Greetings Catherine Delahunty (Green Party Spokesperson - Education)
This is a letter I recently sent to Judge Beacroft.
Andrew was always a great supporter for the work that we do in the Truancy Service.
I attended the MoE 'Roadshow' in Wanganui yesterday and the feeling that I got was that the MoE are still NOT listening to what the District Truancy Services (DTS) in NZ want.
I believe that their reporting will be very selective as to their agenda to, implement a so called 'NEW' service in Term 4.
I also believe that this will become a 'kneejerk' reaction to pander to Governmental pressure and may have a detrimental effect on the young people of our nation.
I have contact with many Major DTS's in this country and they all say the same.
If its not broken why try and fix it.
Fix those that are.
As I have had little to no response from those I have sent this information too.
Could you please respond.
Kind Regards
Stephan P Dyer
Senior Truancy Officer
Central Taranaki DTS and South Taranaki DTS.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Stephan Dyer <[email protected]>
Date: 7 March 2012 10:52
Subject:
Greetings Andrew
As you may be aware the MoE say that they are forming a NEW Attendance Service.This is said to happen by merging the Non Enrolled Truancy Service (NETS) and the District Truancy Service (DTS) into one integrated Attendance Service to start operating in Term 4 of 2012 (this date has changed a few times due to failure of implementation).
Quote from my website
The one fact which seems to be very apparent is that the New Zealand Ministry of Education (MoE) are NOT combining the Non Enrolled (NETS) and District Truancy Service's (DTS) into one Integrated Service as they have said. In combining the Services, one would be led to think that they would use the existing Services and Integrate them using their current expertise.
Quote - from MoE letter to DTS's
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 really happening here is that they are forming a NEW SERVICE and totally ignoring the current experienced practitioners, though wanting their (DTS) operating information to 'kick start' the new Service.
(Re: Environmental Scan)
Every Lawyer I have discussed this with agree that this is totally unethical.
The reference here is to an 'environmental Scan'.
Here the MoE want to know how we have operated over the past years, and who we have collaborated with so as to NOT loose any of OUR expertise. BUT in this the MoE are NOT guaranteeing our positions in the NEW service and we the DTS's believe this as theft of our professionalism.
It would be like contracting Telecom for 16 years and then expanding the company, then asking for their operations information as they did it so well...what do you think they would say, especially with NO foothold in a NEW service?
NO DTS that I have spoken with want any of this. Hamilton, New Plymouth, Central & South Taranaki, Palmerston North, Dunedin, Invercargill, Napier, Wanganui, Upper Hutt, Porirua, to mention just a few (Major DTS's)
Most DTS's in NZ are very successful with their operation's and have Police, Community and Court recognition.
All services I have spoken to have said...Its NOT broken, why fix it?
We believe that what the MoE is planning will destroy all of our hard work, especially by bringing in an over-riding organisation that has NO experience in these matters.
I have suggested to the MoE and mailed the Education Minister (and other politicians) on these matters with little to NO response.
I have suggested that they use the experience that we already have by integrating ALL services as they are now.
- Four times a year Senior Officers from selected areas would meet to discuss protocols, benchmarks etc to get congruency.
- A National Data Base (What we have always wanted) could be set up through ENROL which is already operating for schools.
- Our Computer Technician in New Plymouth developed a well used data programme which is used by many DTS's through out NZ for Milestone Data. This could be expanded on.
- The MoE say that another 4 million is to be injected into Truancy. I can see that this will go nowhere but on some organisation who will hold the main contract and tender out to the lowest bidder and that might NOT be the experienced DTS's already operating successfully in NZ.
- This really needs serious attention.
- I am representing many DTS's in NZ if no one listens the only option is to go to the media and that always gets messy.
- Please peruse the blog on my website when you have time. This site is getting 90 hits a day. www.truancynzctdts.com
They would be the worse communicators I have ever worked with.
The local MoE seem very helpful but its the 'top tier' that I am talking about here, Wellington I believe.
The DTS's I have spoken with want the MoE to STOP what they are doing and get back to the 'front-line' officers for advisement of where to from here.
Please advise.
Kind Regards
Stephan Dyer
Senior Truancy Officer for:
Central Taranaki District Truancy Service
South Taranaki District Truancy Service
_____________________________ _____
Hi Stephan
Just a heads up
I have resigned form the MoE effective from 28 march so can you please take me off the email DL
Great to have known you
All the best in the future
name withheld
___________________________________
Response
Catherine was wondering if you think it would be helpful for our office to write to the Minister to ask for the reasoning behind the change and what process they have gone through.
If you think this would be worthwhile, please let me know and I will write and send a letter – I can forward you any response we receive.
Warm regards,
Asher Goldman
Executive Assistant
Office of Catherine Delahunty MP l Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Green Party Spokesperson for Education, Environment (Toxics), Environment (Terrestrial Mining), Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Bowen House, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand
Whare Pāremata , Te Whanganui-a-Tara 6160, Aotearoa
(: 04 817 8252 | 7: 04 472 6003
Facebook: http://facebook.com/catherine.delahunty
Twitter: http://twitter.com/greencatherine
Authorised by Catherine Delahunty, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
_____________________________________________
South Taranaki District Truancy Service09:42 (1 minute ago)
to AsherGreetings Asher
Any help would be great.
The MoE say that they are basing all the change on the last evaluation .http://www.minedu.govt.nz/~/media/MinEdu/Files/EducationSectors/SpecialEducation/PublicationsResources/DistrictTruancyServiceReporttSeptember09.pdf
But I think they are reading things into it to prop up their own agenda.
I believe that that agenda is purely political.
These people need to understand that as long as there are schools there will be truancy and the best people to manage this is the current DTS's as they have done for the past 18 years.
You don't fix something that's NOT broken. If there are broken DTS's fix them only, but DONT change the whole country.
I have also sent them suggestions of how they could fine-tune the current system, they have responded only with a 'the information has been passed on to the appropriate department' answer.
Currently Most DTS's in nz are very successful and operating well with the support of their local community, police, court, networks etc.
The evaluation they refer to backs the DTS's in nz and says that they are successful overworked but underfunded and resourced.
The services provided excellent, dedicated people but who felt undervalued due to lack of support from the MoE.
I guess it depends on what slant you want to take when reading it.
Most of us are looking at having a hui in Taupo to discuss matters and send the outcome to the MoE, though in the past we have done this with it landing on deaf ears.
We will be suggesting we look at the possibility of an Association of Officers if that fits into it all somewhere. We need representation.
Have a great day
Kind Regards
Stephan Dyer