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Backing for privatised home help service condemned

23.03.2006
SIPTU national organiser Noel Dowling has strongly condemned the Tanaiste, Ms Harney for promoting an American based company that intends providing a state subsidised home help service to higher income families while failing to implement agreements with existing home helps employed by health boards.
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No to zero hours contract - home helps

13.03.2006
A loud and clear message was sent to Minister Mary Harney today when hundreds of home helps protested outside the Department of Health and Children, demanding an end to ‘zero hour’ contracts and the savage reduction in the number of service hours.
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Home helps to demonstrate at Department Health - March 13

23.02.2006
Home help workers are at breaking point as their hours are cut and the Health Service Executive continues to fail to implement their 2004 agreement on pay and conditions, according to SIPTU Organiser, Orla Fawl.
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Skills Project - Training Opportunities for Health Care Staff

Skill Pro SKILL is an acronym for Securing Knowledge Intra Lifelong Learning. The Project was established to oversee the education, training and development of approximately 28,500 support staff and support service managers in the Irish health and personal social services. The background to the establishment of a designated central training fund arises from, and is part of, a development and restructuring agreement between employer and union sides known as “Recognising and Respecting the Role”. This unique arrangement and major initiative has a mission statement:

“To educate, develop and train support staff in the health services to the optimum of their abilities in order to enhance their role in the quality of service to patients/clients”.

Those who will benefit from the SKILL Project include health care assistants, family support workers, home support workers, therapy assistants, speech and language assistants, laboratory aides, household staff, catering staff, porters, laundry workers, general assistants, semi-skilled persons/crafts-person’s mates/maintenance persons, CSSD/TSSD technicians, other key support grades and their supervisors.

Accessing a SKILL Programme

This year it is anticipated that there will be a throughput of 3,000 support staff and support service managers on SKILL programmes. The places will be allocated proportionately among the numbers working in all support grades and will take account of the different geographical areas and sectors of the health services. The objective of this approach is to ensure a fair, equitable and transparent allocation of places across the country. Every individual participating will have the opportunity to undergo a pre-assessment and guidance session on a one to one basis with a tutor. This process will determine an individual’s needs before commencing the programme, i.e. Return to Learning/Second Chance skills programme (FETAC level 4) or SKILL Programme(s) (FETAC level 5 & 6)

Anticipated Benefits of the SKILL programme

After participating on a SKILL programme it is expected that support staff and support service managers will have: 

  • improved the quality and standards of the service and care, which they provide
  • had the opportunity to return to learning
  • improved their knowledge and skills
  • have greater clarity regarding their roles and functions
  • enhanced their career opportunities
  • been up-skilled to fulfil higher level duties where appropriate
  • increased their morale, motivation, mobility and flexibility; and
  • acquired educational accreditation for their achievements. 

 

SKILL Website

When available, details of the modules, venues and time commitments involved will be posted on the SKILL Project website www.skillproject.ie 

 




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