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iHELP & Therapy Support

Locality: Oakden

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25.01.2022 Plan Renewal, Rollover, or Extension ARGH!!!! What do they all mean? WORTH SAVING and SHARING: End of plan reviews 4 types and what you need to know when y...our plan is about to finish! Firstly, a plan rollover can mean *any* of the types on new plans I’ve explained below in this post, so we are just not gonna use that word (rollover) anymore, and instead we’ll use the more official NDIS terms for the different types. This post is about the options for when your plan dates are ending. This post does not cover when you ask for a review because you are unhappy with your fairly new plan (review of a reviewable decision) or when you are requesting a change of circumstances review. 1. Plan Auto-Extension A genuine plan extension is the default option and what happens when your plan is set to expire and no one at the NDIA or the LAC has done anything to get you a new plan. When you get a Plan Extension, it is usually automatic for one year (though it can sometimes be one month or anything in between). A plan extension does does give you a new plan, and in fact, the pdf plan you can download on the NDIS MyPlace portal doesn’t change one little bit. But, you’ll notice in the other parts of your portal, that the end date has changed, and a pro-rata amount of funding has been added. Plan extensions usually happen when there hasn’t been any other human intervention, or sometimes when a planner is working on your new plan but it’s not quite finished yet, so they add a month or two to your old plan to give them time to do their work. If you have a Plan Extension, the money left in your plan remains, and extra money is put in as pro rata. An example: If you have an old $12,000 plan which expires today, and you still have $2,000 left that you didn’t use: if your plan is extended by a year, there should now be a new plan end date of 14th August 2021, and there should be around $14,000 in that plan (and the start date won't change from your old plan!). And yes, you can still claim for stuff dated anytime between August 14 2019 and August 14 2021. (before you ask, I’m not you if the extra funds take into account the July price increases or not, sorry!) Often the Agency uses these Extension Plans as a stop-gap, until they get your new plan all sorted and approved. Under the NDIS Act (the law!) an NDIS plan never ends until it is replaced with a new one, or the participant exits the scheme, and that’s why we have Plan Auto-Extensions to be rid of those awful plan gaps we used to see, which were always against the law. Grrr... 2. Plan Renewal A Plan Renewal is when you get a whole new plan (usually one or two years long) which is basically a repeat of your current, about to expire old plan. This generally needs you, the participant, to approve it. This can be a great option for people who are happy with their old plan, and don’t want to be assed going through a full plan review. These Renewal Plans *are* a whole new plan, so *none* of the leftover funds from your old plan are available for supports and services dated during the new plan dates. The new plan usually starts when the old plan was set to end, but sometimes planners bring this forward a bit sooner, which can be frustrating if you’ve been saving your funds to get something at the end of your old plan. So if you’re talking to an LAC or planner and are keen for a Renewal Plan, make sure to ask them to wait until you’ve been able to purchase that larger end of plan thing. And if you’re not confident about them holding off, then jump in and get that service/support sorted as soon as you can! When this Renewal Plan starts, you will still be able to makes claims for things you bought during the dates of the old plan from the old plan (before the new plan start date) for up to 90 days on the portal (for self managers), and Plan Managers should be able to do the same. You should also get a whole new pdf plan to download in the NDIS MyPlace portal with a new start and new end date. 3. Light Touch Plan Renewal This one is pretty much the same as the full Renewal Plan (#2 above), except a planner or an LAC might have a chat with you, often on the phone or sometimes even via email, in what feels like a review-lite meeting. The planner or LAC will just check in if there are any relatively easy changes that need to be made. You might find that your plan funds increase due to this chat, but you might also find you lose some funding an example might be someone who has already had SLES funding for two years, so it is left off of the Light Touch Plan Renewal. One typical change for a Light Touch Plan Renewal, is the recent change to where ADE (Supported Employment) funds go in your Plan: they are now put in your more flexible Core funds bucket, and are no longer put in your Capacity Building buckets. Another more obvious example is that equipment that you’ve already received during the current plan isn’t going to be repeated and funded again in the new Renewal Plan. 4. Full Plan Review This is the regular full plan review meeting on phone or in person where you go through *all* the stuff with an LAC, ECEI partner or planner, and they build you a whole new plan. For these reviews, you’ll generally want/need to provide therapist reports and other evidence of your support needs, your carer statement and all that stuff. Generally, young children will nearly always get a full plan review, and no Renewal Plan options, as little tackers’ needs are pretty changeable through early intervention. This also often applies where a participant has a plan the Agency thinks was well funded for a specific time-limited purpose (or therapy program, for example), and for folks in this boat, you’re also unlikely to be offered a Renewal Plan. So, how do you get the type of review you want? Have a think about which of the above options will work for you. Once you’ve decided, and you’re maybe two or so months out from the end of your current plan, call your local LAC, or call (1800 800 110) or email the NDIS on [email protected] and let them know what you’d like. There are no guarantees that you will get your choice, of course, but there’s probably no harm in giving it a crack. And don't forget, if your new Plan doesn't give you what you need, you can always ask for a Review of a Reviewable Decision (also known as a RORD or S100 Review) for all new Plan, except where there is an extension plan (in which case you could potentially ask for a Change of Circumstances review) Wishing you all the best! Sorry this is so messy, and long. This post is copyright of The Growing Space 2020, and we’re thrilled for you to share it, with credit and no edits, here on Facebook. if you want to share it anywhere else, we request that you ask us for permission. We really appreciate our work being shared, but we’re a bit fussy about it being reproduced in whole, so there aren’t any misunderstandings, which makes us cranky when it goes pear shaped. Thanks heaps. pic description: an image that puts the above information into a table

