|
|
|
|
|
|
Last call on OHS before 1 September: Are you ready? Judging from the number of panicked phone calls Community Child Care has received, there are still a number of services that haven't yet got everything in order before the date of the new OHS requirements (September 1). At least you are not alone! Community Child Care has been trying to make it easier by running a series of OHS seminars across the state and by producing a Help! booklet on the topic. If you haven't yet started, here is an overview of what you have to do. Which OHS areas does your service need to comply with to meet the new OHS Regulations? The Regulations provide broad coverage for all workplaces (including early childhood services) along with specified control measures for particular hazards and particular industry activities. These include:
More information can be obtained from the Community Child Care Help! booklet, free to members on our website, or for $20 to non-members. If you need more help, Community Child Care is willing to run our OHS forums anywhere that has at least 15 people interested. Call Bernie at Community Child Care on (02) 9560 4771 or 1800 629 397.
The Hon. Carmel Tebbutt MLC Dear Minister, I am writing on behalf of Children's Services across NSW with regard to their concerns relating to the delay in the implementation of the new Regulations. Services are not directly concerned about the delay, causing the existing Regulations to remain in force, but rather in the uncertainty of the future with regard to the changes to the Regulations. Services have indicated that it is very difficult for them to plan ahead, as they do not know how the changes to the Regulations will impact on service provision, Since the initial consultations, services have received little feedback from the Department on the consultation process. Many services have raised this issue and have stated that they would appreciate information on the outcome of the consultations. Services want to know whether or not the Department intends to proceed with the proposed changes to the Regulations, in particular the staff-child ratios, group sizes and the provisions relating to the authorised supervisor position. Community Child Care understands that further time is needed to analyse key issues and redress the final regulation. We are very pleased that the Department intends to hold further consultations with us and other peak groups on the final version of the regulation prior to it going to Parliament. Community Child Care will ensure that services are informed throughout this process. However, we believe that in the interim, services would welcome further information on the Regulations Review process and issues arising Where possible Community Child Care is willing to assist the Department in the distribution of this information to services across NSW. Community Child Care would like to re-iterate our support for the proposed new ratios. We believe that the proposed new ratios for under two year olds will ensure that children attending children's services will receive the best possible care. Yours faithfully, Alannah
Ball Minister seeks extension of existing Regulations By now, services will probably have heard that the Minister for Community Services, Carmel Tebbutt, has applied to the Premier for a further postponement of the automatic repeal of the existing Centre based and Mobile Child Care Services Regulations. This means the old Regulations may be in force until September 2004, although Community Child Care's understanding is that the Department is trying for a date well before this. Whether this is good or bad news depends on which way you look at it, but at least services can have some certainty when they do enrolments for next year. Even if the Regulations are proclaimed by the end of this year, services will have a 12-month period to comply with them, meaning centres will not need to make changes to group sizes or ratios until 2005. Why has it happened? In announcing the delay, the Director-General of DOCS, Neil Shepherd, stated 'while submissions were generally supportive of the draft regulation, a few key issues raised did need further analysis'. He also said that 'DOCS is working to ensure that all issues raised are thoroughly understood and assessed'. The full text of the Director's letter to Community Child Care can be found on our website at www.ccccnsw.org.au Community Child Care is pleased that the Department is taking the field's comments about the Regulations on board. However, we are concerned that the field does not yet know what aspects of the draft Regulations are being considered for change. To this end, we have sent a letter to the Minister (see letter, right). We will let services know when we receive a reply. What are you doing on 23 September? Community Child Care is having its Annual General Meeting and Social Policy Forum on 23 September. More information is enclosed in this issue of Broadside but participants who came to last year's Social Policy Forum on the Status and Standing of Childcare workers will remember that, as well as being an informative evening, it's also lots of fun ... free wine and nibbles provided. Are you being hassled by companies wanting to tag your electrical cords? You may be interested to know that WorkCover is currently reviewing the 'TAGGING' system required for electrical cords in community services, as they feel the system may have gone a little over the top with its tagging requirements. Shortside readers hear of Regulations delay first! One of the services that Community Child Care is offering to members is a fortnightly new email about the most pressing issue of the day. The value of this was shown last week when Community Child Care was able to inform members of the delay to the new Regulations within hours of being informed. If you are a member and you wish to subscribe to Shortside, please log on to the members' only area of the Community Child Care website at ccccnsw.org.au If you are not a member, it is still worth visiting the site regularly, as new content is added to the general website on a weekly basis. If you do not have internet facilities, please feel free to contact Community Child Care at any time about issues of concern Low-paid workers just want regular hours of work Childcare workers at 18 centres in Perth, owned or managed by eastern states corporate giant Peppercorn, have protested over uncertainty in hours. Peppercorn is refusing to give childcare workers regular hours. 