Teachers’ Aide Special October Newsletter

PSA Teachers Aide (Special) Training Day

Comments from the day:

"Thank you for the opportunity to attend such an informative, valuable day. I look forward to an opportunity to attend other training days in the future." "It was great to listen to other aides and hear that you are not alone in your job. Hopefully from today we will eventually be valued by the Department, it's nice to know someone cares - thank you." "I learnt today that others are in similar situations and that as a group we can help change happen, if we support one another."

After the high demand and success of the first PSA Teachers Aide Special training day we are looking at holding some more training days in the regions. Stay tuned for more details.

Para Meadows SSP

The Association has been running an OH&S dispute at Para Meadows SSP. Staff had identified infection control, student behaviour, manual handling and health care concerns as OH&S risks within the school. The Association took the Department to the commission over these issues and has negotiated one Teachers Aide Special (TAS) for every class and an additional three TAS. The entitlement of 1 TAS per class has been confirmed for 2005 and while the additional 3 are an interim measure the Department must conduct an agreed Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment before they can delete any of these additional TAS staff positions. The Association has negotiated an agreed Risk Assessment process and the Department has confirmed that all students that staff identified as posing a risk have been assessed.

New Teachers Aide Special Positions

The Minister for Education advised PSA representatives that special education services will be strengthened over the next three years with the provision of more than 660 additional Teachers Aide Special positions.

The Minister outlined the following plan for putting the positions in place:

• In 2005 each special class specifically catering for students with behaviour disorders, emotional disorders and autism will be allocated a Teachers Aide (Special) on the basis of no class needing to exceed seven enrolments;

• In 2006 all classes supporting students with mild intellectual disabilities will be allocated a Teachers Aide (Special);

• Each special class for students with moderate intellectual disabilities, physical and hearing impairments in regular schools will also be allocated a Teachers Aide (Special). Each of these classes will not need to exceed an enrolment of 10, 8 and 9; and

• By 2007 every special class in both special and regular schools will have a Teachers Aide (Special).

• The Department of Education and Training will establish an Advisory Group comprising key education and community groups to oversee the implementation of this significant staffing enhancement supporting special classes;

• The Advisory Group will consider the full range of special education services delivered to students in special classes in both regular and special schools and advise on how these services can be strengthened and extended to deliver quality learning outcomes for all students and give schools a greater say; and

• The Advisory Group will deliberate on how best the new teachers aides and special education services will be used across each of the state's ten education regions.

The PSA will be represented on the Advisory Group which is expected to complete its work by the end of the year. We will meet separately with the Department to negotiate the implementation of the new staffing. All regions will be allocated additional Teachers Aides Special and the PSA intends to ensure that the positions are permanent and that existing long-term temporary staff have internal access to the new permanent positions.

Winning the substantial number of additional positions for SAS Staff in Special Education as well as in Administration can be attributed in no small part to the PSA's campaign against work overload for SAS Staff and our strong action on OH&S issues in the Special Education area. Our thanks go to all members for their support, without which we could not have achieved these staffing gains.

Casual and temporary Teachers Aide Special can join the union, for more information contact the PSA on 9220 0976. Teachers Aide Special should not be requested or directed to:

1. Work less than two hours a day. If a Principal employs a Teachers Aide Special for less than 2 hours they must pay a minimum of 2 hours.
2. Transport students.
3. Administer prescribed medication without training and in receipt of the allowance or
4. Perform Health Care Procedures. (These duties are voluntary - Members should not be pressured to perform these duties.)