Monday, April 18, 2011
NDIS - perceptive comments from Robbi Williams (Julia Farr SA)
Read this http://juliafarrrobbi.blogspot.com/ and tell me what you think.
WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 253 - 15/04/11
Hello!
The newsletter starts with powerchair football for children, youth and adults, plus an art therapy group and a reminder of the Carmunity exhibition. Lots of parenting sessions for parents / carers, the new Multicultural community advisory service, a supported playgroup for children to age 6, the annual information morning and lunch for parents of children aged 0-5, respite for working carers – including a brunch, and activities for carers of someone with mental health issues.
Financial matters include three fundraising events, the annual CDSE grants from clubs and councils, another source of No Interest Loans on the Northern Beaches Australia , and an invitation to attend the first Northern Sydney volunteer expo.
Workshops address supporting carers, brain development and anxiety in adolescents, adult ADHD, mental health and intellectual disability, guardianship, supporting students who have anxiety, plus various training provided by the Institute of Group Leaders, Northside Community Forum, Institute of Family Practice. The schedule of groups and seminars by Relationship Australia are also given. Conferences deal with HACC services (subsidies available), self management, self directed support, physical health and schizophrenia, employment, brain injury, nursing in disability There is also a daily living expo, and an information evening in Warringah on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always! The next newsletter will be sent on 29 April.
Regards, Marjorie Janz
Located at Dee Why Library, Pittwater Road St Davids Avenue
Phone 9942 2686, fax 9942 2371. Also janzm@warringah.nsw.gov.au.
Social Enterprises Partnerships - Consumer-Directed Care and Personal Budgets
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
National Steering Group on
Self-Directed Services and Personal Budgets
National Steering Group on
Self-Directed Services and Personal Budgets
Developing self-directed care and personal budgets in disability,
mental health, aged care, chronic illness management, and
special education.
mental health, aged care, chronic illness management, and
special education.
Expressions of interest are invited from individuals, families and support organisations wishing to participate in a National Steering Group on Self-Directed Services and Personal Budgets.
The National Steering Group will guide and coordinate initiatives around Australia in self-management of care and support packages in aged care, disability, chronic and mental illness, and special education. It will play a leadership role in developing tools and systems for individuals and families to use in self-management, and in collaborating with services and support organisations in developing and implementing self-management practices.
The National Steering Group will guide and coordinate initiatives around Australia in self-management of care and support packages in aged care, disability, chronic and mental illness, and special education. It will play a leadership role in developing tools and systems for individuals and families to use in self-management, and in collaborating with services and support organisations in developing and implementing self-management practices.
The Group will be convened at The Self-Management Conference on 2-3 May 2010 in Melbourne. This conference will review developments towards self-management around the country, and take initiatives to further the take-up of self-management of care and support by large numbers of Australians.
Click here to express your interest in joining the National Steering Group.
THE SELF-MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE Click here to express your interest in joining the National Steering Group.
Doing It Ourselves in Aged Care, Chronic and Mental Illness, Disability and Special Education
2-3 May 2011
Melbourne - Angliss Conference Centre
Register Here
Key Speakers
Anita Gordon has been self-managing her disability package in the ACT for the last two years, and has been able to increase threefold her number of support hours. Her method is now being trialled throughout the ACT. [photo, top right: Anita]
Anita Gordon has been self-managing her disability package in the ACT for the last two years, and has been able to increase threefold her number of support hours. Her method is now being trialled throughout the ACT. [photo, top right: Anita]
Rachel Johnson is Director of the Mamre Family Support Associaton in Brisbane, which has been assisting families to self-manage funding and directly employ support staff for over ten years.
Rob Gill is General Manager of Manawanui In Charge Ltd in Auckland, which pioneered the introduction of individualised funding in New Zealand between 2005 and 2009.
Lyn Zanchetta manages her 40 year old daughter Lisa's Home First disability package.[photo, right: Lyn and Lisa]
Margaret Gray manages her 92 year old mother's EACH aged care package.
