Empowered Community Services in Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia | Community organisation

Empowered Community Services

Locality: Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 4054 9286

Address: Suite 102, 286 Main Road 2285 Cardiff, NSW, Australia

Website: https://www.empoweredcommunityservices.com/

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25.01.2022 Trivia Night This one's for the trivia buffs and beginners alike. Join us for a night of fun with a multi-round trivia night - Name That Tune, True or False and more! There's something for everyone and dinner included. The night will be hosted by a support worker in our Cardiff group space Direct message or email [email protected] to express your interest and put your knowledge to the test!

25.01.2022 We would like to announce that Empowered Community Services was named a winner at the Hunter Business Chamber Awards, under the category of 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year'. We would like to thank all of our amazing staff who without their contribution and hard work, none of this would be possible. We are truly lucky to work alongside such a passionate and hardworking team of individuals!

25.01.2022 Merry Christmas to you all! Wishing you all the joys of the season and happiness throughout the coming year

25.01.2022 Participation Award Over the last few months Adam has shown amazing improvements towards his communication and daily living skills. Adam has been engaging in regular exercise and clean eating with his workers which has given him a confidence boost allowing him to better communicate and push himself to try new activities and meet new people! Keep up the good work Adam!

25.01.2022 Leading up to Christmas the sewing group will have their stand out the front the activity space each Friday from 9:00am - 2:00pm. With Christmas coming soon they have some great gift ideas! If you’re interested you can check the space out located at Cardiff next to Woolworths

24.01.2022 Good News Story Today we are shining a light on Empowered’s very first participant Darren. A huge congratulations to Darren on the completion of his Certificate II in Information, Digital Media and Technology and Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking Darren celebrated on support with a tasty burger before framing up his certificates which will take pride of place ... Darren’s plans for the future include more study to complete a Certificate III and Diploma for a successful career in IT. We have no doubt you will continue to achieve great things Darren. Well done

24.01.2022 On Friday, Hollie took advantage of the cooler weather and ventured out to GlenRock walking track. After Hollies big walk she treated her self to a ice chocolate and a muffin No better way to start off the weekend

24.01.2022 Happy Father’s Day to all of our wonderful stakeholders! We hope you all have a very special day

23.01.2022 The office ‘chill zone’ has recently been updated with a photo wall thanks to Marissa and Lauren Can you recognise any familiar faces in the photos?

23.01.2022 We are 1 week away from our R U OK Day BBQ! Have you RSVP'd? If not, head to the event page below and click 'going' or send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you there

23.01.2022 Happy Friday! A little bit of a summary of our week so far. We are are proud to announce that we have been nominated as a finalist in the Hunter Business Awards for 2020. Winners are announced on the 20th of November! Good luck to all the nominees! ... A warm welcome to all of our new Support Workers who completed their induction this week, we are thrilled to have you on board Looking to join our team? We are still hiring Support Workers, head to our website for more information on how you can apply. https://empoweredcommunityservices.com/careers-at-empowered/ We will be holding a BBQ to celebrate Naidoc week on the 11th of November at 11:00am. The event will also include Traditional Games, Dancing and a Smoke Ceremony. To book please send through an email to [email protected] We hope that you can join us! Movember begins on Sunday! Our HR Manager Mark is participating by growing a ‘mo’ to raise awareness men's health. If you wish to donate towards Mark's Movember fundraiser head to https://movember.com/m/14306214?mc=1

23.01.2022 Thursday's Social Group has been making the most of the pristine weather conditions exploring the beautiful Caves Beach area! On their walk they came across an echidna who was busy eating but didn't mind an audience After their walk they enjoyed a bbq lunch using the new facilities next to the caves beach club house Looked like a fantastic day!

22.01.2022 We are absolutely stoked to receive the artwork for our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) from the talented Jasmine Craciun. It was great to spend some time with Jasmine to go through our RAP and the reasons that led us to embark on our RAP journey. During our initial meeting, we spoke about the stigma of mental health and disability, as well as the barriers to accessing supports in the indigenous community. From our initial meeting, Jasmine was able to create this amazing... piece that reflected our organisation, the people we support as well as the goals we are aiming to achieve with our very first RAP. In the coming weeks, we are looking to finalise our RAP and submit it to Reconciliation Australia before putting the plan into action and strengthening relationships between our organisation and the indigenous community.

