Chairs of the Principal Support Reference Group (Judy Goodsell) and the Legal Issues Standing Committee (Greg McLaren) met with Deputy President Robyn Evans, Vice President Lyn Davis and our Professional Officers Wendy and Geoff to review and prioritise the EPAC review recommendations made my Mark Tedeschi.

As a result of this action a meeting has been requested with David Wright Smith who has carriage of the implementation of the recommendations. The NSWPPA priority areas for action are:

• Matters relating to procedural fairness, prompt and timely communication particularly with Persons Subject Of Allegations (PSOA;)
• We are very supportive of the recommendation that all PSOA witnesses should be interviewed.  Our concerns centre on what ‘exceptional circumstances’ might prevent this;
• Removal of handling of complaints from EPAC;
• The process for deciding whether a matter is ‘complex’ or whether it should be best managed at a local level;
• Professional Development recommendations are long overdue. It is vital that EPAC staff know how schools operate. We would support the recommendation that new EPAC investigators spend time in schools as part of their training. We further believe that they be required to spend time in schools at a minimum twice a year, to enable matters to be contextualised in school settings and that the Education Officer be included in the school visit program;
• We are supportive of the establishment of a panel process, when disciplinary action may be taken to dismiss/demote an employee.  We strongly believe that a NSWPPA and/or NSWSPC representative be included in the composition of the panel; and
• There is a recommendation that EPAC retain its own Legal Counsel.  In the implementation of this recommendation however, the NSWPPA believes decisions should also referred to the DoE General Council and the Legal Issues Directorate.  DoE Legal Directorate need to be aware of recommendations and look at implementation from a holistic DoE perspective.
• The review stressed that experience in Child Protection should not be the driving force behind hiring Investigators – the NSWPPA would welcome the opportunity to have input into an improved recruitment process
• The NSWPPA has concerns regarding low-level cases where it was subsequently determined that the employee has no case to answer. We strongly urge that such matters be removed from the person’s file.

Deputy President Robyn Evans is coordinating this meeting so that David Wright Smith has a very clear understanding of the priorities of the NSWPPA and the importance of their implementation to our members.