As you maybe aware, a circular was issued by the Premiers Department in the middle of 2024. The circular called for public sector workers to ‘principally work from their approved workplace’.

The circular detailed that how this would be implemented would be left to the agency head to implement based on operational requirements of the agency. Many public sector employees are in roles that are required to be in the workplace. This includes Correctives Officers, Sheriffs, National Parks and Wildlife and most Customer Service oriented roles.

The Child Protection Helpline and Domestic Violence Line provide frontline support and services to children, families and carers, women and those who work to protect and support those in need. The work done, while dealing directly with people, continues to be done with great success remotely, as it has been for many years now.

For this reason, your Union has provided feedback to the Department seeking an ad-hoc exemption in the Flexible Working, Better Ways of Working policy.

The PSA seeks that the Child Protection Helpline and Domestic Violence Line be considered for an ad-hoc exemption in relation to returning to the office, and this should be included in the Policy. 

The work undertaken by these workers is almost entirely computer and phone based, requiring no in person contact with young people or their families or carers. While face-to-face meetings with others from the Helpline and DV Line are supported and seen as required for team connectivity and cohesion, this can, and has been, managed within the current flexible practices of 1 day per week in the office. 

The Helpline and DV Line have been operating in various flexible practices since prior to 2020, with many staff working in regional areas. Staff in regional areas attend the Liverpool office on very limited basis and are still highly effective team members. This is further support to the work being continued with current flexible arrangements. 

We can see little to no operational requirements that would demand an increase in workplace presence by the staff in the Helpline and DV Line. They teams have successfully maintained connectivity, support and work output with the technological current walkthroughs and practices. They have established procedures and practices that include using Teams, Email and other forms of communications to maintain supervision and contact with management and other team members. 

This policy will provide the guidance for workplace presence and is still in consultation. We will update members on developments.