Community Lives Consortium

Service Co-ordinator Forum - 4th September 2008

Pensions

The Personnel Manager joined the meeting as arranged at the June Forum to present the Consortium’s proposed pension provision for Service Co-ordinators.

The proposal is to increase the employer contribution to the Service Co-ordinator pension to 7% with effect from 1st October 2008.

The Consortium is committed to looking at further increases from April 09 and this will be looked at during the budget planning for 2009/10. A discussion followed.

The future of The Final Salary Pension Scheme was clarified. Due to the way pensions are set up and funded, it is not possible to compare the two pension schemes. It was suggested that we ask Mark Titley, Independent Financial Advisor to attend a meeting either with the whole group or the nominated Service Co-ordinators.

What Happens Next?

• A meeting to be arranged with Mark Titley.
• Proposal to be discussed at the JCC meeting on 15th October.
• Peter’s presentation to be emailed to all Service Co’s and Registered Managers.
• Stewart to contact other Service Co’s in view of to-day’s turnout.
• Feedback to be given by the end of September to the following Service Co’s who agreed to be the point of contact in each Network.:-
• Network 1 = Christian Cowap, Network 2 = Wayne Wilcox, Network 3 = Rachel Matthews, Network 4 = Lynda Phelps, Network 5 = Amanda Rees, Network 6 = Dawn Day, Network 7 = Marianne Bevans

Any proposal needs to be submitted to the Management Board for approval so we need a response in order to submit the proposal to the Board. The additional employer contribution can be backdated to October if approved.

The Department of Works and Pensions Website is a useful source of information.

Pay Award

There is no news yet on this years pay award – discussions with Unison are ongoing. Staff can look at the UNISON website for more up to date information. There is no news yet on this years pay award – discussions with Unison are ongoing. Staff can look at the UNISON website for more up to date information.

Electronic Timesheets

The group were shown an Electronic Timesheet by the Payroll Co-ordinator that is currently being used by the Team Co’s in Networks 2, 5 and 6 for support workers under Targeted Support. It can be emailed to the scheme and if requested, the Payroll Co can pre-enter staff names, pay numbers etc. She is also happy to give individual training sessions.

If anyone would like to try it, please let the Payroll Co know. Everyone was asked to spread the word to other Service Co’s who did not attend to-day’s Forum.

Since the Forum, at least seven Service Co’s have started using the Electronic Timesheets.

Previous Minutes and Matters Arising

Christmas Pay arrangements

As a result of the questionnaire asking staff to express their preference about Christmas pay arrangements, the December salary will now be paid on 31st December or the last working day before then.

Debit Cards

The inability to book events etc by credit card continues to cause problems. The Director (AO) told us that the Finance Manager, is still looking for safe solutions. We will invite him to the December Forum to discuss this issue.

Holiday Costing Forms

The redrafted form is almost ready. It will then be circulated for comments and feedback.

Targeted Support Update

The implementation of Targeted Support in Networks 4 & 7 has been temporarily postponed for at least three months.

Update on New Schemes

Two new schemes, one at Grovesend, Gorseinon and one at Clayton Court, Pontardulais opened in August.

The new bungalow for two service users at the Fairfield Court site in Llansamlet should be ready for handover by mid October. Recruitment has started to take place.

Re-Distribution of Makro Cards

At the December 07 Forum, it was suggested that all Makro cards be handed back and reallocated more fairly and at the time.

The Business Manager has spoken with Macro again and the new limit is 12 cards per company. So if he changed the company name over to CLC they would only issue 12 cards. As it is they have cancelled a lot of cards of people that haven’t used them for a while. We still have about 40 people with active cards (which is way over the limit). The Director and the Community Services Officer agreed to contact Makro again to try to resolve the issue.

AOB

Overtime Protocol – Targeted Support

It was asked if there are plans to change the way overtime shifts are allocated especially under targeted support. There have been some issues recently around who should cover certain shifts, and if support co’s can work additional hours as a support worker.

There are no changes planned at the moment. Each Network should have a protocol for offering and allocating overtime based on the needs of the service users.

The subject was also raised by support staff at their Forum earlier to-day.

Bank Mandates – Targeted Support Schemes

One Service Co pointed out that since targeted support has been introduced, the allocated support worker for independent services may not be on the relevant bank mandate and is therefore unable to cash cheques. The Service Co has had to leave a meeting to sign cheques.

It was acknowledged that the more names on the mandate the higher the risk to security. A discussion followed.

The need to record this information is part of the minimum standards for Domiciliary Agencies and eventually will be recorded on line as will Service User records. However we are not ready to do this yet as we will need a bigger ‘server’.

