Category: Information for Members

A summary of May Day events being held around Scotland are listed below.  Further information on the events can be found on the STUC website at  http://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-and-external-events/mayday-2015

Sunday 3rd May, GLASGOW

May Day March and Rally Sunday May 3rd George Square 11am assemble 11.30am March off. Rally O2 Academy Glasgow – ALL WELCOME.

Thousands of trade unionists and supporters will march through Glasgow to celebrate the international workers day on Sunday May the 3rd. Organised by Glasgow Trade Union Council this celebration looks to reach out to all those striving for justice, peace and equality in our city. This year theme is young people as they face the brunt of unjust austerity, enduring insecure low paid employment, including zero hour contracts. That is why it is young people who will proudly lead off the May Day parade demonstrating that the trade union movement is a forward looking movement proud of our past while focusing on the struggle for a fair and equal future.

At Glasgow O2 Academy in the Gorbals, speakers include the writer and journalist Seamus Milne, a live video link with the USA’s Fast Food Forward movement, Gordon Maloney NUS Scotland’s President speaking on the need for a Living Rent, representatives of the Glasgow Girls Campaign, Roza Salih and Stephen Smellie will be speaking about Kobane. Alongside tons of stalls and kids entertainment, a friendly and welcoming environment.

Critical Mass Cycle Friday –May 1st – ALL WELCOME.
The Labour Movement has a proud cycling tradition, in times past cycling was used as a means to communicate the message of socialism while providing a social environment for trade unionists and socialists to meet and talk. In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in cycling including the formation of a new cycle club for trade unionists and friends the Glasgow Clarion Club.

To celebrate May Day and our cycling heritage many trade unionist and friends will be cycling out on May 1st from Glasgow Green. Participants are asked to wear red to promote May Day and to highlight our campaign for Glasgow and its employer to become a bike friendly city. Cyclists will gather at 4.30 pm in Glasgow Green cycling together through town and then refreshments will be served in the STUC in Woodlands Road.

Organised by Glasgow Trade Union Council

ABERDEEN,  Saturday 2nd May

“The ABERDEEN Trades Union Council May Day March and Rally is on Saturday 2 May 2015.

The marchers will assemble at Rubislaw Terrace from 10.30 am and the procession will march off at 11.00 am.

The procession will proceed to the Castlegate via Union Street (the whole length of Union St). The rally at the Castlegate is scheduled to commence at 11.45 am/12noon.

Organised by Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC),

 

DUNDEE, Saturday 2nd May

Dundee Mayday March & Rally

Assemble Cowgate Underpass at 11:40am, march off 12 noon, Rally at Albert Square, Burns’ Statue.

Organised by Dundee TUC

 

Edinburgh, Saturday 2nd May

Organised by Midlothian TUC/Edinburgh & Lothians May Day Committee

Assemble 11.30 on Middle Meadow Walk , March at 12.00 led by Stockbridge Pipe Band.

Rally at Pleasance Theatre.

There will also be a May Day concert on Friday 1st May.

IRVINE, Sunday 3rd May

organised by Irvine and North Ayrshire Trades Union Council
Irvine and North Ayrshire Trades Union Council May Day March at 12 noon in Vineburgh Community Centre Quarry Rd Irvine.

Rally in Vineburgh Community Centre Quarry Road Irvine at 1pm.

 

 

Consutation Children YP 2015 Responses

Printable Version

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 enshrines the concept of ‘Named Person’ in Statute. However the ‘Named Person’ is familiar to us all from any work we do that relates to the Scottish Government’s key child protection policy GIRFEC – or Getting It Right for Every Child.

Why is the Scottish Government insisting that Local Authorities have a Named Person for every child or young person from birth to 18 years or longer dependent on needs?

Firstly the SSTA fully supports the principles of GIRFEC and the role of the Named Person. Secondly we endorse the statement from Fiona McLeod (Acting Minister for Children) stating that “We know that mothers, fathers and carers are with a few exceptions the best people to raise their children. These new provisions support families, providing improved access to services while maintaining parental rights and responsibilities.”

What is the function of the Named Person?

The Named Person will carry out statutory functions on behalf of the service provider with respect to individual children or young people for whom they have a professional responsibility, as part of their contractual functions. The Named Person is the individual point of contact within a service, acting on behalf of that service, with responsibility for supporting the wellbeing of the individual child or young person within the context of their professional expertise and contracted role. (4.1.5) Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)

Who should be a Named Person?                  

In the vast majority of circumstances the Named Person will be a health visitor or a promoted teacher with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to fulfil the Named Person functions that will be part of their daily functions. (4.1.15 Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)

What is the role of a Named Person?

