Minister, Shadow Minister and Greens agree to attend Political Candidates Forum Note change of date to 25 October

News update

Political Candidates Forum has been moved to Monday 25 October at 7.30pm to enable the Minister Peter Primrose, Shadow Minister Andrew Constance and Greens spokesperson Ian Cohen to attend,

You can make an enormous contribution to the campaign by being present on 25 October to demonstrate that the Supported Living Fund is a significant political issue.

Bring your friends!

Venue: Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale Road, West Ryde NSW 2114

Time: 7.30-9 pm

RSVP belinda@family-advocacy.com

What else can you do?

Ask your local Member of Parliament to raise the issue with the Minister or Shadow Minister

Before 25 October, it is critical that as many people as possible raise the Supported Living Fund with local MPs to secure bipartisan support.

Let Family Advocacy assist you by emailing Belinda at belinda@family-advocacy.com. Or call (02)9869 0866 OR 1800 620 588

If you are not able to attend the Political Candidates Forum, a meeting with your local MP makes your voice heard.

If you are attending the Political Candidates Forum, a meeting with your local MP demonstrates the strength of your commitment.

Getting started:

1.       Find your electorate http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/state_government_elections/electoral_districts/electorate_index

2. Find your local MP

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/V3ListCurrentMembers

Together we can make a difference!

What do we want?

The NSW Government to commit to a Supported Living Fund that will enable men and women with disability to establish a home of their own while their family still has capacity to support the transition.

When do we want it?

At the NSW State election, March 2011.

Follow the campaign on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/Supported.Living.Fund

Show you will attend the event

http://www.facebook.com/Supported.Living.Fund#!/event.php?eid=146866512018608&ref=mf

Belinda Epstein-Frisch AM

WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 238 - 24/09/10

Hello!

The newsletter starts with several discos, accessible dance for kids, disability sports expo, rugby league and a sculpture course.  There are several programs for young carers, several workshops for parents of children with disability, a parenting program, several events for Carers Week, vacancies at a day centre for people with disability.

There are fundraising events for retinal dystrophies, Westmead children’s hospital, young people with disabilities in nursing homes.  Also an opportunity to upgrade water and energy facilities, and a reminder about the Companion Card.  Resources include information on the new National Disability Parking Scheme, recycling options, the public toilet map website, school transitions.  There are also reports by WWDA and the NSW Ombudsman, an in-home podiatry service, and information on the new federal Minister for Disabilities.  Your participation is invited in campaigns to publicise the NDIS, the Show Your Strength Rally, and Supported Living Fund.  Your input is valuable in shaping the ABC website on disability, the poll regarding devolution, supporting a person who is dying, and the risk of good intentions.  You can also register your event for Don’t DIS my ABILITY.

Workshops and meetings involve leadership, managing challenging behaviour, assessing support needs, health promotion, behaviour strategies, mental health, parenting younger children and teens.  There is an orientation and mobility conference, sessions on autism and ASD, and the Over 55 Expo.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always!  The next newsletter will appear on 8 October.

Remember Daylight Savings Time on Sunday 3 October.

Regards, Marjorie Janz, Disability Information Officer, Warringah Council.

Phone 9942 2686, fax 9942 2371.  Also janzm@warringah.nsw.gov.au.  

Working with Families: the what and the how - Workshop 3 from Consortium for Person Centred Approaches

Dear Colleague 

The Consortium for Person Centred Approaches, hosted by Australian Catholic University, is holding the workshop Working with Families: the what and the how. This is the third in a series of service leadership workshops to assist organisations in implementing person centred approaches.

The workshops are aimed at those in leadership roles in organisation implementing or wishing to implement person centred approaches.

This workshop builds on the highly successful workshops that the Consortium conducted earlier:  Enabling the Implementation of Person Centred Approaches and Taking Action to Get People Fully Included

A flier with details of the workshop is attached to this email.  It includes a registration form.  If you have any queries please contact:

Trudy van Dam:     trudy.vandam@acu.edu.au  (02)9701 4308

Judith Ellis:       judith@ellismacrae.com (02)9456 3991

Regards

Trudy van Dam, Jane Sherwin, Judith Ellis

CONSORTIUM FOR PERSON CENTRED APPROACHES

A letter re the AGM from the Patron

Dear Sunnyfield Members,

I am very sorry to tell you that I will be overseas for the next Sunnyfield Member's Auxiliary meeting on 18 September and also for the AGM scheduled for 20 October 2010 to be held at the Harbord Diggers Club.

