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Q: When will we have a new staffing structure? A: We have started thinking about a range of potential strucutres and we will be having regular meetings with HR and Unison. The proposed staffing sturcuture is now subject to staff consultation.
Q: What jobs are there likely to be in the new service structure? A: The current proposal suggests that the service would be managed by five managers although this may change depending on the outcome of the consultation. No further proposals about staffing sturctures have been put forward at this stage. We have recently started work on a skills audit and Workforce Development Plan for Children's Centre services. These will allow staff to help us identify the current strengths and weaknesses of our workforce and suggest how improvements might be made. We will use this to review the existing workforce and identify how roles and responsibilities might be changed moving forward.
Q: When will we know about jobs? A: Job descriptions and structure will be prepared and ready in November. We will then begin the consultaiton with staff. Please be aware all of our timescales are subject to possible change and will be dependent on the public consultation.
Q: If the proposal for 5 Managers gets agreed, who would be able to apply for the new posts? A: We don't know at this stage - the level of detail is yet to be agreed and will depend on the job descripton and job evaluation.
Q: Will all Children's Centres need to be managed by Cluster Managers? A: At this stage we are unable to say as this will be dependant on the future structure and job descriptions.
Q: If the number of Cluster Manager posts are reduced will the remaining Cluster Manager posts be reduced to LCO posts? A: It will depend on what grades and job descriptions there will be and what other posts are available.
Q: Are there any plans to regrade posts in the new structure? A: It is likely that new job descriptions will be drawn up and these will be subject to job evaluation.
Q: Are job descriptions likely to change? A: Yes there is a strong possiblity that this will be the case if the current proposals are agreed. Job descriptions will be reviewed in the Autumn term so that jobs reflect what is needed from the new structure. Any new roles would need to go through the formal job evaluation process, to decide which grade they should have.
Q: Will we be expected to work every Saturday? A:The basis for opening a centre on a Saturday would be that it was needed and realistic to do so. The expectation is that it will not be every week and that if a centre did open on a Saturday it may be shut on another day of the week.
Q: What if staff are not willing to work Saturdays unless they are paid time and a half? A: Job Descriptions will be flexible and all staff will be made aware of this. Any potential changes to contracts will be discussed fully with staff and views from staff taken into consideration as part of the formal staff consultation period.
Q: Will existing staff be expected to apply for jobs in the new structure? A: We can not say for definite at this stage but we would want to try and avoid recruitment activity wherever possible - we want to make things as easy as possible for people but we also have to comply with HR rules and regulations.
Q: Might staff be slotted into job positions in the new structure? A: This will depend on grades allocated to any new job descriptions and how close a fit the new JD is to the employees current JD. If there are more people than positions available, there would need to be an interview process to make sure the process is fair.
Q: What is happening to Children’s Centre Teachers? A: The employment contracts for Children’s Centre Teachers will end on 31st August 2013. This is because the role of Children’s Centres is changing and it was felt to be more appropriate to have a different role that better supports the vision of a more integrated early years service. As a result, three new Early Years Area Coordinators will be joining us in September 2013. This decision was also taken in order to meet the £1.4m cut in CC budgets at the start of this financial year.
Q: What will the new Early Years Learning Area Co-ordinators (ELAC) be doing? A: The Early Learning Area Coordinator will be working across the County working to annual targets linked to prioritisation of supporting settings, Early Years commissioning and sufficiency for 2013/14. They will work with the CCCMs to ensure issues identified regarding EYFSP are incorporated in SEF and improvement plans. Their focus will be on Early Year’s settings that feed into schools with less than 50% ‘Good level of Development’ (GLD) and settings receiving 2 year old funding in the 30% most disadvantaged areas where quality of setting needs support with age appropriate resources and activities.
Q: Who are the Elacs and how can I contact them? All of the ELACs can be contacted on global email and on their contact telephone numbers: Fiona Bland – 07919540484, Katie Chantler – 07775027465 Nicola Gorsuch – 07880544198 -
Q: Will staff be expected to work differently to now? If so, how? A: Yes, this is possible, subject to consultation on the proposed future structure. The current proposals put less emphasis on the physical Children’s Centre buildings and more focus on the needs of families. This may mean that staff could be expected to work more flexibly in the future. For example, it's possible staff might be expected to work from a wider range of community venues and / or be required to work some evenings and weekends. Staff may be more likely to be based at one or more of a smaller number of Children’s Centre “hubs”, rather than one or more of the existing 41 buildings. However, it is important to remember that these proposals are yet to be consulted on so are very much subject to change.
