This year Community Services have made further changes to the way Annual Reporting information is collected from services. Changes have been made to improve the web based format, and the representative week for reporting has been extended to a representative fortnight. The representative FORTNIGHT is 9 to 20 August 2010, and all data must be submitted by Friday 10 September 2010.
The pay rates for Miscellaneous Workers, Trainees and Clerical staff incorporating the Fair Work Australia increase from 1 July 2010, are now available. Go to the NAPSA Pay Rates 1 July page on our website.
CCSA Training and information sessions
In response to member demand, we are conducting more Modern Award session around the state. Go to our Training 2010 page for locations, dates and registration forms.
ADDvance training
ADDvance Inc. will be presenting a seminar on ADD/ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome and learning disorders, "Ways to help and support the Child with Learning Disorders" in Newcastle on 25 September 2010. Download more information and the registration form here.
Wage rates under the Miscellaneous Workers Kindergarten and Child Care
Centres (State Division 2B) Training Wage Award have been increased.
Four increases are scheduled over twelve months, with the first increase
to be backpaid from the first full pay period on or after 23 December
2009. The new pay rates are available on the CCSA
website.
These increases apply to trainees in non-constitutional corporations
only.
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 past issues of 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.
Archived News
Changes to the Working with Children Check
The NSW Commission for Children and Young People is introducing new forms to complete the Working With Children Check. The new forms are available on the Commission’s website, and can be filled in online. The Working With Children Guidelines have also been streamlined so it is easier to understand the Check.
National Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Census
The Workforce Census will run from 31 May to 30 July, and
will collect data to inform workforce planning for the early childhood sector.
This will support the Early Years Development Workforce Strategy, which will
provide a long-term blueprint to improve recruitment and retention in the
industry and make sure children and their families benefit from high-quality
childhood services.
You should start to receive more information about this from
the end of May. Make sure you contribute to the work being undertaken to
improve the industry by participating in the Census. Read background information here, and go the Early Childhood pages of the DEEWR website for regularly updated
information.
Funding Grants
There are a number of grants currently available for not for profit services. Many of these grants come up annually and we suggest you start making a list of projects/ideas of what you could do so that you areready to submit a proposal within the timeframes. Please refer to the 30 March eConnect for more information.
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.
Anzac Day Public Holiday
In 2010 Anzac Day falls on a Sunday. Monday 26 April has been gazetted by the NSW government as the day on which the public holidaywill be observed, so unless you want to pay your employees double time and ahalf to work on Monday 26 April you will need to close on that day.
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.
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.)
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.
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 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 theDEEWR 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 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.
