In this edition
- EFA at The Geelong Business Excellence Awards
- NDIS Residential Aged Care Toolkit
- Key Points Arising from the Commission’s Latest Quarterly Activity Report
- NSW Disability Inclusion Consultations
- Free Online Resources: Mealtime Management
- Find a Translation
- A Principled Approach to Working with First Nations Peoples
EFA at The Geelong Business Excellence Awards
The entire EFA team (unfortunately minus our beautiful Rachael) met up together recently for the first time in years at the Geelong Business Excellence Awards. As you may be aware the EFA team are spread across several interstate locations so this is a rare treat.
Engels Floyd and Associates were finalists in The Geelong Business Excellence Awards 2022. This year was the first event held face-to-face in three years and the biggest with over 800 people in attendance. The program celebrated the clever, creative and connected local business community across twenty award categories. EFA is proud to have been runner up in three categories.
EFA would like to congratulate the winners and other finalists of the 2022 Geelong Business Excellence Awards.
NDIS Residential Aged Care Toolkit
EFA together with our partner organisation ARTD Consulting have recently been working on an important project for the NDIS Commission, developing easy to follow resources for Residential Aged Care providers (RAC) who are undergoing NDIS registration.
With pleasure, we advise that you can now access a number of fact sheets, tools, resources and webinars to not only support RAC providers but also NDIS participants, during the audit and registration activities.
You might recognise our EFA Directors, Jen Engels and Sharon Floyd in the webinars! Here’s the link for more info.
Key Points Arising from the Commission's Latest Quarterly Activity Report
The NDIS Commission quarterly report as of 30th September 2022 raises a few interesting points:
- The total number of registered providers plateaued to 19,536 in this quarter. The Commission advises that ‘the stabilisation of this figure is largely driven by targeted compliance activity leading to refusal of applications of transitional providers’.
- There was a 9% increase in complaints, notably in NSW.
- Also a 9% increase in reportable incidents (excluding unauthorised restrictive practices).
- A massive 29% increase in the number of NDIS behaviour support practitioners considered suitable to deliver behaviour support services.
These and some other key mentions in the report highlight the need for a focus on effective quality management, training and compliance and ongoing reviews through internal auditing. EFA is here to support you and your service in navigating that terrain.
NSW Disability Inclusion Consultations
Have Your Say on the Transport for NSW Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2023-2027.
One of our partners, ARTD is currently holding community consultations on behalf of Transport for NSW to inform their Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
Your feedback matters and will help Transport for NSW (TfNSW) identify priority actions that they will take over the next five years towards its vision for a transport system that provides equal access for everyone regardless of their age, where they live, ability, socio-economic or personal circumstances.
ARTD is an independent research company. With the results of this research TfNSW will hear the valuable input of more people with disability, families and carers, service providers, representative disability organisations and other community members.
There are three ways you can have your say. (Be quick! You’ve only got until the 20th November).
- Complete the 10-minute online survey.
- Provide a written submission.
- Attend a forumduring November 2022. (Both online and face-to-face. The face-to-face consultations will take place in Grafton, Parramatta, Sydney CBD and Wagga Wagga.)
Free Online Resources: Mealtime Management
Food and meals are such a pleasure for most people. Having access to delicious meals that are also safe and enjoyable is something that every person chooses. When assisting someone with a swallowing difficulty this can be much more complicated.
Supporting Safe and Enjoyable Meals is a new NDIS Practice Standard. The associated free resources are of benefit to all providers involved in mealtime management.
There are several resources that you may find beneficial including an e-learning module, various practice alerts, and a suite of resources and training modules developed by the Disability Research Network at the University of Technology in Sydney.
For more information on the range of resources and tools available.
Find a Translation
Find a Translation is a free multilingual search engine website for various translation resources. The purpose of this initiative is to ensure it is easy to find free trusted content in many different languages. Find a Translation does not create the information you find on the website, but rather it enables you to search and find links for information in your preferred language.
Find a Translation can also be used to locate translated information from Government Departments such as VicRoads and the Department of Social Services.
A Principled Approach to Working with First Nations Peoples
In collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, Social Ventures Australia have developed a set of ‘First Nations Practice Principles’.
This framework is designed to be a guide for non-Indigenous organisations to build effective partnerships and working relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australian organisations.
The five Principles for inspiring better practice are:
- Self-determination: recognising and supporting First Nations peoples right to exercise control over their own lives.
- Recognising diversity: acknowledging unique cultures and histories and the need for First Nations people to be involved.
- Respectful relationships: meaningfully engaging with First Nations peoples to ensure their priorities, values, perspectives and voices inform the work.
- Real partnership: seeking reciprocal benefit, value and learning for First Nations peoples and being accountable for the impact that our work has on First Nations peoples.
- Trauma aware: embedding cultural safety by providing positive and emotionally safe experiences, and implementing culturally-specific practices.
We encourage you to consider these principles in your service provision as part of your commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Read more about the Principles and how they can be applied at Social Ventures Australia.
