Office of the Children’s Guardian: The PSA is coming to visit
PSA Organiser Alex Sala and Industrial Officer Graydon Welsh, as well as your workplace delegates, will be meeting members on site on Tuesday 24 June 2025 from midday in the Woronora Room.
Come talk to your Organisers about the PSA’s role in your workplace and what the union can do to help when you engage with us.
We will have doughnuts to say “THANK YOU” to your workplace Delegates for their work.
Everyone is welcome, so feel free to bring a non-member to show them the benefits of being part of your union.
Details
Date Tuesday 24 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-1:00pm Location Woronora Room
If you are working remotely but would like to talk to us, please log in via the Microsoft Teams link HERE. Meeting ID 450 316 831 893 2 Passcode aW7Y9Gz7
We will be seeking agenda items to bring along to the upcoming Joint Consultative committee meeting between Office of the Children’s Guardian management and leadership, workplace delegates and your union, the PSA.
Stronger together
The PSA has more than 125 years of proud history, and you stand on the shoulders of more than 40,000 members who know we are stronger together.
Do you work on the front lines of Child Protection in the Western NSW District?
Your union, the PSA, will visit Community Services Centres this week. Please see details below.
Regional Organiser Belinda Pearce and Senior Organiser Belinda Tsirekas will be attending the below worksites in person. Organiser Amy Lennox and Industrial Officer Graydon Welsh will be online to discuss current issues affecting members and provide an update on the ongoing Child Protection in Crisis Campaign, the PSA win of reclassifying Grade 3 Caseworkers to Grade 4 and the new Child Protection Employee Award.
Details
Bathurst CSC
Date Monday 16 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-2:00pm Location Meeting room
The meeting will also be held online HERE Meeting ID 474 142 955 486 6 Passcode Tj2aT3aq
Cowra CSC
Date Tuesday 17 June 2025 Time 12pm-2pm Location Staff room
The meeting will also be held online HERE Meeting ID 489 299 630 776 6 Passcode bJ3XD3Rr
Parkes CSC
Date Wednesday 18 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-2:00pm Location Meeting room
The meeting will also be held online HERE Meeting ID 499 273 511 076 8 Passcode M3zK32UD
Orange CSC
Date Thursday 19 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-2:00pm Location Meeting/staff room
The meeting will also be held online HERE Meeting ID 460 879 494 963 4 Passcode E6hx2tf2
Lithgow CSC
Date Friday 19 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-2:00pm Location meeting room
The meeting will also be held online HERE Meeting ID 420 319 277 860 6 Passcode u5XB9wC6
Workload Planner
the PSA will also be running Workload Planner Lunch & Learn sessions both in Community Service Centres (CSCs) and via MS Teams whilst visiting the Central West.
This will assist you in setting boundaries and prioritising your workload. It will give you tools to say “No” to work you simply do not have the hours to complete.
The current Workload Planner (WLP) is easier to use than you might think, and we urge you to put it into action because the fact remains – if it’s not measurable, it’s not manageable. The Workload Planner gives the PSA, and Manger Client Services, Directors and Executive District Director, evidence to clearly demonstrate that there are not enough workers to meet the workload.
We will also be discussing member benefits such as personal journey insurance, Union Shopper discounts, free ambulance cover and free will service.
Non-members are also welcome to attend and have a chat about the benefits of joining the PSA.
Disparaging remarks about public servants aired in the ICAC
The PSA is aware of the disparaging remarks about public servants aired in the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) last week by someone who, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, allegedly “subverted recruitment practices, improperly awarded contracts and misallocated funds to benefit his friends and associates”.
The PSA strongly disputes this untrue characterisation of our hard-working members and will continue to support and champion you.
Public servants keep the state of NSW running smoothly in times good and bad.
PSA members have been on the frontline, in many different roles, as the state has been rocked by floods, bushfire, drought and a deadly pandemic. Without PSA members, we would not have access to the essential services that make NSW a wonderful place to live and work.
The PSA wants to acknowledge the great work you, our members, do in keeping the state running and the support you give to the education system in NSW.
We are here for you
The PSA reminds all members that the union is here to support you.
Contact the PSA Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679 if you require assistance.
Student Support Officers’ Term 2 update: Flexibility, recruitment, overtime and professionalism
In this update
Student Support Officers Vocational Advisory Group
Flexible Working Entitlements
Direct Recruitment by Schools
Overtime
Professionalism and Professional Supervision
Student Support Officers’ Vocational Advisory Group
On Wednesday, 14 May 2025, delegates on the Student Support Officers’ (SSO) Vocational Advisory Group met with industrial staff at PSA House. Delegates discussed matters raised by SSO PSA members in preparation for the upcoming Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting with the department on 4 June 2025.
