AWCP DOMESTIC REGISTRY (DR) / MESSAGE BOARD (MB)

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AWCP DOMESTIC REGISTRY (DR) / MESSAGE BOARD (MB)
Revised by the P&P Committee January 2010

General Statement

The DR / MB affords an online service to the Membership (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AWCP-DR).

AWCP provides a venue, the online message board (MB), for members to peruse information when seeking domestic staff, and for members to act as a reference when referring their own staff on the message board for another position in the community. In addition, it is a venue for the Membership to post messages following the criteria listed below:

CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSIONS:
Buy and Sell Items
Community Events
Domestic Staff Placement or Search
Informational Tidbits
Recipes
Searching for Information or Items

History of Domestic Registry (DR):

The history of the AWCP Onsite Domestic Registry needs to be addressed to discuss 2006 activities. On September 6, 2005, a cease and desist order from DOLE had forced the onsite location at Holy Trinity Church to close its’ doors due to these factors: no license to operate, references could not be checked without being in violation of DOLE guidelines, and everyone would have to be accepted who came to the registry, which did not avail of pre-screening practices sought by DR. By operating under the imposed restrictions, the weekly Onsite Domestic Registry was discontinued amidst the recommendations of the AWCP attorneys at this time. It was advised to “wait it out” for the next several months until further negotiations could be considered. In the meantime, this committee had only one volunteer DR Chair, Lisa Stuart, who created and maintained the new online message board after closure of the onsite registry. In October 2006, the co-chair (Tricia Hovey) joined the committee.

Effort to update all members, publications, websites, and packets with new procedure of using the online message board when looking for or placing domestic help was made. A database was created and managed by Lisa Stuart of all AWCP members signed up to the message board, and those who had not signed up yet with reminders given monthly to join. In addition, of these members, who was seeking or placing staff, or who had hired or moved. All domestic applicants, i.e. all-arounds, drivers, yayas, cooks, gardeners, and pool men, were categorized and maintained within a database as well, with reports cross-referencing all.

Up until January 2007, it was still “up in the air” if the onsite registry could re-open. A committee formed in January 2007 to address the Domestic Registry issues of the onsite versus the online version. The issues discussed above still existed for the onsite version as discussed recently with attorneys. In addition, the AWCP physical office is currently considering moving to another location because of rising rent costs. Without adequate space and the legal issues still present, it was deemed the onsite registry could not function as it was before. The Online Message Board was simplified by instituting the following new practices:

The Message Board is open for all AWCP members (only) who wish to find or list help. We will only accept messages from a member referring his own staff for placement. Community recognized club members may have a message posted by the facilitator upon approval for placing their domestic help. The member placing must be listed as a reference and be able to vouch as a good reference. Each message submitted will remain online for one (1) month unless the person placing the information contacts the message board coordinators during that month and requests that it be extended another month. If you hire someone from the message board list, or if you know that your help has found employment, please let the Message Board coordinator know as soon as possible. There is no longer a confidential Disapproved List. By following the message board rules regarding listing employees (see above), we believe that our Message Board will contain qualified, capable employees. However, as with staff from any source, it is important that the employer take the time to do their own checking into background and references before hiring staff.

Summary of History of Domestic Registry (DR):

The on site Domestic Registry (DR) provided a service for the community and the Filipino domestic worker. AWCP provided a venue for employers and employees to meet, to interview and be interviewed, to hire and be hired. Domestic applicants to the Registry were pre-screened by the Domestic Registry volunteers.

Due to the closure of the AWCP Domestic Registry (DR) by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippines, following the Sept 6, 2005 session, we set up an AWCP – Domestic Registry Yahoo Message Board (MB) available to AWCP Members only. The MB was made available to the Members March 29, 2006.

