Deep Quality: An in depth leadership course in Optimal Individualised Service Design by Michael Kendrick PhD.

This course is aimed at bridging the gap between what is hoped for, and what is actually realistic for support services to deliver on. For those involved in developing progressive policy, funding or services this will be a valuable experience, not to be missed.

The course will be held in 2 week long sessions:

• Week 1: 2 May to 6 May 2011
• Week 2: 30 May to 3 June 2011

The course will be held at Our Space, 104 Greenhill Road, Unley South Australia and places are limited.

Download the flyer and booking form.

The Australian Government Productivity Commission invites the public to register their interest in an inquiry into a long-term care and support scheme for people with a disability in Australia. The inquiry will begin in April 2010 and report by July 2011.

More information will be available once the inquiry has commenced. Register your interest in the inquiry and you will be kept informed of progress.

See the Disability Care and Support page.

We have received the following statement from Lifestyle in Supported Accommodation (LISA) inc.:

Families battle for quality of life care for their member with a disability! Not just because services are “hand-out”, but because many service providers, especially government, avoid their responsibilities at every opportunity.

We, like most caring parents/families throughout Australia with a member with an intellectual or multiple disability, have witnessed/experienced much of the questionable service provision outlined in the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry Report, the Victorian Auditor General’s Report and the Community Visitor Reports. And, we have extensively experienced the core basis for many of the problems contained in these reports.

The core basis being the failure of service providers to accept responsibility for ensuring they provide quality of life care services, and that these are well within a meaningful and enacted customer service framework.

Although our experience of services in supported accommodation group homes for those with an intellectual or multiple disability is mostly that of, “Avoidance at Every Opportunity”. It was a real breath-of-fresh-air when we witnessed/experienced, “Total Responsibility Accepted” service provision.

The expectations of most families is a service which provides consistent quality of life care within recognised care policies, standards and values, by direct care staff who treat the residents as their second family. And, where the service provider sees the resident and their family as valued.

Sadly, captive market service provision has little desire to understand or action the market place strategies of, “the customer is always right” and “the customer is valued”. Captive market service provision breeds little customer service, issue avoidance, customers are a pest and that customers are always wrong.

Many times in early morning China, we witnessed department store managers lecturing their staff on good customer service – “If I hear one complaint from a customer, we are not achieving our policy of good customer service and relations!”

Equally, good market place business in Australia listens to, and acts on customer feedback – encouraging feedback as a tool to service improvement. It is cheaper to hear from customers, than purchase service evaluation and accreditation.

Yet government disability services throughout Australia do more than actively ignore consumers and their families. They frequently insult, intimidate and issue avoid to the extreme on those who dare to question their service provision in any way.

This is in total contrast to the “Total Responsibility Accepted (TRA)” service provision. TRA is where all management and staff actively seek customer satisfaction and feedback. Management and staff actively wanting to please the resident and their family to make a happy and working together relationship conducive to real quality of life care, meaningful family involvement with peace of mind satisfaction and job satisfaction for management and staff.

Summary: If we are unable to change service provider attitude, especially government service provider attitude from “Avoid” to “Accept Responsibility”, then any new funding will do little more than provide more “Minder Care” rather than “Quality of Life Care”.

Elderly parents want to depart this world in the sound knowledge their family member will not just have a roof over their head, but will have a real home with real and consistent quality of life care by direct care staff who treat the residents like they were their second family.

For more information you can contact

Tony & Heather Tregale

LIFESTYLE IN SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION (LISA) INC.

Tel: 03-9434-3810 Email: vk3qq@optusnet.com.au Web: www.lisainc.com.au www.lisa-aus.blogspot.com

We wish to draw to your attention to a report which aired on the ABC’s Four Corners program titled “Breaking Point”.

The report examines the experiences of people with disabilities and their carers, and looks at deficiencies in the services provided to them.

You can view an ABC News report on the story here.

You can view the Four Corners report here.

Are you a Carer or Provide Services to Carers in the Northern Adelaide Region? Have Your Say

Come along and Have Your Say about unmet needs and service gaps for Carers in the Northern Adelaide region.

The views collected will be included in a Carers SA independent report to Home and Community Care to help improve local service for Carers.

If you care for a family member or friend who is frail aged or is a younger person with a disability, please come along and Have Your Say at the morning Carers forum.

Are you providing service to Carers of frail older people or Carers of young people with a disability or thinking about doing so? Come along and Have Your Say in the afternoon Service Providers forum.

Venue

Central Districts Holden Room, Goodman Rd, Elizabeth

Date

2 February 2010

• 10:00 – 12:30: Carers only
• 2:00 – 4:30: Service Providers

RSVP

by 29 January: call 1800 815 549

Can’t attend? Call Phil Saunders on 1800 815 549 to make a comment or complete postal feedback.

28/08/2008

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children Services, Bill Shorten Joint Media Release with The Hon Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

New research has shown that the number of children with disability attending school has more than tripled over the last 25 years but people with disability continue to have significantly higher levels of unemployment than people without disability.

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children Services, Bill Shorten, today launched the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report Disability in Australia: trends in prevalence, education, employment and community living.

The report provides important insight into trends relating to people with disability over the past two decades, particularly in relation to education and employment.

Education:

The number of students with a disability attending school increased by 93 per cent between 1981 and 2003
The number of students with a severe or profound limitations rose by 260 per cent rising from 40,000 in 1981 to 150,000 in 2003.
In 2003, almost 115,000 students with severe disability attended mainstream schools rather than special schools, up from around 26,700 students in 1981.

Employment:

In 2003 the unemployment rate for people with disability was almost 9 per cent – significantly higher than people without disability at 5 per cent.
In 2003 there were 21,200 fewer people with disability aged 15 to 64 with a severe or profound limitation in the workforce than in 1998.
Between 1998 and 2003, the number of people with disability in the private sector grew 18 percent, compared to four per cent in the government sector.
Between 1988 and 2003, there was no significant increase in participation in the labour force for people with severe disability.

Community living:

Between 1981 and 2003 there was a trend towards more people with severe disability living in the community, strongest in those aged 5 to 29.

“While the increase in the number of children with disability attending school is encouraging, more has to be done to close the significant gap in employment between people with disability and people without disability,” Ms Macklin said.

“The Australian Government is working with the States and Territories to ensure adequate education and support services for children with disability,” Ms Macklin said.

“The results demonstrate the importance of the Australian Government’s National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy, which will help address the many barriers people with disability face when looking for and keeping work,” Mr Shorten said.

“The Strategy, to be released at the end of the year, will outline clear and practical steps that can be put in place to support people with disability and mental illness in the workplace.

“We also understand the urgent need to establish better data collection to help improve support services for people with disability and their family.

“Last month, Federal, State and Territory Ministers agreed to provide $6.5 million to enhance the ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC); including doubling the sample size which will significantly improve the collection of information in this important area,” Mr Shorten said.