Conditions & Benefits
Employment Agreements
The terms of employment in the Victorian Public Service are in accordance with the Public Administration Act 2004. (external link)
Employment conditions and benefits for the Department of Human Services are governed by three agreements certified by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The Agreements for sector workers are:Community and Public Sector
This will apply if you obtain employment in the areas of Child Protection, Youth Justice, Housing and the majority of middle senior management roles and any of the corporate support roles and some Health Professional roles within Specialist Children's Services
Download the Community and Public Sector Union - Victorian Public Service Agreement 2006 (688kb, pdf)
Disability Service Workers
This will apply if you obtain employment as a direct service worker in Disability. Some Health Professional roles are also covered by this agreement.
Download the HSUA Department of Human Services Disability Services Agreement 2004 (639kb, pdf)
Nurses
This will apply if you are employed in the department as a nurse.
Download the Nurses Department of Human Services Agreement 2004 (218kb, pdf)
The agreements are underpinned by Federal Awards and cover a range of entitlements such as remuneration, hours of duty including rosters (where applicable), leave and allowances.
Probation
All employees are subject to the satisfactory performance of a three-month probationary period. For fixed term employees the full probationary period applies if employment is for 3 months or more. Where the contract is less than 3 months the whole period will be considered probationary.
If, during the probationary period, issues with your conduct or performance are identified, the initial probationary period of 3 months may be extended by a period of not more than 3 months to allow you the opportunity to address the conduct or performance issues.
Basic Entitlements
As an indicative guide, some of the basic entitlements common to all agreements are:
- Annual Leave - a minimum of 4 weeks annual leave with leave loading 17.5%
Shift workers receive an amount equal to shift allowances that would have been paid if they had not gone on leave or 17.5% whichever is greater - Long Service Leave - 3 months Long Service Leave on completion of 10 years continuous service. An employee may access this entitlement on a pro-rata basis after an initial 7 years of continuous service.
- Sick Leave - 15 days paid sick leave per year - 5 days allowed without a certificate
Carer's Leave where employees may utilise a portion of their sick leave to care for a sick member of their family - Maternity and Paternity Leave –
- 14 weeks paid maternity leave
- 5 days paid paternity leave
Please refer to the applicable Agreement for full terms and conditions.
Other benefits
- Registration with a complying Superannuation scheme
- Salary packaging for employees via Novated Leasing, Private Health Insurance and Salary Sacrifice for superannuation, lap top computers and mobile phones
- Flexible work arrangements to help balance work and personal needs that are negotiable depending on your circumstances
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- For most non-rostered employees a system of flexible work hours is available that provides flexibility for employees to set their commencement times of work between the span of hours from 7:00am to 7:00pm
- A range of opportunities for professional development and career advancement
Performance Management
Departmental employees strive to provide the highest possible level and quality of service to clients. To achieve this the department is committed to ensuring that employees are clear about their work role, current level of performance, how they can improve and receive recognition for their contribution and achievements.
Many departmental employees are subject to formal departmental performance management systems that have been implemented to support and facilitate the management of their performance and progression.
Diversity
The Department of Human Services is an Equal Employment employer and values cultural and linguistic diversity. We employ people from indigenous and other cultural backgrounds as well as people with disabilities. The department is committed to attracting the widest applicant field to ensure we have a workforce that reflects the demographics of the Victorian community.
Code of Conduct
The code of conduct outlines the standard of behaviour expected of public sector employees. It is designed to help you understand your responsibilities and obligations. You can access the Code of Conduct by clicking this link State Services Authority codes of conduct (external link).