Publication:Sea Talk Winter 2005/New childcare provider
by PTE John Wellfare
The Defence Community Organisation recommends that Defence families investigate childcare options as early as possible to organise their individual requirements while the Defence Child Care Program is expanding childcare initiatives.
More childcare places should be available to Defence families in the near future.
ABC Corporate Care Ltd is expected to provide more places as it takes up the Defence childcare contract from July 1, as this edition of SeaTalk goes to press.
And negotiations are under way with the Australian Tax Office to make salary sacrificing available to Defence members with places in joint Defence-ABC childcare centres throughout Australia.
Under the new contract, Defence childcare centres will be established and Defence families will also have priority access to ABC Corporate Care's 650 childcare centres throughout Australia.
More Defence-specific and ABC childcare centres are envisaged for areas including Newcastle, Adelaide, Laverton, Far North Queensland, Darwin, Wagga and Wodonga.
Director General DCO Janet Stodulka said the transfer from the existing childcare provider, KU Children's Services, to the new provider will be as seamless as possible.
"There will be no diminution of services to our families as a result of this new program," she said. "ABC Corporate Care is required to meet, at a minimum, all existing regulatory, licensing and accreditation requirements.
"ABC Corporate Care has agreed to offer continuing employment - with at least the same remuneration and conditions as currently received - to all of the outgoing provider's staff employed at Defence child care centres."
She said ABC Corporate Care will also offer employment opportunities for Defence spouses currently working in the child care industry."
This includes transferring Defence partners employed by ABC Corporate Care between their centres when posted, where vacancies exist," she said.
Ms Stodulka added that salary sacrificing for childcare will continue to be available at all existing Defence centres.
She said ABC Corporate Care is negotiating with the Australian Tax Office to make salary sacrificing available to Defence members with places in joint Defence-ABC child care centres throughout Australia as they come on line.
ABC Corporate Care will also provide a national free-call number through which Defence families can access vacancies in all ABC child care centres, book child care in advance of a posting to a new area and get information on all child care centres in a general line of travel between work and home.
More information is at www.dco.dod.gov.au/dco/dcopublic.nsf
