The Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society has announced layoffs in a move that's being called a strategic workforce realignment.
A release from the organization says, "WECAS is facing a financial shortfall that is primarily driven by the increasing demands and costs of supporting children and youth with complex needs in our care and within the community. This funding gap also reflects the necessary adjustments to the service volumes and staffing ratios that have become critical in meeting the needs of vulnerable children and families."
As part of this realignment, WECAS will be optimizing staff resources while continuing to prioritize direct services for those most in need across all of Windsor and Essex County. The realignment is also focused on streamlining operations, reducing satellite locations, and ensuring the most effective use of our available workforce to maintain service quality during this challenging time.
"We are committed to providing the best care possible for children and families, particularly those with the most complex needs," said Derrick Drouillard, Executive Director of the Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society. "However, the growing demand for these services has significantly outpaced our financial capacity, leading to this difficult but necessary realignment of our workforce."
A statement from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, or CUPE, says 26 workers have been laid off, or about 10 per cent of the non-management staff, and that the CAS Leamington Office has been targeted for closure at the end of this month.
"This is a betrayal of the community we serve and the CAS's mandate," said Craig Hesman, president of CUPE 2286. "This provincial government's continued underfunding and ignorance of the complex needs of youth coming into CAS care have created this horrifying crisis. With the loss of these dedicated workers, an already bad situation is going to get dangerously worse."
According to the union, the CAS is forecasting roughly a $10 million deficit.
This is a developing story