21.01.2022 We held our first face to face inductions in our new training room last week! Big welcome to all of our new staff, we’re looking forward to having you all as a part of the Empowered Team

21.01.2022 What an amazing idea! Love you work Clear Sky Australia!

21.01.2022 We will be holding a BBQ at Blackbutt Reserve on the 11th of November to celebrate NAIDOC week. As a part of the event, there will be Traditional Games, Aboriginal Dancing and a Smoke Ceremony. The event will start at 11:30am. ... Due to COVID restrictions, we ask that everyone please register their interest by sending through an email to [email protected] We encourage all of our staff and participants to get involved!

21.01.2022 Do you enjoy Grill'd? We’ve been selected to participate in Local Matters at Grill’d Kotara this September! Local Matters is the Grill’d community donation program that sees each Grill’d restaurant donate $500 back into the community every month. The donation is split between 3 local community groups $300 / $100 / $100.... HOW YOU CAN HELP? We’d love your support in receiving the highest $300 donation! Simply head to Grill’d Kotara during September for a burger and pop your Local Matters token in our jar. The group with the most tokens at the end of the month receives the largest donation. It’s a simple (and delicious) way to show your support! You’ll find us on a jar at Grill’d Kotara, Westfield Kotara Shop 3010 Corner Northcott Drive and Park Ave

20.01.2022 Mitch and Ash took a journey back in time last week, visiting the historic town of Morpeth! They had a great day exploring and taking in all the sights, looks like a great day out

19.01.2022 We hope you had an amazing 2020! We sure did, thanks to all of your support over the past year. Here’s to an equally great 2021! Happy New Year

19.01.2022 Looking fab girls We hope you enjoy the race!

19.01.2022 Aggie enjoyed her first holiday with Empowered over the weekend! Aggie enjoyed the great food and beautiful environment that Nelsons bay had to offer. Aggie has a fear of sharks, but overcome this somewhat by buying a shark necklace that she has not taken off since her visit. And of course no Nelsons Bay trip is complete without a visit to Oakvale Farm where Aggie was able to feed the animals

19.01.2022 For a lot of the people the wording on the NDIS participant portal can be very confusing when it comes to figuring out budgets Sam from the Growing Space gives us her honest opinion on the portal as well as a great breakdown of the My Support Budget Page. If you’ve ever had issues understanding the breakdowns on the portal then this one is for you

18.01.2022 Weekly Wrap Up Yesterday we held our first monthly BBQ in order to raise awareness for R U OK Day, thank you to all who attended. Our next BBQ will be the 13th of October! We will confirm time and location closer to the date. Our activities brochure was released this week! This is available as a paper copy in the office and will be available on our website shortly ... We are finalising details for our new groups: 1. Womens fitness 2. Karaoke Group If you would like to join either of these please don't hesitate to contact us! Have a wonderful weekend!

18.01.2022 R U Okay? Thank you to everyone who came to our R U Okay day BBQ. Today is the day to raise awareness around asking the question ‘R U Okay?’. ... By asking the question we can have meaningful conversations about life’s up’s and downs. It’s important that we have these conversations to ensure that people feel supported, connected and encourage them to get help if needed.

17.01.2022 What’s your favourite thing to cook on the BBQ? The BBQ group is back in full swing, with some new members Looks like you guys cooked up a storm

17.01.2022 Today is World Mental Health Day. Empowered continues to raise awareness around Mental Health through training, events and checking in on each other. By doing so we aim to reduce the negative stigma associated with mental health and give opportunity for our staff and participants to have the necessary support. ... 2020 has been a tough year for a lot of us. It is more important than ever to talk about mental health. So remember it’s okay not to be okay!

16.01.2022 NAIDOC week is a chance to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and achievements. For our very first NAIDOC event, we wanted our participants and staff to experience the culture of our First Nations People. Through dance, storytelling, traditional games and a smoke ceremony we had an eye-opening experience that everyone will be sure to remember. ... To all of our followers, we encourage you to learn more about the history of our First Nations People, whether that be through online research, visiting Indigenous sites or by watching a video on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History. Lastly, we would like to give a huge thank you to Tyrone Hall from Thikkabilla Vibrations, Ashley Gordon from Warruwi and Gerald Bradshaw from NSW Sport and Recreation. Always was, always will be.

16.01.2022 Introducing our new Support Worker Handbook. Our team have been working hard to redesign our in-house induction & training for Support Workers. We wanted the booklet to be easily accessible for our staff so we made a slimmed down A5 version that staff can keep on them at all times ... The Support Worker Handbook is designed to assist staff to transition to their role as a Support Worker. It’s filled with plenty of tips such as note writing, information on reportable incidents, dignity of risk, mental health hotline numbers and many other resources to assist them on their journey as a Support Worker at Empowered

15.01.2022 Natalie had a wonderful getaway over the weekend! Natalie enjoyed a beautiful day at The Entrance where she was able to indulge in some delicious fish n chips by the water followed by some Gelato! Yumm Day 2 consisted of a stroll around the Warners Bay waterfront with a break included for an ice coffee of course! ... We are glad that you had a great holiday and we look forward to planning the next one for you!

