Let’s honour efforts of social workers

National Social Workers’ Day is on September 28, and is an opportunity to recognise the hard work that social workers do every day.

There are more than 20 Child, Youth and Family social workers in the Hauraki area, which has its office in Paeroa and runs from the top of the Coromandel down to Waihi Beach and over to Morrinsville and Matamata.

Child, Youth and Family’s regional director in Midlands - covering Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Hauraki - Sue Critchley, said social workers do a great job helping to keep children safe, but looking out for them is everyone’s job.

‘‘As a society we need to step up and acknowledge that these children and young people are not ‘CYFs kids’, they are everybody’s responsibility,’’ she says.

‘‘We need to be having that conversation and asking ourselves ‘what can I do to help?’,’’ she says.

All over the country, Child, Youth and Family social workers are involved in the lives of 30,000 vulnerable children and young people every day and work with 1,400 children and young people who offend.

For more information about how you can help, visit www.cyf.govt or phone 0508 FAMILY.