25.01.2022 Have you checked your MyPlace portal recently? You may notice that your funding amounts have changed (for the better!) but that the numbers dont seem to add up.... It might feel like youre in... the Twilight Zone... *do do do do* (creepy music) So, some stuff in your plan has probably gone up by about 2%, which is a standard CPI type increase the NDIS puts in every year. But your Core funds, if you have them, should have made a pretty significant jump up. Thats because the NDIS, have increased the maximum hourly 1:1 rate funding by a whole heap, including what they call TTP (Temporary Transformation Payment). These extra funds mean that the rate registered providers can charge (if its in your service agreement) is now about $53/hour for a weekday (thats a 4.5% increase to meet new Fair Work requirements and stuff) PLUS an extra 7.5% this financial year. Im not going to go into too much detail about why this huge jump, except to say that its to help providers transition their services to NDIS and that temporary payment will drop slightly each year going forward (lots are struggling with extra requirements, audits and changes to system which are all very expensive). So. All your Daily Living/Community Access funding that was left in your plan on July 1st should have gotten around a 12% bump up in your portal, and new plans will be funded at those rates too. Your consumables (continence etc) funding should be bumped up by 1.3% too. So, if you are Agency Managed, you should probably expect your providers will be asking for a new service agreement to get this higher funding. Thats probably reasonable. If your plan is Plan Managed, your Plan Manager is only allowed to pay that extra 7.5% to your core providers who are NDIS Registered Providers. Your local contractor dude operating solo who is not NDIS registered will only be able to be paid that first 4.5% increase, not the TTP 7.5% on top of that. If your plan Core supports are Self Managed your providers can bill whatever amount they like, as long as you agree. Everyone can expect that providers will be bumping up their prices. Check with your workers that they see some of that increase too! This post doesnt cover lots of other changes in the new Price Guide, but this one is probably the biggie for most of us. To find out more, go to the NDIS website and pop Price Guide in the search box. The Price Guide this year is split into two parts 1. The Price Guide which explains a bunch of stuff, and 2. The Price Catalogue which is a close to unreadable massive b^tch of a spreadsheet thing in tiny font with all the actual line items and prices broken down. All the best!! This post, as always, is copyright of The Growing Space, 2019, and youre welcome to share it with credit and no edits here on Facebook. If you want to use it elsewhere, please message and ask us first. Thank you! Pic desc: a black and white image from the 50s TV show The Twilight Zone featuring a swirled background, some wooden stick figure art models, the face of the male presenter in a black suit and tie with a white shirt looking serious, with a door in the background)