13.01.2022 NAIDOC week has begun. At Empowered we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. We pay our respects to all the Traditional Custodians and elders, past, present and emerging.

13.01.2022 David and Trent both had an awesome afternoon at Laser Tag! The boys loved visiting Maitland Jail, it was both a fun and educational activity! The afternoon involved a tour of the jail before being showed the rules of the game! ... David and Trent were able to play 4 different games of laser tag and make some new friends along the way! What better way to end the weekend than with a delicious pub feed where they conversed on what a great night they had. Thanks for an awesome afternoon boys!

13.01.2022 We are thrilled to be recognised as a finalist in this years Lake Macquarie Business Excellence Awards Winners will be announced this Friday Good luck to all the other finalists

13.01.2022 Looking for a career change? Empowered Community Services is looking for new recruits to join our team in 2021 as Holiday Support Workers! For more information or to apply, head to the link in the comments section below

13.01.2022 Happy Friday! Empowered would like to welcome our newest support coordinator Lucy Cheetham to the team! We are thrilled to have you on board As the new year is fastly approaching we are now looking into holiday destinations for 2021, if you would like to express your interest for a holiday next year contact us at [email protected] ... Please remember that our office will be closed from the 24th of December - 4th of January, if you have any questions or concerns for this period please call 4054 9286 Have a wonderful weekend!

13.01.2022 Over the last two weeks Mark and Jonathon have inducted 10 new Support Workers, as well as completing a refresher course for 18 of our current staff. Mark and Jonathon have completely redeveloped our induction and wanted all of our staff to have completed the updated training to ensure we’re all on the same page when it comes to supporting our participants Some of the topics we covered throughout our induction were; ... - The Social and Medical Model of Disability - The Evolution of Inclusion - NDIS Code of Conduct - Reportable Incidents - Dealing with a Mental Health Crisis What are some topics you think should be covered in an induction to the role of a Disability Support Worker?

12.01.2022 Just a friendly reminder that our office will be closed from today the 23rd of December 2020 and will not reopen until the 4th of January 2021. Our on-call team will still be providing rostering support during this period, you may contact them by phoning our office on 4054 9286. If you require urgent support during this period, please call 000.... For mental health support, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We’d like to thank all of our staff, participants, parents and stakeholders for an amazing year. Although 2020 was a tricky year, there were still many bright moments. Finally, Merry Christmas from the whole Empowered Team. We can’t wait to see everyone in the New Year, and we hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday!

11.01.2022 Have you seen our new weekend activities brochure? With lots of new activities and new ideas, including a Cultural Immersion and a Picasso Picnic! ... To download the brochure head to https://buff.ly/3k6HfbI If you're interested in joining in on the fun send through an email to [email protected]

11.01.2022 We are still taking expressions of interest for our Thursday Fitness Group! The fitness group will include a range of activities including: - Zumba - Bush walks... - Yoga - Swimming And much more! If you would like enquiry please contact us at [email protected]

11.01.2022 Weekly Wrap Up We would like to welcome all new staff members and participants who have joined our team this week! We are thrilled to have you on board Our fitness group commenced this week which saw the girls go on a lovely walk to ease into their first week, our fitness group will be alternating activities such as zumba, yoga, walking and swimming each week If you'd like to get involved please contact us ... The Activity Space is open for all participants to access on supports, there are a range of activities available in the space such as arts/crafts, board games, nintendo switch and more! Bookings for the Activity Space can be made via the office Don't forget that tickets are NOW AVAILABLE for our Grill'd Trivia Night! Once again another big well done to Adam Davis who received our participation award earlier this week! Have a safe weekend everyone

10.01.2022 Support Worker Spotlight My name is Rosie and I’ve been working for empowered for just under two months now. I’m a third year psychology student and I really love working with a wide variety of people. I have experience working with students who are on the spectrum and are studying at the University of Newcastle, and I have found this role very rewarding. I have a strong passion for music and creativity. I’ve been playing violin for over 17 years, I enjoy singing, and I... love playing Irish music with my mates. I also love having an active lifestyle, and love participating in team sports. My favourite thing about being a support worker is being involved in another persons journey of growth and development. It’s an incredible feeling to know you’re supporting others to achieve their goals, and I believe that I have so much to learn from the all the awesome people I work with! Fun fact about me: I’m ambidextrous, meaning I don’t have a dominant hand to carry out tasks!

