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                  • Regional Training 2010

                  CCSA is conducting three regional training days in 2010, with a focus on the Early Years Learning Framework and its application from a management perspective that includes committees, directors and staff. For more information, and to download a flier and registration form, go to the Regional Training 2010 page of our website.

                  • Modern Awards
                  The transition to Modern Awards is proving to be quite challenging. This is a new system and many of the clauses in the awards are open to interpretation.Through our member's calls to our phone helpline we are learning more about the difficulties in implementation. Refer to the 15 February eConnect to find out about some of the issues that we have dealt with recently. We will be adding information to our website regularly and are working on a Plain English Guide to each of the Modern Awards. We will let you know when these are available.
                  • Modern Awards for non-constitutional corporations
                  NSW has ceded its industrial relations powers to the federal government. This means that from 1 January 2010, ALL NSW employers and employees in the private sector will be covered by the the Fair Work Act and the national system of Modern Awards. For more infrmation, read the 23 November eConnect. Also refer to Implementation Guide 5 in the Resources section of our website.
                  • Keep Them Safe
                  The main provisions of the legislation that underpins the Keep Them Safe reforms began on 24 January 2010. Detailed information about the Keep Them Safe reforms, can be found on the Keep Them Safe website.
                  • Nurses pay rates
                  Wage rates under the Nurses other than in Hospitals (State) Award have increased with effect from 11 October 2009. This increase only applies to those organisations that are non-constitutional corporations. You can download the pay rates from the Award Pay Rates page of the CCSA website.
                  • Teachers pay rates
                  On 24 November, the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW handed down its decision in relation to the Independent Education Union's application for two new awards for Teachers. This decision awarded increases of 4% per annum to pay rates and allowances and additional non-contact time of up to two and a half hours per week.
                   
                  The new pay rates are now available on our Award Pay Rates page.
                  •   Licensing

                  All services should have received a letter from DoCS late last year outlining amendments to the Children's Services Regulation 2004, to allow licensing fees to be charged, and extending the maximum licence term from three to five years. Further information is available from the Community Services website.

                  • COAG Agreement
                  The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met on 7 December and agreed to a partnership between the Commonwealth and state and territory governemtns to establish  a National Quality Agenda for early childhood education and care. You can download the National Partnership Agreement on the National Quality Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care here.
                  • Modern Awards
                  The Modern Awards and transitional arrangements have now been released and are available for members on our website. Please read the 7 December eConnect for more information about the Modern Awards, and the transition of non-constitutional corporations to the Federal industrial relations system.
                  • Preparation for Modern Awards

                  As you are no doubt well aware, Modern Awards are scheduled to be introduced from 1January 2010. These awards will apply to employees working under the federal industrial relations system (ie those working in constitutional corporationscovered by NAPSAs). You need to ensure that you are well prepared for the transition, and committees/boards and licensees will need to make some decisions on how to implement the required changes.

                  CCSA has developed a series of guides to assist you with this preparation.These documents are available on our website on the right hand side of the page (you will need to log in to view them.)

                  Archived News

                  • Keep Them Safe
                  Northern Sydney TAFE has organised additional Keep Them Safe sessions from 14 to 29 January 2010. More information is available on their  website.
                  • Community Services licence terms and fees

                  Amendments have been made to the Children’s Services Regulation 2004 to extend the maximum licence term from three years to five years, and to introduce licence fees. The change to the maximum licence term commences immediately, while licence fees apply from 1 January 2010.

                  Look out  for a letter from Community Services explaining the introduction of licensing fees for children’s services in NSW.

                  • Modern Awards for non-constitutional corporations 
                  NSW has ceded its industrial relations powers to the federal government. This means that from 1 January 2010, ALL NSW employers and employees in the private sector will be covered by the the Fair Work Act and the national system of Modern Awards. For more infrmation, read the 23 November eConnect.
                  • Modern Award Consultations
                  CCSA attended the Australian Industrial Relations Commission consultations on Modern Awards in Sydney on 27 October, where we were given the opportunity to raise some of our concerns about the modern award for Preschool Teachers. Read more in the November 9 eConnect.
                  • CCSA Connections Christmas Pays Special Editions and 2010 calendar
                  The annual leave special editions, to help you calculate and prepare your Christmas pays, are now available to download from our website.
                   
