WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 269 - 24/11/11

Hello!

The newsletter starts with a pilot program of gymnastics, drama, free family fun day in Narrabeen, access programs at the Art Gallery of NSW, free Muppets tickets, drama and a mass / party to celebrate the International Day of People with Disability (3 December each year), art workshops in Lane Cove.  Young carers can attend activities at Bradfield Park and Clontarf (with their family), and parents can gather over lunch, or request to support / or be supported by a parent who also has a child with autism.  There are art sessions for carers and the person with mental health issues, a workshop on sexuality for youth with intellectual / learning disability, a bereavement support workshop, meditation for those having cancer treatment and their carers, a grandparenting workshop, and community talks on health.  The Red Shield Easter camp will be held at Collaroy for disadvantaged children.

Financial matters include the launch of Bill Moss’ book to fundraise for the FSHD Foundation and Fighting Chance Australia, JET child care fee assistance, Project Local voting, vacancy for advocacy manager at BIA NSW, extended deadline for the SAIF.  Resources deal with resilient siblings, drug info, websites regarding bipolar disorder and children with disability at school, the final report on Young Carers, an anxiety program for all ages, legal advice for people with fines debt, guidelines on selecting a wheelchair / scooter, the Lifeline Toolkit, and regulations for not-for-profits regarding tax.  You are invited to continue to garnering support for the NDIS, participate in studies on transition to adulthood or use of IT in employment, build the artist register in Ryde, nominate someone for Australia Day awards, contribute to collection on ‘disabled mothers’, participate in the community garden planned for Seaforth.

Meetings and workshops address Lyme disease treatment, emotional health of babies, the AGM and Get Together of BIA NSW, relaxation before the holidays, the HACC industry briefing, and several disability-related courses.  The NSW NDS state conference occurs in February 2012.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always!  The next newsletter will be sent on 8 December.

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

Located at Dee Why Library, Pittwater Road and St Davids Avenue, Dee Why NSW 2099.

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

McKinsey & Co - questions for Sunnyfield

Dear Members
As discussed at the last Auxiliary meeting (12 Nov at Allambie) the two key questions asked by McKinsey of Sunnyfield (when they reviewed Sunnyfield's strategy) and hence what Sunnyfield needs to know from every family are:-

1. What client groups should we aim to serve?

All people with disabilities?

Adults with an intellectual disability?

Children with a intellectual disability disability?
Aging people with a disability?

People with physical disabilities?

People with ABI?

Disability and mental illness?

Multi-cultural?

2. What services should we offer?

Community Support, Housing, Supported Employment + Other programs?

Add Brokerage, e.g. Information and referral service?

Fee for service, e.g. Employment agency?

Alternative models of housing?
Corporate volunteering?

These are part of a wider set of seven questions which FYI are attached here.  


However in order for Sunnyfield to properly prepare for Stronger Together 2 (with Self Managed & Directed Funding) and NDIS Sunnyfield needs to know what you believe your particular family needs are and will be.

Can you carefully consider these two questions from your familiy's perspective - Sunnyfield will shortly be asking by mail for your suggestions as to where you will direct your future spending on disability.

WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 268 - 10/11/11

Hello!

The newsletter starts with dance classes and a concert, First Flight Crew, three wheelchair events (including the Wheelchair Tennis Open), two film festivals, the Sculpture by the Sea tactile tours, free colouring-in at the Art Gallery of NSW, Riverside Theatre’s program and a Northern Beaches youth event.  Parents and carers can attend male cooking class, morning tea, IT workshops.  Carers of people with mental illness (especially those who hear voices) have several activities.  There is a new chat forum for siblings, and volunteer gardeners are needed.

Financial matters include fundraising for Fighting Chance, grants for individuals and organisations that support adults with high needs, and the Telstra connected program.  Resources include a practical and comprehensive Artist Resource, information on supported accommodation and OHS changes, and Spinal Injuries Week.  You are invited to participate in an online forum with Peter Garrett, register your events for IDPWD, take action for the NDIS Week of Action, and complete four surveys (older adults, adults with MS, NCOSS’ MSU, children transitioning to adult facilities).

There are two AGMs, the annual state meeting for day services and post school programs, an industry breakfast, the quarterly NDS regional meetings.  Workshops address walking, depression, creative ageing, hearing voices, writing social stories, community safety, supporting students with intellectual disability in school.  There is a reminder about the Accessing the Future conference, and a call for papers for the Roundtable on Print Disability.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always!  The next newsletter will be sent on 24 November.