The role of the Named Person is to promote, support and safeguard the wellbeing of the child or young person

• Promote:-advising, informing or supporting the child or young person, or a parent of the child or young person. This may involve the Named Person providing direct help to the child, young person or parent in the form of information, advice, or support from their own service, in response to a request for assistance, an identified wellbeing need or base assessment, in response to an opportunity to further promote the child or young person’s wellbeing.
• Support:-helping the child or young person, or parent of the child or young person, to access a service or support. In considering the child’s or young person’s wellbeing, the Named Person may identify a service or particular support which would benefit the child, young person or parent and seek assistance from within their own service or from another service provider
• Safeguard:-discussing or raising a matter about a child or young person with a service provider or relevant authority. The Named Person may identify a wellbeing need, or have a concern brought to their attention by a parent, or another professional, which in their professional judgement requires advice and support from another agency.

Will I be given training for the role of the Named Person?

Yes! It will be for the service provider (Local Authority) to provide support for the Named Person including clear guidance on policy, procedures and training. (4.1.17) Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)

 

What are the duties and responsibilities of the Named Person?

The Named person should have a clear understanding of and be able to implement: –

• The principles and values underpinning the GIRFEC approach
• National Practice Model of assessments and analysis
• Be able to recognise and respond appropriately to wellbeing concerns
• To work in partnership with parents and other agencies
• To seek assistance from within and outwith their service
• To share information appropriately
• Recording and processing of wellbeing concerns and other sensitive information
• Development and use of chronology
• Initiating reviews and managing the Child’s Plan
• Be knowledgeable and supportive of targeted interventions
• Be aware and supportive of wellbeing and child protection concerns

Who is ultimately responsible for the support, work and decisions made by the Named Person?

The statutory guidance clearly states in 1.6.10 “When guidance refers to the Named Person service provider, this means that the organisation providing the Named Person, not the identified individual carrying out the Named Person role. This is an important distinction, as the legal duties fall on the organisation providing the Named Person service, not on the individual practitioner taking on the role of Named Person.” Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)

Who will look after my Named Person pupil caseload during school closure days and periods of absence?

This will be the duty of the Local Authority as they are regarded as the Named Person service provider.

Will I be given additional payment for this taking on this responsibility?

This will be something that will have to be negotiated at LNCT. However the SNCT agreement section 2. 1.26 states that “A council may increase the salary of a teacher if, in the particular circumstances of the post, it considers the salary to be inadequate. Such placement will not necessarily be accepted as applicable in respect of future employment with another council. This provision shall not be applied to effect a general increase in the salaries of a particular category of post.”

Colleagues

Please see link to circular 2015/11

The purpose of this circular is to:

1. Advise that retirement applications can now be submitted electronically and how to do this2. Highlight the timescales for submission of summer retiral applications 3. Confirm the information required after retirement 4. Advise that the premature calculator for employers has been updated

Printable Version

1. General Principles

This advice document has been prepared by the SSTA Senior Managers’ Advisory Panel to assist our Senior Manager members in addressing both their own Professional Update and the Professional Update of their school colleagues, many of whom will also be fellow SSTA members. Bearing this in mind, an empathetic and sensitive manager can ensure that the ‘Duty of Care’ towards staff is properly implemented and existing or potential problems are mitigated or avoided altogether.

Professional Update has been welcomed in principle throughout Scottish Education. The view of the SSTA is that participation by our members in Professional Update should lead to increased levels of professional satisfaction as teachers gain new skills and further develop existing skills in a supportive, encouraging and enabling professional learning environment. It is the creative potential generated by this positive ethos and increased satisfaction that will bring lasting benefits in the consistent, high quality teaching and learning that our pupils deserve.

At all times the focus should be on improving learning and teaching in the school through the on-going Professional Development & Review process and the satisfaction of teaching staff at all levels with their professional and career development. The objective is to avoid anxiety and additional work as the 5-year Professional Update sign-off approaches, making it a step along the way rather than a hurdle to be overcome.

These outcomes for teachers can only be achieved by consistent and sensitive application of high quality policies and procedures at National, Council and School levels. The SSTA strongly encourages its Senior Manager members to take every opportunity to become fully involved in the development and review of policy and practice for Professional Update and to enable staff at all levels to make their own contribution to this review process.

2. Corporate and Personal Responsibilities

It is essential that all Senior Managers are fully aware of their employer’s policy and act according to their employer’s guidelines.
Senior Managers should make clear to their employer that they require ongoing, high quality training in order to carry out these policies. SSTA Senior Managers should also be quick to seek advice, including advice from the SSTA.

It is important for you as a Senior Manager to derive the same benefit as other staff from the on-going Professional Review & Development process within the Professional Update process. In maintaining regular contact with your own Reviewer and updating your own Professional Learning Record you will be setting the tone for the colleagues for whom you in turn are the Reviewer.

3. Record Keeping – Confidentiality and Transparency

Records must be properly kept and monitored, whether your employer requires you to use the framework in MyGTCS or a different system. It is a requirement of GTCS membership to keep your own personal details up to date electronically through MyGTCS.

