From Suzie
Dear Team,
Welcome to the final Gowrie Gazette for 2024 and my first as CEO of Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT). It is a privilege to be leading LGT and working alongside you all as we put ‘Children First’ in our work every day.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-28
I’m very excited to be able to work with everyone to deliver the Board’s new Strategic Plan. The Board has reiterated our very important focus on putting ‘Children First’ in all that we do, and we will continue to deliver amazing services and programs to children in Tasmania so that they can access high quality, inclusive and safe education and care services and programs.
Our strategic initiatives that underpin the plan are:
1. We will continue to provide high quality, inclusive and safe education and care services and support programs to Tasmanian children.
2. We will be a leading employer in the sector with a focus on workforce capability, development and wellbeing.
3. We will advocate for children with influence across governments, sector and the community for the services children and their families need.
4. We will achieve our purpose through diverse high quality support services and programs that enable sustainability and continuous improvement through robust systems and processes.
Each and every one of us has a role to play in the success of this Strategic Plan. The Senior Leadership Team will be communicating the detail under each initiative early next year. To view the Strategic Plan 2024-28 please visit:
WAGE INCREASE REMINDER
Last week I shared that the Board had given approval for Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) to apply for the Worker Retention Grant (the GRANT) and to pass on a wage increase to eligible employees. To recap what this means for you:
- EDUCATION AND CARE EMPLOYEES (THOSE CLASSED AS ELIGIBLE WORKERS FOR THE GRANT): You will receive a 10% Grant wage increase (this is 10% of the applicable Award rate) plus a 2.5% Enterprise Agreement wage increase.
- ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES: You will receive a 3.5% wage increase (inclusive of the 2.5% Enterprise Agreement wage increase).
Service and OSHC Managers will be working with every eligible employee over the next few weeks to complete the agreements that will enable LGT to apply for the Grant.
The wage increases will be applied from the first full pay period after 19 December 2024, with the wage increase backdated to 2 December 2024. At LGT, this first full pay period commences on 1 January 2025 and employees will be paid on 15 January 2025.
GENERAL MANAGER EDUCATION AND CARE UPDATE
As you are aware, Shanna Hughes resigned as General Manager Education and Care last month. I would like to thank Shanna for her strong leadership across our Education and Care (E&C) services and programs – always with a firm focus on children, our teams and building connections. We wish Shanna and her family all the best as they settle into their new life in Melbourne.
This recruitment process has now closed, and we hope to be able to announce the successful candidate early in the new year. As we finalise the recruitment process, Miffy Wedd (current Regional Manager South) is Acting General Manager Education and Care. I thank Miffy for stepping in and managing the day-to-day operations of E&C services and teams.
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE
At LGT we support the rights of all children to grow, learn and play in a safe place and have zero tolerance towards abuse, neglect or exploitation of children. In our services and programs, we have policies, procedures and reviews firmly in place to ensure that children attending our services are safe. To support our educators to understand what harm or abuse might look like, all educators (other than new educators awaiting completion or those undertaking a refresher) have completed the ‘In Safe Hands’ training during 2024 and will undertake a refresher in 2025.
LGT is also supporting this important training for children aged between 3 to 8 years through the Bravehearts ‘Dittos Keep Safe Adventure Program’. This program offers a live ‘Ditto Show’ which focuses on essential personal safety skills for children using age-appropriate language, song and dance. The Ditto Show is available in three versions, with the content in each version targeted at three distinct developmental levels:
- EARLY YEARS (for children aged 3 to 4)
- FOUNDATION (for children aged 5 to 6)
- YEARS 1-2 (for children aged 7 to 8)
Follow up resources for children, educators and families to explore together after the show are also included as part of this program. To learn more about this important program being offered in LGT education and care services please visit:
https://bravehearts.org.au/education/dittos-keep-safe-adventure-program/
I hope you enjoy reading through this Gowrie Gazette with feature stories about our 2024 Annual General Meeting, Helen Stephen Scholarship recipient, the Tassie Mums campaign, staff profiles, graduations, anniversary announcements and latest staff news – to name just a few!
On behalf of the Board and Senior Leadership Team at LGT, we take this opportunity to thank you for an amazing 2024 and wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy festive season. We hope you find time to rest, recharge and make some great memories.
Until next year,
Suzie Jones
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