Siegried Drews managed his wife Mardi's 24 hour care needs through a technology portal he designed himself to assist in the direct employment of staff.
Siegried Drews managed his wife Mardi's 24 hour care needs through a technology portal he designed himself to assist in the direct employment of staff.
Suzette Gallagher has managed her 45 year old son Shaun's disability package for many years.
George Vassilou manages both his ageing mother's care package and his 23 year old daughter Natasha's disability package.
This conference is concerned with the practical question of "How" to make self-management viable and doable by large numbers of individuals and families. It will examine working models from around Australia and New Zealand, and explore strategies for making self-management happen on a large scale. It will explore ways of improving the available infrastructure, technology tools, peer and professional supports.
This conference is concerned with the practical question of "How" to make self-management viable and doable by large numbers of individuals and families. It will examine working models from around Australia and New Zealand, and explore strategies for making self-management happen on a large scale. It will explore ways of improving the available infrastructure, technology tools, peer and professional supports.
The style of the conference will be one of learning from peers, sharing information, and networking.
KEY PRESENTERS
Anita Gordon - Disability
Anita has been using a wheelchair since she had a stroke in 1998. Over the last two years she has been developing a method of self-managing her ACT disability support package.
By self-managing her funding and directly employing her own support staff, Anita has found that:
By self-managing her funding and directly employing her own support staff, Anita has found that:
- She has been able to increase her number of support hours by three times, after cutting out administration and brokerage fees payable to agencies.
- Her costs of purchasing equipment have dropped by up to 50% compared to the cost of purchasing through government.
- Support workers have become affordable on weekends and public holidays.
- Relationships with support workers and continuity have improved by selecting and dealing directly with support staff.
Click here to register your interest in Anita's model if you or a family member receive a disability support package.
George Vassilou - Ageing and Disability
George is a pioneer in family-management of disability supports for his daughter Natasha. George is also a pioneer in applying the same methodology to the management of supports for his elderly mother.
Following a profile of his family-managed arrangements on The 7.30 Report on ABC Television in November 2009, George has, with approval from the Federal Minister for Aged Care, established an important precedent - families are entitled to self-manage Home and Community Care funding packages for their family members if they want to.
We'd like to hear from families wanting to self-manage their aged care package. We will make available tools for managing the package, supply information and support on how to proceed, and direct families to appropriate host agencies willing to host family-managed arrangements.Following a profile of his family-managed arrangements on The 7.30 Report on ABC Television in November 2009, George has, with approval from the Federal Minister for Aged Care, established an important precedent - families are entitled to self-manage Home and Community Care funding packages for their family members if they want to.
Click here to register your interest in George's model if you or a family member receive an aged care package.
Rachel Johnson - Mental Health and Disability
Rachel is Director of the Mamre Family Support Associaton in Brisbane, which has been assisting families to self-manage funding and directly employ support staff for over ten years.
Mamre has developed a philosophy of the "natural authority" of families in the care and support of their loved ones, which underpins its radically innovative work.
"Mamre believes that, regardless of capacity or skill, families have a natural authority and are entitled to influence the direction of their family member's life, if they have remained faithful and committed to that person's development and well-being.
Mamre intends to be a radical Christian community response to the expressed needs of families, rather than a professional service response."
Click here to register your interest in Mamre's philsoophy and approach to self-managed disability supports. Margaret Gray - Ageing
Margaret's mother will be 93 in November. She has no dementia but is ACAS-assessed as High Care as she is wheelchair bound and frail. She lives with Margaret and her husband in outer metropolitan Melbourne in a house they bought to accommodate her care. In January 2010 they were allocated an EACH aged care package.
The EACH package is worth $43,205. It appears there is no requirement for Approved Providers to allocate the entire package value to an ageing person’s requirements. This means that only 75% of the package, or $32,409, is available for services for Margaret's mother which must be accessed using an agency and the rule of thumb here is that work is charged at a 50% mark-up on the rates actually paid. [When an agency charges a flat hourly rate of $36.50, care workers are paid $19.]Margaret's mother will be 93 in November. She has no dementia but is ACAS-assessed as High Care as she is wheelchair bound and frail. She lives with Margaret and her husband in outer metropolitan Melbourne in a house they bought to accommodate her care. In January 2010 they were allocated an EACH aged care package.
