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Review of the civilian occupational welfare service (OWS)

Below is the consultation document explaining the department?s proposals for providing in-house occupational welfare services to support MoD civilian employees and line managers from 1 April 2010.

The review looked at three options for the future service:

  • Option 1 - Maintain the current OWS structure and continue to deliver a primarily face-to-face service but with reduced resources.
  • Option 2 – Reorganise the OWS structure and adopt a new service delivery model i.e. one that is telephone-based with face-to-face interviews taking place only where the circumstances of the case demand it (e.g. death in service).
  • Option 3 – As Option 2 but with the additional support of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

The department details that the move from a face-to-face to a telephone-based service, arose from stakeholders’ comments and regional managers’ observations on the inconsistency of delivery of the current face-to-face service; problems in accessing welfare advisor support due to them being engaged on other cases; and a marked imbalance in workload between individual welfare advisors.

The telephone-based service has been piloted and the final report on the work allocation trial is at Annex A of the consultation document.

From the inception of the OWS review, our union has detailed that the proposals are opposed by our members, de-skills the department’s welfare officers and undermines the assurance role welfare officers undertake on behalf of the department.

However, the customer (employees and line managers) survey undertaken by the PPPA at Para 7 details - 94% of those surveyed said the telephone-based approach was a modern and effective way of delivering the service, and the welfare advisors involved in the trial are overwhelmingly in favour of this proposal.

It is therefore critical that our members give feedback to the PCS team as to whether this assessment is correct . Please email your thoughts on the consultation document to Rob Bowers at robbowers@pppa.mod.uk or KC Jones at PCSUnion-VicePresident@mod.uk
 

PCS along with Prospect and FDA met with MoD on 20 October to discuss the emerging findings for future OWS. PCS detailed forcefully the strong concerns of our members that:

  • the OWS should not be subject to another major review only some four years after the last one
  • the review was simply a cost-cutting exercise and was underpinned by the proposed reduction in the number of welfare advisor posts under PR09
  • the change from a predominantly face-to-face to a telephone-based service would significantly reduce the professionalism and effectiveness of the service
  • the proposal de-skilled welfare advisors
  • the assurance role of welfare advisors as previously detailed under the MoD personnel manual would be lost
  • there was no justification for re-branding a service that is already widely known and respected across the MoD
  • any on call working had to be appropriately compensated for

The MoD’s preferred option is Option 2 to be implemented from 1 April 2010.

If our union is to object to these proposals and consider taking them before the Minister, branches and members must respond detailing how we should oppose them and what they are willing to do to reinforce our objections.

 

 

 


CCSU CONSULTATION – REVIEW OF THE CIVILIAN OCCUPATIONAL WELFARE SERVICE (OWS)

CONSULTATIVE DOCUMENT

INTRODUCTION

1. The aim of this document is to explain the Department’s proposals for providing in-house occupational welfare services to support MOD civilian employees and line managers from 1 April 2010. It takes into account both the findings of the Work Allocation Trial and PPPA PR09 efficiency savings, which have both been the subject of separate consultation. It provides a basis for the MoD to consult Trades Unions on the proposals.

BACKGROUND

2. The background to the OWS Review, Terms of Reference and detailed observations were set out in my Emerging Findings paper dated 14 September 2009. The paper explained that in the light of the detailed work carried out by the Review group and the known constraints on PPPA resources as a result of PR09, there were 3 options for the future service:

Option 1 - Maintain the current OWS structure and continue to deliver a primarily face-to-face service but with reduced resources.

Option 2 – Reorganise the OWS structure and adopt a new service delivery model i.e. one that is telephone-based with face-to-face interviews taking place only where the circumstances of the case demand it (e.g. death in service).

Option 3 – As Option 2 but with the additional support of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

ISSUES

3. I met with your Major Policy Committee (MPC) on 20th October to discuss the Review and the options for the future OWS. You and your colleagues expressed very clearly the strong concerns of your members that:

· the OWS should be the subject of another major review only some four years after the last one
· the Review was simply a cost-cutting exercise and that this view was backed up by the proposed reduction in the number of Welfare Advisor posts under PR09
· the proposed change from a predominantly face-to-face to a telephone-based service would significantly reduce the professionalism and effectiveness of the service
· there was no justification for re-branding a service that is already widely known and respected across the MOD

You asked that any firm proposals to change the way in which the service is currently delivered be supported by an evidence-based case.

4. As you know, the OWS Review was commissioned as part of the PPPA’s Maturity Programme. Having moved from DGCP to PPPA in 2006 under the People Programme 1 changes to MOD’s HR organisation; reorganised to a new regional management structure; and with the addition of the Helpline, it was entirely sensible that the service should be reviewed after a reasonable ‘bedding in’ period.

5. The Powerpoint presentations forwarded to you with my Emerging Findings paper demonstrate that the Review was thorough, that it examined every aspect of the service, and that the recommendations for change stemmed from views expressed by stakeholders – employees, line management and OWS staff – who had been fully involved in all stages of the exercise.

