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Stephanie Cadieux Minister of Childern and Family Development seen here during a ceremony in Vancouver June 7, 2013.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail

A damning union report on child-protection services has compelled the B.C. government to promise 70 more front-line workers and support staff. But the newly permanent workers, already working on short-term contracts, are not based in the regions where staff shortages are most acutely felt.

Instead the government is promising yet another reorganization of the ministry which will boost online and telephone services for children and families, and create a mobile response team to serve communities where the ministry cannot recruit enough caseworkers.

"The changes are about doing business better and smarter," Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development, told reporters at a news conference.

Ms. Cadieux was responding to a report from the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union that calls for increased provincial funding to reduce "intolerable" workloads that leave children, youth and families at risk.

The Minister said she is working within her budget, and believes services can be streamlined to give front-line workers more time to conduct face-to-face work with their clients.

Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the representative for Children and Youth, said the ministry currently has hundreds of vacancies and cannot meet the needs of vulnerable children with their existing, excessive caseloads.

"I'm deeply skeptical about any initiative within the existing budget," she said.

"They can't deliver their core mandate around child safety without more money."

The ministry changes promise to reduce backlogs for social workers by shifting tasks such as data entry and non-urgent inquiries to support staff, while other functions will be centralized.

However, Ms. Cadieux rejected complaints about a $182-million computer program that front-line workers say has made their jobs more difficult, saying she expects it will be working properly by the end of the year.

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