What is really good about Windarring
The Staff:
- are caring, approachable and responsive.
- always listen to me
- have an equal relationship with everyone
- are invested in ensuring that the service is always good
- are gold: empathy, sympathy and care
Windarring:
- is local, accessible and familiar
- enables clients to develop strong networks in the community
- provides the opportunity for the development of friendships
- projects an aura of safety, security and belonging
- supports clients to form friendships and enjoy activities with their peers
- establishes a routine for each clients
- provides the opportunity for clients to get to know many people in the community
- Provides support through each life stage
Windarring is our Community
Point of Difference
Windarring could strengthen its governance by implement a range of ways for clients, parents and families to have input into the Board. These include ensuring:
- the AGM is open and is a celebration
- there is broad representation from the community on the Board
- meetings are open occasionally
- meetings are rotated throughout the locations
- other mechanisms to feed into Board decisions including:
- Through Service Delivery subcommittee
- Parent Meetings at each site
- Parents sitting on the subcommittees
- Cultivation of input by children and grandchildren – youth involvement
Intake at Windarring
When the Intake experience at Windarring is magical:
- the process is adapted easily to meet our needs
- we felt comfortable to the environment
- information/induction kit for potential new clients
- there were no delays. We were straight on bus next day.
- the Staff were good
- the physical environment felt happy, active, welcoming, could see other clients enjoying themselves and engaged
- new parents are matched with existing parents early to talk through and service and support
- Parents come and spend time together like a Parent Contact Group
The Intake experience would be mediocre if:
- the planning process is complex and makes us feel blind (e.g. when we were straight from ISP to NDIS, making a plan was way more complex
- we don’t know if services are good or not
- there is no handbook to show: 1:1, group, other and services e.g. that Windarring understand that caring/developing people with intellectual disabilities is COMPLEX, not just about attendant care and that services foster decision making, sef care, acceptable behaviours, personal safety, problem solving.
- the client’s individual needs are not meet including the need for group interaction and development
The Intake experience would be misery if:
- there was insufficient information to access programs
- being unsure of services is scary
Services at Windarring
The service experience at Windarring is magical when:
- phone photos of participants achieving goals are sent to parents by staff
- holidays and weekend activities are included e.g football
- activities are age appropriate
- clients are with their friends doing what other people do
- staff who do something innovative and exceed expectations especially in 1:1 opportunities
- staff use phone photos and SMS to ensure communication
- staff demonstrate sensible flexibility
- staff communicate with other services to make things happen
- trust is built up
- services are energetic and personalised
- staff are engaged
- service is secure
- clients feel supported and acknowledged
- activities include initiatives such as daily diary, silent morning tea
- staff have the opportunity to grow and learn
- change is budgeted for, transparent, shared, supported, participatory, reviewed, measured.
- families are included in service planning
- there are photos of staff
- general observations are treated seriously
- evidence of diverse participation by parents/families/communities
- volunteers are engaged
The service experience at Windarring would be mediocre when:
- staff training in general is needed
- service doesn’t take account of 1:1 supports adequately
- communication is haphazard between service and clients
- there isn’t good guidance from the top
- staff always look like they may burn out
- progress isn’t systematically documented – formal, informed, history, tracked regularly, discussed amongst staff
The service experience at Windarring would be misery when:
- terminology about clients is not age appropriate e.g. children
- communication skills of staff don’t meet the needs of clients e.g. sign language
- staff are not trained
- dominant participants are allowed to bully more vulnerable participant
- ignorance of individual needs/situation – causing further misery
- change is imposed, not explained or understood.
Plan review
The Plan Review at Windarring is magical when:
- a pre-plan is done with information on the likely costs for the next plan
- the parents are supported to translate their needs into NDIS language
- Windarring staff come equipped with new ideas, new goals e.g. weekend activity
- the expertise of Windarring staff is utilised
- bring strong information to the planning meeting
- bring an advocate to plan review
- good supporting information and care notes are provided
- reports are reviewed
- there are regular (monthly) statements
- there are 3 monthly reviews of plan
- support Worker has knowledge of the client needs and this is transmitted to other carers and families
- client profile outlines needs, abilities, medical, interests
The Plan Review at Windarring is misery when:
- quarantined money is not spent is then removed by the next review
- keeping track of discrepancies is almost impossible
- the service is not responsive to individual needs
- the advice and service mentoring is inconsistent
- NDIA Plan written in a demeaning way
- incorrect or inaccurate invoices don’t help with preparation for the reviews