6. The main proposal for change, to move from a face-to-face to a telephone-based service, arose from stakeholders’ comments and Regional Managers’ observations on the inconsistency of delivery of the current face-to-face service; problems in accessing Welfare Advisor support due to them being engaged on other cases; and a marked imbalance in workload between individual Welfare Advisors. A telephone-based service would, however, enable AH HW&C to guarantee that telephone support would be available to all callers during core business hours. In addition, the improved management information on call volumes and types of issue that would arise from all requests for support being channelled through the Helpline would help to improve consistency of delivery of the service across the MOD. Furthermore, by clearly defining the limited circumstances in which face-to-face meetings could take place, the travelling commitment for the reduced number of Welfare Advisors (WAs) could be kept within manageable levels.

 

 


7. You are already aware that delivery of a telephone-based service has been piloted, and the final report on the Work Allocation Trial is at Annex A. I would particularly draw your attention to the customer (employees and line managers) survey result at Para 7 - 94% of those surveyed found the telephone-based approach to be a modern and effective way of delivering the service. Moreover, the Welfare Advisors involved in the Trial, despite some initial scepticism, are now overwhelmingly in favour of this method of providing support to their customers, as it enables them to prioritise issues and to use their skills to help those with the greatest need (Para 8).

8. Accordingly, MOD considers that the detailed work and recommendations of the Review team present a persuasive case for making changes within the OWS, which will improve the quality of the service.

PROPOSAL AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MOD EMPLOYEES AND LINE MANAGERS

9. MOD’s preferred option is Option 2. It is therefore proposed that from 1 April 2010:

· Access to welfare support will be solely through the OWS Helpline; the opening hours of which will continue to be 0830-1630 Monday to Friday.
· Support to employees and line managers will be delivered via the telephone and e-mail.
· Face-to-face meetings will take place only where the circumstances demand it (e.g. death in service cases; terminal illness; post-trauma support; kinforming). The final decision on which cases require face-to-face meetings will rest with WAs.
· An out-of-hours Duty Officer will be contactable (through the Resident Clerk) to deal with only critical incidents requiring an immediate response (e.g. Support to Operations issues and other critical incidents requiring immediate attention). All WAs will receive appropriate training to enable them to fulfil the Duty Officer role on a roster basis. This commitment will normally amount to no more than two, one-week periods per year for which the appropriate on-call allowance and overtime payments will be made.
· Support to staff serving overseas will be provided from the UK.
· Formal evidence-based welfare reports will normally only be produced for despatch to external (to MOD) organisations such as the Courts or Social Services. Support will continue to be available to employees in preparing personal statements, detailing any relevant work-related or personal issues in response to a Departmental process (e.g. a disciplinary charge or restoring efficiency measures).
· The revised and clarified WA role and responsibilities (Annex B) will be issued together with revised policies and processes to reflect the new service.
· The OWS will seek corporate membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which will allow the OWS to align with this professional body’s Code of Ethics and to work in accordance with their guidance on good practice. An OWS Code of Ethics will be produced based on the BACP model.

10. The Review group had also recommended that the OWS be re-branded, as there was a perception across the Department that the current title encouraged a ’tea and sympathy’ image. Taking account of concerns expressed by you and your members, however, and also that the administrative burden re-branding would impose (simply to amend the large number of PRGs and other documents that contain the current title) cannot be justified in the current climate of constraints on resources, it is not proposed to re-brand the service at the present time.

IMPLICATIONS FOR OWS STAFF

11. The new Occupational Welfare Service from 1 April 2010 will comprise: the OWS Helpline (1 x Manager, 6 x Call Agents); 22 regionally-based WA posts plus 1 Peripatetic WA post (predominantly to provide cover for WA absences; to act as Post-Trauma Support (PTS) and Training Focal point but will also participate in the ‘taxi rank’ service).

12. The main advantage for all WAs should be an improved work/life balance due to the clarification of their role and responsibilities and the ability better to control and manage workloads that the ‘taxi rank’ service should provide. The travelling commitment to attend face-to-face meetings would also be significantly reduced.

13. In addition, as BACP good practice requires all individuals who use counselling skills in the course of their work to receive regular and ongoing supervision from a qualified, external (to MOD) supervisor, supervision will become mandatory for all WAs. MOD will continue to meet the associated costs.


TRAINING

14. In support of these new services, all Helpline staff and WAs will receive specific training on:

· providing support to employees and line managers via the telephone and e-mail (see Annex A)
· handling of emergency issues relating to Support to Operations (kinforming and follow-on support to Next of Kin) and other critical incidents
· RFA/service overseas issues
· repayment customer requirements
· the application of the new ways of working

IMPLEMENTATION

15. The timescale for completion of the work required to support the launch of the revised service on 1 April 2010 is achievable. An outline training programme has been drawn up and work is underway on the revision of desk instructions, the OWS PRG and associated People Portal material. OWS staff will continue to receive regular team briefs on progress of this work. Customers will receive information about the changing service through ‘60 second briefings’, Paperclips articles, and Defence Intranet announcements.

16. Post-service launch, there is a line in the Health Welfare and Conduct Deep Dive project plan to review delivery of the service in June 2010.

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