Social work issues to be reviewed in N.L.

The provincial government has taken the next step toward reviewing the delivery of child welfare services and assessing the workload of social workers in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The province announced in a recent news release that it awarded a contract to review child welfare service delivery to Ernst and Young LLP. The contract is valued at $290,000.

The review follows work done by a joint committee of government and the public sector union NAPE to address stress, workload and other issues social workers face.

Through the review, Ernst and Young will identify measures to help ensure the health and well-being of social workers. The firm will also provide recommendations on the appropriate skill mix of professionals to provide child welfare services and make recommendations to improve child welfare programs, policies and operations. The review is expected to be completed in the fall.