25.01.2022 NDIS Planning Meeting Checklist (please share!) What to Bring Printed copies of reports from therapists/doctors (single sided, not stapled to make it easier... for scanning) Quotes from providers for requested services Prescriptions and Quotes for your assistive technology requirements Support person - you are allowed to bring whoever you like, but It's often best not to bring a provider as they may have a conflict of interest (an exception might be an independent support coordinator if you have one). You could bring a friend or a family member, or an advocate if you choose your ECEI, LAC or Planner can help arrange this Printed document that contains: o About Me statement (this can be short doesnt affect funding) o Statement of Lived Experience (also known as an Impact Statement or Participant or Carer Statement) less than a page is best o List of your goals (seven or less is easiest for planners, but there is no legal limit) o A list of all your current supports medical professionals, disability supports and services, therapists, and community groups and activities o Calendar/Schedule something visual that shows at a glance how your typical week would look if you got the requested supports and services None of this work will guarantee you will get the supports and services you request, but in our experience the better prepared you are, and the better evidence you supply, the better the outcome. All the best! And huge thanks for our fabulous ILC Co-design team of disabled people and families who put this list together for the brilliant Blitzing Your Review Workshop they have developed. This post is copyright of The Growing Space 2020 and can be shared here on Facebook with full credit and no edits. If you wish to share it elsewhere, please ask us first! pic desc: a photograph of a lightning storm with a purple filter as a background to The Growing Space logo, "Blitzing your NDIS review" and "Presented by The Growing Space" in white writing in the foreground.

25.01.2022 https://www.palacecinemas.com.au//2040-opening-weekend-of/

23.01.2022 This is a great achievement. Increasing fitness with sit to stand cycling, like a pro!

23.01.2022 Several situations have happened around the world where a family has been removed from the an airplane because their child who is on the autism spectrum had a m...eltdown due to inconveniences that could have been prevented. Travel can be stressful for anyone let alone a child on the autism spectrum, and for Salama and I this has always been a concern for us and something we try to our best to prepare for. What we have learned through this video is that there is a "Special Service Code" DPNA which stands for "Disabled Passenger with intellectual or developmental disability needing assistance". Travellers can use this code with the travel agent or airline when booking a flight which will then allow them to list the support they need such as boarding the flight early, getting a hot meal upon boarding, or ensuring that you are all sitting together, essentially anything that can be done to make the travel experience as soon as possible. The problem here is that Airlines and Airports are not required to cater to the requirements when you use a DPNA code, more importantly many passengers around the world don't even know it exists. That is why it is so important to raise awareness for the DPNA code, to push our airlines and our airports to acknowledge the code and ensure that travel is inclusive no matter what your needs are, so that we can all experience travelling this world with safety and dignity. Much love and God bless. Thank you Travelport and Etihad Airways for raising awarness about the DPNA code and making this video possible, and for all the work you are doing to make global travel inclusive and safe for everyone. #TravelUnified For anyone looking to learn more about the important work Travelport, a system for airlines to book flights, are doing you can check here: www.travelport.com/travelunified Instagram: @khalidalameri Group: Khalid's World Group Content Ninjas: Adnan | Liz O'Byrne Nabulsi Music: Epidemic Sound

21.01.2022 Total inspiration! @daniele_montes #fitnessmotivation #gymmotivation

21.01.2022 Lindsay was born without limbs, but that's not stopped her becoming a weightlifter

20.01.2022 Information on ARFID behaviors, causes and treatment. (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

20.01.2022 Well worth a listen! This is a very informative conversation with Sam Paior from The Growing Space about the ndis and self managing your funds.

19.01.2022 A must watch!! Absolutely beautiful

17.01.2022 Introducing our beautiful Phoebe. Phoebe is a 1 year old purebred Labrador who recently look part in our extensive 5-week board and train package at Take the L...ead. We trained her to assist with an autistic child and has a good foundation of obedience training. Unfortunately, for reasons we cannot explain due to privacy of the family, Phoebe is no longer required to perform her assistance dog role. It was a very heart breaking decision for the family, but it is in the best interests of Phoebe. Therefore, Phoebe will be on the hunt for a new home. We are still deciding on what home is best for her and we may try and place her within an organisation but nothing is set in stone as yet. Phoebe loves other dogs and gets on so well with respectful children. She is best suited in a home without cats. We will accept expressions of interest for Phoebe via our website in the form of an adoption application but please be aware that the adoption process will take slightly longer so please be patient.

