On Wednesday, 7 February 2024, HSUWA Members across CAMHS Community Clinics stopped work and voted on a plan to take further industrial action. Members voted to implement two work bans, including a caseload cap and changes to some forms of record keeping.
Members have advocated consistently over the past three years for changes to public services for children and adolescents needing mental health treatment – to better respond to the demand and workplace pressures. However, positions won during the campaign at Community Clinics remained unfilled, and promised changes to basic things like improving job security have not been realised. Union Members engaged with the much-needed review of services commissioned by the State Government, which concluded with the ICA Taskforce Report in early 2022. Despite supporting the Report’s recommendations in full, the State Government has not followed up with the funding commitments needed.
HSUWA Community CAMHS Members continue to call on the State Government to commit to fully funding the implementation of the ICA Taskforce Report recommendations and most urgently, the Acute Care and Response Teams.
We will keep Members updated with the progress and impacts of work bans.