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

Located at Dee Why Library, Pittwater Road and St Davids Avenue, Dee Why NSW 2099.

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

Payroll tax rebates for businesses who hire employees with a disability

NDS tells us that... The NSW Government has introduced legislation to Parliament that will give businesses a payroll tax rebate for hiring a person with a disability. NSW Minister for Disability Services, Andrew Constance, said the Payroll Tax Rebate Scheme (Disability Employment) Bill 2011 will provide employers with a payroll tax rebate of up to $4,000 per employee. "The O'Farrell Government is delivering on its commitment to improve the employment prospects of people with a disability," Mr Constance said. The rebate will apply to businesses who hire a new employee out of the Transition to Work program and will be paid in two equal parts, after three months and after six months from the hiring of a new employee. To qualify for the rebate, the employee must have commenced employment on or after 1 January 2012 and before 1 July 2016 and the employee should work an average of at least 12 hours a week. The employer must be liable for payroll tax, either during the period of emp! loyment or in a financial year during which an eligible employee is employed. The NSW Government has committed $2 million per annum over the next five years for the scheme to apply from 1 January 2012. A representative from Minister Constance's Office attended the NDS NSW Sub-Committee on Open Employment on 21 October to consult on the new legislation regarding pay roll tax relief for employers of people with disability.  This consultation was an important element and one NDS will continue to support and promote in terms of gauging the members views of the initiative. Glenn Jones, NDS NSW Acting State Manager, said, "NDS NSW commends the NSW Government on this initiative. This initiative following on from other work in this area, such as the NDS NSW Ready Willing and Able (Procurement) Project, will ensure that NSW continues to lead the way in regard to employment for people with disability".

WARRINGAH DISABILITY NEWSLETTER No 267 - 28/10/11

Hello!

The newsletter starts with two discobilities, a Christmas party, free Hip Hop workshops, sport expo at Homebush, Sailability and Camp Willing and Able.  Parents and carers can attend activities at Bradfield Park, a workshop on sexuality for youth with intellectual / learning disability, and a new carers group in Waitara.  There are vacancies for adults at a day program in Belrose.

Financial matters include fundraising for the Cerebral Palsy Challenge, Northcott and Adaptive Cricket, as well as a scholarship and funding to support carers.  Details of two positions are given.  Resources deal with Grandparents Day, transition care from child to adult health services, reading training.  There are booklets or report on community care workforce, employer attitude toward workers with a disability, post school options, disability reform (South Australian report on Strong Voices), support for siblings, and some training DVDs from Catholic Community Services.  You are invited to continue to receive updates on the NDIS, participate in the Leaders for Tomorrow Program or the Police’s Disability Advisory Committee.  ADHC requests online feedback on the Supported Living Fund.

Workshops address a child safe community, young people and the law, anti bullying strategies, writing for the internet, law for non-lawyers, writing social stories.  The Northern Region Disability Network meets next week, and government departments hold industry briefing sessions for HACC providers.  Spectronics offers free online training in several software packages.  The conference on Inclusive Technologies and Learning Disability in Education and Employment occurs in December.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome, as always!  The next newsletter will be sent on 10 November.

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

Located at Dee Why Library, Pittwater Road and St Davids Avenue, Dee Why NSW 2099.

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

Every Australian Counts

One goal. Three things you can do.
We can't thank you enough for your support so far for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.


But there are a lot of people out there who haven't heard about the NDIS and the potential it has to dramatically improve the lives of people with disabilities.

We need more people to hear about the campaign. If support grows and momentum builds, the NDIS will be secured for all Australians.

There are three things you can do from November 27 - December 3 to spread the word. What can you do?

It's easy - you can sign up your friends, neighbours, colleagues or family members, pepper letterboxes with campaign information sheets or hold a community stall.

We need your help to make sure more people with disabilities and their families have a voice in our community.

Take a few minutes, a couple of hours or a whole day - the choice is yours.

Register today to spread the word in your backyard, workplace, street or the local shopping centre. We will send you all you need to get the NDIS out into the community.

Whatever you do it will make a difference to people living with a disability and their families.

Yours,

John Della Bosca
and the Every Australian Counts team www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au

P.S. Don't forget to pass this email on to your friends and family members - every supporter counts.

NDIS - "Right Now, in Victoria!"

NDIS freedom of choice - rights/entitlement-based services - can occur for some people right now!  Why is it not, then?  Because the DHS is playing its usual power-over-people games and protecting its bureaucratic empire!

