Issue 170
9 May 2011
The National Disability Awards have just opened and this is a fantastic opportunity for you to nominate an individual or organisation that has inspired you, who has done something remarkable or made a difference in the lives of people with disability.
There are a number of different categories this year including:
The Health and Wellbeing Award is a new award category this year, which recognises health and wellbeing services that are creating equal access for people with disability.
Australian of the Year Simon McKeon has been named the 2011 Patron of the National Disability Awards.
You can read more about the National Disability Awards below.
The National Disability Awards align with the priorities in the recently endorsed National Disability Strategy.
I encourage you to nominate someone within your community – it is a wonderful way to recognise the valuable work done in the community.
I recently visited Fremantle City Library in Western Australia to announce their successful application under the Australian Government's Increasing Accessibility Library Initiative.
This initiative is providing $1 million for digital playback devices to be made available for loan to people with print disability through public libraries across Australia.
Fremantle City Library is receiving ten new digital playback devices to give people with print disability in their local community greater access to library materials.
Almost 20 per cent of the Australian population is unable to read standard print information so providing access to material in alternative formats plays a vital role in increasing the independence of people with print disability and enhancing their engagement with the broader community.
I look forward to announcing more libraries that have been successful under this program over the coming weeks.
Last week, I attended the National Disability and Carer Congress in Melbourne.
Over one thousand people were in attendance including people with disability, carers, advocacy organisations and service providers.
It was a great opportunity for the sector to come together and have a conversation about disability policy in Australia.
The Productivity Commission’s inquiry into a long-term disability care and support scheme was a popular topic of discussion.
Our government understands a major rethink is needed which is why we asked the Commission to undertake an inquiry into the costs, benefits and feasibility of a scheme.
The Government will carefully consider the Productivity Commission’s final report when it is delivered in July.
The Advisory Group for Inclusion for People with Disability Through Sustainable Supported Employment met for the second time on 9 and 10 March, 2011.
The focus of this workshop meeting was to allow time to explore ideas in a way that was thorough, candid and collaborative in order to further develop proposals for Government regarding a future Vision for Supported Employment. Whilst members share a common ground of significant commitment to people with disability they also represent diverse perspectives. This commitment allowed members to engage in significant debate and still work together in a spirit of collaboration to draft a preliminary Vision, underpinned by a series of principles. Members will continue work to refine the Vision and the principles, in the lead-up to the next face-to-face meeting in late May 2011 where they will also consider possible strategies to implement the Vision.
The Group agrees it is critical for any Vision to connect with the broader policy environment including the significant reforms occurring elsewhere in the disability sphere. It has also acknowledged the strengths that exist in the current system, while also identifying opportunities for future change. A primary focus for the Group has been linkages to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability; and ensuring that the person with disability, families and carers are at the centre of any system.
The Group is on target to provide its recommendation for a preferred Vision to the Australian Government later this year.
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A full review of the Case-Based Funding (CBF) model is now underway. The review will inform Government of any potential changes to the current model.
To gain a better understanding of Australian Disability Enterprise’s (ADEs) opinions on the current CBF model, a broad representative sample of 10 ADEs will be invited to participate in the evaluation of ADE costs, cost structures, cost drivers and how the current CBF model influences ADE efficiency and employment and support outcomes.
If your organisation is chosen for this survey group FaHCSIA will contact your organisation to discuss the project. If you are unable to assist please let us know so an alternative organisation can be asked to participate.
There will also be a survey sent to all ADE outlets during the review process. It is important that organisations get involved in the survey process, and as many responses are received as possible, so that the Government fully understand what it costs to support workers in ADEs. Please make sure that email address details are up-to-date in FOFMS so your organisation receives the survey.
KPMG will be developing a monthly newsletter that will provide updates on progress of the review. A dedicated email and 1800 number operated by KPMG for ADEs to make enquiries to will be available soon.
A CBF Review Reference Group will provide high level guidance and input with representatives from National Disability Services, Department of Finance and Deregulation and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The first meeting of the Reference Group will be held soon to progress this important piece of work.
Thank you to all organisations for participating - KPMG are due to report to FaHCSIA in late September 2011 on the findings and recommendations.
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Funding for a new guide to help employers better understand the needs of employees with disability was recently announced.
The development of A Guide to Employer Engagement – From the Employers Voice will be funded by more than $187,000 from the Australian Government’s Innovation Fund.
The guide is specifically designed to help employers make the most of the talents of their employees with disability. It will provide clear employment engagement guidelines and advice for providers and employers seeking to recruit people with disability.
The project is a collaboration between ACE National Network and the Australian Network on Disability to create further resources for more than 220 Disability Employment Services (DES) providers.
Providers will also have access to face-to-face and interactive online seminar briefing sessions, including employment-based case studies.