                  The CCSA 2010 calendar can also be downloaded here.
                  • CCSA's views on Modern Awards and the Teachers' Wage case
                  CCSA has prepared a document outlining our views on the draft modern awards and the state teachers' wage case. You can download the document here.
                  • Draft Modern Awards
                  The draft modern awards for the early childhood sector have been released for comment. You can access copies of the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2010, the Children's Services Award 2010, and the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010, here. The draft modern awards refer to the National Employment Standards, which are available here
                   
                  Read CCSA's submission to the AIRC, outlining our comments and concerns about the draft modern awards, here.
                  • CCSA statement on Universal Access (UA) to preschool.
                  At its September meeting, the CCSA Board made acommitment to continue our advocacy for government funding of qualified early childhood teachers. CCSA believes that every preschool aged child must have access to a preschool program delivered by a 4 year trained University qualified early childhood teacher. Read more in the 12 October eConnect.
                  • Changes to award pay rates for non-constitutional corporations (state system employers)

                  Pay rates under the Social and Community Services Employees (State) Award have changed with effect from the first full pay period to commence on or after 28 September 2009. The new rates are now available on our website. Please note that these increases apply to non-constitutional corporations only.

                  • Increases to Junior Pay Rates
                  Under the Industrial Relations (Child Employment) Act 2006 employers are required to ensure that the terms and conditions for junior staff covered by federal industrial legislation are equivalent to the terms and conditions of the comparable State award. This means that if you are a Constitutional Corporation and employ staff under the Miscellaneous Workers Award on junior pay rates, the recent pay increases under the state legislation will apply to those staff also. Download the pay rates here.
                  • Early Years Learning Framework
                  DEEWR have an online forum that enables early childhood professionals to comment on drafts of the EYLF Educator's Guide. It can be accessed via DEEWR's Early Learning Framework site.
                  • OOSH Regulations

                  NSW is the only state that does not currently regulate OOSH services, but work is proceeding. Since 2007 services have been asked to register with DoCS, and the second stage, stakeholder consultations, has now commenced. CCSA is sitting ont he stakeholders' reference group, but a broader public consultation process isexpected to begin shortly. CCSA will keep you informed about when it starts.

                  • CCSA submission regarding the COAG Regulation Impact Statement for Early Childhood Education and Care Quality Reforms.
                  Download CCSA's response to the RIS here. [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 557.6 KB]
                  • COAG Early Childhood reforms

                  Link to the RIS Survey (Parents and families) and RIS Survey (Service providers and other stakeholders) here.

                  COAG discussed a range of early childhood matters when leaders met in Darwin recently. Following the meeting COAG released a national early childhood development strategy, a Regulation Impact Statement and Cost Benefit Analysis of proposed reforms to quality standards and systems, and the Early Learning Years Framework. All documents are available from the DEEWR website. The Regulation Impact Statement can be downloaded here, and the dates and locations for consultation sessions are here.

                  Fair Work Australia,  the new federal industrial relations system began on 1 July 2009. Much of the legislation will not apply until 1 January 2010, but Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman are now officially in operation. Visit the Fair Work Australia website for more information.

                  Modern Awards are still in development but are scheduled to take effect from 1 January 2010. CCSA will keep you informed as more information comes to hand.
                  • Child Care Staff: Learning and Growing through Professional Development

                  This professional development resource was commissioned by the Professional Support Co-ordinator's Alliance and conducted by Macquarie University and Charles Sturt University. The resource presents insights into innovative practice and practical ideas about how to support the professional development of early childhood staff. Read the press release here.

                  • 9000,000 funding boost for Child Care in rural Australia

                  On 25 March, 2009, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Maxine McKew, announced funding of more than $900,000 for 14 child care services in rural and remote areas of Australia This capital funding is aimed at supporting children and families in rural and remote areas to access quality, affordable early childhood education and care. Read the media release here.

                  • National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education

                  Under this Partnership, $955 million will go towards achieving universal access to quality early childhood education in the year before school, by 2013.  For more information, read the press release and the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education.

                  • 1:4 Ratios
                  Under the new Children’s Services Regulation, due to be implemented in 2010, all centre-based and mobile services will be required by law to have one carer for every four children under two years of age, compared to the current legal requirement of one carer for every five children.

                  Find out more about the background to this change here, and read the Cross Sectoral Task Force Report, that CCSA contributed to, here.
                    • Early Years Learning Framework

                    The development of the Early Years Learning Framework is an integral component of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care, being progressed collaboratively with state and territory governments through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) early childhood reform agenda. 

                    Two community agencies have been selected by the Department of Community Services to create 10,500 places across NSW in the Growth Phase of the Preschool Investment and Reform Plan (PIRP). The Growth Phase is intended to enable the creation of an additional 5,250 preschool places for 10,500 children across NSW by reducing or removing barriers to access, increasing the efficient use of existing places and increasing the number or supply of places.

                    Orange Community Resource Association will implement the program in the Central West and Orana/Far West Network areas. Community Child Care Co-operative will deliver development and support services in the rest of NSW.


                     

                     

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