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organise !
ADULT SERVICES - JANUARY 2014 LEARNING DISABILITIES LOCAL AUTHORITY TRADING COMPANY CALLING ALL UNISON MEMBERS Surrey County Council has approved a plan to create a Local Authority Trading Company ( LATC ) in your service. If you work in ......Day Services/ About Us /Employability / Shared Lives/ Personalisation Team. The current proposals mean that you would no longer be a Surrey County Council employee by Spring this Year. The Council will delegate its current in-house service to the new company shareholder board, via a 3year (with a option to extend to 5 year) Contract. The Business case and options appraisal ,that has been put forward, says this is the best way of sustaining services in the future in a minimal risk way. Locally and Nationally UNISON would disagree with this view on principle. LATC are still a relatively new idea, with varying degrees of success nationally. To transfer well over 300 plus staff is a gamble into the unknown in our opinion. Our Job at the Branch is to represent you the members and at present we do not know your views yet on the matter. Thats because formal consultation is just beginning properly now. In keeping with our good working relationship in Adults Directorate, UNISON has already met with Graham Wilkin and Simon Laker who are senior SCC staff leading on this LATC project. Its a difficult concept to grasp and understanding the implications for staff and service users alike will depend on good communications. We have already been part of a Communication working group and will continue to do so. IT CAN NOT BE OVERSTATED WHAT A BIG DEVELOPMENT THESE PROPOSALS ARE FOR YOU! -1-

Do not believe its nothing much to do with me , or its all been decided ITS NOT. The co design approach means that some of the details are still being developed and the 90 day consultation period will influence and impact on the final details and result. It is really important that you participate fully in the consultation process. Ask questions, still not sure? Ask some more! You need to hear from managers and HR why they believe this is the right thing to do. You need to understand what it means for you personally, your working experience, terms and conditions and also for service users and their families going forward into the future. SCC say there will be no or minimal change and disruption for staff/service users from day one of transfer. However, there is one change you cannot get away from and that is that you will not work as a Surrey Employee, but that of a untried new Company. You will TUPE over (Transfer of undertakings protection of employment). There is no redundancy nor indeed voluntary severance offered or change of your location or place of work proposed at present. However, currently if a staff member disagrees to the move, they will be making themselves redundant according to SCC. Not exactly a level playing field on which to judge the proposals for yourself!? It could be a different matter of course if a collective group of staff felt that way? We do not know the views of the staff in the surrounding small teams and projects at all. Some members, particularity in Day services, may feel that Learning Disabilities service delivery has been stuck in limbo, frustrated that innovation and improvements get lost and side tracked. Those members may be happy and up for the LATC? Other members may be very anxious and confused, having worked in the same service/location for many years and see any change as an unwelcome threat? Other members may feel this move is a backdoor privatization and sees Surrey Council eroding the public service ethos, by looking to produce revenue from vulnerable peoples needs?. To be perfectly honest, only those with a crystal ball, or a key to Dr Whos Tardis will know how this will pan out in 3-to 5 years time.

Its

another TUPE Dr!

I will need more than my sonic screwdriver to sort this one out!

-2-

What we can say is some recent restructures in Adult Social Care in Surrey in the past few years, have not in our members opinions, been so far a success for staff, or provide overall a better service. First Point (deaf services ) moved over to a social enterprise pilot project . Although this is a much smaller and different project, than LATC, its now coming to the point of evaluation. We understand from feedback from that staff group, that some feel , yes, they have been able to innovate in some areas of their work, and service users have benefited. However they are unsure of a TUPE transfer at this time, due to doubt over future contract. In Conclusion Surrey is working hard to explain and involve staff in consultation; you need to be sure you get that opportunity on the ground and in your workplace. By the time you get this newsletter you should have had a letter and consultation pack sent to you by management to your home address. There will be general staff briefings by area and ongoing question and answer sheets, people can contact HR for individual advice/information. UNISON has a good membership base in your staffing group/service. We have two Reps in day service centres, Dave Lawrence at Bentley and Teresa Wheeler at Colebrook, they are your local contacts. It would be great if more people at other workplaces came forward to be contacts or reps (further information enclosed). The Adult Social Care Strategy in Surrey for 2014-2018 states that the future will be exceptionally challenging. Local Authority Trading Companies are identified as one way of ensuring Services continue, but at the same time saving the Council money overall. Thats a big Ask. Please do not hesitate to contact us via telephone/or e mail to the Branch with any comments or questions you may have on this matter. Alan Clyne Adults Convenor

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS 2014

12noon till 2pm 12noon till 2pm 6pm till 8pm 12noon till 2pm 6pm till 8pm at at at at at County Hall, Kingston The Runnymede Centre, Chertsey The Runnymede Centre, Chertsey The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill

Tuesday 18 March Wednesday 19th March Wednesday 19th March Thursday 20th March Thursday 20th March

Sandwiches and drinks will be provided at each meeting. Members are asked to attend just ONE of these meetings to participate in the democratic decision-making process of the branch. If possible, please let us know in advance which meeting you will be attending so we can provide the right amount of refreshments. - 3-