17.01.2022 Hundreds of people visited our rapid interim housing prototype when it was launched. Take a video tour of this accessible unit that aims to provide temporary housing for someone who would otherwise be stuck in hospital, rehab or an aged care facility.

17.01.2022 These revolutionary wheelchairs are changing people's lives.

17.01.2022 Can highly recommend this service provider

16.01.2022 Here it is, we're not starting rumours!: an NDIS manager (Matthew Bulger, speaking at the top left) confirming that technology such as tablets and iPads to acce...ss Telehealth can be funded under NDIs Assistive Tech under $1500 in the consumables/core budget. 52 min mark. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/record/646783722932662278

16.01.2022 Affordable, easy, healthy meal plan and dietitian coaching services for NDIS participants. Benefit from: Nutritious meals for only $2 NDIS co-pay/meal NDIS funded dietitian programs for sustainable health Custom meal plans tailored to your health needs

12.01.2022 Some Self Management Myths and Truths Myth: Im self managed, and I cant buy things or workers and pay above the price guide. Truth: The Price Guide is handy t...o get an idea of what prices might be reasonable, but self managers are not bound to its caps for any self managed support categories in the plan. Myth: Self Management is hard and theres no help. Truth: Self Managers can use some of their funding to get help to learn to self manage and/or to have someone set up a system or spreadsheet, or even to pay for one of the apps that can track everything, like the Plan Tracker, Ability8 or Self Manager apps. Some states also have peer led support groups and there are quite a few very supportive Facebook groups focussed on Self Management. Myth: You have to use registered providers for Short Term accomodation (STA) and stay in centre based respite facilities even if your funds are Self Managed Truth: You can choose to prioritise your core funds for STA at a Caravan Park or commercially available accomodation, and pay for basic food and activity fees for that time away from your plan if STA ticks the boxes for YOU on the What Can I Buy? List from page 8 of the NDIS Guide to Self Management. Myth: You cant spend more than $100 per item on low risk Assistive Technology such as metal straws, time timers, noise cancelling headphones etc (if needed due to your disability) Truth: the $100 price is not a limit but rather a unit price and this will be made more clear in the next version of the NDIS Price Guide (which doesnt apply to self managers anyway!) This post is copyright of The Growing Space 2019. Youre welcome to share it, with credit and no edits here on Facebook, but if you want to use it elsewhere, please ask first. Thanks! Pic desc: a photo of two large green highway style signs with the top one stating Myth in white with a white arrow pointing left and the lower sign stating Truth with an arrow pointing right. The signs are on a background of blue sky with a few whispy white clouds.

10.01.2022 Factory seconds Weighted Blankets just $50 Dont miss this deal - we wont be able to get them again. Only available in Adelaide this weekend.... 80 Grove Ave, Marleston. Saturday and Sunday. 9:30am to 5:00pm.

09.01.2022 PT session at the school gym.

09.01.2022 To whom it may concern, I have been following the covid-19 development closely and I think the help and support the government is giving business and healthcare workers is to be commended, however, with all the help and support that is being given there is one area that is being disregarded, that is the disability sector. People who work in the disability sector are as much on the front line as those who work in aged care. They are dealing with vulnerable people who have a nu...mber of underlying condition. They are also, just like aged care staff, responsible for keeping these people safe and healthy. Therefore, to completely overlook them is like saying the service they provide to the community is not as important as others. These workers are also putting themselves at risk by going to work everyday. They are unable to self-isolate or work from home. Disability workers should be given the same treatment and respect as those in aged care. I hope that this is something you can look at rectifying. A supporter of frontline workers Please copy & paste to show your support