Access to flexible working entitlements
We heard from delegates that there is still inconsistency across schools about SSO access to flexible working hours and being supported to work remotely during school holidays. We want to remind members that SSOs under the Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2022 have access to flexible start and finish times within a 7:30am-6:00pm bandwidth, whilst the operational hours of the school are covered.
We also remind members that the PSA continues to press the Department to ensure SSOs are supported to work remotely during school holiday periods. We stress that no-one should be working on a school site alone, without having a Working Alone Risk Assessment, approved by the Principal who has a duty of care to ensure your safety.
PSA wins compliance in recruitment of SSOs by schools
The PSA has previously met with Corporate Recruitment and expressed serious concerns about the Department’s two-tiered system of recruitment for SSOs. The majority of SSOs are recruited centrally by corporate recruitment, where they are screened for the required qualifications, have access to a commencing salary procedure and are properly on-boarded and inducted. However, School Principals can also act as hiring managers and recruit Student Support Officers.
Delegates have brought to the PSA’s attention recent examples of non-compliant recruitment by schools, including job ads that do not specify the required qualifications of ‘Social Work, Youth Work or equivalent’ and in some cases the creation of role titles as a hybrid ‘wellbeing roles’ between an SLSO and an SSO.
The PSA formally wrote to the Department to remove a recent incorrect job ad and cease non-compliant recruitment. The Department has halted the process and advised Principals about requirements and parameters for recruitment of SSO roles. The PSA will meet again with corporate recruitment and will continue to address recruitment procedures.
Joint Consultative Committee
PSA industrial staff and delegates meet quarterly with Employee Relations for a meeting dedicated to discussing matters relating to School Psychologists and SSOs. The JCC meeting was held on 4 June 2025 at the department’s Eveleigh office. Our agenda items were as follows:
Recruitment and Mobility
Overtime
Professional supervision
Workforce Data
Professionalism – Record-keeping
Recruitment: It was agreed in the JCC that PSA industrial staff and delegates meet with Corporate Recruitment on 5 June 2025 to discuss the details of our concerns. The PSA outlined the matters above and we have not agreed to the department’s proposed Recruitment Procedures for wellbeing roles, and will require further consultation before the drafts can be finalised.
Overtime: The PSA has been pressing the Department to outline and demonstrate consistent practice for employees recording and claiming overtime. We know SSOs are regularly expected to attend School Excursions. Your flex sheets only record bandwidth hours but do not currently record working time outside your bandwidth hours. There is no consistency for the properly calculated Award rates of overtime to be recorded and claimed by SSOs as Time in Lieu (TIL) or payment.
We agree overtime accrual should not interfere with flex accrual. The Department has advised that its position is that overtime should be claimed on SAP. Members have said that SAP is not functional for recording overtime, so the PSA has requested the department provide a step-by-step guide and SAP demonstration for recording overtime. This will be arranged in the coming weeks with delegates present.
Professionalism – Record-keeping: The PSA knows our members who work in wellbeing roles in schools are qualified professionals, dedicated to ethical practice including keeping secure and confidential records of their interactions with students. The PSA is aware of OSCR for School Psychologists but has raised concerns that there are differing expectations across different schools for the records kept by SSOs. We’ve asked the Department to provide clear guidelines on what should be recorded, where it should be stored (such as on Sentral or other platforms) and who should have access to these sensitive records concerning student wellbeing.
Professional recognition and learning: The PSA raised that SSOs require professional recognition, supervision and tailored professional learning. Our members and delegates report being required to attend Teacher PL sessions and/or sitting in SASS staff training rather than being provided with relevant professional supervision and/or learning. The PSA is advocating the Department should ensure Principals have a clear understanding of the SSO role and the professional and ethical obligations attached to it.
Workforce data: The PSA receives quarterly workforce data updates for FTE and temporary SSOs employed by the Department.
Member benefits
The PSA offer many member-based benefits that you can access. Today we are going to highlight Gidget Foundation Australia and Foundation House.
Gidget Foundation Australia provides programs to support expectant and new parents experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety. More information can be found HERE.
Foundation House is an alcohol, drug and gambling treatment centre, offering a 28-day residential rehab service members and their immediate family members free of charge. More information can be found HERE.
Join your PSA organiser and delegates for a members’ meeting to discuss how your union can best support your workplace.
This is an opportunity for members and non-members to meet with your PSA organsier and delegates to learn about the role of the PSA in your workplace and discuss any issues.