Of a package of $43,205, our overheads are $4,448, leaving $38,757 for hours of service instead of the $16,204 that the Approved Industry Providers leave us.
Click here to register your interest in Margaret's model.
Lyn Zanchetta - Disability
Lyn's daughter Lisa is 40 years old. She was born with Spina Bifida, and several years ago, was diagnosed with kerato-conus (thinning of the cornea). Lisa is wheelchair bound, and has a busy life.
Lisa was originally on the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) Home First Program, and since May 1st 2008, Lyn have been managing Lisa's support package ($60,000) herself, doing Direct Payments and Direct Employment.
Lyn have a team of 6 carers. They all follow a care plan, and they all receive a good hourly rate, much more than any service provider would pay. Lyn pays them fortnightly, and does the quarterly tax, super, and group certificates at the end of the financial year. She prepares all contracts, pay workcover, and as she has full control of Lisa's package, she is able to use it all on Lisa's care and equipment.
These arrangements cut out the middle man (service provider) who would otherwise take around $18-20,000 of the $60,000 to manage the fund.
Lisa was originally on the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) Home First Program, and since May 1st 2008, Lyn have been managing Lisa's support package ($60,000) herself, doing Direct Payments and Direct Employment.
Lyn have a team of 6 carers. They all follow a care plan, and they all receive a good hourly rate, much more than any service provider would pay. Lyn pays them fortnightly, and does the quarterly tax, super, and group certificates at the end of the financial year. She prepares all contracts, pay workcover, and as she has full control of Lisa's package, she is able to use it all on Lisa's care and equipment.
These arrangements cut out the middle man (service provider) who would otherwise take around $18-20,000 of the $60,000 to manage the fund.
Siegfried Drews - Health and Disability
I retired about seven years after a career in the corporate world, but life took an unexpected turn when my wife Mardi developed Motor Neurone Disease. I became busy coordinating her care, which involved 24 hour nursing support, and having carers coming through the house at all hours.
I retired about seven years after a career in the corporate world, but life took an unexpected turn when my wife Mardi developed Motor Neurone Disease. I became busy coordinating her care, which involved 24 hour nursing support, and having carers coming through the house at all hours.
Over the past five years, I have developed a technology platform to support the planning, logistics, administration and reporting functions associated with supporting Mardi's care. I found that doing all this manually is a nightmare. I also found that the agencies that supply carers can't be relied on, and so I've developed a match-making system for families who need carers to find and employ them directly. It's like an internet dating service for families who need carers.
The result is a portal through which Mardi's carers could be employed, rostered and paid electronically, other supports and services can be budgeted for, purchased and accounted for, and her public funders (the Victorian DHS) can view the flow of people and money as they wish. The portal integrates planning, budgeting, financial transactions, reporting, and local networking (if required) in a format applicable to children and adults in disability, chronic illness, mental health, aged care and education.
I am getting old so I have no interest in commercialising this. There will be no licencing or contracts. It will be free for users with the exception of a set-up fee (which I want to keep as low as possible) and an optional fee for customisation (if required). Its purpose is to enable self-management and to leverage integrated person-centred arrangements for consumers and families on a very large scale.The result is a portal through which Mardi's carers could be employed, rostered and paid electronically, other supports and services can be budgeted for, purchased and accounted for, and her public funders (the Victorian DHS) can view the flow of people and money as they wish. The portal integrates planning, budgeting, financial transactions, reporting, and local networking (if required) in a format applicable to children and adults in disability, chronic illness, mental health, aged care and education.
The portal is currently being trialled in two settings in Victoria. I will be available from the beginning of 2011 for large scale use.