The Director suggested that Service Co’s ‘time’ supervision sessions, performance assessments etc so that the evidence can be incorporated into the formula for assessing management hours. She also told us that there is a review of job descriptions in progress which involves mapping out different tasks and includes the roles of Contract Managers, Team Co’s, Service Co’s, Housing Co’s, Support Co’s and Support Workers.

Feedback on Staff Forum

There was a brief discussion around some of the issues brought to the Staff Forum this morning, mostly around rotas and the rota software.

Time Management

It was asked if Service Co’s will be given more management time for supervisions, Code of Practice performance assessments etc.

There were also concerns around planning staff supervision during a working day.

NEXT FORUM

• Tuesday 9th December 2008. - 1.30pm to 3.30pm - Training Room

Service Co-ordinators Forum Minutes

ACTIONS AGREED IN SERVICE CO-ORDINATORS FORUM MINUTES FROM 2008

Service Coordinators Meeting held on 11th March 2008

Unison Learning Representatives (ULR)

A short presentation was given on the role of Union Learning Representative. A discussion followed.

The scheme is a partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government, C.L.C. and Unison with an aim to enhance basic learning skills and lifelong learning and to raise awareness of learning opportunities for both union and non-union staff.

There are three ULR’s in the Consortium at the moment and Unison is keen to recruit more. All ULR’s must be members of Unison and will attend a five day training course provided by the union.

There will be more information in a special edition of the Consortium newsletter at the end of May.

Meanwhile ULR’s will promote the service via Forums, Network meetings and on the Consortium Website. A copy of the presentation will be emailed to all schemes with these minutes.

The HSC would like to come back and tell us how it’s going later in the year.

Unkind People and What to do About Them

Tenants’ Lives group members gave a presentation on the work they have completed about how to deal with unkind people.

They have also produced information leaflets for service users and staff. The leaflets will be circulated by email with these minutes.

Christmas and New Year time Sheets

At the last Forum in December, there were no questions for Payroll about the completion of the Christmas time sheets and everyone agreed that the instructions issued were easy to follow.

However once the December 07 timesheets were in, Payroll said that we are still experiencing the same errors in recording the enhanced payments and Bank Holidays so the Payroll Co-ordinator joined us to look at ways of resolving the problems.

Before leaving the Forum, the Payroll Co-ordinator wanted to remind everyone to sign their monthly timesheets please.

Previous Minutes and Matters Arising

Holiday Costing Forms/Procedure

Work is being carried out on the reviewing and updating of the Holiday Costing forms.

Debit Cards

The Finance Manager will be invited to attend our June Forum to discuss this issue.

Pensions

It was acknowledged that we need an update on the Consortium plans for the future overall terms and conditions for Managers, including pensions (see Forum Minutes 12th September 2007)

A general discussion on the importance of Pensions followed. Some managers said that Mark Titley, OPUS Senior Consultant, has been very helpful to anyone wanting advice on individual pensions. Mark can be contacted on 02920 546366.

Mileage

At the last Forum it was asked if the mileage allowance can go up from 37p to 40p a mile.

Unfortunately mileage allowance cannot be reviewed at this time due to budget implications.

New Recording System

Training on the new recording systems (Black files) is complete. The files are being prepared by Admin and will be distributed to all schemes soon.

A.O.B

Targeted Support Update

Targeted Support started in Network 2 on 1st March and is going well. The ‘black files’ work well.

The Service Users seem unaffected by the change and in are enjoying seeing new faces supporting them. The anxiety of staff has also decreased and support workers are enjoying their new role. However there is a lot of concern about the amount of outstanding annual leave to be taken in the Network before April.

There was a lot of interest in recent Support Co-ordinator vacancies advertised in Networks 5 & 6.

Staff in Network 1 are still anxious about the changes. It was suggested that other staff could talk about the ‘positives’ of targeted support at Forums or consultation meetings.

Swansea are still keen for us to continue with the Pilot and we are learning more day by day.

Update on New Schemes

Eight service users have now moved in to two new schemes.

One scheme is still under development which is specialising in Autism although things are moving slower than planned. Recruitment for this scheme has now started. Interviews for the Service Co post will take place at the beginning of May.

Work has now begun on the new bungalow for two service users.

Contents Insurance

Some managers said they have experienced difficulties getting through to the new Insurance Company whilst others said they have had no problem. Tthe Housing Support Co-ordinators are responsible for ensuring this task is done so they need to be kept informed of any problems. It was acknowledged that some Housing Co’s have been very helpful so far.