We have seen much change at Sunnyfield, particularly over the past few years.

I understand that there will be a very important debate at the AGM around the rights and responsibilities of all Members of Sunnyfield, whether Members have any “carried interests”, whether Sunnyfield owes any “preferential” services to Members and if so exactly what is or should be offered to Members.

I strongly urge that you carefully read the papers that will be circulated on this matter and attend to hear the arguments both FOR and AGAINST.  Then you can cast your vote one way or the other. 

In my opinion the advent of NDIS and SDF[1] provide a great opportunity for all parents and we should work diligently to ensure that both become the way of the future.  There is no way the Government will allow us to revert to the preferential and priority system we had 60 years ago. The risks of trying to oppose the new Government directions are too dangerous and, in my opinion, will not achieve anything positive for our sons and daughters.

The value of Membership is that you should have some say in this, by working with the Government and having the opportunity to create some additional approaches within the framework of the Government offers.

If you cannot attend the meeting may I suggest that you consider making sure that your Proxy to vote - both your Membership vote and your new Family Vote - are given to another Auxiliary Member who is planning to attend and can thereby make sure your vote is used to show the future direction that you require from Sunnyfield. I believe that you should, if possible, indicate the way you wish to vote on your Proxy.

Yours Sincerely

Bryan Whiddon

PATRON
A copy of the signed letter is here

[1] NDIS is the National Disability Insurance Scheme proposed by Bill Shorten in the last election campaign; SMF is Self Managed Funding – this is being trialled by ADHC in NSW and some Sunnyfield Members are already gaining the benefits proven in UK, Canada etc.

SUPPORTED LIVING FUND endorsed by the Greens via a speech in NSW Parliament

News update

Ian Cohen, spokesperson for the Greens on disability services endorsed the Supported Living Fund in a speech in the Legislative Council on 21 September. His speech can be found http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20100921051

What can you do?

Attend the Political Candidates Forum on Friday 15 October

 Venue: Mantra Hotel Parramatta

Cnr Parkes St & Valentine Ave

Parramatta 2150

Time      1-2pm followed by the Family Advocacy AGM till 3.

RSVP belinda@family-advocacy.com

We understand that you are busy with multiple commitments. You can however make an  enormous contribution to the campaign by being present on 15 October to demonstrate that the Supported Living Fund is a significant political issue.

What do we want? The NSW Government to commit to a Supported Living Fund that will enable men and women with disability to establish a home of their own while their family still has capacity to support the transition.

When do we want it? At the NSW State election, March 2011.

Together we can make a difference!

Follow the campaign on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/Supported.Living.Fund

Show you will attend the event

http://www.facebook.com/Supported.Living.Fund#!/event.php?eid=146866512018608&ref=mf

  

Belinda Epstein-Frisch AM

Family Advocacy

Family Advocacy information on Tax Free status of payments

At a recent Supported Living Forum Family Advocacy  provided the  attached information on tax free reimbursements.

This information has been gathered to provide a general understanding, it will be necessary to  make your own inquiries for your own unique situations.

Tax free reimbursements are available in a number of jurisdictions across Australia including NSW. They are used to support children and adults with disability and draw on experience in the area of foster care. Some services believe a ruling from the Australian Tax office (ATO) is essential and others believe the concept and practice is a well established principle and have paid support people on this basis over many years without specific ATO rulings.

WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 237 - 10/09/10

Hello!

The newsletter starts with ten pin bowling, dancing, an arts event, the MCA art program and school holiday programs for children with developmental delay.  There are two programs for young carers, art therapy at SPERANZA, two information nights for fathers, and sessions on sexuality, parenting teens and nutrition for ASD.

There is an MHA fundraiser film and a tip on http/s.  Resources include several reports, two books and a blog, social work students for placements, an e-playground, home library service and complimentary spinal assessment.  Your participation is invited in AART.BOXX 2011, a survey on mental health, the Volunteer of the Year awards, and Northside Community Forum membership.