07.01.2022 Our Lollies and trainers are wonderfully diverse and just plain beautiful...

07.01.2022 My office today, with a beautiful view!

07.01.2022 Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison (ScoMo) Dear Mr. Morrison, I wanted to raise a specific concern that I have regarding the Federal... response to COVID-19 to date. I am concerned that decisions are being made and announced that will significantly reduce the support of people with disability, and create unemployment all at the same time. Id also like to provide a solution. May I start by saying thank you for the countless hours that I know you and your team are putting into leading the country right now. I am sure that it is near on impossible to be 100% across every issue at every given point in time. I wanted to highlight one area that has been overlooked while youre focussed on the others. As a cohort of individuals the disability sector is one of the most at risk in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, with a very high number of people who are vulnerable and immunosuppressed in its midst. They require support and care now more than ever. I appreciate that Stuart Robert MP announced some measures to support both National Disabilty Insurance Scheme recipients, and those who provide the supports. Here is where my concern begins. The measures in place to support recipients are welcomed, however there was a distinct lack of meaningful support for providers. The support offered was an advance or more suitably titled a loan with some stringent criteria: - Firstly: The loaned amount will be an amount equal to support provided across 3 months (traditionally months where recipients have higher levels of support available from immediate family and informal supports I.e. school holidays/Christmas time). As a result participants often require less support from providers in Dec/Jan/Feb. - Secondly: the loaned amount could only be claimed for services that had been invoiced on the provider portal (another hurdle, but this one I understand). - Thirdly (and this one really stings): providers can only receive the advance for AGENCY managed services provided. The reason this one hurts businesses is because the NDIA itself had a target of transferring a vast majority of services from being Agency Managed to either Self-Managed or Plan Managed by a nominal date. This is common industry knowledge. Stipulating this criteria when offering support in this way HALVES the amount that will be loaned (thats right, youll want the money back!) to providers, and does little to solve the cashflow issues that many providers are facing. For many providers this makes service delivery unviable. They wont survive in their current format. There will be three big losers from this: 1. NDIA participants/recipients!!!! With less providers able to keep the doors open at appropriate levels to provide what the NDIA and Commonwealth Government deems to be an Essential Service, the vulnerable disability community will be directly impacted! With reduced service provision, demand on the remaining providers may soar, and participants will find it difficult at least for the short term to access appropriate levels of care. The flow-on effect is the other concern in this case. With the resultant lack of appropriate support, hospitalisation of those living with disability may well increase. The issue here is that Australia needs to be keeping its vital hospitals beds free to tackle COVID-19! At roughly $1000 a day per person, public hospital beds may be a far more expensive option than supporting the disability sector, from both a mortality and a financial perspective. 2. The Service Providers! Allied Health Workers (Physiotherapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, OTs, Social Workers and others), Individualised Support Workers, Community Options Teams, and their back-of-house supports will either be stood down, take a massive pay cut, or lose hours. Being the humanitarians that they are, many will accept these worsened conditions for the benefit of their vulnerable clients, but many will lose their jobs all together! 3. The GOVERNMENT will be the real loser here! The NDIS operates through the Department of Human Services. So does Centrelink. By directly supporting vital (you deem them essential, remember!) Support Providers with ACTUAL funding support (not a loan!) you may ensure that workers in the disability sector stay in their jobs supporting those people with disabilities, instead of in the queues of Centrelink!!! You see, Mr. Morrison, either way you will end up paying to support the workers of the disability industry, BOTH of which are through the Department of Human Services budget. ONE of those ways keeps people living with disability appropriately supported AND keeps people in jobs. The other way, you get no product/service for your money. So what is a (and maybe not only) SOLUTION?: provide economic support for disability workers while they are STILL in their jobs. Base the stimulus on workforce size (per FTE if you will). Pay the money now so that they are able to continue providing support to the vulnerable, instead of when they are standing in the unemployment queue unable to help those who need it most. If you care about the economy the way that you say you do, please consider my plea to support the Disability Sector in a meaningful way at this especially vulnerable time. It will cost the DHS and your budget either way. Yours sincerely, Josh Pryor

07.01.2022 Adapting exercises to suit clients cababilities, every client has their own personal goals. Today Wayne is doing a sit to stand with a medicine ball to improve balance and strength. And he always plays his favourite music in the background.