Members are encouraged to send any agenda items that they would like discussed to
If you know any non-members’ that would like to learn more about your union, invite them to attend.
Details
If you are onsite, please join us in person. Date 17 June 2025 Time 1:00pm-2:00pm Location Operations room
For those not onsite, the meeting can be accessed via Microsoft Teams HERE. Meeting ID 462 257 105 601 Passcode 4Ud9Uh9D
Delegates
Mathew Jones
Margaret Sutherland
Organiser
Claudia Bianchi
Join us
The PSA NSW has 125 years of proud history, and you stand on the shoulders of more than 40,000 members who know we are stronger together.
NSW Trustee and Guardian: Flexible Working Policy consultation
The PSA has been contacted by the NSW Trustee and Guardian (NSWTG) regarding consultation for a new Flexible Work Policy and Procedure. NSWTG proposes to adopt the existing NSW Department of Communities and Justice policy. Consultation runs until Friday 20 June 2025, however the PSA will request an extension if necessary.
You can view the DCJ Flexible Work Policy HERE, and the associated Flexible Work Procedures HERE.
In summary, members should be aware that the changes proposed include the following:
If members have access to hybrid/remote working arrangements, at least 50 per cent of their work time must be spent in an NSWTG workplace over a period of one month. At least some of that time is to be on a Monday or a Friday.
If members wish to seek to spend more than 50 per cent of their working time in an NSWTG workplace over a period of one month, a formal request is required for consideration.
A transition period applies up to 4 August 2025, by which time all members and teams are to be operating in line with the policy requirements. During the transition period, team-based conversations about flexible work can occur, and any necessary approvals can be considered.
The PSA seeks any member input. There will be two member meetings next week to facilitate this; Wednesday at 12:00pm and Thursday at 1:00pm. The meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams: the links are below.
Details
Date Wednesday 18 June 2025 Time 12:00pm-1:00pm Join the meeting now Meeting ID 466 836 518 214 3 Passcode Rh92xG6v
Date Thursday 19 June 2025 Time 12:00pm- 1:00pm Join the meeting now Meeting ID 485 869 528 260 7 Passcode G9Fo3tw2
We want your feedback! Infrastructure and Assets DCJ Workplace Design guide
Has your office had a refit or due a refit? If so, then it’s important that you provide feedback as to how this design is working for you on the ground or provide your feedback as to how this refit may impact your worksite. Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) are requesting feedback from staff and so we know the feedback that our members have provided the PSA will conduct our own survey.
Infrastructure and Assets DCJ Workplace design guide is currently on the DCJ intranet for consultation and feedback by all Staff. The actual design guide version 1.90 can be viewed via this link (DCJ Workplace Design Guide- Version 1.90 for stakeholders). The DCJ Workplace design feedback via a Microsoft Forms can be found within this document (DCJ Workplace Design Guide). Feedback is due by Friday 20 June 2025.
PSA survey can be found here and will take approximately three minutes to complete and will be open until Monday 23 June 2025.
The is power in our union, and the current issue of Red Tape magazine celebrates this strength.
The current issue looks at how our union campaigned, and won, bringing Parklea Prison back into the state system and striking yet another blow against the relentless privatisation agenda that has blighted our state for decades.
We know public service matters. Our members, who do so much for the people of our state, know that public service matters. And finally, we have a state government that has heard our demands and agrees.
The current issue looks at the fight against privatisation and our push for better public services.
Red Tape also looks back at the 2025 Annual Conference, opened by the Premier and featuring an excellent array of speakers and forums that help us create a better union for all our members.
A powerful union stands up for issues that matter, so the PSA CPSU NSW is proud to have held it first summit into domestic and family violence.
Red Tape also covers our fight to protect the workers’ compensation system that protects New South Wales workers and our powerful union’s victory on behalf of members at the Rural Fire Service.
As always, readers can enjoy our informative news stories, thought-provoking columns and entertaining reviews.
The winter edition of Red Tape is in the post to members right now.
Nominations close 24 June 2025. Forms must be completed via Survey Monkey by 5:00pm on 24 June 2025.
If there is a ballot, candidates who wish to have a profile available for voters to read should provide a brief statement of 300 words or less stating how they will best represent members’ interests.
Space is provided for this purpose on the form available through Survey Monkey.
Chris Colosi
for Kerrie Butson Deputy Returning Officer
Department of Climate Change Energy, Environment and Water realignment
The PSA has been briefed by Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) regarding the Towards One Communication, Marketing, Media, and Engagement (CMME) and Corporate and Enabling Services (CES) realignment.
