Benevolent Society to cut jobs from Werrington office

The Benevolent Society is cutting 30 case manager jobs from its western Sydney-based office. 

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The Benevolent Society is cutting 30 case manager jobs from its western Sydney-based office in an attempt to ensure its “future financial stability”.

The not-for-profit organisation opened its Werrington office in March 2018, which at the time was the largest hub to be opened by the society. It had 100 employees.

The Community and Public Sector Union NSW has slammed the cuts, saying the State Government’s “flawed adoption” of the Federal Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme is to blame.

“This is devastating news for those who work in the disability sector, and the people who use these services,” Troy Wright, assistant secretary of the union, said.

“Time and time again the CPSU warned the government that outsourcing disability services won’t work and now two years in we see providers putting their hands up and saying we can’t afford to provide this service.”

The Werrington hub offered services such as occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetic services and clinical nurse consultant support.

Mr Wright said it is the patients who rely on the services who will suffer and the State Government is taking the wrong approach to providing disability services.

“If you have a disability in NSW, under this government, you are left to the whims of the market,” Mr Wright said.

“The NDIS is intended to give people more control over the services they need, but under the NSW Liberal government it has been used as an excuse to privatise disability services.”

The union is seeking further information on how the job cuts will affect those in the Penrith Local Government Area who rely on the services provided by organisations like the Benevolent Society.