Former Social Services employee speaks out on working conditions

A former Ministry of Social Services support worker, Rae Seidel, has spoken out about the working conditions, urging for significant changes. Seidel, who worked as a child and caregiver support worker, left the system over a year ago due to the current state of affairs. "We're putting out fires, we're dealing with what's happening in the moment and we're not able to do the day-to-day work that we're supposed to do," Seidel stated.

Seidel, who still works in the field, is advocating for her former employer to make necessary changes so that children under its care don't fall through the cracks. She highlighted issues such as constant turnover of staff, vacant positions, and lack of communication. Seidel's concerns also include persistent understaffing, inadequate mental health support, and delays in reimbursement for emergency spending on children.

These factors, Seidel believes, are adversely affecting the quality of care children in Saskatchewan receive. She applied for a position in a different unit but after seven months, received no response. Seidel ultimately took up a job in the private sector.

The Ministry of Social Services responded, confirming they have implemented initiatives to improve recruitment and retention. These efforts include focusing on hiring Indigenous and northern employees, and supporting psychological health and wellness of employees. The ministry reported positive results, with more candidates applying, more vacancies being filled, and improved retention rates. Seidel, however, insists that more needs to be done to safeguard both the children under the ministry's care and their caregivers.