The change was made because as service users accumulate more possessions they need a decent insurance policy. The group policy isn’t very useful now.

• NEXT FORUM - Tuesday 10th June 2008 - 1.30pm to 3.30pm - Walter Road, Training Room
• Other dates for 2008 are Thursday 4th September and Tuesday 9th December 2008. All from1.30pm to 3.30pm

Service Coordinators Meeting held on 12th December 2007

Before the start of today’s meeting, everyone expressed their sadness to hear of the unexpected death of Glenn Morgan following a short illness.

Glenn was a well liked and well respected colleague and a regular and active attendee of the Forum. He will be sorely missed.

Time Sheet arrangements for Christmas & New Year

Everyone has received the memos from the Personnel & Payroll Department giving details of Bank Holiday payments for Christmas and the New Year and the completion of the December time sheets and additional payment sheet.

The Payroll Co-ordinator, asked if anyone had any queries about the timesheet arrangements or has suggestions for simplifying the instruction sheet as the percentage of errors last year was still quite high.

There were no questions and everyone agreed that the instructions issued were easy to follow.

Since receiving December 07 time sheets, Payroll have told us that we are still experiencing the same errors in recording the enhanced payments and Bank Holidays. We have invited the Payroll Co-ordinator to the next Forum in March to look at ways of resolving the problems. All suggestions welcome!

Previous Minutes and Matters Arising

Bank Holiday Lieu Hours

At the last meeting, there was a general discussion about lieu time and annual leave.

When an employee is sick at the time of a Bank Holiday then the sickness absence will override any underlying entitlement. In short if someone is sick when a Bank Holiday occurs then they are not able to work and therefore not entitled to any lieu time for the Bank Holiday.

E.A.P (Employee Assistance Programme)

In September, Mark Saunders from Worklife Support gave a presentation on the Employee Assistance Programme.

As we approach the first anniversary of the tragic death of our colleague last December and more recently the sad news about Glenn, an email has been sent to everyone reminding them that if anyone needs any support to help them with any personal difficulties they can access our Employee Assistance Programme on a freephone number 0800 371 540. Telephone counseling is available 24 hours each day and 365 days a year. The service is also available to the immediate family members of staff.

We also have unlimited access to a NEW online resource which provides FREE information and advice on a wide range of topics, work related or personal. To access this new service, go to: www.worklifesupport.com/onlinesupport

For access to this please contact the Consortium office.

Pay Award

The Local Government Services Pay claim for 2007 has now been settled at 2.475% with effect from 1st April 2007

All staff received the increased rates of pay plus pay arrears from April in the November salary.

Mobile Phones

Following on from the September Forum, Service Co-ordinators can be reimbursed for the cost of calls made from personal mobile phones for work purposes. However we would need to look at other solutions if Service Co-ordinators are having to use their own phones on a regular basis. A ‘Request for Funds’ form, countersigned by your Contract Manager, should be used to make a claim.

Staff to use the vehicle mobile phones whenever possible.

Holiday Costing Forms/Procedure

The need to review and update the Holiday Costing forms was discussed at the September Forum.

Debit Cards

In response to previous requests from Service Co-ordinators, the Finance Manager issued the following statement :-

‘At this time we have no plans to introduce a debit card system in to the Consortium Finance Policy and Procedures. It may be something we look at on a longer term but currently we believe it will cause too many security risks within our framework’

Many Service Co-ordinators feel we now need to reconsider the above policy. Not only are Service Users unable to book tickets or order from the internet, many banks, utility or phone companies require credit checks before setting up accounts etc

We need to look at ways that won’t cause problems with security, possibly with a ‘pay as you go’ account. We could also liaise with other similar agencies to find out what they do.

We will ask the Finance Manager to come to a Forum later this year to discuss the issue.

Targeted Support Update – Swansea Networks

Each Network has a separate Action Plan

• Network 2 - The budget issues in Network 2 have now been resolved and Targeted Support is planned to start at the beginning of March 08. Interviews and training for support co-ordinators has been planned for January.
• Networks 1 & 3 - The consultation process is well underway. There will be a ‘mop up’ session for staff in January with a view to implementing Targeted Support in July.
• Networks 4 & 7 – Following the consultation process, Targeted Support is planned for autumn 2008.
• The whole process should be completed by January 2009.
• Although support hours have already been reviewed in Swansea, there will be a further review.
• This will be a difficult time with a lot of upheaval for staff. It is important that we keep staff positive about the changes.
• Networks 5 & 6 (Neath & Port Talbot) -The good news is that Targeted Support is working well, especially for Service Users.
• Service Co-ordinators from these networks asked when will the ‘pilot’ status end as it seems unlikely that we will drop targeted support in Neath & Port Talbot.

