The Public Service Association and Departmental Committee delegates met with Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Child Protection and Permanency on Tuesday 17 March 2026 for the Statewide Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). We provide the below summary of matters discussed.

Length of Service Awards

Many members were given Service Awards towards the end of 2025 with some members advising that they were not recognised.

The Department advised that this time it was a Division initiative focused on Child Protection and Permanency (CPP). Some people may have been outside the CPP division so weren’t picked up in their review. Moving forward the Deputy Secretary has advised she is seeking to expand the recognition of staff across the Divisions.

If you are in the CPP Division and were not recognised for 15 years or longer of service, we advise that you speak with your manager and HR.

Evolve Leadership and Mentoring Program

As part of the Ministers commitment to improving workplace culture and leadership, the Department has developed the Evolve Leadership and Mentoring Program for Child Protection (CP) staff, including leadership and Caseworkers. This program has been developed with consultation from the PSA, Delegates and CP staff.

The program has started rolling out with the first component, Leading from the Front, to senior managers and non-frontline directors. This will be followed by, Leading with Direction, for frontline Directors and Executive Director’s.

The program will be further expanded in the coming months to other managers and caseworkers, with a module each fortnight over a period of 26 weeks. This training is to be completed in work time and recorded in your workload planners.

Casework Specialist and Manager Practice and Permanency (MPP) Change Management Plan

The Department has advised that the MPP’s will now be going to an expression of interest (EOI) due to a large number of impacted staff nominating the same role/s for appointments. Casework Specialists are in a similar position with many applying for limited number of roles either in their area/district or the same available roles (I.e. Senior Advisor Child Protection).

We continue to advocate for members to be appointed in their preferred roles and supported if the roles are based out of District and are acutely aware of the time this matter is taking and its impact.

Fleet

Telematics roll out is progressing. DCJ are looking to create driver behaviour guides with clear thresholds for speed etc, so staff are aware. The PSA continues to maintain telematics is not to be used in a punitive way. While safety is key and discussions should be had around expectations, there should be no punitive use.

Electric Vehicle (EV) roll out is being reviewed with Public Works involved with installation of charging stations where possible. Some sites may not have capacity for EV charging stations and serious considerations must be taken in regional areas where distance is a significant issue.

Fuel supply concerns with the current geopolitical situations have been looked at with advice that contracted fuel supplies have no disruptions at this time. DCJ have included access to premium fuel for areas where other fuels are limited or unavailable.

The next Statewide JCC will be held on Tuesday 16 June 2026.