FACS verdict out on Mobility Pathways effectiveness – May 2017 (PDF version)

The PSA has again met with NSW Treasury, the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Family and Community Services in relation to the Mobility Pathway program.

Early indications suggest job matches have been limited and participating agencies reluctant to fully embrace the program, preferring external advertisement over mobility placements.

However, NSW Treasury – a keen proponent of the scheme – has cautioned against pre-emptive conclusions based on limited data, and has pointed out the statistics are based largely on staff with non-comparable roles, such as ADHC LRC staff and higher-graded specialist roles.

Based on placement data provided by NSW Treasury, the value of the program, in its current form, is questionable.

Date	Information request	Information
As at 25 May 2017	The number of participants	339 employees have entered the pathway and are at various stages of the process. Now that the pathway is fully operational employees are entering at the rate of more than 100 per month.
	The number of participants per case manager	As at 25 May 2017 the average CPO load was 25 participants. Under INS policy CPOs may have an active caseload of maximum 35 participants
	The number of job matches (at grade and classification)	Over the life of the project 58 employees have been matched to 97 different roles, bringing the total number of matches to 167. All matches are at grade.
	The number of staff attending an interview	32 pathway participants have attended 51 interviews.
	The number of successful placements	As at 25 May 2017 there have been 40 placements*.

*The breakdown includes 14 who were matched to specific roles via the pathway and 26 pathway participants who attained their roles either through:

1. The FACS Cluster Operating Model process (which has employees apply for a reduced number of roles which are then allocated on merit), or
2. Applications that they make on their own for roles that are not sourced through the pathway (although they have received INS assistance with the applications, interview training etc.)

However, with the completion of phase 2 of the cluster operating model reorganisation for grades 7/8 and 5/6, a large number of staff have recently entered the program across a range of roles generic to the sector.

NSW Treasury has proposed a further review meeting in July 2017 by which time it is anticipated more reliable data will be available to assess the performance of the program.

We have urged NSW Treasury to use, where necessary, statutory powers to improve placement outcomes for participants actively seeking work in the public sector.

Are you OK? The PSA wants to know how you went with the outcome of the COM restructure.

We have received many calls from members regarding issues they feel impacted on their COM restructure interviews.

Some of the concerns raised with us include:

• an inability to obtain a role despite numerous applications

• an unwillingness to accommodate existing flexible working arrangements, such as part-time hours

• members being close to retirement age

• a lack of offers for voluntary redundancy.

We are meeting with FACS on Friday 2 June and we want to hear your concerns.

We are waiting a response from FACS regarding the following issues:

• Members in the Commissioning and Planning cohort who felt excluded from fair recruitment due to question 3 of the interview process, which specifically targeted procurement. Many of these members had not been afforded the opportunity to do procurement in their previous role

• Why FACS is continuing to externally advertise during phase 2 of the COM reorganisation, when staff are actively seeking placement opportunities with the Department.

For advice or assistance, please contact:

Rachael Shaw – 0431 349 984

Brendan McMenamin – 0431 863 979

Darrin Morgan – 0423 498 499

Not a member? JOIN today!