Scenario: Ellen - Cost Cutting Strategies
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:35 pm
Scenarion:A Cutting corners
Ellen is the Director of one of a small chain of privately-owned child care centres. The owners of the chain of centres are very profit driven. Ellen has just received a directive in relation to the implementation of cost-cutting strategies. The strategies include:
a. minimising the number of Diploma qualified staff and maximising the number of Certificate III staff
b. drastically reducing expenditure on play equipment and consumables such as paper and paint
c. directing staff to undertake extra cleaning tasks as part of their daily duties, including washing the floors– a professional cleaner will come in on Friday nights only
d. reducing waste in the kitchen by limiting a hot lunch to three days per week and substituting with sandwiches on the other two days
Ellen looks at the directive with a mixture of anger and disbelief. She had hoped to fill a staff vacancy with a Diploma qualified person but it looks like now she will have to employ another person at Certificate III level. This worries Ellen as most of her team are quite young and she was hoping to get a more experienced Diploma practitioner to provide leadership.
Ellen ponders the directive. On the one hand she really needs this job but on the other hand she knows that she must act as an advocate for the children and families using the service. She is also concerned about the increasingly unrealistic workload being expected of the team. She is adamant that the staff are not to be used as cleaners – surely this is an OHS issue. And what of the children – when do the staff spend quality time with them?
1. With reference to the ECA Code of Ethics, Children’s Services Regulations and Quality Assurance Principles suggest how Ellen could respond as an advocate for children, families and staff in relation to each of the directives:
Ellen is the Director of one of a small chain of privately-owned child care centres. The owners of the chain of centres are very profit driven. Ellen has just received a directive in relation to the implementation of cost-cutting strategies. The strategies include:
a. minimising the number of Diploma qualified staff and maximising the number of Certificate III staff
b. drastically reducing expenditure on play equipment and consumables such as paper and paint
c. directing staff to undertake extra cleaning tasks as part of their daily duties, including washing the floors– a professional cleaner will come in on Friday nights only
d. reducing waste in the kitchen by limiting a hot lunch to three days per week and substituting with sandwiches on the other two days
Ellen looks at the directive with a mixture of anger and disbelief. She had hoped to fill a staff vacancy with a Diploma qualified person but it looks like now she will have to employ another person at Certificate III level. This worries Ellen as most of her team are quite young and she was hoping to get a more experienced Diploma practitioner to provide leadership.
Ellen ponders the directive. On the one hand she really needs this job but on the other hand she knows that she must act as an advocate for the children and families using the service. She is also concerned about the increasingly unrealistic workload being expected of the team. She is adamant that the staff are not to be used as cleaners – surely this is an OHS issue. And what of the children – when do the staff spend quality time with them?
1. With reference to the ECA Code of Ethics, Children’s Services Regulations and Quality Assurance Principles suggest how Ellen could respond as an advocate for children, families and staff in relation to each of the directives:
,