WAiS E Bulletin - March 2017 CEO UPDATE Hello to you all again! Boy does time fly at the moment, and how things can change so quickly! Given the current context of the NDIS, I thought it was important to talk about a few things. We are experiencing an unprecedented transformative period in our disability sector with the rollout of the NDIS and with the more recent announcement of the bilateral for the WA NDIS. There are high levels of emotion surrounding this latter decision.  People have asked WAiS recently what our role is, in particular, for people with disability and their families in this time of change.  WAiS role over the last few years has primarily been focused on supporting people and families in both the Federal NDIS and WA NDIS trial sites, as well as across WA, in wide ranging ways, always with an aim of promoting and advancing self-directed, individualised services. With our experience and understanding from supporting people and families, WAiS has been able to provide strategic advice to both the NDIA (state and national) and DSC about policy, implementation and practice of the schemes.  WAiS stands by the NDIS - across Australia - to be a system that works well for the people who access it.  WAiS intent is to support people and families understand, design, develop, and sustain, their own individualised, self-directed supports and services. In this context, we will continue to provide information, support and guidance to people across Western Australia, who are in the NDIS system (state or federal) and those yet to transition. We will continue to provide information and examples of where the practical implementation of the scheme is working, and not working for people, to whomever the governing bodies are and to whomever seeks our advice.  WAiS will also provide strategic advice to contribute to continuous improvements to the disability support system that exists for people to ensure that, whatever system is in existence, becomes the best system possible supporting people to live lives of their choosing with supports that respond to and meet their needs. There are more times of significant change ahead, and I hope that the NDIS, continues to be developed (in all of our states) in a way that reflects what people want and need to live their life. Leanne Pearman Chief Executive Officer E: l.pearman@waindividualisedservices.org.au Contents CEO UPDATE 1 WANT TO CONTACT WAIS ….. 2 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES 3 WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT INDIVIDUALISED SERVICES? COME TO OUR MONTHLY DROP IN SESSIONS. 3 MYTHBUSTERS PROJECT 3 WELCOME MARGUERITE “MAGGIE” VISSER 4 MEMBER MEETINGS 4 SELF MANAGERS GROUP 5 HAVING A SAY CONFERENCE 6 UPCOMING EVENTS 7 Want to contact WAiS? In person = 16 Campbell St, West Perth (Next to Afendi’s Café ) By phone = 9485 1997 By email = admin@waindividualisedservices.org.au View our website =www.waindividualisedservices.org.au Like us on Facebook - @WAIndividualisedServices Follow us on Twitter - @WAiSInc2011 Individuals and Families Legal and the technical aspects of employing staff, recruitment, team management and planning are the strongest areas of interest for individuals and families. With the growth in self-management the number of requests for workshops and one to one support keeps us very busy. The focus of first half of this year is on regional areas with the team conducting both workshops and individual sessions in Albany, Geraldton, Busselton, Esperance and Port Hedland. The WAiS ‘Engaging Your Own Supports’ workshops also continue to be popular and frequently requested in Perth metro. Requests for planning support continues and the WAiS team assists people with Personal Futures Planning and other person centred planning approaches in a range of situations. WAiS hosted the first drop in morning tea for families and individuals self-managing on the 1st March. The main topics for discussion included considerations to ensure legal employment of support workers at home and for overnight support, and how self-advocates who are self managing can approach rostering creatively to maximum value from their support hours in ways which balance safety and quality of life. The next session will be on Wednesday 5 April at 10am at the WAiS office in West Perth. Come along and bring any questions you have about individualised services. Hope to see you there! Want to know more about Individualised Services? Come to our monthly drop in sessions. If you are a family or individual member of WAiS, you are invited to come along for an informal chat with individualised services advisors Bron and Jaquie. We’ll be offering monthly drop in sessions in 2017 where you can bring in your questions about any aspect of individualised services. So, if you are new to WAiS and curious about how we can help you, or have been a member for a while and would like to spend some time talking through any challenges you have, drop in at WAiS on any of the dates below: Wednesday 5th April = 10am – 12pm Wednesday 3rd May = 10am – 12pm We’ll be waiting to make you a cuppa and have a chat! Mythbusters Project Hi everyone! Just an update on the Mythbusters project. The first phase of this project which consists of interviewing individuals about their experiences is coming to an end. The next step of the project will be focused on building up on the content we have received so far, and development of the resource. Watch this space! Ben Keely Member Meetings Please join us for our WAiS Member Meetings, held March, June, September, and December. Please check our website for times/dates. Member meetings provide an opportunity for members to connect, share and learn. Please RSVP through Eventbrite for catering purposes. http://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/was-individualised-services-7277295963. Self Managers Group Welcome Marguerite “Maggie” Visser Hi everyone, Thanks for welcoming me to WAiS! A little bit about me …I was born in South Africa. I have a teaching background and my husband and I moved to England where we lived for a few years before immigrating to WA in 2003. We have four children and my son has Autism and is uniquely verbal. I also have a sister with an intellectual disability. Our family has been part of the Developmental Disability WA (DDWA) Side by Side project and have exited from the positive behaviour support programme. In 2015 I was an auditor for the complex communication needs course at ECU. I work part time as an individual advocate for People with Disabilities WA and part time for WA’s Individualised Services as an Individualised Services Advisor. I feel honored to be working in the disability sector as I am passionate about supporting people. It is a pleasure to be working within a community organisation that is focused on positive outcomes for people with disabilities and their families. I look forward to meeting you! Self Managers Group Our group has started meeting again for 2017! It’s lovely to see everyone again. Our first meeting had Samantha Jenkinson speak with us about the NDIS and WANDIS. It was a fun and informative meeting. We are hoping to meet every month to share our experiences and increase our awareness around the new system, how we manage and help each other succeed in living a happy, autonomous life. This group is a safe, inclusive space to learn and share. We meet once a month on a Wednesday. Anyone with a disability who wants to or does currently self-manage their funding is most welcome to join us. Please contact Liz for more information. E:l.dutton@waindividualisedservices.org.au Legal and Technical Information WAiS Engaging Your Own Supports legal information booklet continues to be in high demand. It is being sought by people and families, service providers and Local Coordinators. Many Local Coordinators are providing the resource to people they support who are choosing self-management. WAiS has finalised advice from KPMG on the use of the Statement by Supplier form for contractors. We are currently extracting the most pertinent pieces of advice for members’ reference. We also continue to retain the legal services of Capital Legal for industrial relations matters and people who directly engage their own workers. WAiS is happy to refer any person or family member who has an industrial relations related concern, please contact Su-Hsien Lee. Su-Hsien Lee Director, Policy Reform & Engagement E: s.lee@waindividualisedservices.org.au Having a Say Conference The Having a Say conference is the largest conference for people with disabilities within Australia where people can find their voice, to speak up, to be heard and to be respected. This is a conference where people listen to each other, not just to the speakers on stage. Some of our WAiS team, along with supporters, went to Geelong to participate and present at the annual conference. Valid, the hosting organisation, has an enviable culture of connection with, and contribution from people with disability.  People with disability are in every conference role imaginable.  The conference offers a range of fun experiences for people to try, alongside formal, accessible conference presentations. Liz and Ben were fitting contributors on the conference theme – ‘Lead Your Life’ and their presentations were well received!  We also heard from families about their experience of assisting setting up a home for their adult children in the context of an NDIS plan and we gathered resources and connections for developing WAiS Easy English documentation, along with lots of other learning. Upcoming Events WANT TO KNOW MORE? Please check out our WAiS website for further details or contact events@waindividualisedservices.org.au