It is incredible that the business practices of service providers in the field of care are about 30 years behind the rest of industry. We need a lot of political pressure from people with disabilities and families to force them to catch up and focus on the 'customer' and not on themselves.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
Siegfried's self-management tool is called Web2Care. It was developed as a web-based portal through which his wife Mardi's carers could be rostered and paid electronically; additional supports could be budgeted, purchased and accounted for; a complete financial account could be generated electronically, and Mardi's public funders could view the flow of people and money as they wish.
The portal also contains a match-making function linking support workers with people who are seeking support workers, so that support workers and support recipients can directly find each without having to work through agencies.
The tool has three modules:
The Rostering Tool (Admin2Care) enables you to produce a roster of support, share this roster online with support workers so that variations can be made easily, with a time-tracker device for recording time worked, a wage and costs calculator, and a payslips, invoices, and report generator.
The Match-Taking Tool (Match2Care) enables support workers and people requiring support workers to find each other using a visual data base built on Google Maps to enable local matches, with search results linking to support workers and support recipients' profile pages, and to respective rosters showing 'Vacant Shifts' and 'Support Worker Availability'.
The Accounting Tool (Account2Care) enables you to keep track of all financial transactions and generate reports, not only related to your support activity, but to private and other business matters if you wish.
The process for participation is simple: consumers/families are invited to express an interest in this self-management tool. An initial assessment is made on suitability, and on approval participants register on the web-based system. Data entry is end-user controlled and maintained.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
© Social Enterprise Partnerships 2011
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
NSW Every Australian Counts Campaign for an NDIS roadshow wrap up
NSW CAMPAIGN ROADSHOW WRAP UP
The campaign held events in Parramatta, Petersham, Maitland, Port Macquarie, Lismore, Liverpool, Wollongong, Kogarah, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Armidale and Chatswood.
The meetings were a great success with just under 1000 people attending over two weeks of meetings. We noted down each question that was asked and will be making sure your feedback is passed on to the Productivity Commission.
I will be contacting people who volunteered to meet with local MP’s, tell their story, find out more about the congress in May and donate to the campaign over the next few days.
In the meantime we have three exciting ways you can help the campaign:
Þ Help build the campaign database. You can do this by emailing five or more of your friends and asking them sign up to support the campaign. Tell them to visit www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au and asking them to click the
Þ Take a ‘Count Me In’ photo. You can download the poster by clicking on the link. Take a photo and email it in to me at the campaign office so we can publish it on the website. LINK TO POSTERS
Email your posters to me (email address below)
Þ Help the campaign by getting your friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family to distribute campaign postcards. The cards are reply paid and help build the campaign database of supporters. To get mailed a bundle of 10 postcards to distribute please email me your name, mailing address and phone number. My email address is: daniel,kyriacou@ndis.org.au
Finally I want to thank everyone who has attended a roadshow event so far. Together we can build a campaign that turns the dream of an NDIS into a reality.
Yours Sincerely
Daniel Kyriacou
NSW Campaign Coordinator
Every Australian Counts Campaign for an NDIS
In Control BiG EVENT 2011 - Important Information
Please find attached the program of events for the BiG Event 2011.
Registrations and coffee will commence from 9 am each morning.
The program is also available on the In Control Australia website at www.incontrol.org.au/coming_events.asp or by clicking here.
The BiG Event is bringing over twenty inspiring and highly experienced speakers together with people living with disability, families, carers, advocates, policy makers, support services, government, and administrators to explore Self-directed Support in NSW.
More information and registration forms can also be accessed on our website - www.incontrol.org.au/coming_events.asp or by clicking here.
We encourage you to forward this email to your personal networks.
If you have any difficulty accessing this information please call Brigette Elliott on 1300 857 327.
Brigette Elliott I Executive Officer
In Control Australia
104 Greenhill Road UNLEY SA 5061
p: (08) 8373 8316 f: (08) 8373 8373 m: 0413 644 819
freecall: 1300 857 327
Friday, April 8, 2011
Sunnyfield Enterprises - Positions Vacant
A Social Enterprise.
· 4 locations across Sydney (Allambie (2), Chatswood & St Marys).
