Mr. Noel Hand:

I was listening very closely to what the Chair said. I agree 100% with everything he said. The establishment of the national community welfare service will be a big change. It is one that will assist the delivery of our service across the country. We are on a journey to bring in a series of supports for our locally-based CWOs, including the establishment of a dedicated training team. That is something they did not have before. We want to provide them with supports and empower them to do exactly what the Chair is saying. The discretion available to CWOs is a big part of what they do.

In the discussions I have been having with them, we want them to use their discretion. It is not that we are hindering them in any way or restricting the amount that they should pay for a particular thing or in what they need to do to bring a case to a successful conclusion for the customer; quite the opposite. In some ways that is a culture change because maybe they feel that the Department is restricting them in some way when, in fact, that is not the case. We say if in doubt to apply their discretion, make the payment, and assist the person. We see the CWOs as very much there to help the people and not in any way to be restrictive. That is what we are about.