Time to “Open the Door” to our Human Rights Obligations, says BC Association of Social Workers
March 27, 2006
The BC Association of Social Workers supports a call for an in-depth public review of the legislation, policies and practices that have closed the front door to welfare in BC.
This call comes after the release of the report Denied Assistance: Closing the Front Door on Welfare by the Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group (VIPIRG) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
BCASW members Bruce Wallace and Dr. Marge Reitsma-Street co-authored the report with the CCPA’s Seth Klein.
“Social workers in BC have consistently been warning the Ministry and the public of the harmful impacts resulting from the unprecedented welfare reforms that began in 2002,” said BCASW President Robert Hart, citing the following:
- A BCASW press conference on February 6, 2002 to voice the concerns of social workers about “the tragic social consequences of Black Thursday” and calling for a legal challenge of the welfare reform decisions which undoubtedly violate international law and in certain respects the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- On June 13, 2002 at the BCASW Annual General Meeting, members voted to censure Minister Coell expressing their loss in confidence in the Minister who identifies himself as a social worker but introduced legislation violating the principles espoused in the Social Work Code of Ethics and places social workers in BC in the position of being asked to carry out unethical policies.
- On October 17, 2002 BCASW wrote a letter to Minister Coell raising serious concerns about the Ministry’s Person’s with Disabilities Client Review Process, concerns which were subsequently confirmed through the BC Auditor General’s report.
- At the BCASW Fall Conference in November 2003 members passed a resolution that raised social workers’ concerns regarding the two-year time limit to welfare.
“The Ministry responsible for welfare in BC has not sufficiently heeded the warnings of social workers and continues to carry out their broad social experiment with little accountability or consultation,” argues Hart. “Since the BC Government began the reforms the Minister has been censured, the Auditor General has formally reviewed its actions and most recently the Ombudsman has been investigating a systematic compliant of unfair practices experienced by people needing assistance from the Ministry.
BCASW members who continue to be actively involved in the ongoing reviews of the impacts of budget cuts and organizational changes in MCFD see similar concerns of the possible harmful impacts of the MEIA’s budget cuts and restructuring on vulnerable clients.
BCASW supports the report’s suggestion that the Office of the Auditor General assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the Ministry’s eligibility assessment process for income assistance to determine whether the current system is best meeting the needs of British Columbians.
