Statement of general terms and conditions for Soulbury posts
Revised February 2013.
Paper 3 - statement of general terms and conditions for Soulbury posts
LGS/Soulbury 2009 (Revised Feb 2013)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEESSTATEMENT OF GENERAL TERMS AND
CONDITIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION
ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYMENT
THE PARTIES
Employer’s name and address:Employee’s name and address:
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 2BX / This is shown on your letter of appointment. Any changes to your personal details should be notified to Human Resources by telephoning 08456 053000 or sending an email to
Conditions of Service
Your appointment is subject to various national, regional and local collective agreements.
Soulbury Staff will be subject to the provisions of the Soulbury Report and to the provisions of the Single Status ‘Green Book’ where the Soulbury Committee is silent.
The national conditions of service are negotiated by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services and are contained in the National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service known generally as “the Green Book”.
Key provisions include: -
Equalities / Sickness Scheme
Official Conduct / Maternity Scheme
Training & Development / Car Allowances
Health, Safety & Welfare / Continuous Service
Pay and Grading / Notice periods
Working Time / Leave
Some of these provisions are nationally prescribed, others are simply described, but both sets may be varied locally after negotiation with the recognised trade unions and/or you. These provisions are supplemented and regulated by regional and local procedures contained in the County Council’s Standing Orders and Chief Officer Delegations.
The County Council undertakes to keep copies of these documents up to date and available for inspection within a reasonable period of any request. Copies can be obtained via the County Council intranet or by contacting Human Resources on 08456 053000 to request a copy is sent to you.
In the interests of Best Value and competitiveness, such national and regional provisions will not expressly bind the County Council and variations may be made following negotiations/consultations with the recognised trade unions and/or you.
Salary Review
Soulbury Staff Salary scales are reviewed annually following negotiations in the Soulbury Committee. The revised scales are effective from 1 September each year and you will be advised of any changes to your own pay via information supplied on your payslip. Details of pay scales are contained on the intranet.
Please be aware that in accordance with the Governments commitment to improve transparency about how it spends public money, Suffolk County Council publishes details of the salaries of all staff who earn above £58,200. Further information on this can be seen on the ‘Open and Transparent Council’ section of the ‘Council and Democracy’ pages on Suffolk County Council’s Website – Any questions can also be raised with the Head of Corporate Information and Records.
Salary Payments
Payments will be made in instalments by bank credit on the last working day of each month. Any change of bank or building society account should be made via HR Self Service or emailed to .
Overpayments
Subject to consultation, the County Council reserves the right to deduct overpayments of salaries, wages, expenses, etc. from future payments.
Working Arrangements
Your general working arrangements, including working times, will be subject to agreementwith your line manager and the County Council reserves the right to vary these subject to consultation. All working locations of the County Council are designated “No Smoking” areas andyou will be expected to abide bythe policies and local procedures relevant to this.
The Working Time Regulations 1998 state that an employer should take all reasonable steps to ensure that employees do not work more than an average of 48 hours per week over a 17 week period. All workers must obtain consent before engaging in outside employment, or taking on additional contracts with the County Council which would total an average of 48 hours per week or more. This includes self employment, voluntary work and work on behalf on any professional association where the worker is a member or office holder. Suffolk County Council expects its staffs’ hours of work to be no more than an average of 48 working hours each week over 52 weeks per annum, in line with the Working Time Regulations 1998.
You will be required to wear a name or job title badge plus security identification whilst at work.
Continuous Service
For the purposes of entitlements to annual leave, occupational sick pay and occupational maternity pay/leave, continuous service will include continuous, previous, service with any public authority to which the Redundancy Payments Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999 applies.
If you return to local government following a break for maternity reasons you will be entitled to have previous service taken into account in respect of the sickness and maternity schemes provided that the break in service does not exceed eight years and that no permanent, paid full-time employment has intervened – for the purposes of the calculation of entitlement to annual leave the eight years time limit does not apply provided that no permanent full-time employment has intervened.
If you have continuous local government service dating back to before 1 April 1997 you will retain the continuous service entitlements as set out in the former Purple or White Books.
Pension Arrangements
Your employment is subject to the Provisions of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2008.
The Local Government Pension Scheme is contracted-out of the State Second Pension (S2P) which means it must, in general, provide benefits at least as good as most members would have received had they been members of S2P.
Further information on the Local Government Pension Scheme is available from the Pensions Department . Email .
Leave Entitlements
Employees are entitled to annual paid leave in addition to public holidays.
Statutory leave
Statutory leave includes the following public holidays:
New Year's DaySpring Bank Holiday
Good FridayLate Summer Bank Holiday
Easter MondayChristmas Day
May Day (normally the first Monday in May)Boxing Day
Where you are required to work on a public holiday, you will be entitled to payment and/or a day’s leave in lieu, subject to local agreement within your service area.