· Great, fun team, social, working environment.
· Learn new skills, while you get paid.
Sunnyfield Enterprises is an almost $10 million a year turnover Social Enterprise.
It is proud to employ over 300 people with a disability and 70 staff who together, work, learn, have fun and provide excellent quality customer services to its valued business clients.
Sunnyfield Enterprises is located at four facilities across Sydney – Ablite – commercial lighting factory & Allambie Packaging at Allambie Heights, Chatswood and St Mary’s Enterprises.
We are seeking people who are eligible for a disability support pension, to come and join the Sunnyfield team, who want to be valued employees, learn new skills, be part of a team that achieves top quality work on time every time and work with a team that knows how to enjoy work & life and make new friends.
If you are interested or you know someone who is interested, please call:
Sharon Dale - 8977 8884 or
Regina Waterhouse: - 8977 8611
Or E-mail enterprises@sunnyfield.org.au.
You are welcome to come and visit, tour and talk about your career plans.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
In Control BiG Event May 2011: Self-directed Support - Making it Happen.
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for The BiG Event 2011, to be held in Sydney on the 10th and 11th of May.
Presented by the NSW Chapter of In Control Australia, the theme of this year’s BiG Event is: Self-directed Support: Making it Happen.
The BiG Event brings over twenty inspiring and highly experienced speakers together with people living with disability, families, carers, advocates, policy makers, support services, government, and administrators to explore Self-directed Support in NSW.
Please find attached more information and registration forms, which can also be accessed on our website - www.incontrol.org.au
We encourage you to forward this email to your personal networks.
If you have any trouble accessing this information please call Brigette Elliott on 1300 857 327.
Brigette Elliott I Executive Officer
In Control Australia
104 Greenhill Road UNLEY SA 5061
p: (08) 8373 8316 f: (08) 8373 8373 m: 0413 644 819
freecall: 1300 857 327
Monday, April 4, 2011
Nominations Open for Every Australian Counts “Congress Champions”
Have you got what it takes to be an Every Australian Counts champion blogger, tweeter and status updater at the National Disability and Carer Congress?
We're offering a free registration to one person (and their carer if required) in each state and territory for the Congress in Melbourne, 2 - 3 May 2011, worth up to $600.
We want someone who will blog, tweet and post facebook status updates so we can keep over 12,000 people in the Every Australian Counts campaign up to date with what’s happening at the congress.
At the largest gathering of people with a disability, their families and carers in Australia you'll get a chance to hear from Australian of the year Simon McKeon, ABC Ramp Up editor Stella Young, as well as politicians and disability experts. Most importantly there will be plenty of opportunities to have your say about the future of disability in this country.
Have you got what it takes?
Your friends, colleagues, family will have the chance to vote for you on the Every Australian Counts website from Monday 11th April to Wednesday 20th April.
We'll announce the winners on Thursday 21st April.
You must be available to attend the Congress in Melbourne on May 2 and 3, and you must be able to cover your own travel and accommodation costs.
Good Luck!
John Della Bosca and the NDIS team
www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au
www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au
WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 252 - 1/04/11
Financial matters include a fundraising event, computer deals for students, the moneysmart website and grants for children with ASD to get Ipads with the ASD applications. The Resources section has information on a training room for hire, the Go Play website, and travel training. Your participation is welcomed to spread awareness of autism, the Harmony Day poster, Warringah’s pedestrian and mobility plan, research on OCD and being a trainer for Easy Transport.
Workshops address teen backchat, suicide, the Every Australian Counts campaign and hearings with the Productivity Commission, protecting one’s rights, web accessibility, challenging behaviour, inclusive education, ind
Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always! The next newsletter will be sent on 14 April.
Regards, Marjorie Janz , Disability Information Officer, Warringah Council.
Located at Dee Why Library, Pittwater Road St Davids Avenue
Phone 9942 2686, fax 9942 2371. Also janzm@warringah.nsw.gov.au.
