Background:

Given ongoing concerns raised by members about the workload they are being subjected to the PSA had directed members to:

• PSA members are directed to use the Workload Planner and not accept or allocate cases beyond a worker’s contracted hours or agreed paid overtime hours. Any case that you cannot work on during a four-week WLP period should not be allocated to you. This means if a child/case has zero activity hours in your WLP, that child is not to be allocated to you on ChildStory.
• PSA members are directed not to work excessive and unsafe hours which results in the forfeiture of hours, such as working more than 14 hours’ credit in any flex period. Members are reminded it is a legal requirement to accurately record all hours on your flex sheet and demonstrates the actual time needed to deliver outcomes for vulnerable kids and families. If you do unpaid work (such as overtime that has not been approved) over a weekend, the PSA advises you to record the dates and hours worked in the section “Certified Correct” on your flex sheet.
• PSA members are directed not to complete their Performance Development Plan (PDP) including participation in the E-Learning modules or take part in any Performance Development Program planning or implementation activities. The Career Plan section and Performance Development Career Planning Tool are exempt.

Rationale:

Your employer must provide all employees with a safe workplace free from hazards, this includes both physical and psychological hazards. It also ensures that allocated caseloads are safe and manageable and not beyond workers contracted hours. If no planned work has been identified for a case, it should not be allocated to the caseworker as they should not be held accountable if something goes wrong. The department and the Minister should be accountable for work that cannot be allocated, not caseworkers and their managers.

Link to SafeWork NSW

https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/resource-library/list-of-all-codes-of-practice/codes-of-practice/managing-psychosocial-hazards-at-work

Action:

Given the PSA has for years tried to negotiate with DCJ CS about managing caseworkers workload there has been little change in the allocation of matters which has led to many staff suffering from burnout and being forced to leave the industry due to psychosocial injury.

The PSA is directing all staff to use the safety suite WHS incident reporting system to bring to the attention of their managers the work conditions, there is also a confidentiality button that overrides the incident report going to your manager and sends it straight to HR, they are finding themselves forced to endure. If no change is made to your working conditions members are to contact SafeWork NSW and report the incident as a Psychosocial Hazard relating to excessive workload.

Your report needs to include:

• Details of Management actions to address the hazard, both good and bad.
• The effect of the hazard on your health and safety.
• Any contributing factors, e.g. unreasonable reporting obligations, staffing shortages, the availability of resources etc.
• Your name and location and whether or not you would like to remain anonymous.

For futher information and assistance contact:

(List Regional Oranisers and Organisers responsible for CSC’s in the city here, giving contact details and the areas we cover)

Sydney Metro

Organiser
Belinda Tsirekas

Bathurst and Central West

Organiser
Belinda Pearce

Lismore and North Coast

Organiser
Rebecca Reilly

Mik Smart

Newcastle and Hunter

Organisers
Gino Di Candilo

Ian Braithwaite

Paul James

Tamworth and North West

Organiser
Stephen Mears

Wagga Wagga and South West

Organiser
Thomas Hooper

Wollongong and South Coast

Organisers
Bart McKenzie

Shane Elliot

List of current PSA work bans:

https://publicserviceassociationofnsw.cmail20.com/t/j-e-zhukhdd-ihuutjlhdr-r/