Greetings (Persons name removed) I have nothing to report at this stage as I am still waiting to see where it all goes. WE are supposed to know at the end of the month who the preferred provider is. I believe that the MoE have treated dedicated Truancy Officers in NZ who have helped young people for years to get back on track appallingly and though they say that: The MoE acknowledges that current DTS providers are the repositories of knowledge and expertise regarding supporting schools to return students to education in a timely manner with appropriate supports. What is showing is that they do NOT even believe this statement. It is also interesting to think that when I challenged the MoE about the Environmental Scan as being 'professional theft' they replied saying that they had a right under contract to our intellectual property. Then in the last email from them stating VERY CLEARLY that they are NOT our employer. They also have changed the name from Truancy Service or Truancy Officer to Attendance Advisor. We work under a Legal Act (Section 31 Education Act 1989) we are advising nothing. We apply the Law. BUT in doing so will involve many agencies to help if needed during the 'due process' (we use ROCKON) to bring a student/family back in line with the law. The use of SWISS,SW or Youth workers cannot work as a 'Truancy' deterrent, but we certainly use those services if we can....you can NOT have those services being the appliers of the Law..Its a conflict of interest (emotional) I challenged the MoE on this also..they ignored it. (probably because they have no understanding of where I was coming from) | I also challenged them on leaning toward using Maori/Pacifica centered organisation for this job as this contravenes the Human Rights Act...I wrote to them about this..they also ignored this. To top it all of I find in the Education Gazette the same model I have developed and have been using for the past 12 years. Even with the suggested National Data Base we have always wanted. (we as TO have worked together to perfect our craft over the years) I believe that the Authors/Architects of this so called (new) Attendance Service have NO idea what they are doing and that in the end this will be detrimental to our young people. Some caregivers will be most happy as less prosecutions will occur and over the years they will pull the wool over the eyes of inexperienced workers. (until they learn what we have. I could ramble on for hours and have many supportive stories from other agencies in NZ. They all say the same - Basically its the same old thing: Its NOT broken, why fix it? I guess in the end if we are re-employed into this (new) Attendance Service, we may be able to give some positive suggestions toward change. Regards (persons name removed) |
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Stephan Dyer
11/14/2012 16:34 (response from the model in the Education Gazette) Sounds like a great model (but familiar)The thing is - they are calling this NEW. You can see why I have always bracketed (new)..... I have modified this (my system) for years. The advantage here though is the 100% buy in from schools through the new database This is what we have always asked for and eventually had to designed our own. Preferred Providers be VERY aware Our schools 'buy in' is around 38% to 40% and the (new) service is 100% participation through the new database and the contract is the same price we ran ours DOES THE FUNDING COMPUTE? Shouldn't it allow about another 60%? _____________________________________ sd School Attendance Service Hamiton Inc (SASH) Jim Church 11/20/2012 17:54 This Article that went into a local paper What can you say after 20 years, I have been employed since 1995 School Attendance Service Hamiton Inc (SASH) will being closing its doors on the 21st December 2012 for the last time: It is with regret that we must inform the community that the service provided by School Attendance Service Hamilton Incorporated (SASH) will end at the conclusion of the 2012 school year. As a small provider and management team, SASH could not consider tendering for the large truancy district the Ministry of Education has formulated for the future. Over the last year we have expressed a willingness to have dialogue with prospective tenderer s for the contract. To date (21st November 2012) SASH has not been approached by any likely successful tenderer. The new provider will be offering their services from the start of the 2013 school year. Staff and management sincerely thank the local Ministry of Education, schools, whanau and the wider community for their support over the past 20 years. I have enjoyed my time since joining SASH in 1995, working with dedicated colleagues and a management committee that has always been supportive, networks developed, collaboration with other agencies, whanau that I have worked alongside, the learning has been vast. I thank them all. Jim, Renelda, Vanessa, Katie, Michelle and the SASH Management Committee wish the community a Happy Christmas and a safe New Year. Jim SASH Manager ______________________________________________ Letter received today (21/11/2012) from another DTS (South) I have had to censor some information on this email....sd Thanks for that Stephan. what we have heard, that the possible 'Preferred Provider' will be using 24/7 Christian based youth workers to do the job. We are finding it impossible to see how youth workers can leap that huge gap between walking alongside and mentoring students (in schools) to working with struggling families often laying down the law and having to be a bit tuff on them at times. The knowledge and experience the MoE is looking at loosing is unbelievable. In our office alone we have 41 years experience between us. Andy and I have both done the job we love for 12 years. If OUR 'Preferred Provider' had won the contract we would have at least had a bit of certainty around our jobs. As it stands our contract ends on 14th December and that's it for us. A bit grim, when you see the way the MoE are treating us. We have an MP putting some questions to the Minister this week and next week especially around the way the whole thing has been handled, processes etc. It's not that it will change anything but at least it gets it out there because at the moment they must be loving the fact that no one is making any waves about it. Keep in touch Stephan and I will also let you know if I hear anything. Thanks. Pat Response Yes very grim indeed It is becoming more apparent to me that the architects of this (so called ) (new) Attendance Service do NOT know what they are doing. We are Officers of the Law (Education Act 1989) NOT Counsellor's (though I am) , Social Workers, SWISS or Youth workers or the like. We are a unique group of people with vast knowledge into all those things, but in the end when we become involved in a family/Whanau we are compelled to implement the Law relating to that offence. That IS our mandate. Though in our uniqueness we will try very hard for the full power of the Law NOT to be implemented by involving OTHER Services. When I challenged the MoE on this during the 'roadshow's in stating that the SWISS workers working with a 'Truancy Tag' was a 'conflict of interest' their answer was = NO! I knew then that these people have NO idea what they are doing........ sd (new) Attendance Service update - Gazzette |
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