The PSA was also advised of Change Management Plans for Communication, Marketing, Media and Engagement (CMME) as well as Corporate & Enabling Services (CES) as part of Phase 2 of Towards One.
The PSA understands the realignment will have an impact on 186 roles and 153 staff. The PSA has been advised there will be no job losses, however staff and functions will be moving from different agencies under DCCEEW to a more centralised approach and staff have been advised that post the transition roles and responsibilities will be reviewed in an effort to find ‘efficiencies’.
The PSA has been advised of the following key messages;
Corporate and Enabling Services (CES):
No role reductions and job losses identified Phase 2
Reporting line changes for Executives and some award staff
A number of executive roles will be impacted with additional direct reports
CSE – Grants function centralised to Strategic Policy, Science & Engagement (SPSE)
Communications Media, Marketing and Engagement (CMME):
No role reductions and job losses identified Phase 2
Mostly reporting line changes with a small number of award staff with some scope changes to their current role
Some senior executive roles at Executive Director and Director level will have changed responsibilities which may include additional direct
The PSA has met with DCCEEW PSA delegates, who have advised the loss of Senior Executive roles will have a direct impact on frontline staff. Also members are concerned about the centralisation of roles and the impact it would have on their current agencies.
The PSA has requested and received an additional two weeks consultation due to the complexity of the realignment and the impact on a number of our members.
The PSA is seeking feedback from our affected members within the DCCEEW Cluster. This would enable the PSA to put in a comprehensive response to the change management plans on behalf of our members.
Feedback can be provided to your DCCEEW PSA Delegates:
Departmental Committee Chair
Steve Lewer – Conservation Programs Heritage and Regulation (CPHR)
Departmental Committee Secretary
Daniel Cain, CPHR
Conservation Programs Heritage and Regulation Steve Lewer – Newcastle
Call for Nominations – NSW Environment Protection Authority Departmental Committee
Nominations are called for positions on the NSW Environment Protection Authority Departmental Committee.
Each nomination must be seconded by two other members in the same electorate as the nominee. The call for nominations is as follows:
11 Delegates Required
Electorate Name
EPA Offices
Delegates Required
Electorate 1 – Metropolitan
Parramatta, Lidcombe
4
Electorate 2 – Hunter
Newcastle
1
Electorate 3 – North
Grafton, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie
2
Electorate 4 – South
Wollongong, Queanbeyan and Merimbula
2
Combined Electorates:
Electorate 5a – West, New England &Riverina
5b – Central West
Buronga, Broken Hill,
Armidale, Narrabri,
Wagga Griffith.
Dubbo, Bathurst
2
NOMINATIONS AND CLOSING DATE
Nominees, nominators and seconders must be financial members of the Association as at 5 June 2025.
Nominations must be submitted via Survey Monkey: HERE
Nominations close 24 June 2025. Forms must be completed via Survey Monkey by 5pm on 24 June 2025.
If there is a ballot, candidates who wish to have a profile available for voters to read should provide a brief statement of 300 words or less stating how they will best represent members’ interests.
Space is provided for this purpose on the form available through Survey Monkey.
Please email any questions to
Chris Colosi
for Kerrie Butson Deputy Returning Officer
The PSA and the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) have been involved in intensive discussions around the conditions of employment contained within the proposed new Child Protection Workforce Award.
The PSA envisages that it will soon be time to vote on the proposed Child Protection Workforce Award. The agreement to create a standalone Child Protection Award is the result of action taken by PSA Members. You forced the Government to take action on this traditionally overlooked area of the public service.
If and when an offer is put to the PSA, members will be able to vote via Survey Monkey sent in a PSA Bulletin. You must be a PSA Member to vote on the proposed Award.
Before we provide details of the any potential offer, we want to ensure our records are up to date to give all eligible PSA Members in DCJ Community Services the opportunity to vote. If you have received this email, and your role is covered by the new Award, you will receive the Survey Monkey link to vote.
Our ask of you: talk to your colleagues and fellow PSA Members about the upcoming vote. Are they a union Member? If so, did they receive this email?
There are a number of reasons why people may not be receiving PSA Bulletins. Many have unfortunately opted out of receiving PSA Bulletins over the years, some have chosen to provide their personal email which may filter emails into Junk/ Spam folders, some need to provide updated contact details.
If you need to update your contact details, you can visit the Member area of the PSA website here.
Alternatively, you can email so we can assist with updating your details before voting goes live.
More details of the Award offer will be forthcoming via PSA Bulletins and PSA Member Meetings – online and in person – in the coming weeks. Please keep your eyes peeled, and in the meantime, ensure your details are up to date!