10.01.2022 R U OK DAY Today is the day where we encourage everyone to ask the question "Are you OK?", this question can change the direction of an individuals life dramatically. The focus for R U OK Day 2020 is not only to raise awareness to ask the question but what to say after you ask:... 1. Ask 2. Listen 3. Encourage Action 4. Check-in When you notice a change, no matter how small trust the signs, trust your gut and ask R U OK? PSA: Our BBQ at Wilkinson Park, Cardiff will be going ahead today as planned commencing at 11:30am. If you have not already please make sure you RSVP so we are able to provide enough food. We can't wait to see you all there to raise awareness for mental health

09.01.2022 We're looking forward to Avenue coming to Newcastle in 2021. Avenue is a day program alternative where people of all abilities are supported to complete work tasks, socialise and develop their individual skills. Watch this short video to learn about Avenue’s approach to redesigning work for people with disability.

09.01.2022 Who likes Burgers? Our Thursday group last week had lunch out at Grill'd Kotara where they indulged in some delicious burgers and fries. The group made the most of being able to chose Empowered's jar for their tokens, love the support guys! Grill'd Local Matters

08.01.2022 Meet Lily! Lily is a dedicated Disability Support Worker and School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) Coordinator. Lily has over three years industry experience and a passion for working with people. Lily is motivated, patient and ensures every participant receives the best quality support. Lily is also studying a Diploma of Community Services, enjoys travel and TikTok. As SLES Coordinator it’s Lily’s role to support people transitioning from school into the workforce. This ...includes building a variety of skills involving communication, resume building, work experience and more! Lily coordinates and provides all direct support for SLES participants. Lily prides herself in providing support that is tailored and relevant to the individual. Over the coming weeks we will be shining a light on all things SLES and taking expressions of interest from school leavers. Stay tuned or contact our office to hear more about our exciting SLES Program

08.01.2022 Weekly Wrap Up This week at Empowered we saw the completion of our new office space. If you are in the area feel free to pop in a check it out Big thank you to everyone who has assisted in our growth over the last few years. We can't wait to see what the future has in store for all of us! ... We would like to welcome Simone to the team - Simone will be joining us as the accounts manager! Please don't forget to RSVP for our R U OK Day BBQ which will be held next Thursday at Wilkinson Park, Cardiff at 11:30 am, we hope you can join us in raising awareness for Mental Health We hope you all have a wonderful weekend

08.01.2022 Last week we had the team at Next Gen Physio complete a ‘Physio to your desk’ session at the office today. We started with some massages (which the guys loved), shown different stretching techniques and finished with talking about the importance of getting up from your desk, moving around every 20 minutes and to keep moving for at least 2 minutes before sitting back down. Thanks again to Tommy and the team at Next Gen!

08.01.2022 Support Worker Spotlight Hi I’m Cara, I have recently started with Empowered after 5 months maternity leave ... I was previously an LAC with St Vincent de Paul for just over 3 years and have worked in the disability sector since 2010. I have a bachelor of social science, a Diploma in community services, a certificate III in Auslan as well as a certificate IV in Personal Training. My general interests include travel, keeping fit and singing! I also love a good coffee. Random fact about me, I’m in a rock band! I love working as a support worker because I’m passionate about equal opportunities for all and want to empower people with a disability to achieve anything their hearts desire!

08.01.2022 A huge congratulations to Alannah Black who has been promoted to the role of Support Coordination Manager Alannah will continue to manage her current participants whilst overseeing the coordination team. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment over the last few years

08.01.2022 A special sensory zone

06.01.2022 Some great scenes from our NAIDOC week BBQ to start your Monday! A huge thanks to our Support Worker Andz for putting these amazing scenes together! Always was, always will be.

06.01.2022 What should our next Empowered Theme be? So far we have seen: - Sporting - Disney/Superheros... - Music Post your vote in the comments below and watch this space for the announcement next week!

