Transfer Home/School Liaison Officer Post.

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A decision made (20/12/2006) regarding Transfer Home/School Liaison Officer Post.

Subject:	Transfer Home/School Liaison Officer Post
Decision Reference:	MD-ESC-2006-0077		Exempt clause(s):	n/a
Type of Report: (oral or written)	W		Person Giving Report (if oral):	n/a
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?	n/a		Report File ref:	ESC/G/MG/MR/20061218/ HomeSchool Liaison Officer post from H&SS
Written report – Title	Recommendation to receive Home/School Liaison Officer Post from Health and Social Services Department
Written report – Author (name and job title)	Peter Robinson Finance Director
Decision(s): To receive 1 full time equivalent and funding for half that post of £19,800 from the Health and Social Services Department with effect from 1st January 2006.
Reason(s) for decision: To formalise funding arrangements associated with recommendations from the Kathie Bull Report into ‘Services to support Children and Young People with SEBD’.
Action required: Instruct the Director of Finance to request the Treasurer of the States to action this as a non-contentious transfer between departments in accordance with Financial Direction No.3.6 Variations to Heads of Expenditure.
Signature: (Minister/ Assistant Minister)		Date of Decision: 20 December 2006

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Transfer Home/School Liaison Officer Post.

Education, Sport and Culture Department Report
Subject:	Recommendation to receive Home/School Liaison Officer Post from Health and Social Services
Exempt Clause:	n/a	Date:	18th December 2006

Author:	Peter Robinson

1. Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to outline the background and circumstances of the creation and operation of the Home/School Liaison Officer post within the Children’s Service to the Education, Sport and Culture Department from the Health and Social Services Department on a permanent basis.

2. Background

2.1 A report and recommendations were prepared by Marnie Baudains (Senior Child Care Officer) in October 1994 entitled ‘Social Work Support in Primary Schools’. This report recommended the creation of a ‘Home/School Liaison Officer’ post, aimed at improving liaison and understanding between the Children’s Service and the Head teachers of the four main primary schools in town. It was envisaged that the post would handle the ‘social problems’ that are referred to Head teachers, by pupils and parents, on an almost ‘daily basis’.

2.2 Subsequent discussions and negotiations between Anton Skinner (Children’s Officer) and Tom McKeon (then Assistant Director of Education) led to a memorandum dated 2nd December 1994 in which both parties agreed ‘in principle to…the appointment of a social work assistant, funded jointly by the Children’s’ and Education Services’.

2.3 Interviews were held in April 1995 and an appointment was made to the Children’s Service, at Civil Service Grade 9, to commence work at the beginning of the following month. The Children’s Service was responsible for providing one FTE post and the funding was to be split evenly between the two parties.

2.4 The above arrangement remained in place and largely unchanged through the following five years. In April 2000 discussions were initiated by the Children’s Service to explore whether it was still appropriate to maintain this post. Education had started to create an Education Welfare Service and there appeared to have been some duplication of roles.

2.5 These discussions led to a review of the services currently available and subsequently approved the formal review of these services under the wider remit of the Kathie Bull Report into ‘Services to support Children and Young People with SEBD’, which was planned for 2002/2003.

2.6 Recommendation 17.2.26 of that report outlined various developments aimed at strengthening the existing Education Welfare Service and recommendation 17.2.27 specifically outlined ‘the appointment of an additional full-time Education Welfare Officer with responsibility for primary school liaison’. This latter post was to work alongside the existing Home/School Liaison Officer post which was to be transferred to ESC when the current postholder’s contract expired on 31July 2005.

2.7 The full recommendations of this report were presented to the three sponsoring Committees (H&SS, ESC and Home Affairs) on March 12th 2004 and were endorsed by the Health & Social Services Committee in June 2004 on the presentation of a report and recommendation by Marnie Baudains (Directorate Manager – Social Services).

2.8 Education, Sport and Culture subsequently advertised and appointed applicants to these two posts, and since this time H&SS has transferred its funding contribution to ESC at the end of each financial year.

3. Conclusion

3.1 The Education Welfare Service is now well established and continues to offer a high level of appropriate support to the Island’s primary schools, under its own management structure, within the Education, Sport and Culture Department.

3.2 It is now appropriate that Health & Social Services should transfer the full FTE post and the half-time funding (Civil Service Grade 9) to Education, Sport and Culture on a permanent basis.

4. Recommendation

4.1 It is recommended that the Minister should receive the 1 fulltime equivalent post and funding equivalent to 0.5 fulltime equivalent (£19,800) with effect from 1st January 2006.