The hours claimed for bank holidays by part time employees are pro-rata’d to ensure that each part time employee has the same entitlement for bank holidays throughout the year. Further information on this is available from Human Resources.
Dates for public bank holidays can be obtained from the government website for the Department for Business Innovation & Skills or by calling Human Resources.
Your holiday entitlement will be 30days, which includes one extra statutory day fixed to Christmas break, plus eight bank holidays. All leave should normally be taken during school closure periods. Actual holiday arrangements must be agreed in advance with your manager.
All team members are required to clarify with their line manager which of the following options applies to them for each week of the schools holidays:
- On leave and therefore unavailable
- working from home and available
- At work in the office or on diarised commitments
You may carry forward up to ten days’ annual leave (pro rata for part timers), which must be taken within the first three months of the following leave year (i.e. by 30 June). Chief Officers may authorise employees to carry forward an additional five days or, in exceptional circumstances, pay for the additional days not taken up to a maximum of 5 days.
On the termination of your employment, you will be entitled to pay in lieu of accrued but untaken annual leave. Subject to the needs of the service, you may be permitted to take annual leave. Prior approval from your manager/supervisor must be obtained.
In the event that annual leave has been taken over and above that already accrued, your consent to a deduction being made from your salary equivalent to any leave taken in excess of accrued entitlement. If on termination of your employment leave has been taken over that already accrued this will be deducted from your final salary payment. If your final salary payment is insufficient to allow for the whole of any such deduction, you will be required to repay the outstanding amount due within one month of the termination of your employment.
Any payments and deductions made for annual leave entitlement once your employment is terminated are calculated on the basis of hours, holidays overtaken or undertaken multiplied by your normal hours pay at the time of leaving.
Notice to Terminate Employment
For new entrants to Local Government Service, during your probationary period (26 weeks), the notice period is one week on either side. Unless stated otherwise in your letter of appointment, both the County Council and you must give contractual notice as follows:
Educational Psychologists8 weeks
Education Advisers12 weeks
Early Education Support Teachers 12 weeks
Advisory Teachers12 weeks
Where it is more favourable to you, the County Council must give statutory notice as shown below. Your entitlement will be calculated on the basis of your continuous service with the County Council.
Continuous Local Government ServiceMinimum Notice
one month or more but less than two yearsone week
2 years or more but less than 12 yearsone week for each year of service
12 years or more12 weeks
Absence due to Sickness and Injury, and Sick Pay Provisions
Details are contained in the Green Book as previously mentioned. A summary of the allowances is shown below:
Length of Continuous ServiceFull PayHalf Pay
up to 4 months1 month-
4 - 12 months1 "2 months
1 - 2 years2 "2 "
2 - 3 years4 "4 "
3 - 5 years5 "5 "
over 5 years6 "6 "
The amounts of full and half pay will be reduced by the number of days of paid sick leave taken during the preceding twelve month period.
Where the absence from work is caused by a sickness or injury attributable to a third party, the sick pay entitlement may be replaced by and at the discretion of the County Council with a payment of equal value pending recovery of the sum, or a proportion thereof, from that third party. In this respect you hereby undertake to refund to the County Council the sum or a proportion thereof, represented in the amount of damages or other reimbursement received. Where recovery is made in this way the period of absence, or an agreed proportion thereof, shall not be recorded as absences for the purposes of the Sick Pay Scheme.
The sick pay scheme is a financial provision and is not an absolute contractual indication of the amount of paid leave an employee is entitled to when off sick.
The procedure to be adopted for reporting sickness or injury and other absences plus an explanation of statutory sick pay is set out in brief guidelines enclosed in your starter pack. For further information, please speak to your manager / supervisor or contact Human Resources by email at or by telephoning 08456 053000.
Maternity Rights
Pregnant employees have rights to time off to attend antenatal care and to paid maternity leave in accordance with statutory rights and national and local agreements. These rights are dependent upon pregnant employees complying with certain notification requirements. Details are shown in the Green Book and a Maternity Pack is obtainable from Human Resources by emailing or telephoning 08456 053000.
Travel and Subsistence
Employees necessarily incurring additional approved expense in the course of their work in respect of travel, meals or overnight accommodation will be reimbursed, subject to appropriate evidence of expenditure being produced in accordance with local arrangements and, except in exceptional circumstances, with prior agreement form your line manager and in accordance with the relevant SCC policies and guidance.
Further information on the travel options available, and the rates of reimbursement can be found on the Suffolk County Council intranet or by calling Human Resources on 08456 053000.