Rota Software

It is still planned to introduce the rota system across all networks so everyone will be familiar with it by the time targeted support is introduced.

The‘Expert Users’ for the Home Care Roster system will be training people on its use. The software system has lots of potential that we were unaware of as initially we did not have any proper tuition. Eventually it is planned to link the system up to payroll.

Pensions

There has been no update on Pensions since the last Forum.

Makro Cards

At previous Forums it was suggested that all existing Makro cards be handed back and reallocated fairly around the schemes. We could inform Makro of the company name change at the same time.

Please see the following reply from the Business Manager

The new limit of Macro cards is 12 cards per company. So if the company name was changed over to CLC they would only issue 12 cards. As it is they have cancelled a lot of cards of people that haven’t used them for a while. Approximately 40 people have active cards (which is way over the limit).

The only other option would be to cancel all cards. If anyone has any other suggestions please bring them to the next meeting for discussion.

Rota Management Policy

Following a review of the Rota Management Policy by the Supporting Staff Sub Group, the recommended time for publishing rotas has been reduced from six weeks to four weeks.

See Policy page 5

Rotas are to be prepared at least 4 weeks in advance. There will be occasions when rotas will need to be amended at shorter notice due to the changes in the service users’ life or other emergencies.

Mileage

It was asked if the mileage allowance can go up from 37p to 40p a mile in line with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs approved mileage rate.

We will ask the Chief Executive Officer to look at this as there will be budget implications.

Changes to the Transport Policy – Corporate Manslaughter Liability

Due to new legislation coming in to force in April 08, there will be some important changes to our Transport Policy.

Business insurance will be compulsory for all staff who use their vehicle for work purposes even if there are no service users in the car. i.e. attending meetings, quick shopping trip etc

An action plan is needed to check employees’ M.O.T. certificates and driving licences.

At the recent Staff Forum, there were concerns about any extra cost implications for staff. Some companies do not charge to add business cover whilst others do. However, staff should take into account that if they have an accident of any kind whilst at work and make a claim, their insurance companies may not pay out if they do not have business cover.

Service Co's to promote the policy with all staff once it has been published.

See Transport Policy page 5 – ‘Staff Vehicles’

If staff do use their own vehicle, for which the staff member is entitled to be paid mileage expenses by the Consortium, then they must have business use insurance. The Consortium does not pay towards any additional charges made by staff’s insurance company.

Smoking Policy

It had been intended to work towards implementing a total smoking ban throughout the Consortium in January 2008. The Chief Executive Officer has emailed everyone to say that these plans have been put on hold at the moment as we need more time for discussion and further consultation with the Management Committee.

It was acknowledged that a complete ban may be difficult to impose. Staff may start requesting breaks and also non-smokers often complain that they are left unsupported and are ‘carrying’ smokers on shift.

Training during December

Would the Consortium consider a training free or reduced training programme during December as this can be a busy time for staff working at schemes?

The Staff Development Manager will be invited to join a meeting.

Training Programme for 2008

The Training Department do not circulate a training plan anymore. All dates for training courses can now be found on the Consortium website, (currently up to the end of March.) This is constantly updated and managers should check it regularly.

Training on the New recording Systems

Feedback on this training was given and why it is necessary. The intention is to streamline our recording system e.g. all support plans will be kept in one file. This is useful for staff that are not familiar with a scheme, especially as targeted support is introduced.

All Service Co-ordinators will be invited to attend one of the following all day training sessions:-

Tuesday 22nd January 08 or Tuesday 5th February 08 at Gorseinon Workingman’s Club. Brighton Road, Gorseinon.

Both sessions are from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Update on New Schemes

Eight service users were due to move in to two new schemes on Monday. Unfortunately there has been a slight delay and the move has been put back by a week.

We are developing a new scheme specialising in Autism. The scheme is due to open in April and will accommodate four service users. Recruitment for this scheme will start in the New Year.

A new bungalow for two service users is being planned.

On Call

The Operations Manager thanked thanked everyone for their continued co-operation with the On-Call service especially when staff have to move schemes at short notice. It’s very much appreciated!

Merry Christmas & Prosperous New Year!

Also, the Operations Manager thanked everyone for all their hard work throughout the year and is looking forward to getting together with everyone again at next year’s Forum meetings.

NEXT FORUM

Tuesday 11th March 2008 - 1.30pm to 3.30pm Walter Road 

• Other dates for 2008 are:  Tuesday December 9th 2008. All 1.30pm to 3.30pm