To all our My Supports staff, clients, and friends,
Thank you all for your contributions to the success of My Supports as we work in the new world of the NDIS. We now operate in five Australian states (WA, SA, NSW, VIC & QLD) with some 800 clients and over 300 active staff. We operate with minimal bricks and mortar, which enables us to deliver localised value to our clients.
On the December 12, we received some excited news — WA will join the federal NDIS making all our states covered by the federal system now. Whilst each state may have slight differences within their bilateral agreements with the NDIA, we now have the same nationwide administration requirements as it relates to the participant and provider portals and participant plans.
The NDIS was planned to deliver new innovative supports for people with disability and we believe that we are working towards that outcome.
Our Neighbourhood Team concept is one aspect where we have a community-based coordinator supporting clients with both plan implementation and goal achievement. These same coordinators facilitate client choice and control as they help with all aspects of the clients NDIS plan including supports as required. Our Support Workers are our daily frontline representatives supporting our clients to achieve their goals. The matching of support workers to each client is critical to ensure this ongoing relationship is successful.
I often say that there is “security in routine for people with disability” (myself included), so sometimes we need support to try new things in a safe environment. Some aspects of our support help enable our clients;
share ordinary places with other people
make informed choices
develop new abilities
have respected and valued social roles
maintain existing and develop new relationships
This approach is part of the overall expectation to develop welcoming communities for everyone. This includes active participation in the broader community rather than segregation.
Rex, Terry, and I thank each of you for your contribution and hope you, your families and your clients all have a safe and cheerful Christmas break and holiday period. We welcome 2018 with expectations that the NDIS will grow and need to be supported with more robust training for our employees. We are working on currently working on these training opportunities. We are also excited to confirm that we have found our new CEO who will start on the 19th February 2018. More information soon.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2018.