Retirement Age
SCC does not have a setretirement age and your retirement will be in accordance with the County Councils Flexible Retirement Policy.
Criminal Convictions
Failure to disclose a criminal conviction, unless it has been "spent" in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, may lead to your appointment being withdrawn or terminated.
If your post involves supervising, caring for, or is otherwise connected with Children or vulnerable adults, you must always declare convictions, spent or otherwise, for all criminal offences. Failure to disclose a conviction may lead to your appointment being terminated.
Convictions obtained whilst employed by the County Council must also be declared.
Political Restriction
If your post is defined as ‘sensitive’ or specified under Part 1 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (e.g statutory posts), it will carry a restriction on political activity. The restriction is wide-ranging and prevents you from becoming an MP, MEP or a member of a principal local authority. Other restrictions cover holding office in a political party, canvassing and speaking or writing in public in a way which appears to be designed to affect support for a political party. It is sometimes possible for an employee to obtain exemption from the restrictions.
Codes of Conduct
The Code of Conduct for Local Government employees is based on a model produced by the local authority associations and the Local Government Management Board. A copy is available on the intranet. Throughout the County Council many of the professional groups, and others, will have their own codes of practice which will be complementary to this Code. In addition, some Chief Officers may find it necessary to introduce special departmental procedures. You should ask your line manager for information on Codes that are specific to your post and/or department.
Employment Outside the UK
There is no foreseeable requirement for you to work outside the UK.
Disciplinary, Grievance and Incapability Procedures
Rules and procedures covering disciplinary, incapability and grievance matters are necessary for promoting fairness and order in the treatment of employees and in the conduct of employee relations. The County Council has various legal obligations to provide you with information about certain aspects of the rules and procedures and a copy of the relevant procedures can be obtained from the intranet.
Diversity and Social Inclusion Policy
All employees and workers have rights and responsibilities under the County Council's diversity and social inclusion policy. Acting in a manner which is contrary to this policy may be regarded as a disciplinary offence. Employees individual complaints will be handled either through the Grievance Procedures or the Harassment/Bullying Complaints Procedures. Full details of the policy can be found on the intranet.
Trade Union Membership
As an employee of Suffolk County Council you are entitled to join a Trades Union and take part in its activities. Further details of the locally recognised Trades Unions and their contacts are available on the Suffolk County Council intranet or from Human Resources on 08456 053000. The designated unions which have negotiating rights for Soulbury members are: ASPECT, the NUT and AEP.
Inventions
If, during the course of your employment, you invent or acquire alone or jointly any device or process related to any of the business of the County Council, full particulars thereof must at once be disclosed to the County Council and such invention shall be the sole property of the County Council unless otherwise agreed. You will be expected to assist the County Council to obtain whatever patent or other protection, in any part of the world, the County Council may need and also, as soon as possible, to take any steps which may be necessary to vest such patent or other rights in the County Council at its expense.
Further Information
The County Council has a number of policies and procedures covering a wide range of employment issues and you can find details of these on the council’s intranet site COLIN (County On-Line Information Network) by going to the ‘Human Resources’ section from the home page.
The different policies are then contained under a range of headings
If you do not have access to the internet or intranet site, please call us on 08456 053000 with the details of which policy you require and we will be happy to send a paper copy to either your home or work address.
Ratified by Soulbury Group 14-02-2013
#SPAsPaper 4 - Suffolk arrangements for Structured Professional Assessment (SPA)
Structured Professional Assessment (SPA)
Soulbury Officers
Proposals agreed by the Soulbury Forum
Context
The introduction of a third Structured Professional Assessment (SPA) point for Soulbury Officers employed by local authorities was introduced with effect from 1 September 2006. (Joint Education Service Circular No 144 – July 2006)
Following the recent re-structuring within the Children’s and Young Peoples (CYP) Directorate, the opportunity has been taken to review the application process in Suffolk for SPA 1 - 3.
Workforce
Those currently on Soulbury terms and conditions are:
- Learning Improvement Service Advisers
- Initial Teacher Training leaders and Director of SARU
- Educational Psychologists, Senior Educational Psychologists and the County Manager Psychology
- Inclusive Services Advisers for Learning Support (SEN) and Advisers for Social Inclusion, Home Education Consultants.
- Inclusive Services Sensory and Communication advisory teachers and some specialist teachers.
Each post holder is currently paid within a points range commensurate with experience, skills and responsibility required for their job role. Incremental points are paid with effect from September 1st following satisfactory performance against PDR objectives. For a number of colleagues there is the opportunity to access two further points (SPA 1 and SPA 2). SPA 1 and 2 are available to those who have been on Soulbury terms and conditions for 4 years and in their current role for 2 years.