Doing It Ourselves in Aged Care, Chronic and Mental Illness, Disability and Special Education
THE SELF-MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
Melbourne 2-3 May 2011
Register Here
Key Speakers
Anita Gordon has been self-managing her disability package in the ACT for the last two years, and has been able to increase her number of support hours threefold by doing it for herself. Her method is now being trialled throughout the ACT.
Rachel Johnson is Director of the Mamre Family Support Associaton in Brisbane, which has been assisting families to self-manage funding and directly employ support staff for over ten years.
Justin McNab of the Blue Mountains Chronic Disease Self-Management Project has been developing self-management strategies and supports for consumers with a chronic illness.
Rob Gill is General Manager of Manawanui In Charge Ltd in Auckland, which pioneered the introduction of individualised funding in New Zealand between 2005 and 2009.
Lyn Zanchetta manages her 40 year old daughter Lisa's Home First disability package.
Margaret Gray managed her 92 year old mother's EACH aged care package.
Siegried Drews managed his wife Mardi's 24 hour care needs through a technology portal he designed himself to assist in the direct employment of staff.
Siegried Drews managed his wife Mardi's 24 hour care needs through a technology portal he designed himself to assist in the direct employment of staff.
Suzette Gallagher has managed her 45 year old son Shaun's disability package for many years.
George Vassilou manages both his ageing mother's care package and his 23 year old daughter Natasha's disability package.
This conference will review developments towards self-management of supports and services in disability, aged care, chronic illness, mental health and special education.
It is concerned with the practical question of "How" to make self-management viable and doable by large numbers of individuals and families. It will examine working models from around Australia and New Zealand, and explore strategies for making self-management happen on a large scale. It will explore ways of improving the available infrastructure, technology tools, peer and professional supports.
This conference will review developments towards self-management of supports and services in disability, aged care, chronic illness, mental health and special education.
It is concerned with the practical question of "How" to make self-management viable and doable by large numbers of individuals and families. It will examine working models from around Australia and New Zealand, and explore strategies for making self-management happen on a large scale. It will explore ways of improving the available infrastructure, technology tools, peer and professional supports.
The style of the conference will be one of learning from peers, sharing information, and networking.
Papers, presentations, workshops and displays are invited on the conference themes.
CLICK HERE to express an interest in contributing a paper or presentation.
KEY PRESENTERS
Anita Gordon - Disability
Anita has been using a wheelchair since she had a stroke in 1998. Over the last two years she has been developing a method of self-managing her ACT disability support package.
By self-managing her funding and directly employing her own support staff, Anita has found that:
By self-managing her funding and directly employing her own support staff, Anita has found that:
- She has been able to increase her number of support hours by three times, after cutting out administration and brokerage fees payable to agencies.
- Her costs of purchasing equipment have dropped by up to 50% compared to the cost of purchasing through government.
- Support workers have become affordable on weekends and public holidays.
- Relationships with support workers and continuity have improved by selecting and dealing directly with support staff.
Click here to register your interest in Anita's model if you or a family member receive a disability support package
George Vassilou - Ageing and Disability
George is a pioneer in family-management of disability supports for his daughter Natasha. George is also a pioneer in applying the same methodology to the management of supports for his elderly mother.
Following a profile of his family-managed arrangements on The 7.30 Report on ABC Television in November 2009, George has, with approval from the Federal Minister for Aged Care, established an important precedent - families are entitled to self-manage Home and Community Care funding packages for their family members if they want to.
We'd like to hear from families wanting to self-manage their aged care package. We will make available tools for managing the package, supply information and support on how to proceed, and direct families to appropriate host agencies willing to host family-managed arrangements.Following a profile of his family-managed arrangements on The 7.30 Report on ABC Television in November 2009, George has, with approval from the Federal Minister for Aged Care, established an important precedent - families are entitled to self-manage Home and Community Care funding packages for their family members if they want to.
Click here to register your interest in George's model if you or a family member receive an aged care package
Rachel Johnson - Mental Health and Disability
Rachel is Director of the Mamre Family Support Associaton in Brisbane, which has been assisting families to self-manage funding and directly employ support staff for over ten years.