'We will not stand by and see the childcare industry in Western Australia casualised,' said Gayle Heron, the WA LHMU childcare union organiser. Wearing red to show anger The affected workers protested at the end of July by wearing red shirts for anger and stickers demanding regular hours. 'We have tried to resolve this with Peppercorn, many meetings, including at the Commission have been held, but there is no resolution to this issue', said Ms Heron. Peppercorn's dramatic share prices 'Peppercorn is a large company listed on the stock exchange; its share price has increased dramatically in value. 'Now that childcare has become a business and children are not as important as the bottomline, childcare workers are more determined than ever to ensure that their wages and conditions are secure and that quality care is not comprised,' said Ms Heron. 'People who care for our children are among the lowest paid in Australia.' Who cares for childcare workers? 'Wanting certainty in hours is not radical, childcare workers are caring for other people's children and ask "who cares for them?". Childcare workers must take care of themselves in order to take care of others. It's ironic that these workers provide care for other workers children and, yet, are struggling to get decent hours for themselves. 'Childcare workers will continue their protest action until Peppercorn provide them with regular hours,' said Ms Heron. Further to our article in the last issue of Broadside about the annoying changes to Child Care Benefit, Community Child Care has followed up the issue with Centrelink. These are the questions we asked and their answers ... you can judge the quality of the answers yourselves! 1. Why is there always a minimal (in this case 1/100 of 1 per cent) change to the minimum CCB percentage. We understand the minimum per cent is changing from 16.8 per cent to 16.79 per cent. A: Per cent rates come to us from FACS and they are effected by the CPI. (Last financial year a family on an income $80,000 with one child would have been on minimum rate this year the income limit is $92,000.) 2. Under the new system of bulk fortnightly, why are centres only going to be getting the post-1 July rates in the middle of July? The problem is that centres will have to go back and adjust all invoices issued for the first two weeks of July. A: The last statement was striped 25/6/03, so the next will be 9/7/03. It should also be mentioned that customers were not asked by the FAO for income estimates months in advance for 03/04 financial year as done in the past but from 1/7/03 so service provides will be getting the most up to date information for the start of 03/04. Service providers do not need to go back and adjust all invoices, this will be taken care of at reconciliation. From August 2003, you can find the head office of the NSW Department of Community Services at 4-6 Cavill Avenue, Ashfield. Mail and phone numbers remain the same: Locked Bag 28, Ashfield NSW 2131 and phone (02) 9716 2222. It's that time of year again when centres are trying to do a fish-and-loaves trick by calculating budgets for the next twelve months. Although we can't help you make your costs lower and your income higher, we have done the research to work out how much wages will rise over the coming twelve months. And the answer is ... 3 per cent on your July wages bill. Teachers had a 3 per cent increase in July this year and will get another one in January 2004. The next wage rise won't occur until July 2004. Staff covered under the Miscellaneous Workers Award are due to get the $17 pay increase given to Award rates up to and including $731.80 per week sometime soon ... this is also effectively a 3 per cent rise. No other rises are projected over the coming twelve months. Would you like to be on the Community Child Care Board? Community Child Care is having its AGM at the end of September and, as there are a few vacancies on our Board, we are calling for nominations. If you are interested, please call us at Community Child Care or read the enclosed nomination form. Energetic and passionate people ... this is for you! Early Childhood Australia (formerly Australian Early Childhood Association) are reviewing their Code of Ethics for early childhood workers and are calling for comments from the field about the Code. Specifically, they want to know what the strengths of the current Code are, and what aspects of the Code need to change. Email comments to Lennie Barblett at: l.barblett@ecu.edu.au
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Home
| Members' Site | Forms
| Search
| Contact | Who
We Are | Our Staff | Casual
Trainers
| Fact
Sheets
| Training
Services | Membership |
Rattler
Magazine | Broadside Newsletter
| Help! Booklets | Publications
| Resources | Links
Site
programmed and maintained by ARMEDIA |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
