Child Abuse Workers Stay Home to Protest Caseloads, Paperwork

In a protest against working conditions, 32 county children’s social workers in the San Fernando Valley called in sick Tuesday, leaving supervisors to scramble for replacements to handle emergency abuse calls.

The workers, who mainly comprise the emergency response unit at the county Department of Children and Family Services office in North Hollywood, are in the midst of contract negotiations with the county. They say they are taking on larger caseloads while being hampered by undue amounts of paperwork.

“People are just tired of the conditions in the office,” said Emilio Mendoza, a social worker and union steward. “You can’t imagine the stress level in that office. People just can’t take it.”

County officials say they are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of child abuse reports--30% from December to January. The workers’ sickout, they say, does not improve matters.

“We understand that caseloads are high,” said Schuyler Sprowles, a spokesman for the department. “It takes really heroic efforts out in the field. But, frankly, not a whole lot is accomplished during job actions. It doesn’t help the situation.”

Mendoza said, however, that most of the social workers who called in sick Tuesday worked on their cases from home. He said the employees believed they had to take decisive action to focus attention on these issues.

The office, which investigates suspected child abuse, received about 15 calls Tuesday and additional workers were brought in to handle them, officials said. The workers will be required to show a medical excuse when they return to work, otherwise they will be docked a day without pay, Sprowles said.