Strict confidentiality according to Authority guidelines must be observed. Details of verbal, written and electronic records and communications should only be revealed to other staff with good reason and with the employee’s consent. In particular Senior Managers must make clear to clerical staff that confidentiality is paramount.

All information relating to the PRD process should be stored in accordance with Council Policy. Employees have right of access to all information recorded in personal files. Employees also have the right to be informed that such files exist. No comments, other than verifiable facts, should be recorded.

4. Range and Availability of Development Opportunities

It is important to ensure that a full range of development opportunities is available to teaching staff and that those activities taken up are closely matched to the identified needs and career aspirations of each individual reviewee. These activities should include formal courses (both online and extraction from school), membership/leadership of committees and working groups and opportunities to develop new skills in leadership and management.

While Senior Managers clearly have a responsibility to build professional relationships that facilitate the availability of opportunities and the development of relevant skills for their colleagues, it is equally important to ensure that Senior Managers receive the same service from their own reviewers.

5. Personal Support and Motivation

Good leadership by school senior managers and a collegiate approach to implementing Professional Update will ensure the best possible outcomes for all teaching staff and hence for the school. Managers must be allowed to manage and teachers require clear procedures, timelines and lines of communication.

Workload issues are best dealt with by planning in advance through the school’s Working Time Agreement (WTA). SSTA senior managers are advised to ensure that formal dates and meetings are built in to the WTA and are adhered to (both as reviewer and as reviewee) so that any difficulty or concern experienced by a colleague can be resolved quickly before it becomes perceived as an obstacle.

The development needs of reviewees are best identified though a process of self-reflection and planned observation, particularly classroom observation. The Working Time Agreement and Classroom Observation have been described as a litmus test for collegiality in a school.
Developing a continuous professional relationship with each reviewee should ensure that issues such as failure to maintain a Professional Learning Record or requesting a delay or deferral in the 5-year Professional Update sign-off process will not come as a surprise but will have been resolved informally before it is necessary to consider formal procedures.

6. Temporary and Supply Staff

Senior Managers should ensure that temporary and supply staff are aware of their obligations regarding CPD and Professional Update. Where appropriate these groups should be included in school and authority based CPD opportunities.

7. Conclusion

We hope that you find this leaflet helpful in building a collegiate approach to the Professional Update process and that the focus on improving learning & teaching, on-going professional review & development and building professional relationships is helpful in in your own school and your own practice.

SSTA officials are always available to provide confidential advice, particularly if you are required to implement a scheme that does not follow the standards set out in this leaflet.

Printable Version

All members should be familiar with their employer’s management of absence policy

Irrespective of a Council’s Policy in relation to the Management of Absence the employer has a duty of care to implement that policy in CARING and REASONABLE manner which is SUPPORTIVE and NON-THREATENING.

The SSTA, however, accepts that an employer:

1. bears an additional cost as a result of staff absence
2. is entitled to attempt to minimize absence
3. is entitled to set absence triggers

Return to Work Meetings

These are normally informal “chats” with the direct line manager (PT). For example
“How are you?” “Glad to see you back.” Is there anything I can do to help?”
Triggers (e.g. 3 absences within a 6 months period)

If a member is ill and takes 2 days sick leave and then returns to school early (usually because a NAB needs to be done or Reports have to be written) for 2 days and then needs to be absent again this will count as 2 absences despite it being the same illness.

If a member is ill and unfit for work they should remain absent from work until are fit to return irrespective of the needs of the service.

Members should not continue at work while clearly unfit simply out of fear of “hitting” and absence trigger. A member’s health must always be the first priority.

Occupational Health – Employer’s Medical Advisers

A referral to Occupational Health should be seen as a positive and supportive act by an employer. Members are encouraged to engage openly and honestly with such referrals.

If your employers seeks access to personal medical records they are shared with the Occupational Health Adviser only and not with your employer directly.

Members with underlying medical conditions may be covered by the Equalities Act 2010. In such cases employers may need to consider making reasonable adjustments in order to support a member’s continued attendance at work.

Members are encouraged to contact the SSTA PRIOR to attendance at such a referral to seek reassurance, support and advice.

Attendance Review Meetings

Members should seek representation from the union at any such meeting.

Members need to aware that school managers (normally DHT or above) may be instructed to follow a prescribed script during Absence Review Meetings. Comments such as:

a. You are paid to be at your work
b. There is an increased burden placed on your colleagues when you are absent
c. Pupils’ education is negatively affected by absence

These comments are not personal and members must try not take them to heart. The Council’s Policy is a corporate one and is for all council workers. It was not negotiated nor agreed by the SSTA but imposed on all unions. The same script will be given to all staff whose absence(s) meet the triggers.