Child protection is tough. Those doing it need care, too

Caseloads are rising and social workers face burnout at a time when there aren't enough of them.

- Katherine Baptist

According to data published in 2025 by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, social workers in family service centres hold on to five high-risk and complex cases, which could all explode around the same time. Practitioners tell the writer that their caseloads can reach about 30 families at a time. PHOTO: ISTOCK

(ISTOCK)

I studied social work because I wanted a job that would make a difference.

Yet the first lesson drilled into young undergraduates by our professors was that social work is not just about having a heart; it also requires a clear head. It isn’t volunteering or for those with bleeding hearts; it is professional work that demands judgment, skill and courage.

That advice has guided me over the years I spent in practice. Like many social workers in the field, what we learn in the classroom can never really prepare us for when we hit the ground, and in the 30 years I learnt new things. Mostly, resilience through difficult encounters and demanding cases.

Heartbreaking cases, such as the death of Megan Khung, are reminders of the stakes involved in child protection. We must also ask ourselves: Can we help and equip social workers in the field to avert such tragedies? I can say from personal experience that they need more support.

In 1994, I chose a job that paid $1,600, some $200 more than another offer. I appreciated the extra income because I was planning to get married and save for a flat. Back then, it was widely assumed that if you took on this noble job, money should be secondary. It was almost taboo for social workers to think about, let alone ask for, better pay.

My first posting was in child welfare and protection - the current Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). I interviewed parents, caregivers and children to assess whether homes were safe, and sometimes had to recommend that a child be placed elsewhere.