SES - Transition Update March 2024

As you know, we are working towards transitioning the Queensland State Emergency Service (SES) to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) no later than 1 July 2024.

SES Townhall

On the 13th February 2024 we had another SES Townhall engagement session, and a recording is now available. Presenters included:

• Brian Cox, Acting Assistant Commissioner, State Emergency Service
• Shane Chelepy, Deputy Commissioner, Disaster and Emergency Management
• Steve Dabinett, Business Reform Coordinator, Reform Implementation Taskforce
• Mark Armstrong, Chief Officer for SES

The townhall provided an update on the transition, which included an overview of our onboarding approach to QPS. Your questions were also answered on the night during the Q&A component. You can watch the recording below.

Acknowledgment of Transition Form

Just a reminder it is important volunteers complete the Acknowledgement of transition form by 15 May 2024, to enable access to QPS support and systems including additional protections under the proposed new State Emergency Service Act.

Click here to complete the form .

Volunteer Onboarding

Onboarding for volunteers will commence mid-April 2024. Details on the approach are still being developed.

Volunteers will receive a checklist to support them with their onboarding. In early June, volunteers will:

• Have access to guides for system and policy changes
• Be able to view short videos that explain policy and system changes
• Receive information about how to set up their Office365 accounts, as well as their email account.

Information about SES’s operating model will be shared with volunteers prior to transition. Our operating model will detail our new governance arrangements and other important information.

Staff onboarding

A checklist will be available to support staff in their onboarding.

SES staff will be required to complete QPS Ethics and Professionalism training. This training covers some of the core expectations when working within QPS.

From late May, staff will:

• Have access to guides for system and policy changes
• Be able to view short videos that explain policy and system changes
• Receive information about how to set up their Office365 accounts, as well as their email account.

Information about SES’s operating model will be shared from mid-April 2024 for staff. Our operating model will detail our new governance arrangements and other important information.

Some IT changes, as part of our transition

SES volunteers and staff will be receiving an SES email address. The format will be firstname.lastname@ses.qld.gov.au.

SES volunteers and staff will also receive access to MS-Teams for collaboration and communication within teams and regions. In addition, their will be access to SharePoint which will improve how we collaborate, share and store documents.

Access to the new SES email address and O365 licence will be post 3^rd of June.

SES Training

Work is progressing with the QPS Academy in preparing an application to establish a stand-alone RTO for SES. This will provide SES with the flexibility to tailor its operational training in the future.

The application is lengthy, but it is our intention to lodge the application with ASQA by the end of this month.

This month we onboarded our SES Training Team. The team design and develop training products (nationally recognised accredited training and skills-based training). The SES Training Team will also assist with developing volunteer and staff trainers.

After transition we intend to review our training products and begin to make improvements.

The image below illustrates how SES will work with the QPS Academy. Essentially, QPS Academy undertakes compliance and audit for the SES Registered Training Organisation.

The new SES training team, which has recently being stood up with give SES greater autonomy over training design and development.

Staff accommodation arrangements

Some of SES’s accommodation arrangements are no longer fit for purpose, as we have exceeded capacity in many locations across the State.

Work is underway to explore temporary accommodation as well as developing a 5-year accommodation plan.  With the creation of the People Hubs, there is also work to explore how we co-locate these within SES locations.

Accommodation changes and changes to places of work are always difficult decisions to make.

Discussions at this stage are purely exploratory and no decision has been made.  At this stage, there are no changes to work locations.  Should a decision be made, you will be consulted, as well as your industrial bodies.

Developing a plan for our accommodation requirements will take time, and the future accommodation footprint is not yet known.

How to provide feedback to us?

Quite simply contact us by visiting ForGov and using the contact form. Your inquiry or feedback will be reviewed, and we will endeavour to respond within a reasonable timeframe.

Don’t forget the ForGov site is your go-to site for information, news, and events about our transition to QPS. Visit the SES page on ForGov to be kept informed.

Last updated:

19 March 2024