Mamre has developed a philosophy of the "natural authority" of families in the care and support of their loved ones, which underpins its radically innovative work.
"Mamre believes that, regardless of capacity or skill, families have a natural authority and are entitled to influence the direction of their family member's life, if they have remained faithful and committed to that person's development and well-being.
Mamre intends to be a radical Christian community response to the expressed needs of families, rather than a professional service response."
Click here to register your interest in Mamre's philsoophy and approach to self-managed disability supports. Siegfried Drews - Health and Disability
I retired about seven years after a career in the corporate world, but life took an unexpected turn when my wife Mardi developed Motor Neurone Disease. I became busy coordinating her care, which involved 24 hour nursing support, and having carers coming through the house at all hours.
I retired about seven years after a career in the corporate world, but life took an unexpected turn when my wife Mardi developed Motor Neurone Disease. I became busy coordinating her care, which involved 24 hour nursing support, and having carers coming through the house at all hours.
Over the past five years, I have developed a technology platform to support the planning, logistics, administration and reporting functions associated with supporting Mardi's care. I found that doing all this manually is a nightmare. I also found that the agencies that supply carers can't be relied on, and so I've developed a match-making system for families who need carers to find and employ them directly. It's like an internet dating service for families who need carers.
The result is a portal through which Mardi's carers could be employed, rostered and paid electronically, other supports and services can be budgeted for, purchased and accounted for, and her public funders (the Victorian DHS) can view the flow of people and money as they wish. The portal integrates planning, budgeting, financial transactions, reporting, and local networking (if required) in a format applicable to children and adults in disability, chronic illness, mental health, aged care and education.
I am getting old so I have no interest in commercialising this. There will be no licencing or contracts. It will be free for users with the exception of a set-up fee (which I want to keep as low as possible) and an optional fee for customisation (if required). Its purpose is to enable self-management and to leverage integrated person-centred arrangements for consumers and families on a very large scale.The result is a portal through which Mardi's carers could be employed, rostered and paid electronically, other supports and services can be budgeted for, purchased and accounted for, and her public funders (the Victorian DHS) can view the flow of people and money as they wish. The portal integrates planning, budgeting, financial transactions, reporting, and local networking (if required) in a format applicable to children and adults in disability, chronic illness, mental health, aged care and education.
The portal is currently being trialled in two settings in Victoria. I will be available from the beginning of 2011 for large scale use.
It is incredible that the business practices of service providers in the field of care are about 30 years behind the rest of industry. We need a lot of political pressure from people with disabilities and families to force them to catch up and focus on the 'customer' and not on themselves.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
Siegfried's self-management tool is called Web2Care. It was developed as a web-based portal through which his wife Mardi's carers could be rostered and paid electronically; additional supports could be budgeted, purchased and accounted for; a complete financial account could be generated electronically, and Mardi's public funders could view the flow of people and money as they wish.
The portal also contains a match-making function linking support workers with people who are seeking support workers, so that support workers and support recipients can directly find each without having to work through agencies.
CLICK HERE to see a presentation on Web2Care.
The tool has three modules:
The Rostering Tool (Admin2Care) enables you to produce a roster of support, share this roster online with support workers so that variations can be made easily, with a time-tracker device for recording time worked, a wage and costs calculator, and a payslips, invoices, and report generator.
The Match-Taking Tool (Match2Care) enables support workers and people requiring support workers to find each other using a visual data base built on Google Maps to enable local matches, with search results linking to support workers and support recipients' profile pages, and to respective rosters showing 'Vacant Shifts' and 'Support Worker Availability'.
The Accounting Tool (Account2Care) enables you to keep track of all financial transactions and generate reports, not only related to your support activity, but to private and other business matters if you wish.
The process for participation is simple: consumers/families are invited to express an interest in this self-management tool. An initial assessment is made on suitability, and on approval participants register on the web-based system. Data entry is end-user controlled and maintained.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
Click here to register your interest in Sieg's technology platform for self-management.
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