Workshops and meetings involve a livestream PWD event, dementia, allergies, suicide prevention, Borderline Personality Disorder, talks on Aspergers, volunteers, disaster recovery.  There are also conferences on adult ADHD, schizophrenia, mental health.  You may also want to volunteer for an aqua program or apply for a job.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always!  The next newsletter will appear on 24 September.

Regards, Marjorie Janz, Disability Information Officer, Warringah Council.

Phone 9942 2686, fax 9942 2371.  Also janzm@warringah.nsw.gov.au.

Sunnyfield's 60th Anniversary

Dear Members
Bryan Whiddon has been asked to help arrange a commemoration of Sunnyfield's 60th Anniversary which is presently planned for 2012.

There are already a number of good ideas on the drawing board but he has asked that Members submit their suggestions as a comment to this posting (click on "comment" immediately below to do this) or to him by email at b.whiddon2@bigpond.com.  He will be away for a few weeks and may not reply quickly.

Updated Sunnyfield Activities Calendar

Please find attached an updated calendar of activities.  The only change is the date of the ASX Golf Day.  They have only just confirmed the date – 25 February.

 Thanks, Lisa

Lisa McMurtrieTel: +61 2 8977 8823 X8823
Mob: +61 401 998 966
Email: l.mcmurtrie@sunnyfield.org.au

Please email or call Lisa if you can help volunteering for any of these events.

In Control Seminars held in August: "Supported living: self directed support creating a home of one's own" & "Practicalities of supported living"

Feedback through the evaluations was overwhelmingly positive and we were pleased to see so many people joining the campaign. We continue to ramp up our efforts to gain bipartisan commitment to a Supported Living Fund and to this end are in the process of organising a Candidates Forum for 15 October to coincide with the Family Advocacy AGM. We will keep you posted. 

In the meantime, if you have not already done so, we encourage you to email:

• the Minister for Disability Services, Peter Primrose (office@primrose.minister.nsw.gov.au) urging him to prioritise the Supported Living Fund in Stronger Together 2.
• the Leader of the Opposition, Barry O’Farrell (lop@parliament.nsw.gov.au) seeking his endorsement of the Supported Living Fund and a commitment that a Coalition Government will implement the Supported Living Fund in its first year of office. 

The presentations by the guest speakers, Jill Hole (Homes West) Greg Lewis (My Place) and Eddie Bartnik (Western Australia Community Living Plan) are now also available on the Family Advocacy website.

Websites

Below are links to relevant websites you may wish to visit.

www.family-advocacy.com  provides access to the Inclusion Collection library and information on other upcoming events as well as further information on the Supported Living Fund campaign.

www.supportedliving.org.au provides information, stories and research about supported living.

www.homeswest.org.au  

www.myplace.org.au

www.disability.wa.gov.au- Disability Services Commission (Disability WA)

Eddie Bartnik handed out a publication, Looking forward to community living, which I have attached it to this email. {I recommend you have a look at this booklet; Chris H}

Upcoming Events

Family Advocacy is hosting a presentation by Jeremy Ward - Planning for now, tomorrow and the future-  in West Ryde on 11 September, 2010. Jeremy is a lawyer and a parent whose eldest daughter lived with disability. A flier is attached to this email.

Resourcing Families

A new initiative at Family Advocacy- Resourcing Families-  is focused on families in NSW who have a son or daughter who is interested in pursuing ordinary community connections including via self directed and informal supports. The focus is young people with disability but, of course, anyone can access the website and information.

www.resourcingfamilies.org.au

Stop Press

On Friday 27 August, Peter Primrose spoke at the Sunnyfield "Big Event" and reaffirmed the Keneally Government commitment to a person centred approach to disability services. Here is part of what he said:

"In the second half of Stronger Together we have the opportunity to build on what we have achieved for people with a disability so they can exercise more choice and control over their lives.

 Supporting people to get a life ... not just a service appropriately expresses that objective"

Don't hesitate to contact Family Advocacy if you have any questions or would like further information on 02 9869 0866 or via return email.

 Belinda Epstein-Frisch AM

Family Advocacy

-------------------- PO Box 502 Epping NSW 1710 --------------------

Suite 305 16-18 Cambridge St Epping 2121

ph: 02 9869 0866  Freecall: 1800 620 588  Fax: 02 9869 0722

e-mail: familyadvocacy@family-advocacy.com

web: www.family-advocacy.com