Workers, children unsafe in gov't group homes: Yukon Employees Union

The Yukon Employees Union (YEU) says inadequate staffing levels at group homes for youth areendangering both caregivers and the children living in the homes.

The Yukon department of health and social services operates seven youth group homes in Whitehorse.They're for children, aged 10 to 17, who've been removed from their families by children's services.

YEU president Steve Geicksaysthestaff-to-childratiois often far too low, leading to potentially dangerous situations.

"The number that I've been hearing from the department [of health and social services] is one to four. That's totally unsafe."

Geick pointsto a recent example, where one worker was caring for two teenage youths. One of them became violent and the worker had to restrain the youth. The worker then had to rely on the other youth to get a cell phone, and call for help.

"That's horrible.That put everybody at risk," Geick said."Fortunately, the second child was willing to help out."

He said suchsituations areunsafe for everyone.

"If something breaks loose and there's three kids there, and there's only one supervisor, the potential is huge."

Geick said at night, staff are told tophone another house, to get someone if they need help. He said workers are doing that, but added that often when they reach the other group home, that worker is also on shift alone. And he said if there are two workers, sending one to another group home will leave that facility with only one worker.

"So it's a shell game."

Casual workers reluctant to complain

Geick said many of the group home workers aren't permanent government employees but instead are casual hires, known as "auxiliaryon-call."He said those workers are reluctant to complain about unsafe working conditions.

"They fear ... if they go to the Workers Compensation Board, or even us [the union], or publicthey won't get hours, because they're at the whim of the employer to be called in."

Geick said there are about 43 full-time, permanent youth home workers on the government payroll. He said last year, the government was using some 48 auxiliary on-call workers, but this year there are only 26 casual workers.

A lack of staff also means that programs for the youth in care also suffer.

"The programming is important to these kids. That's part of their rehabilitation. So if they can't go on a trip to [the] Canada Games Centre and go swimming ... they're not getting the programming."

Geick said he has taken his concerns to both the Yukon Child Advocate and the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and SafetyBoard.

He's also approached the government, but he says the department of health and social services hasn'tresponded to the union's concerns about low staffing ratios.