07.01.2022 Accessible Accommodation - for all types of mobility challenges. Choose from a variety of accessible holiday accommodation from basic to complex disabled needs. Including helpful photos and frequently asked questions.

06.01.2022 These revolutionary wheelchairs are changing peoples lives.

06.01.2022 Lindsay was born without limbs, but thats not stopped her becoming a weightlifter

05.01.2022 NDIS Participant Transport Tips These tips are generally for people who are unable to independently and reliably catch public transport due to their disability.... At Plan Review time, when requesting funds to cover your transport needs, keep a log of your transport needs for a few months beforehand. Keep a record of every trip youve made - how many kms, and/or what the cost was if you used a taxi or ride share etc. Explain how your disability has meant you were unable to catch public transport, or ride a bike or walk to get around - some typical reasons might relate to intellectual disability, severe anxiety, behavioural support needs, your use of a bariatric wheelchair, fragile breathing tube requirements or any number of reasons. A general lack of public transport alone in your area is not likely to be considered a disability related reason to need transport funds, as that would probably be considered be an issue regardless of your disability. Bring the logs of trips to your planning meeting, along with a list of what your transport needs will likely be for the current year. You might have something like this: Friday night netball: x 48 weeks x $32 taxi return Work: 48 weeks x 5 days x $40 taxi return Doctors appt: 15 x $46 return Social activities: 40 x $40 return Holiday: 10 x $50 return (taxis in London if youre super lucky) Support worker takes me for a weekly shopping trip: 52 x 10km x $1/km = $520 Annual total = $xxxx You might want to add in the times that family and friends support you with transport at no cost to you if thats applicable too, to show youre only asking for what is actually needed. Then, if you want to, though not required, you could add all the list up, and figure out what all that would cost for those trips you would otherwise catch the bus for. You could then present it all in writing to your planner with a total $$ request, taking into account what you would spend if you werent disabled. This is not a requirement of the NDIS, and some will disagree with me, but I think its one way to show your planner that you really are only asking for your disability related needs to be covered. Please dont shoot the messenger here. I dont believe the NDIS transport policy is even close to sorted out or appropriate at this stage, and am simply sharing my tips on how I think is a good way to try to get your needs covered. Transport for regional and rural participants is another whole ball game, too. I wish the NDIS would get this stuff sorted and provide us with clear communications. If your transport funding needs exceed the standard $3500 level, I also suggest, that if you are plan managed, you ask to have the whole transport budget put in Core, and not paid directly to you. This ensures you can flexibly use other core funds for transport if needed. You will, however, need to weigh that up against your need to have cash available to pay taxis etc. its a crappy system and Im hopeful it will be fixed soon, but am not holding my breath. Please note, that I have not covered therapist travel or a support workers time to travel to you to start work or their time while transporting you in this post at all. Theyre another whole kettle of fish. This post is copyright of The Growing Space 2019. You are welcome to share it on Facebook with credit and no edits. If you want to share it elsewhere, please ask first. This post is not advice, but rather suggestions on how to make the most of your NDIS. Everyone is unique and has their own situation, so this wont apply perfectly to everyone, but may get you thinking about ways to get what you need. Good luck!! Picture description: a photograph of a yellow London access taxi with the side door open and the ramp out with a dude in a suit standing to the right.

04.01.2022 Wayne 58yr, was a bit unsteady on his feet in his home session and at risk of falling, so we altered his program to make it more safe for him. If you know of someone who is in the ndis scheme and will benefit from a supported exercise or aquatic program, please like and share. All enquiries welcome.

