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Staff and Students with Carer Responsibilities Policy

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Purpose | Scope | Principles | Policy statements | Policy owner and contact  | Definitions  | Approval information  | Version history  | References  

1. Purpose

1.1 The Staff and Students with Carer Responsibilities Policy (the policy) sets out the support and options available to staff and students with carer responsibilities.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to staff and students with carer responsibilities.

3. Principles

3.1 It is acknowledged that carer responsibilities directly impact on employment and educational opportunities. In the context of higher education, it is clear that such responsibilities have a significant impact on the educational opportunities of students and the employment opportunities of staff.

3.2 UTS is committed to providing an accessible, supportive and flexible environment for all staff and students, including those with carer responsibilities. UTS recognises that:

  1. a carer’s responsibilities impact on all aspects of their life. The ways in which responsibilities impact on work and education mean that they are the concern of the university as a whole
  2. carer responsibilities affect both women and men
  3. care relationships are diverse. UTS recognises the wide kinship and family networks of many cultures and attempts to consider cultural difference in the implementation of its family-friendly policies
  4. students and staff should have access to the same educational and employment conditions regardless of their carer responsibilities
  5. leave and benefits should be reasonably provided to accommodate students and staff with respect to carer responsibilities.

4. Policy statements

Provisions for staff who have carer responsibilities

4.1 UTS recognises that staff with carer responsibilities may require flexibility in their work arrangements, and that care relationships are not static. The degree of care needed may vary according to circumstances. For example, staff may be the carer for a frail parent who spends some time in respite care or with another family member. This may mean that they are able to spend more time at work during periods where they are not caring for their parent. Yet also need great flexibility at times when they are providing care.

4.2 Carer responsibilities may be short term. For example, if a child falls ill and requires greater attention than usual. This could mean that the staff member has to take some time off work, work shorter hours temporarily or work from home.

4.3 The People Unit provides information on strategies in place at UTS to support the needs of staff with carer responsibilities. Some conditions outlined in these strategies are subject to the authorisation of the relevant manager or supervisor in your work area.

Provisions for students who have carer responsibilities

4.4 University students come from all age groups, backgrounds and stages in life. Some students have carer responsibilities that have the potential to impact on their ability to fully participate in their studies. Such factors may be the degree of care required in their carer relationships, the requirements of the course they are studying, for example, the number of hours or timing of classes and study groups, requirements to complete field trips and practicums and the need to access university labs.

4.5 If a student’s carer responsibilities are likely to detrimentally affect their ability to deal with study in the same way as other students, they can consult an academic liaison officer (ALO) in their faculty, preferably at the start of the session (refer Information for parents/carers). For example, if a partner falls seriously ill and requires personal care. The ALO may be able to assist in making alternative arrangements for assignments or exams.

4.6 UTS also recognises that, in unforeseen circumstances, a student’s carer responsibilities may warrant a request for special consideration in the assessment of a subject or assessment task on the grounds of misadventure (refer Special consideration).

Provisions for children on campus

4.7 The provisions for children on campus are part of UTS’s commitment to flexible arrangements to support staff and students with carer responsibilities. UTS aims to:

  1. support and provide affordable childcare facilities, such as long day care and temporary care for babies and pre-school aged children, for all students and staff
  2. provide facilities that are accessible to those who are accompanied by children, such as stroller entrances in buildings and ramps throughout the campus, parents’ rooms, and baby change facilities in selected toilets (refer Maps: Access and amenities).

4.8 UTS recognises the occasional need for staff and students to bring children to the university campus, subject to any regulations that may apply in those areas. For example, childcare arrangements or plans may have fallen through, or it may be a pupil-free day in schools.

4.9 Students must seek permission from the relevant lecturer to bring children to class. Permission to bring children to class is at the discretion of the lecturer, though any reasonable request should be granted.

4.10 Staff must seek approval from the relevant supervisor to bring children to work, but such requests should be treated sympathetically.

4.11 Children will not be permitted to enter some areas of the university, such as workshops and laboratories, which are intrinsically hazardous.

5. Policy owner and contact

5.1 Policy owner: The Executive Director, People and Culture and the Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion share joint responsibility for enforcement of and compliance with this policy, ensuring that its principles and statements are observed.

5.2 Others: Managers and supervisors have discretion to approve the presence of children on campus in accordance with the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy and associated procedures and guidelines.

6. Definitions

The following definitions apply for this policy and all associated procedures. Definitions in the singular also include the plural meaning of the word.

Care relationship is defined by the university and federal and/or state legislation in an inclusive way, and includes same sex, de facto partners and former partners, as well as parental and other familial relationships. Under federal and/or state legislation a carer relationship may exist with:

  1. your child
  2. the child of your current or former partner
  3. any adult of whom you are the legal guardian
  4. your partner (or your former partner)
  5. your grandchild (or the grandchild of your current or former partner)
  6. your parent (or the parent of your current or former partner)
  7. your grandparent (or the grandparent of your current or former partner)
  8. your brother (or the brother of your current or former partner)
  9. your sister (or the sister of your current or former partner).

Partner means husband, wife, de facto opposite sex partner or de facto same-sex partner.