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CPS Group Insurance Package
| CPS offers a group insurance
package to all our group members, including Preschool and Playschool
Parent Associations [PPA]. Guild Insurance Limited (Canberra) provides insurance cover for all eligible member preschool and playschool parent associations. That is, affiliated Group Members of the CPS. Cover includes: Public Liability, Contents Insurance and Personal Accident for children, siblings and volunteers. The policy is based on the financial year (commencing 1 July). | |
Invoices have now yet been sent out, to every Group Member of the Society which followed through on the renewal process at the end of Term 2. A Certificate of Currency accompanied each invoice. If your PPA or Playschool has not received a Certificate of Currency or an invoice, please contact the CPS Office and also contact Ronald Naidu at Guild Insurance (6124 2222). | |
To comply with insurance requirements, each Preschool or Playschool must keep an updated inventory, listing all equipment owned by the Parent Association. The inventory should include purchase price and current replacement cost – it is handy to have a copy of the inventory on disk for ease of updating and it should be kept away from the Preschool in the event of a fire. Any incident that may give rise to a claim, should be notified to the CPS and/or Guild Insurance within 24 hours. Contact Details: Guild Insurance Limited Ronald Naidu, Telephone: 61242222, Fax: 61242244, Email: rnaidu@guildifs.com.au | |
| Frequently Asked Questions: | |
| What Insurance cover is provided by ACT Government Primary Schools? | |
This information is taken directly from a letter to Principals by Kathy Melsom - Director Indigenous Education and Early Years Learning dated 20 May 2009. A copy of the letter was made available by a Preschool Parent Association in the interests of assisting other Preschool Parent Associations with their own deliberations concerning the insurance package offered by Guild Insurers through the Canberra Preschool Society. "The following information has been prepared by Governance and Legal Liaison in the ACT Department of Education and Training. It is designed to assist you in your discussions with your parent communities. "The Department has four forms of insurance cover or arrangements to cover the types of queries that have been raised by schools in relation to the amalgamation. These are:
| |
A - Children injured on site | Students are provided with transport to hospital by ACT Ambulance Service (4). There is no medical insurance for students for students, this is picked up under Medicare or at the families (sic) personal expense or private health insurance if they choose not to use the public health system. Any form of settlement/reimbursement is dealt with as a liability claim against the Department. |
B - Parents volunteering on site | Parents are covered under the Volunteer Workers Personal Accident (2) and Volunteer Workers Liability (3) policies provided:
|
C - Parents on excursions | If working as a registered volunteer and not just accompanying an excursion, same as B. |
D - Siblings on excursions | The Department does not provided (sic) any cover for siblings. Any form of settlement/reimbursement is dealt with as a liability claim against the Department. |
E - Parents undertaking fundraising activities on site. | Same as B |
F - Parents undertaking fundraising activities off site. | Nature of fundraising activity should be cleared by the Department and if O.K., same as B. |
| "Where there is a liability in the Department to make a claim it will pay those claims, subject to advice from the GSO." | |
Why do we need Insurance? | |
Basically, this depends upon the nature of your group. If you are incorporated - you must, by law, be insured for Public Liability, this is a requirement for using or undertaking any public activity (like fund-raising). | |
| What sort of insurance is a part of the CPS group package? | The CPS insurance package is cost-effective and family
focused. It has been designed to support your group in a way that
reflects our values, priorities and activities. It covers:
|
| I understand about the Public Liability - but why do we need personal accident insurance - I mean that must make it a lot more expensive? | We are a non-profit, community entity engaged in family oriented activities both on and off the [preschool, playschool or other[ site. Often, as parent volunteers in these early childhood settings, we bring along our children's younger siblings or grandparents. Rather than opt to let you battle it out for negligence in the legal system - personal accident comes as a part of a suite of insurances that support the management and professional nature of the group's activities. This suite of Personal Accident Insurance is arranged through the bulk insurance package and the cost is spread over all those who subscribe to the package. This means that the cost of the insurance is relatively small. If the isurance was purchased separately the total cost may be prohibitive. In 2007 the cost of this suite amounted to approximately $60 per group ($60 multiplied by the number of groups who subscribed to the package - in subsequent years this cost will vary). In 2008, this suite offered an enormous amount of relief for those [hopefully never] moments where an accident happened - due to our child being young, present and our being busily volunteering or fundraising. It is a small cost for some extra peace-of-mind, particularly when there is no personal accident insurance available for students, parents, siblings or other members of the family whilst participating in school activities on or off the school site. The ACT Government's policy is PUBLIC LIABILITY and only comes into effect upon proof of negligence on behalf of a Government entity. The CPS urges you to read all the related ACT Department of Education and Training Policies. These can be found at: http://www.det.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/policy_a-z The relevant policies are: Excursions Policy Working with Children and Young People - Volunteering Code of Conduct for Volunteers Insurance Arrangements for Volunteers Information Pack for Volunteers Visitors in Schools Framework
CPS
comment - Post Preschool / Primary Amalgamation the preschool premises are covered by the ACTDET Primary School policies. Volunteer
arrangements cover the volunteer (not their younger children – even if
signed in with the school at the time of volunteering. At no point do