The ACE National Network project is one of 12 Innovation Fund projects targeting assistance to job seekers with disability.
For more information on the Innovation Fund, visit the DEEWR website.
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All FaHCSIA-funded Australian Disability Enterprises, advocacy, respite, print disability and disability information and captioning services are reminded about the upcoming Disability Services Census.
The Census collects information about disability service outlets and consumers that are funded by FaHCSIA under the National Disability Agreement (NDA).
To reduce the administrative burden on services, FaHCSIA will source most of the required information for the Census from FOFMS. Services must update their service and consumer data before 21 June 2011 to enable extraction of data on 30 June 2011.
Some manual input will still be required from services.
All Australian Disability Enterprises, advocacy, respite, print disability and disability information and captioning services will be sent a Service Outlet Form on 1 July 2011. To successfully complete and submit this form, services must have Adobe Reader v7.0.5 installed on their computer (refer to Adobe to download Adobe Reader if necessary). The use of other PDF reader software (e.g. Foxit) may cause PC errors.
Australian Disability Enterprises will also be required to complete information on each consumer who received funding during 2010-11. This information is accessed through the clients screen on FOFMS and is required to be checked and updated where necessary. Service providers can update this information at any time, however, an email will be sent in mid June with specific advice on completing it. Consumer information must be completed on FOFMS by Friday 22 July 2011 at the latest.
FaHCSIA will also capture data about supported employees' main income sources from the Centrelink database.
Services should note that the Service Outlet Form and advice regarding the consumer information will be sent to their general email addresses, as recorded on FOFMS. If services have changed their general email address, they should contact their Service/Contract Manager to request FOFMS be updated with the correct details.
FaHCSIA greatly appreciates the assistance service outlets provide in completing the annual Disability Services Census.
For further information about the Census, please contact the Disability Services Census Helpdesk on 1800 550 244.
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Nominations for the 2011 National Disability Awards are now open!
The awards recognise people with disability who have achieved something remarkable or made a significant contribution to their community, and people or groups within the community who have contributed to the disability sector or improved access and inclusion.
Does someone outstanding spring to mind? Entering is easy. Download a nomination form and nomination guidelines at www.idpwd.com.au or call 1800 440 385 to order hard copies.
The 2011 Award categories are:
Nominations close 5pm Thursday 30 June 2011.
The 2011 National Disability Award categories are aligned with the National Disability Strategy priority areas, a 10 year strategy to improve the lives of people with disability, their families and carers.
Show your support for the Awards and International Day of People with Disability by becoming a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/idpwd or following us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/idpwd.
The National Disability Awards are part of the Australian Government’s celebration of International Day of People with Disability.
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As an ADE it’s important to promote your business by generating positive public relations. Good Public Relations (PR) establishes good relationships with your stakeholders. This includes existing customers, potential new customers and other people of influence such as government representatives and the media.
It also includes communicating effectively with your own staff and employees. Your business image and reputation are built through every contact people have with you. All staff and employees can support your PR activities by presenting a positive and consistent image of your business.
Consider the options in this checklist when developing and implementing a PR strategy to promote your business:
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As mentioned in an earlier issue of disAbility e-News, work is currently underway on a review of the National Disability Services Standards. Although the outcome will depend on the feedback and recommendations that result from the consultation process, it is expected that some changes may be made to the current Standards.
FaHCSIA fields requests on a regular basis from Australian Disability Enterprises for hard copy versions of the Easy English Disability Services Standards posters and booklets, which were developed several years ago, and are now out of print. Although the material contained within them is still accurate and useful, the posters and booklets need to be modernised. With the review underway, FaHCSIA believe now is not the time for the development of new Standards material, or reprinting of current material.
In the meantime to meet requests for the Easy English Disability Services Standards posters and booklets, the current versions are available to download from the FaHCSIA website.
We will continue to provide you with updates about the outcome of the review and the availability of any new publications in future editions of disAbility e-News.
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Previous editions of disAbility e-News have outlined how important it is for Australian Disability Enterprises to properly plan for annual QA audits. There are many things to consider when planning a QA audit - timeframes, cost and who will be involved to name just a few.
Who will be involved in regards to the audit personnel conducting your QA audit is important as there may be a potential conflict of interest with audit personnel if they have had past, present, or will have future involvement with your organisation. This includes:
Your certification body should identify, analyse and document any actual or perceived conflicts of interest and implement strategies for control. When selecting the audit personnel for a specific audit your certification body should ensure that the audit personnel informs the certification body, prior to the audit, about any existing or former link between them and your organisation.
Your certification body is also required to inform your organisation of the audit personnel prior to the audit, allowing your organisation time to declare any prior dealings with the audit personnel and for reallocation to other audit personnel in these circumstances.