In January 2007, we began placing all AWCP Members on the Domestic Registry (DR) / Message Board (MB). All new members were placed on the MB upon notification by the AWCP offices to the DR/MB Chair, Membership Chair and Co-Chair(s) by the MB Moderator. As of March 2007, a motion was made, and approved, to change the DR/MB to a General Message Board to be moderated by the DR Chair and Co-chair(s).

POLICY

• The AWCP DR / MB URL must be kept confidential by its members.

• It is the responsibility of the DR / MB volunteer Chair and Co chair(s) to approve all messages (with attachments if applicable) before being placed on the MB.

• Any AWCP member wishing to seek or place staff may use the DR / MB. The AWCP member must act as a good reference for the staff they wish to be placed. Other information coming from the community (a recognized group) can be posted as well, stating the group it originates from, per the discretion of the Chair and Co-chair(s).

• Only AWCP members have access to the DR / MB.

• No information (other than e-mails), such as bio-data’s, resumes, letters of reference, etc., may be received at the AWCP offices in Alabang or Makati. This route of exchange is not permitted.

• All correspondence from AWCP members must post a message on the MB by sending an e-mail to awcp-dr@yahoogroups.com. No other routes of correspondence will be accepted by AWCP members.

• After a message is placed on the MB, it will expire 30 days from the date posted unless the member reposts it to the DR / MB at the end of its expiry date. A message shall remain posted as long as the member requests it, each 30-day period.

• Members placing a message on the MB will notify the DR chair(s) if the message can be archived within that 30-day period before expiration.

• The member placing the message is responsible for accuracy and listing all the requirements on the message that is stated on the home page of the message board. Otherwise, it will not be posted until the DR chair(s) have received the comprehensive information.

• Neither the AWCP nor DR / MB volunteers accept responsibility for any person’s actions listed on the message board or any person’s actions whilst responding to the DR / MB information.

DUTIES

The Chairman and Co-chairman(s) share the responsibilities of this Committee. The duties include:

• Coordinate and manage all aspects of the AWCP DR / MB.
• Establish and revise, as necessary, the guidelines for AWCP DR / MB.
• Regularly update the AWCP DR / MB.
• Respond to other queries via AWCP DR / MB.
• Gather information and keep abreast of topics regarding domestic staff.
• Submit Updates to the Chair(s) who are maintaining the AWCP Website for the Message Board, Special Interest Activities and Links sections of the website.
• Submit Updates to the Publications Chair(s) for the Special Interest Activities section of Inklings.
• Advise the Board of Directors of all DR / MB activities through regular reports at Board meetings. If a Board meeting cannot be attended select a proxy to represent DR / MB.
• Up date the Policy and Procedures as needed.
• Preparing a budget of anticipated expenses to the Treasurer.
• Prepare and submit a year-end report on the activities of the DR / MB Committee to the AWCP President, Historian, AWCP offices and her successor(s).

PROCEDURES

• The DR / MB Chairs are notified that a new member has joined by the AWCP Office staff via a monthly report. This report also includes any changes to the Membership. In addition, through out the month, the AWCP office staff communicates any pertinent information to the Chair(s). This report / notifications are submitted by the AWCP Office Manager of the Alabang office who serves as the Domestic Registry/MB Office Liaison.
• The new member is given a copy of the DR / MB document that is included with the New Member Packet upon membership. All new Members are automatically placed on the DR / MB by the Domestic Registry/MB Office Liaison and receive new Member information automatically from the DR / MB.
• All messages (with attachments if applicable) posted will need to be approved first, (and possibly edited); to include all pertinent information listed on the home page of the MB prior to posting to the DR / MB.
• In addition to Chair and Co-Chairs members who have volunteered are trained and placed on the DR / MB as moderators to post messages on the MB.
• Monitor DR / MB for hackers, viruses, etc.
• Messages will be removed from the viewing area of the DR / MB after 30 days unless requested for continuance.
• Respond to other inquiries as needed.
• The chair-person will prepare and submit a year end report covering the activities of the Domestic Registry/Message Board and will submit it to the President, Historian and her successor.