Child protection caseworkers in NSW are being encouraged to work until they "burn out," according to a union delegate for the troubled sector.
"We show up to work fatigued, we get burnt out, we develop psych injuries, depression," Public Service Association representative Tahu Ranapia'Nehua told AAP.
"There is so much emphasis on ... really building a front for the department, to make the department look good.
"But when it comes to us as human beings, as workers, we don't mean anything."
Caseworkers protesting what they say is chronic understaffing rallied outside an inner-Sydney community services centre after walking off the job on Wednesday.
The action came after the state's child protection services were labelled ineffective and unsustainable in a damning auditor-general's report.
Despite the recommendations of numerous reviews, the watchdog in June said the Department of Communities and Justice had failed to adopt an early intervention model and operated in a "crisis-driven" mode.
"Not all decisions we make are based on the safety and wellbeing of the kid," Mr Ranapia'Nehua said.
"They're based around political decisions, what is going to benefit the department."
A lack of staff has led to caseworkers seeing only a quarter of children reported to be at risk of serious harm, according to government data cited by the association.
That number is as low as 15 per cent in some parts of NSW.
The children who do get attention are at most serious risk and will likely be separated from their family, as staff shortages mean caseworkers aren't able to intervene early.
"I've absolutely seen kids fall through the cracks," Mr Ranapia'Nehua said.
Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little called on the government to intervene.
"Child protection workers are now concerned that by exposing vulnerable children to a broken system, they may suffer even more harm," he said.
"The current NSW government didn't create this mess but it's up to them to fix it."
The union is calling on the government to recruit another 500 caseworkers, give caseworkers a pay rise and de-privatise foster care.
Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington said negotiations with caseworkers would continue because they do "one of the most important jobs".
"Caseworker shortages are creating a significant strain on the child protection system across the state … I have seen firsthand the immense workload that these essential frontline workers are facing and I acknowledge the impact the staff shortages are having," she told AAP.
"That's why the NSW government is working to repair the child protection system to ensure caseworkers are supported to do the complex job involved in keeping children safe."
Caseworkers are being given as many as 10 cases per month, above the recommended seven, and are rarely paid for overtime, Mr Ranapia'Nehua said.
He said half the staff quit within their first two years and remaining caseworkers report chronic burnout from picking up the extra workload.