If you have any questions, please email the FaHCSIA Quality Assurance team via the DisAbility e-News mailbox.
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Should you realise that a Case on FOFMS has been left active when it should have been Exited or Suspended, please contact the Case Based Funding Helpdesk for assistance in resolving the issue.
The Helpdesk can advise you on what action to take and if there have been any overpayments. If there has been an overpayment, a debit in FOFMS is created which is off-set against future case based funding payments and a notification is forwarded setting out the details of the recovery to assist with any Audit and Compliance processes.
The Case-Based Funding Helpdesk can be contacted on 1800 034 887.
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DisAbility e-News spoke with Matt Donnelly, Ability Options’s Chief Executive Officer, about the Ability Options nursery business and what it’s doing for people with disability.
Tell us about your business?
Ability Options Nursery is a leading nursery located in the Penrith region of NSW and is one part of Ability Options which has been providing opportunities for people with disability since 1976. Our programs also include open employment support and sustainable employment, training and long term job support services to more than 2,000 job seekers.
Community Lifestyle supports through assistance with self managed programs supported living, case management, community access and respite services. All programs and services focus on enabling or facilitating the abilities and skills of each individual, to make a contribution and to be valued members of the community.
Ability Options’ nursery employs 26 people, 19 who are people with disability. Across the whole organisation, Ability Options employs more than 600 staff.
The nursery business was originally established as a hobby farm in Rooty Hill and moved to its current site 12 years ago. It was established to operate and trade successfully as a fully commercial model delivering financial returns to the organisation and to provide opportunities for people with disability by providing employment.
We have a growing capacity of more than one million plants per annum and are focussed on growing quality plants, including producing seasonal blooms which are available 52 weeks of the year under our “Hylites”™ branding. We sell to major quality retail nurseries throughout metropolitan Sydney and surrounding regions, as well as landscapers, chain stores and contract gardeners.
Each person here is a valued employee who makes a contribution to the success of the business. All our employees are vital members of our team and by focusing on our employee’s abilities, we have built a reputation in the industry as a quality plant supplier and also growing opportunities for people with disability.
Who are your main customers?
Ability Options Nursery customers include Bunnings and Kmart stores across NSW and numerous independent nurseries such as Eden Gardens Nursery, Flower Power, Swanes Nurseries and Hunter Valley Gardens.
Why do you think people want to work there?
The nursery was established to support people with disability to gain meaningful and long-term employment.
Several members of Ability Options nursery staff either have completed or are completing formal training and we also employ an apprentice horticulturalist. Our personnel are our biggest asset across the whole of the organisation. At the nursery, we provide secure employment and also the opportunity to develop skills and gain experience to move into other employment opportunities.
Ability Options nursery provides a fantastic working environment as well as great training and learning opportunities. The environment is particularly appealing for people who enjoy working outdoors and accommodates a variety of abilities.
Employment provides economic and social engagement. Many of the employees at the nursery live with family or on their own without formal support. Employment provides great certainty to both the person and to their loved ones in the absence of other formal supports.
Is there anything your business does that is special or unique?
Ability Options is a pioneer provider of better opportunities to people with disabilities and the nursery is just one way we are continuing to follow our values and roots.
The nursery is currently going through expansion, a project funded by the Australian Government. This project is increasing the nursery’s capacity to employ more people and grow more plants. It is also supporting water sustainability and recycling on-site so that plant production is not reliant on town water.
At Ability Options we are very proud to produce a product that has a positive social, economic and environmental impacts.
These impacts include:
We are also very excited about changes to government’s procurement processes for disability enterprises. This has a great opportunity to boost employment across Australia and for Ability Options to provide further employment.
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Organisation/event |
URL address |
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ADE website |
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International Day of People with Disability (actual day is 3 Dec each year) |
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Companion Card |
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Link Magazine |
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Disability Parking website |
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Centrelink – Pulse eNewsletter (for people on Disability Support Pension) |
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SA Govt - Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner - Buzz eNewsletter |
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Grantslink |
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AusTender |
|
Selling to the Australian Government: A guide for business (DoFD) |
http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/selling-to-the-australian-government/index.html |
Business.gov.au |
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May |
|
|---|---|
4 May |
Opening of the National Disability Awards nomination period |
June |
|
5-8 June |
Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Ageing and Technology (FICCDAT) |
6 June |
Foundation Day – WA |
13 June |
FaHCSIA offices closed: |
25-30 June |
Deafblind Awareness Week |
28-30 June |
ACE: Disability Employment Services Conference – Brisbane |
30 June |
End of Financial Year (implications for FOFMS payments) |
30 June |
National Disability Awards closing date |
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Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program in disAbility e-news or to let us know what you think of the newsletter.
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Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
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