Teaching experience dropped for child protection and misconduct investigators

By Bob Lipscombe

DET's cost-cutting plan will compromise EPAC investigations.

In a decision that is likely to have significant ramifications for both teachers subject to child protection and misconduct investigations, and principals' workload, the Department of Education and Training (DET) has recently decided that no future Employee Performance and Conduct (EPAC) Unit investigators need have teaching qualifications and teaching experience.

Federation already has serious concerns as to the number of issues arising from investigations conducted by EPAC within the teaching service which appear to reflect the failure to have a practical and realistic understanding of the staffing, organisation and operation of public schools in NSW. To shift to a system where potentially none of those involved in investigations have teaching qualifications and school based experience is truly alarming and will only further diminish confidence teachers have in the EPAC Unit.

Federation is not alone in this matter. Concerns have been expressed by the Federation of P&C Associations and principals' organisations. Principals, of course, will have their workload increased as they have to deal increasingly with investigators who have at best limited knowledge of schools and colleges.

Following unsuccessful approaches to DET to reverse its decision, Federation and the Institute of Senior Educational Administrators (representing chief education officers within the DET) are now pursuing the matter in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

Prior to the decision, DET advertised designated positions as requiring teaching qualifications and experience, or "dual advertised" vacancies for investigators in both the teaching service and the public service. This meant that teachers were encouraged to apply knowing that their teaching experience and qualifications would be recognised and that they would retain a right of return to teaching in the future. Now all investigator positions will be advertised as public service positions with salaries substantially lower than those currently paid to investigators with teaching qualifications.

While Federation supports increasing the salaries of investigators without recent teaching experience to bring them into line with their teacher colleagues, DET has opted to save money and, over time, shift all investigator positions to the lower public service rates.

Currently approximately 50 per cent of investigators have teaching qualifications and school based experience. Federation believes this should be maintained since it would enable all investigators to access appropriate knowledge and experienced gained in schools. However, despite claims by DET that teaching service staff will be encouraged to apply for these public service positions, with lower salaries and no right of return to teaching there can be little doubt that the changes will significantly discourage such applications.

Bob Lipscombe is Senior Vice President.

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November 2007 contents