Q: How do I find out about retirement and redundancy? A: You can express an interest in retirement and redundancy when we start the consultation with staff. At the moment we are planning to do this in November but this may change depending on the outcome of the consultation.
Q: What is the latest on the SCC voluntary redundancy process that took place earlier in the year? A: Approximately 30 expressions of interest were received from staff working in Children’s Centres across the county. Each expression was considered jointly by the Senior and local management team/s but fortunately, the required financial savings were made without needing to lose any staff roles. Staff will be contacted again, when potential staffing impacts become clearer.
Q: Will SCC staff who didn't express an interest in voluntary redundancy last time around, have another opportunity to do so? A: Yes, if it becomes anticipated that staffing reductions are going to happen, we will invite further expressions of interest for voluntary redundancy. Staff who have already expressed an interest would need to reapply to confirm their interest, as their circumstances may have changed.
Q: Are there likely to be compulsory staff redundancies? A: It is a possibility but, as always, a last resort. If SCC staffing reductions are deemed necessary, the first step would be to seek expressions of interest from staff for voluntary redundancy and then to agree whether any of these could be accepted. We would also look at the options for redeployment. At this stage, we don’t know the possible number or types of roles that may be needed in the potential new structure. This is currently scheduled to be discussed in later in the year, following formal consultation, so we hope things will be clearer by then.
Q: What happens if SCC jobs are put at risk of redundancy? A: If your (SCC) job were considered to be “at risk”, you would be notified directly and provided with details of the SCC Resource Pool. The Resource Pool is the first port of call for all managers at SCC who are looking to fill vacant posts and enables them to match up skills of existing staff with the requirements of individual vacancies. All staff whose details are held on the resource pool can access individual support.
Q: In the event of SCC staff redundancies, would staff be interviewed for the remaining posts regardless of where they currently work e.g. in a Phase 1 or Phase 3 children’s centre? A: Yes, if is were agreed that SCC staff redundancies were needed in the future, existing SCC staff would be given a range of options from voluntary redundancy to applying to go into the resource pool. Discussions would also take place about “ring fence” arrangements, which means that only certain members of staff would be invited to apply for certain jobs. It is usual for posts to be ring-fenced by job type, rather than by geography or phase of Children’s Centre. So, for example, SCC Family Support Workers would be ring-fenced and invited to apply for all similar positions in the new SCC structure, regardless of their location. At this stage we are unable to clarify which posts may be "at risk" as this will be subject to the outcome of the consultation.
Q: If there were to be SCC redundancies, how much notice would staff get? A: For any SCC posts considered "at risk" the County Council would initiate a redundancy consultation for a minimum of 30 days. Any staff who then become issued with notice of redundancy would be entitled to between 4 weeks and 12 weeks notice dependant on their contract of employment and length of service.
Q: How does early retirement work? A: Should we be in a position to place staff at risk, at that time staff will have an opportunity to express and interest in early retirement. At that point HR will look into how much you would be entitled to through this option.
Q: Once the resturcutre his put into place will all staff be vulnerable at the same time? A: We will aim to try and inform all staff as soon as we can after a decision has been made. It is too early to confirm whether all staff will be vulnerable as the future shape will be informed by the consultaiton.
Q: What is the position for staff on fixed term contracts and permanent rights? A: Fixed term contracts are classed as permanent after two years with SCC.
Q: As part of the process of restructuring and reshaping across Districts, will SCC let exisiting PVI contactes (with AfC, Balsam, Barnardo's, Children's Society) lapse on the 31st March. If so will staff be tuped to the LA? A: We can’t say at this stage Once we are clearer of a structure we will discuss with HR. We can't confirm arrangements until the consultation has finished as this will inform the future structure.
Q: When will people in the voluntary sector find out about their contracts? A: This is unlikely to happen until we are clearer on the outcomes of the consultation.
Q: What emotional support is available to support staff through current and future changes? A: Staff employed by SCC can access the Care First Counselling Service and the Mentor-Coaching Scheme. Details can be found on the HR pages of the SCC intranet: http://enterprise.somerset.gov.uk/HR/Supporting_Our_People/Employee_Support.asp Staff employed by private or voluntary organisations will need to check with their HR departments for information on local policies. You can also get in touch with your Line Manager and your Union.
Page updated 4/12/13
