NSW Trustee and Guardian restructure – February 2017 (PDF version)

On 8 February 2017 NSW Trustee and Guardian released its Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) evaluation to the Public Service Association (PSA).

The purpose of the PWC evaluation was to assess the readiness of NSW Trustee and Guardian to implement the proposed service delivery model. The PSA met with PWC several weeks ago to express its concerns.

At the meeting on 8 February 2017, NSW Trustee and Guardian indicated that since the announcement of the Business Case in October 2015, an additional 50 roles had been added to the proposed NSW Trustee and Guardian structure, and 43 of these roles have been added to the Service Delivery Centres.

NSW Trustee and Guardian also advised financial management will now be based on a hybrid system of service delivery, with individual case management and staff being rostered to take phone calls. This means the NSW Trustee and Guardian Business Case has substantially unravelled, with individual case management being the primary method of service delivery in estate administration and financial management.

Your PSA delegates will be meeting on Wednesday 15 February to consider the response to the report and the PSA is now seeking your feedback prior to the meeting.

The PSA has already identified the following matters;

• NSW Trustee and Guardian still has not done the preparation recommended by PWC in both reports.

• NSW Trustee and Guardian has not completed the process mapping or operating procedures manuals that are necessary to enable staff to do their work and that will support training and minimise risks to clients. The PSA has raised this issue consistently during the restructure and PWC highlighted this as an issue in both reports.

• Without process mapping, there can be no reliable and accurate workload analysis and assessment of appropriate caseloads.

• The absence of process mapping and detailed operating procedures will lead to inconsistencies in workload allocation and work practises.

• The PWC report indicates that financial management policies and procedures have not been sighted as part of the review, and are planned for development at the end of March 2017, after the proposed implementation.

• Other areas of preparation recommended PWC have only been partially developed, such as program management and skills analysis and training.

• The implementation of TAGS has now been extended to September 2017, well past the original proposed implementation date.

• Despite repeated requests by the PSA, there is still no clarification of the work to be done by different grades.

• There are ongoing workload issues and the reduction of staff numbers will mean increasing workload pressures in future.

• The capacity of the service centres to absorb specialist work such as property has not been tested.

It is proposed that NSW Trustee and Guardian and the PSA return to the IRC in the near future, and the PSA welcomes feedback of its members in relation to the PWC report and any other work issues.

What YOU CAN DO

• Read the PWC report HERE.

• Provide your feedback to delegates on any matters of concern including workload levels and allocations.

Delegates

• Paul Gavin

• Martin Armstrong

• Peter Edgtton

• Richard Falkowski

• Christine Edmondson