the arrangements extend beyond the volunteer themselves.] “Insurance Arrangements for volunteers” |
| What happens when the accident happens during the Preschool Program - like on an excursion? | As a result of an incident in early 2009 involving a child injured during a preschool program, it became obvious that there was a risk of exposure where neither the Government nor Guild had a policy to cover the matter. Guild concluded that the existing CPS Group Policy should be able to cover events that are outside the scope and responsibility of the PPA directly. Guild has asked the Society, “do we want the coverage to extend this far?” The CPS is concerned that although this would be attractive to parents, it might be placing too much responsibility on the shoulders of the PPA - that if the PPA carries the coverage then it also carries the duty of care. Our Guild Insurance representative was quite confident that the policy could be extended to cover children and volunteers whilst on excursions, at no additional cost, even though an excursion would be considered part of the preschool program/curriculum. A working party will investigate this matter further for the 2010/2011 CPS Group insurance package. |
| What do you mean - Duty of Care? | There is a difference between playschools and preschools, as playschools employ their own staff. There is no doubt that
coverage in playschools extends fully to personal injury of a child
because there is no ambiguity about duty of care - the association
carries it. In schools (preschools), where the government employs the
teachers and the law mandates that the children must always be
supervised by the teacher, the duty of care should vest in the teacher
and the school, not the PPA. |
| Surely the ACTDET have their own Professional Indemnity - again doesn't that just make our insurance so much more expensive? | This is one part of a suite of insurances, personal accident is another component. This suite of insurance is an added extra on top of the group contents insurance. The cost of this suite worked to cost approximately $60 per group. This means that the $60 cost is multiplied by the number of groups who subscribed to the package - in subsequent years this cost will vary. It is by working together that the cost becomes affordable. It provides an overall reduced risk that also ultimately reduces the cost across the entire membership. Professional indemnity in our policy is concerned with the decision-making role of the PPA, not with the professional malpractice risk of the teachers or the staff. Examples include negligent purchase of equipment or engagement of a person to perform a task at the PPA's behest; also negligent public statements by the PPA which may carry a libel risk. |
| Why do we need Contents Insurance? | In most cases, our group members own a considerable number of teaching and educational resources - all of which are made freely available to the carers, teachers and educators for the purpose of a play-based program for very young children. These resources amount to an average of over $80,000 per group! The CPS brings together a comprehensive and responsive insurance package to ensure that these expensive resources are fully insured. As we have a large membership, over 80 groups - we are able to obtain a very reasonable package deal that does not have a minimum value - any item is claimable. We are more interested in keeping the program going. Sometimes Preschools and Playschools are the victims of vandalism - often rendering the materials completely useless. Our insurance cover is prompt, immediate and offers a "new-for-old" replacement for any item that appears on the PPA's asset inventory, which is why you must ensure that it is up-to-date! For example, in 2006, there was a fire at Richardson Preschool, resulting in the loss of over $100,000 in equipment and resources. Our insurance was ready to replace everything within two weeks of the event! Also, to the credit of our wider membership - Preschool Parent Associations across the territory got together to donate equipment and resources to keep the group going whilst the orders were made and items replaced! |
| Now that preschools are part of the ACT Government Primary School - surely their insurance covers everything? | Our Guild Insurance representative has outlined that the CPS Group insurance policy covers any activities of the PPA. However, if the coverage is extended to ANY activities of the Preschool, across all hours, then that coverage would depend on the organising body of the activities. The coverage insures the PPA, not the school. The vesting of negligence is a factor, particularly if it is a teacher who is negligent since the teachers are employed by the government. |
| What about jointly run activities between the PPA and the P&C? | In the case of a joint activity, there is no overlap of responsibility. The policy covering the PPA does just that and the partners in the activity must each carry their own insurance. The Guild Insurance representative suggested, in 2009, that there are exposures that have not been addressed under the policy. Where there is a joint activity the extent of coverage which must be held by each of the organising parties is determined by the extent of risk attributable to each. So, if the event is run jointly 50/50 - then 50% of the risk is attributable to each party. |
| What about the exposures that are not covered by our policy? | A working party is to be set up during the remainder of 2009 to examine the changing needs that need to be met by the CPS Group Insurance Policy. If you would like to be a part of this working party please contact the CPS Office via email canberrapreschools@bigpond.com. |
Claim Forms | |
| How do I organise to get a claim form? | You can download one from here, or you can contact Ronald Naidu on the above number and he will organise to post or fax a copy. |
| Do we have 100% GST claim back? | Yes |
| Do I need to provide a police report? | In most cases this is required, or a police report number. |
Excess | |
| Are we required to pay an excess on any claim? | Yes, an excess is required for any claim for burglary and theft - $100.00. No excess applies to public liability or personal accident claims. |
COPYRIGHT - the information on this website can be freely used for non-commercial purposes. Unless otherwise noted, we ask that you acknowledge the CPS website as your source. Page updated: 16 March 2010. | |
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