色狼社区update: Student Support Officers
29 September 2022
In this update
- Welcome to our new SSOs members!
- Your Workplace Rights and Entitlements
- School Holidays 鈥 Flexible Working Arrangements
- Recreational Leave during School Term
- 色狼社区Consultative Meetings with DoE
- Your SSO 色狼社区Delegates
听Welcome to our new SSOs members!
听There have been many new SSOs who have joined the 色狼社区in recent months. Welcome to our new SSO members!
Your Workplace Rights and Entitlements
Understanding what you are entitled to at work can be confusing. To help you out, we have compiled the industrial instruments that outline your workplace rights and entitlements below:
- Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Reviewed Award 2009
- NSW Department of Education 鈥 Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2019
School holidays: Flexible working arrangements
Department of Education (DoE) employees have access to flexible work arrangements; read more听. SSOs can utilise the DoE鈥檚听鈥淚f not, why not?鈥听policy to request to 鈥渨ork from home鈥 or a DoE office location during school holidays. The 鈥淚f not, why not?鈥 policy states that if an employee鈥檚 request to work flexibly is denied, the employee must be provided with the reasons 鈥渨hy not?鈥.
If an SSO is working on site alone at school during the vacation period, a working alone risk assessment must be conducted which considers the Work, Health and Safety implications of working alone.
Recreational Leave during the school term
The union has received reports from members that SSOs have been informed applications for recreational leave will not be approved during school term.
The 色狼社区advises that there is听no blanket rule against the application of recreational leave for SSOs during school term. Your workplace rights and entitlements as SSOs are governed by the industrial instruments listed above. These contain no provision for the blanket denial of recreational leave during school term.
While recreational leave can be denied on 鈥渙perational requirements鈥, the employee must be provided with genuine, reasonable and a specific explanation of why the leave cannot be accommodated by the school. The specific 鈥榦perational requirements鈥 must be outlined in writing to the employee.
If your (reasonable) recreational leave application is denied and you are not offered a genuine operational requirement reasoning for the denial, contact the 色狼社区directly for further advocacy.
色狼社区consultative meetings with the Department of Education
The 色狼社区has regular consultative meetings with the Department of Education management, to progress SSO member matters of concern. These meetings include the DoE Joint Consultative Committee as well as meetings with senior department representatives from the Inclusion and Wellbeing Directorate where we discuss operational matters.
色狼社区staff and your SSO delegates attend these meetings. Members will be updated as we progress issues on your behalf.
Your SSO 色狼社区Delegates
Callum Baillie听Regional North Delegate (Tomaree HS)
Lauren Dibiasi听Sydney Metropolitan Delegate (Homebush Boys HS)
Nicholas Tucknott听Regional South and West Delegate (Canobolas Rural Technology High School)
*** Northern NSW SSO Delegate, Term 4 2022
Callum Baillie will be on leave during Term 4 2022. Amy Smith, SSO at Warners Bay High School, will be filling in for Callum during this time. She is contactable @ .
听Need assistance at work?
As your union, the 色狼社区is here to support you. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact the Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.
Know an SSO who isn鈥檛 a member?
The more members the union has, the more influential we become! Encourage your SSO colleagues to听JOIN听the 色狼社区today.