05.01.2022 Just a reminder to RSVP for our Christmas party tomorrow at Blackbutt reserve. The event starts at 11:00am. You can RSVP by email to [email protected] or by phoning the office on 40 549 286

05.01.2022 Want to keep up to date with our upcoming holidays and new activities? Head to our website and subscribe to our mailing list so you never miss a thing! https://empoweredcommunityservices.com/

05.01.2022 Support Worker Spotlight I'm Rhianna, I'm described as bubbly, friendly and always smiling I am new to the industry after almost 20 years working in hospitality and I'm loving my career change as I enjoy every part of being a support worker.... I have recently completed a Cert IV in Disability and am looking to study diplomas in both Mental Health and Community Services in the near future. I love the beach, bodyboarding with my kids as often as I can. I enjoy crocheting, making many beanies, headbands and mittens and I'm working on my first blanket! I love food and cooking up healthy dishes for my family and hosting dinner parties for my friends. I basically just love life and making other people smile which is why I think I was made to be a support worker.

04.01.2022 THE WET WEATHER IS HERE For all of our Support Workers out there, don’t forget you can access our activity space for a variety of different things at any time! Some of the things you can use the space for are; ... - Video games - Watch a movie - Board games - Arts & crafts If you would like to access the space, feel free to stop in the office and pick up the keys.

03.01.2022 Join us at the 'Christmas Lights Spectacular' at the Hunter Valley Gardens on Friday 4th December! This event will run from 5.30pm with pick up at a central meeting point to be confirmed. Drop off will be at 10.30pm. The cost of the event will be $30 entry plus expenses for dinner/drinks and any extra activities or purchases you would like to make. We hope to see you there!

03.01.2022 Happy Friday! A big congratulations to Alannah Black on being promoted to Support Coordination Manager! We have had a busy week this week with Annika our newest Support Coordinator starting with Empowered. Welcome to the team! ... Don’t forget we will be holding a BBQ at Blackbutt Reserve on the 11th of November to celebrate NAIDOC week. As a part of the event, there will be Traditional Games, Aboriginal Dancing and a Smoke Ceremony . The event will start at 11:30am. Due to COVID restrictions, we ask that everyone please register their interest by sending through an email to [email protected] We hope that everyone has a lovely weekend!

03.01.2022 Happy Friday! The first week of December has been a busy one. We are currently on the hunt for passionate individuals to join our team. We are seeking an experienced individual for the position of Rosters Coordinator as well as Holiday Support Workers! For more information and to view all of our availabilities follow the link in the comments ... Next Friday the 11th of December at 10:30 am we will be holding our Christmas BBQ at Blackbutt Reserve! All are welcome to the BBQ however we do ask that you RSVP to [email protected] Our office will be closing down from the 24th Dec - 4th Jan 2021, if you receive support from Empowered one of our team will be in contact shortly to discuss if supports will still be required during this time. For emergencies, we will have our on-call service which can be contacted by phoning the office on 4054 9286. We hope everyone has a great weekend.

02.01.2022 Grill'd Trivia Night! We are holding a trivia night at 6pm Monday 28th September, Grill'd Kotara! The trivia will be general knowledge with prizes to be won. Tickets are on sale via the office for $25.00 (cash or bank transfer available) until 5pm Wednesday 23rd September. The ticket includes a main meal and a soft drink. Any extras or additional drinks will be at your own cost. Get in quick as spots are limited due to restrictions.... Participants can contact the office to arrange transport and support on the night if needed. Participants, staff and the community are all welcome to join us!

01.01.2022 Happy Friday! A lot of things happening at Empowered this week! In case you missed it, we were announced as a finalist at the Lake Macquarie Business Excellence Awards! We’re looking forward to hearing the results which are being announced tonight via live stream. Best of luck to all the other finalists! ... We’d like to give a warm welcome to Kristy who joined the Empowered Team as Accounts Manager! Thrilled to have you on board. We’re glad to announce that our office expansion is completed. Ask Kristie for a tour next time you are in! Congratulations to Rourke and Taylor who were promoted to Team Leaders this week! Keep up the amazing work We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend.

01.01.2022 A big thank you to everyone who attended our Christmas BBQ today at Blackbutt! It was fantastic to see everyone coming together and getting into the Christmas spirit We hope you all have a wonderful weekend

01.01.2022 Weekly Wrap Up On Monday we had our catch up dinner to support Local Matters at Grill'd Kotara. Thanks to everyone who came and supported! This week we have been busy planning future holiday destinations and locking down plans for a trivia and fitness group! These will both be running weekly and spots are quickly filling up! If you would like to get involved in any of our groups or enquire about upcoming holidays contact the office via phone at (02) 40 549 286 or send an... email to [email protected] A big congratulations to one of our amazing participants - Narelle who passed her L's test, recently! This has been a massive achievement for Narelle and we can't wait to see you out on the road. Keep up the good work. Just a reminder our office will be closed Monday for the long weekend. We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing long weekend