Welfare Officers Dissatisfied

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31906, 6 February 1969, Page 12

Welfare Officers Dissatisfied

Christchurch child welfare officers endorsed comments about the need for improved salaries and conditions, made by their colleagues in Dunedin, said a statement from the committee of Christchurch child welfare officers yesterday.

tion was made, apart from one week’s extra leave. "As a professional group, child welfare officers are reluctant to see the standard of the service supplied to the public deteriorate,” the committee’s statement said.

The committee consists of Messrs D. Mac Lean and L. J.' Taylor and Miss S. Green-, wood. “A meeting of Christchurch child welfare officers held j last Friday, resolved unanimously to send telegrams to the Public Service Association and the child welfare negotiator declining the un-. realistic offer recently made by the State Services Commis-: sion.” the statement says, i “This decision is shared by 1 all other South Island child welfare offices. It is understood that Christchurch pro-

bation officers will also be declining the commission’s offer.” Because of the highly-exact-ing content and responsible nature of child welfare work, there was need to recruit and retain persons of high academic and personal qualities. The State Services Commission recognised such need to a certain extent in stating, in advertised vacancies a preference for university graduates. Child welfare officers did not con r der their salaries appropriate—considering the qualifications desired, the pressures of the work and the amount of after-hours work for which no recogni-