Committee members and staff supervision

[AnonyMouse_30572]

Do any committee run settings involve committee members in staff supervision sessions? We ve recently heard that this is necessary because they are ultimately responsible for the setting but I'm not sure about the idea - supervision should be a place for discussing individual children, possible concerns and reflecting on practise?

[AnonyMouse_6721]

You could involve them if you have staffing issues but I wouldn't to discuss key worker stuff. Maybe appraisals would be better to involve them.

[AnonyMouse_11396]

Well I'm sorry but I won't be subscribing to this idea.

Apart from the confidentiality aspect when discussing key children and no disrespect to my wonderful committee, I would not expect them to take on this role.

However I might meet with my Chairperson to discuss any training needs or individual aspects of our staff team that might need support or to be included within our action plan.

Where have you heard this.

[AnonyMouse_19920]

do you mean a 1:1 - if so then the committee should not be there.

been attending a management course this week and one thing that came up is that whilst they coud ask to look at appraisals they should not look at 1:1 unless there is a reason eg could be cause for dismissal,gross misconduct,something that cam out of an ofsted, performance related etc otherwise these should be confidential to you and staff member.

apparently they can't ask to see them either unless good reason as they are covered by data protection - thats per the course i have been on this week

Edited October 9, 2014 by blondie

[AnonyMouse_30572]

Thanks for your replies, I shall take your comments back and discuss with the rest of the team. Fredbear, it was something mentioned on a course just this week about Committee roles and responsibilities, but its not something I feel happy doing.

[AnonyMouse_4495]

Our supervisor does the supervisions and brings any areas of concern re staffing, training, general issues to our management committee meetings (select committee members) so they can be addressed. Information about children or personal issues are not shared as it is not our place to know - that's for the qualified staff to deal with (in my opinion, anyway)

Our Chair conducts appraisals with the Supervisor as this is more of an open forum.

[AnonyMouse_3139]

I'm Chair, well actually assistant chair at the moment but the committee are the responsible person so its only right that the committee are involved with the staff.

We interview them, employ them, set the wages and receive any flack should employment laws be broken so I dont see why we shouldnt be part of appraisals or supervisions. We also have to be able to show to Ofsted that we have followed safer recruitment and while committee all have to have an EY2 and have to satisfy Ofsted as to their suitability, that same level of suitability regarding staff is down to committee to check.

Any good committee would understand the need to know basis when it came to safeguarding or understand confidentiality so I'm not sure why you wouldnt want to share things relating to the key person either. We wouldnt want or need details of little Billys development, just to know staff were aware of all the procedures for checking and know they knew who to go to for advice/support etc.

I'll be doing our managers supervision next week, if I dont do it, who will?

[AnonyMouse_14268]

Our chair does my supervisions and appraisal. And I do the rest of the staff. Luckily she is a recently retired early years teacher, so really knows what she is on about!! I can imagine it may be hard for other committee members to do this as they have little knowledge of the job. I think if committee members really knew how responsible they were, we just would not be able to form a committee. I am not particularly happy that the members of our committee all know how much us staff are being paid, we live in a small village and everyone knows everyone!!

[AnonyMouse_7120]

rightly or wrongly I refuse to have pay discussed with the whole committee, it's only my chair and treasurer who are in on that discussion, I don't know what they are all paid, why should they know what I am paid.

[AnonyMouse_14268]

rightly or wrongly I refuse to have pay discussed with the whole committee, it's only my chair and treasurer who are in on that discussion, I don't know what they are all paid, why should they know what I am paid.

Completely agree with you and think that I might bring this up before our meeting next week, when pay is going to be discussed.

[AnonyMouse_12805]

I fully understand and agree with what you are saying Rea to an extent. :rolleyes: However- I do my staff supervisions and appraisals as my committee changes every year (and has done for the last 4 years) and have no knowledge of Early Years. You yourself are as up to date on EY's as I am so I can understand you doing your staff but like others have said I wouldnt be at all happy with parents of our group and members of our community knowing what we are paid and our business.

Unfortunately very few of us have 'good' committees now. Although my committee are as helpful as they can be none of them really know what they should or shouldn't be doing. They just do what I ask them- and as much as I try to impress on them the legal responsibility, I'm not sure they really understand it. Thanks to the rules keep changing I can teven manage to get mine to complete a DBS- by the time they are all done they will have left!! I certainly wouldn't take the role of a committee member on now.

I haven't had a proper appraisal or supervision done for I really cant remember how long. My deputy does them- but that's not really the proper way is it.

[AnonyMouse_12805]

Zigzag- the way I get round this is to just involve the Chair, Sec & treasurer in any discussions and then just to discuss any creases. For example I would say staff have had no increases for x years and I think we can afford to give them a 1/2/3% increase or no increase. Obviously my Treasurer knows what each staff member is paid, but over the last 4/5 years it has been me that has worked out our budget, fee increases needed and any salary increases and have just informed committee of my 'thoughts' to enable them to agree on. Actually our chair would know how much each annual salary is and any increases as she 'writes' to each staff member informing them but neither her or the Treasurer know really what is earned as they dont know how many hours per week each staff member earns.

So on paper it may look as if one is earning double what another earns but she is working double the hours.

Edited October 11, 2014 by lynned55

[AnonyMouse_22106]

I do supervisions on the staff 1:1 - 3 times a year

I write my supervision for the chairperson to sign

once a year myself and chairperson does a full appraisal (although this now takes minutes due to the introduction of supervisions)