- Procedure
Procedure: 5257P
Section: 5000 - Personnel
Title: Employee Assistance Advisory Group
Status: Active
Adopted: September 22,1988
Procedure - Employee Assistance Advisory Group
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) advisory group will be appointed to assist in the implementation of the EAP and to make program recommendations.
A. Representation
The EAP advisory group will consist of representatives from the administration and employee groups as follows:
- Teacher
- Teacher
- Teacher
- SEIU Representative
- Transportation Representative (Teamsters)
- PSE Representative
- Professional/Technical Representative
- Student Assistance Counselor
- Staff Wellness Coordinator
- Superintendent, or Designee
Membership on the advisory group will be rotated to maximize the possibility of have representatives from all grade levels, e.g., elementary, middle school and high school, as well as all employee groups.
B. First Year Activities
- Publicize/promote the EAP including:
a. Assist with EAP orientations;
b. Distribute quarterly newsletters;
c. Ensure posters are available at all worksites;
d. Other.
2. Identify problems and relay information to the EAP provider.
3. Meet with the EAP administrator at the end of six months (mid to late March) to review needs, obtain feedback, etc.
C. Ongoing Activities
1. Publicize/Promote the EAP
a. Prepare annual notification to staff including updated set of agency contacting procedures.
b. Ensure posters are at all worksites.
c. Distribute quarterly newsletters.
d. Prepare Update articles.
e. Make annual presentations at staff meetings.
f. Publicize employee assistance program activities.
2. Identify problems, if any, and relay information, as needed, to the EAP provider through the superintendent or designee. When an employee relates a concern relative to the services provided by the EAP provider or the specific implementation of the Employee Assistance Program, they will be able to make that concern known. Should an employee request it, an individual or sub-group of the advisory group would be convened to assist the employee. The specific procedure used when a concern is addressed would be as follows:
a. Redirect the employee to the EAP provider to address the concern, and/or
b. Tell the employee that the concern could be brought back to the advisory group. The advisory group will collect the data related to the concern and make appropriate decisions.
3. The advisory group will be responsible for the development and publication of an annual needs assessment which will include provisions for employee contact with the advisory group. The information will be published on a yearly basis, in the fall, and will be coordinated by the superintendent or designee's office.
4. Assist in coordination of the EAP with other district programs, e.g., Staff Wellness, Student Assistance Program, etc.
D. Meetings
The EAP advisory group will meet a minimum of twice per year. One meeting will be either late in June, late in August, or early in September to plan the year's publications/promotional activities. The second meeting will occur sometime late February to mid-March to identify problems, if any, an relay information, as needed, to the EAP provider.
Other meetings will be scheduled as needed.
While it is important that the EAP advisory group maintain close contact with the program so as to publish and coordinate properly and identify and relay information as needed, it is also important that the group maintain a distance from the program because over-involvement could result in a loss of confidentiality, or at least an appearance of the loss of confidentiality. EAP's are successful only when confidentiality is assured for all employees and employee family members. Loss of confidentiality or the appearance of loss of confidentiality will destroy the program. Thus, the EAP advisory group must be clear that its mission is to publicize/promote the EAP; identify problems and relay information to the EAP provider, as needed; and coordinate the EAP with other district programs, not run the program.
Adopted: 09.22.1988
Revised: 12.15.1988; 05.30.1990; 05.19.1997
- 5000