03.01.2022 What is this SIL thing? Huh?? Do you or someone you love live in a group home or 24/7 Supported Accomodation? Under the NDIS, people living in this kind of acco...modation almost always have whats called a SIL Quote, which stands for, weirdly, Supported Independent Living, but is actually really mostly about shared supports at home. This quote, from your in-home support worker provider, outlines exactly how many hours of support each person at what ratio, in the house needs and is what the NDIS uses to determine how much to pay your provider. Its a HUGE amount of work for a provider to put the SIL quote together. The SIL quote $$ request does not include your rent, or utilities or food etc. Thats all extra and comes from your own money. The SIL quote $$ amount does not show up in your NDIS plan, so most people would have no idea how much is being paid, or how many hours it is supposed to cover. So, the provider of you or someone you love, may be getting money to provide, say, as an example (and everyones will be different) an average 10 hours of 1:1 support and 50 hours of 1:3 support each week, plus overnights, but if you dont ask for a copy of the SIL quote, youll never know, and *some* providers might not be using the SIL properly (but please understand there needs to be some flex!). Its *really* important to know what is in your SIL quote, because if youre paying extra directly out of your NDIS plan Community Access money for a weekly trip to the supermarket, then chances are that your provider just might be double dipping because grocery shopping hours of support are usually included in the SIL quote. And please know that any hours of support in your NDIS plan outside of the SIL can be provided by other providers. You dont have to use your SIL provider to provide your out of home supports too. Having a mix of providers can be great, because they all keep a watchful eye on each other without any conflicts of interest, and it means you can look for and use workers that share your interests. Im not suggesting you demand to know about every single hour of support, as needs change and the SIL quote should be able to have some flex, but you really should find out what it does and doesnt include. When you ask your provider for a copy of the SIL quote, dont expect to get it all instantly - they are submitted to the NDIS in a bunch - covering all the people in one home, for example, so it can take a bit to remove identifying information of others from the roster, which should be part of the SIL Quote. The SIL quote should include stuff like whether you are covered for a sick day at home, supermarket and doctor trips, how much 1:1 time etc. Its an important document which is usually, unfortunately, prepared without any input from the person with disability or their family. Youll also want to carefully read your service agreement with your SIL provider, because if you want to go away on a holiday on your own, youll want to make sure the provider is willing to release some of their funded SIL hours to allow payment for supports while away from the house. Releasing 1:1 hours *shouldnt* be a problem, but where supports are 1:2 or 1:3 or whatever, it will cost the provider to release those hours as 1:1 hours for holiday supports, so make sure you know exactly what is and isnt covered. So. Moral of the story? Read and understand your Service Agreement and Schedule Of Support/roster, and ask for a copy of your SIL. And ask for it before every Plan Review so you know what extra supports you will need added in the plan. All the best! I will no doubt edit this post as comments come in, so stay tuned! This post is copyright of The Growing Space, 2019. You are welcome to share it on Facebook, with credit and no edits. If you want to share it elsewhere or publish it, youll need to ask permission. Thanks for respecting our work.

03.01.2022 Great effort and smashing goals in the aquatic session. Paddling independently on the noodle in the deep end and having a great time! Currently there is a spot available at the ARC in Campbelltown on Tuesday mornings at 10.30am. Call now: 0411 964 641... or email: [email protected] See more

03.01.2022 SA: FREE Workshop for participants and nominees On Tuesday morning next week (Dec 10th) at 10am, The Growing Space ILC team will be doing a trial run of their f...irst of their co-designed workshops - "Support Workers 101" It's a workshop designed to get you started with figuring out: > what you want from a support worker, > how to find them, > how to hire them, > and what to do if it all goes pear shaped. It is NOT a workshop that goes into great detail about direct employment (that's on our list and is coming early next year) We will be offering this 2.5 hours workshop *next year* at a cost of around $130 each (which will be able to be paid from any self or plan managed plan). The workshop designers and presenters are two disabled people and one family carer. THE CATCH: The catch is that this is our first run with a "public" audience, so while we're not charging you to come (and will will provide morning tea), we need some guinea pigs of sorts, and will be asking for an extra 20-30 minutes of your time at the end of the workshop for some really honest feedback on how we can make this better. So, the venue is not quite determined, but will likely be in the inner southern suburbs of Adelaide, SA. 10-1pm. I t will be an accessible venue - two of the presenters use wheelchairs. If you are keen to come along, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject header "Support Workers 101 Workshop" and we'll get back to you with details. Please, only email us if you're *very* confident you will come along. Many thanks! The development and co-design of this workshop is being funded by an NDIS ILC Grant from the Australian Government Thanks!!

