Child care support

Sergeant Wayne Stoakes is reunited with his son, Corey, after deployment in the Solomon Islands. The Defence Child Care Program aims to provide access to child care to allow members to meet deployment requirements.

Photo by LAC Steve Hobbs

THE availability of child care has been discussed at senior Defence committees in the past few years, but with limited progress.

The three Services have now agreed the purpose of the Defence Child Care Program (DCCP) is to provide access to child care to assist in the delivery of military capability through enabling members to meet mobility and deployment requirements.

The funding available for the DCCP is limited and the program must address the issues relating to Defence.

Specifically the aim is for the DCCP to alleviate the disadvantage suffered by relocating families through the severance of existing child care arrangements by the provision, on request, of a smooth transition to interim child care in the new location.

The intention is not to permanently negate members’ responsibility to arrange child care but to support them by providing child care on a user-pays basis during a waiting period. Innovative solutions are required to provide a flexible, safe and responsive child care placement service.

The solution must also be viable, sustainable, appropriate and cost effective.

Child care is an emotional issue and the aim is to provide the best solution for all members of Defence who are subject to non-discretionary moves.

The Defence People Committee will consider child care on May 26. The contact for policy relating to child care is Wing Commander Alison Black on Alison.

Black@defence.gov.au. If you have specific feedback relating to child care, or you wish to look at some of the discussion on the topic, visit the Air Force People Capability web site at
http://intranet.defence.gov.au/raafweb/ sites/AFPC/ and look under Future Force Feedback on the menu sidebar.

Taking action

PERSONNEL Policy and Coordination (PP&C) has been steadily developing personnel policy in support of administrative action. In particular, DI(AF) PERS 4-19, Management of Unacceptable Behaviour and Unsuitability is being reviewed to align with recent amendments to Defence (Personnel) Regulations 2002 and ADF policy, specifi cally DI(G) PERS 35-6, Formal Warnings and Censures in the ADF.

The review of DI(AF) PERS 4-19 aims to provide members with a “ready reckoner” or guide that covers the common aspects to be addressed when considering administrative action.

The new instruction is intended to help commanders, supervisors and managers better apply and interpret policy in a number of ADF and Air Force instructions.

The review’s coordinator, Squadron Leader Peter Paschek, will accept any comments or concerns about the subject instruction.

He can be contacted on (02) 6265 2395 or peter.paschek@defence.gov.au.

Testing task

WARRANT Officer Murray Smith has joined the Personnel Branch as part of the new drug and alcohol testing coordination cell.

WOFF Smith is a Medical Assistant recently posted from DPA where he worked as the Clerk Career Manager.

He is also supporting the newly formed industrial relations cell. His recent experiences include jobs at Health Service Training Flight and No. 6 Hospital at RAAF Base Williams.

He brings broad skills in the areas of health instruction, personnel management and general medical assistant duties.

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