Most parents/families are concerned at the thought of having to place their vulnerable adult family member in a group home, many of which are little more than a staff work-place-hostel, providing little more than minder care, with few transparent outcomes in accordance with defined care policies, standards and values.

With parents unable, at present, to live forever, the need was/is seen to seek an alternative to that which could not/can not be trusted to ensure real,  meaningful and consistent quality of life care, and where residents, parents, families are often intimidated for daring to question service level and quality.  The answer - "Do it yourself!"

The Federal Government had set an individualised funding benchmark with the ISP - "Futures for Young Adults".  This was an attempt to capture market-place driven quality.  Although this ISP failed to achieve this, through lack of service providers to give effective competition, it set a new ball rolling.

If funding could be individualised - paid to the service user (the customer),   rather than bulk funding paid to the day service provider - "Why not apply similar principles to accommodation support?"

The primary intention of the NDIS process is, naturally, to initially provide relief  for those families, on very long waiting lists, still providing 24/7 care for their family member at home - with no hope of some freedom before they depart this world.  We feel no one would deny them being first cab off the rank for NDIS funding.

There is a strong second place for those families who, currently, have independent accommodation for their family member, especially those in government, direct care, group homes.  Many of these families are burnt-out fighting the bureaucratic system, year after year, for a reasonable quality of life care for their family member - in contrast to basic minder-care.

Some of the concerns parents have.........   A lady who has recently placed her daughter in a CRU, asks, "When a resident is sick, do the staff have to take that person to the doctor or do they have to call the parent in to do this?" "When a resident has to go to the dental hospital is the parent expected to try and find a family member to assist?"  This parent is nervous of a man handling her daughters personal care, yet is in fear of making waves to question staff allocations.
So many parents/families are in fear of many forms of intimidation if they dare to speak-out about the care level and quality concerns they have.  The ODSC rate the number-one reason why people do not complain, as being fear of intimidation. 

Yet the DHS, Disability Services, Victoria, is totally unable, as a direct result of its 'reactive' management above house supervisor, to solve the direct care staff lore problems which create and perpetuate the fear and concerns most parents have regarding group homes.

Service level and quality is directly proportional with direct care staff integrity, rather than consistently proportional with proactive management above house supervisor to set, monitor and maintain direct-care staff work-value expectations.  Where there is almost total reliance on staff integrity, houses swing dramatically.

Achieving consistent and meaningful proactive management requires a market place culture of the type intended through NDIS ISPs (individualised funding), rather than captive market bulk funding - A rights-based service, in contrast to a charity-based service.

Most of the supported accommodation services (group homes) in Victoria are bulk-funded by the DHS.  It's a sort of pseudo-bulk-funding, as each resident has a 'unit-cost', considered to be the dollars needed for staff support and administration overheads. Residents pay living expenses - rent, housekeeping and personal expenditure from their DSP.

At no additional cost to government, each resident's 'unit-cost' could be redefined from bulk-funding to"individualised funding".  This means they would be free to move, as the NDIS principle intends - but, "RIGHT NOW!"

With a further DHS restrictive practice removed - that residents are denied residential tenancy rights.  With residential tenancy rights, as their reasonable human right, the resident group could chose their service provider and write their own care contract.

This early taste of NDIS style freedom of choice, would help to smooth the way for future NDIS ISPs, when federal funding is finally made available.
Extra 1:  Crimes against People with a Disability - UK

Extra 2:  Poor Support in South Australia
Extra 3:  NDIS Appointments
Extra 4:  In the Driver's Seat - Yes or No?
Extra 5:  No Penalties! No Dobbing! No Worries!
Extra 6: Australians with a Disability - Low Legal & Media Profile
Extra 7: Communications Dispute - Victoria
Extra 8: Check-out some interesting aspects of questionable service provision on the "LISA Forum".  Feel free to post to the forum page by registering, under a covert user name, on the left side of the forum page, under "Create an account".  There will then be a short delay whilst we approve your registration (Please contact us if you don't have access within two days). 
LIFESTYLE IN SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION (LISA) INC.
Tel:  03-9434-3810:  Email: info@lisainc.com.au or vk3qq@optusnet.com.au 
Web:  www.lisainc.com.au :  www.lisa-aus.blogspot.comNOTE:  We are always interested in feedback and information; general, specific, good or bad. If you
              wish anonymously: Our mail address is, 73 Nepean Street, Watsonia, 308