encouraged them to do so) that unless they have a MSW they may not be eligible to join the Australian Association of Social Work, and you cannot work anywhere else in Australia without joining. Most of the recruits who stayed in Canberra had children, or had a certificate in social work, but years of experience. They had all gone out with the intention of moving to somewhere once they had completed two years, which is the minimum time you need to stay before you have to repay relocation monies. Then they discovered they couldn't move, and a lot of them are stuck. I am not sure what are of social work you are involved in, if it is child protection, then there are major differences in ways of working there. Social workers are not allowed to call themselves social workers, as it offends the Australians who are not qualified. Noone else in my team was qualified, all Australians, one had a diploma in physical education and one in home economics. They have no experience/knowledge of social work theory/risk assessment/attachment etc etc and all had a case management role. Social workers mainly completed affidavits for court, but their assessments were not valued, all parental assessments were completed by psychologists. There were no pre birth case conferences, parents, even those who had murdered children were allowed to take new babies home while DHCS waited for a report/referral to come in, which explains why they had so many child deaths. Risk thresholds were high, and the UK recruits were all given the violent/aggressive clients. Bullying was rife in the department, from the top down, anyone who complained was victimised and bullied and forced to leave, including Australians. If you google David Lander, he is a solicitor in Canberra he has a high media profile including podcases where he talks at length about bullying within DHCS. Sadly, I could go on and on. I was horrified by the way some UK recruits abused the system and openly defrauded the department without consequences. I don't normally contribute to any of these forums, but was so compelled to do so because I really think people should know what they are likely to encounter. It may work for you and your family, I'm not in a position to make that assessment, I just hope you consider what I have written. I am not a disgrunted employee, I have twenty years of counselling and fifteen of social work, and consider myself to an honest, hard working employee, but I have never in my life experienced anything like the appalling treatment I received through DHCS. I had to sell my house in Australia and return to UK at great financial expense, but if things had been even bearable I would have remained. I even wrote a book about my experience there as I felt it would be cathartic. When I read it now I am appalled that I actually stayed the length of time I didn, and din't just leave in the first week when I realised how terrible it was going to be. I am now grateful on a daily basis to work alongside professionally qualified, experienced social work staff who know what they are doing. I know this is a big decision for you so please contact me anytime for any information or advice. regards Dolly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOL Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 My girlfriend is a social worker. We are planning to move to Adelaide, so I guess this topic is not really applying to our (hopefully) future situation. We thought of ACT if SA wouldn't be an option. But I guess that option is down the drain. Thanks for sharing your experience. Is DHCS the only organization in ACT that needs social workers? And as for social work in general (not only in ACT) is it fun enough to work in Oz? My girlfriend is reallyvpassionate about social work. She, for example, loves to help parents raise their kids if the kids have a mental disability and they don't know how to deal with it. If she can only do "low level" SW she probably doesn't get enough exitement out of her job. What are your opinions about Social work in general in Australia? Or is this the wrong topic for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 My girlfriend is a social worker. We are planning to move to Adelaide, so I guess this topic is not really applying to our (hopefully) future situation. We thought of ACT if SA wouldn't be an option. But I guess that option is down the drain. Thanks for sharing your experience. Is DHCS the only organization in ACT that needs social workers? And as for social work in general (not only in ACT) is it fun enough to work in Oz? My girlfriend is reallyvpassionate about social work. She, for example, loves to help parents raise their kids if the kids have a mental disability and they don't know how to deal with it. If she can only do "low level" SW she probably doesn't get enough exitement out of her job. What are your opinions about Social work in general in Australia? Or is this the wrong topic for it? You might want to contact Madgen about that one - she was recently here. I dont get the feeling that SWs have much to do with helping parents raise their kids - more like policemen unfortunately and policemen whose recommendations are routinely rejected by the judiciary (if they ever get past the PC bosses anyway) There are social workers in the hospitals and a few of the non gov organizations use SWs as counsellors or case managers (dont pay well though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grazer77 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi Dolly Thanks for your post it has given something to think about I have a social work degree BA Hons and two years post qualifying experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madgen Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 You might want to contact Madgen about that one - she was recently here. I dont get the feeling that SWs have much to do with helping parents raise their kids - more like policemen unfortunately and policemen whose recommendations are routinely rejected by the judiciary (if they ever get past the PC bosses anyway) There are social workers in the hospitals and a few of the non gov organizations use SWs as counsellors or case managers (dont pay well though) I'm happy to offer my perspective (private mail me). I have recently returned from Melbourne working as a child protection social worker (sorry..child protection officer!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.