02.01.2022 This woman with cerebral palsy just beat cancer and then became a CrossFit trainer proving your body is stronger than you may think https://cbsn.ws/2VCDVwc

01.01.2022 Support Co-ordination in a Pandemic a practical checklist for Support Coordinators: for providers (Please Share with your providers) Contact EVERY client (we'...re still working through) and help them assess their critical needs, supports and ability to manage if/when it all goes pear shaped. Here are the questions (reworded from our internal list slightly to take out my swearing and add a few things I missed) our team are talking to our clients about. 1. Do they know what this is all about have families/carers explained the current situation? Heres an easy English resource: https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au//Easy-English-Coronavir and a social story: https://carolgraysocialstories.com//Pandemics-and-the-Coro 2. Do they understand the risks for them (ie: are they at greater risk smoker, lung concerns, diabetes, immunosuppressed for example not an exhaustive list) point them to official information sources https://www.health.gov.au/ and the COVID hotline: 1800 020 080 3. Are they considering self-isolating and if so, what preparation has been done? 4. Do they have a week or two of essential supplies food, hygiene, cleaning 5. Do they have a month of prescription medication and over-the-counter medication (dont forget laxatives!) 6. Do they have enough consumables continence aids, wipes, catheters, feeling tube gear to last a month or so? 7. What are their CRITICAL (could die without) support needs, and do the providers of these supports have a plan in place to support them? 8. If they have significant critical support needs, is there a way a worker could move in a self-isolate with them? 9. Can their family/informal supports cover if support workers are no longer available what is the back-up plan if theyre not available? 10. What are their plans for support if/when day options/ADE/school closes, or if someone in their group home gets sick? 11. Have they considered having support workers doing as much work as possible outside with participants, keeping well apart if possible, and have they considered all the ways a support worker can help remotely to reduce risk (obviously this wont be possible for everyone!) 12. Do they have a cleaner and do they want to keep them on consider only allowing the cleaner to use the participants cloths, mop, duster and vacuum to reduce the chances of spread. 13. Handwashing do they understand the protocol, and are they confident to demand this of workers if self employing or contracting, do they know about the free training on offer - https://covid-19training.com.au/login.php and https://training.disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au//infe and, could they put up a poster https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au/a-sign-for-your-door-or/, and set up a handwashing station outside to use before anyone even enters the house? (no-one should share the handtowels which should be washed daily in 60deg water, or they could use paper towels potentially) 14. NDIS do they know about the changes ability to rollover plans etc? Make sure you are well across the daily updates at https://www.ndis.gov.au//ndis-/ndis-and-disaster-response 15. Check in on their mental health this is a very stressful time for many ask how often theyd like you to check in, and potentially refer/suggest support from mental health professionals 16. Follow up with an email for those for whom it might be useful outline the stuff theyre already doing to prepare, they stuff you talked about that they could action, and the things youre going to do for them, as well as when you will contact them next (this email could likely work as your casenote). Please dont assume you know the answers to above without that direct conversation (where possible). I have been surprised by the gaps, and our support and ideas have been appreciated. At The Growing Space, we have worked to assign each participant a risk level (A-D) to help us know when things get really bad, who is most at risk, based on the answers to these questions it also means that if one of our team cant work, someone else should be able to quickly and easily pick up and follow up with those who need it the most. And dont forget what is *your* plan for maintaining your mental health, and what is *your* back-up plan if you cant look after your clients yourself? Support Coordinators are not medical or legal professionals, so dont cross those boundaries be aware of your limitations and refer out as needed. All the best during these tough times! There is a .pdf version of this for easier distribution at: thegrowingspace.com.au/sc-pandemic-checklist/ Copyright of The Growing Space 2020 please share, but with credit and no edits. And remember this is not medical or legal advice, and is very time sensitive things are changing very quickly seek professional advice if you need it! March 20, 2020 pic desc: an illustrated green virus icon with an open mouth and scared looking eyes.