Working within your Role Description
School Psychologist members are reminded that your Role Description outlines the scope of your role. The PSA advises our members to always work within the scope of their Role Description unless you are being appropriately remunerated for performing higher duties.
Supervision
The PSA has been made aware that some School Psychologists are being asked by the Department of Education to provide supervision to provisionally registered School Psychologists.
It is the role of the Senior Psychologist, Education (SPE) to provide supervision to provisionally registered School Psychologists; and it is the DoE’s responsibility to ensure that there are enough SPEs, who are Psychology Board-approved supervisors to provide provisional psychologists in schools with the required supervision as they work to achieve General Registration.
The role of School Psychologist does not include providing supervision to other School Psychologists.
If you are approached to undertake this type of work you must be appropriately paid, have the required training and registration, and be formally performing higher duties.
Members can choose to take up Supervision training if it is offered to you by your employer.
Working within your Role Description is one way to ensure reasonable workloads, and to ensure that the Department recognises the need to employ more SPEs, thus also creating more career progression opportunities for School Psychologists.
Managing your workload
Members are reminded that every minute you spend working should be recorded accurately in your timesheets. Members should not be working for “free”.
Members are also reminded not to work excessive and unsafe hours which results in the forfeiture of hours, such as exceeding the maximum carry-over of 42 flex hours within the 12-week settlement period as outlined in the DoE Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2019.
We ask all PSA members to read their role description and think carefully about new, different, or unreasonable tasks which do not fit within the scope of your role. We encourage members to raise these with your supervisor and discuss how best to manage unreasonable workloads.
Need assistance?
As your union, the PSA is here to support you. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact us for support, advice and advocacy on 1300 772 679, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.