37th Annual Report 2010/2011

Transcription

37th
Annual
Report
2010/2011
Gymea Community Aid & Information Service
39 Gymea Bay Road, Gymea NSW 2227
Phone: 9524 9559
Fax: 9524 1179
Web: www.gymeacommunityaid.org.au
Table of Contents
PAGE
Gymea Community Aid and Information Service
Mission Statement and Objectives
3
Organisation Structure
4
Volunteers’ Acknowledgement
5
President’s Report
6
Treasurer’s Report
7
Community Development Service Report
8
Settlement Services Report
12
Gymea Home and Community Care Service Reports
20
Audited Financial Report
28
Photographic Image of Gymea Lily by Narelle Munro
2
37th Annual Report 2010-2011
1.
Gymea Community Aid and Information Service
Mission Statement and Objectives
MISSION
Gymea Community Aid and Information Service reduces social isolation and
celebrates diversity.
OBJECTIVES
To provide an information, referral and advisory service to residents with the aim of
relieving the effects of alienation by identifying personal contacts, community
organisations and focal points of friendship within the Gymea and surrounding
districts.
To facilitate community development and the establishment of services to alleviate
hardship or need.
To provide a general community service accessible to all people within the Gymea
and surrounding districts.
To assist and relieve poverty, distress, suffering, destitution, misfortune, loneliness,
helplessness and personal need (as it is not for profit – charity role).
To give emergency aid and assistance to the residents of the Gymea district.
3
2. Gymea Community Aid and Information Service Inc.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AS AT SEPTEMBER 2011
Jan McCready (President), Russell Barnes(Vice President), Helen Rosner (Secretary), Ron Byrne
(Treasurer), David Pratt (Committee) , Hany Salib (Committee), Hatice Ozcan (Committee), Linda
Winnell (Committee)
HACC CO-ORDINATOR –
JANET BROWN
HACC ASSIST. CO-ORDINATOR –
MAUREEN CLARK
SETTLEMENT SERVICE CO-ORDINATOR
JENNY GREY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR
BARBARA BURRIDGE
ASSISTANT COMM. DEVELOMENT
CO-ORDINATOR - VERA AU
Multicultural Aged Day Care
Greek Group (Mary)
Chinese Group (Kerro)
Italian Group (Lorraine)
Multicultural Group
English – Beginners, Intermediate,
Conversational
Volunteer Co-ordinator – B. Bradley
Homework Club
Challenging Anxiety & Depression Group -
Arabic Women’s Group
Gymea Grandparents Group – Usha
(Trinidad)
Sutherland Shire Aged Day Care
Monday Morning Group
(Angela)
Monday & Wednesday
Group (Kylie & Carol)
-
Advocacy/Information/Counselling
Sutherland Shire Multicultural Network
Christine
Student placement
Multicultural Women’s Group
Indian Sub-continent Group
Mah-jong Club – Lina
Chinese Mothers Group
Seasons for Growth
Russian Activity Group
Computer Kiosk
Janet, Maureen
Wrap with Love
Maureen
Visually impaired Group
Kylie, Vera
High Needs Social Support Group
Spanish Latin Parents Group
Community information
Chinese High Needs Social Support
Group
Russian Group
Tax Help
Social support (Shopping/home
visiting)
Spanish Latin American Group
Room hire
Chronic Fatigue Group
Advocacy Information/ Referral
Diabetic needle services
4
3.
Thank you to our valued volunteers
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2010-2011
Kerry Little, Jan McCready, David Pratt , Helen Rosner, Natalie Hoyos,
Ron Byrne, Russell Barnes, Hany Salib, Hatize Ozcan , Linda Winnell.
SETTLEMENT SERVICES PROJECT
Alla Mayorchik
Cora Montoya
Judy Lumb
Alicia Herman
Elena Kravchenko
Karina Harley
Allyson Blake
Elena Nikiforova
Kathryn Watkins
Alma Martinez
Elizabeth Corben
Kendall Barrett
Alyce Taylor
Elyse Niall
Kerro Lam
Ana Garcia
Geoff Sutherland
Lawrence McCarthy
Andrea Rivas
Helen Rosner
Linda Oakey
Anni Linklater
Irina Bogoyavlenskaya Loga Rengasamudram
Arthur Watterson Jan Treharne
Lydia Clancy
Carolina Ferraro
Janet Stirling
Margaret Reid
Cheryl Spencer
Jess Miller
Maria Gallardo-Robertson
Christine Fagan
Joan Wyman
Mark Taylor
Claudi da Silva
Judy Cameron
Moaro Prado
Moramay Barrera
Natalie Hoyos
Ron Byrne
Sabrina Peralta
Sudha Natarajan
Sue Hall
Sushma Sachdev
Usha Patel
Vivien Krepp
Vuolit Girgis
Yulia Kuchina
Zoe Brown
HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE PROJECTS
Angela Kioutzis
Anne Silver
Ashley Wei Chen
Carol Ludington
Claire White
Coky Cruz
Danielle Purcell
Deanna Flemming
Cheng Chen
Cheryl Harte
Christine May
Dalen Periera
Gail Edwards
Barbara Bradley
Betty Lyon
Betzabe Perez
Faye Wherry
Helen Rosner
Annelise Alphonse
Debbie Sykes
Jamileh Fazeli
Dick Massaar
Janette Dunn
Elaine Grimley
Jennifer Henderson
Fikry Bassivoni
Johanna Massaar
Gillian Muslic
Karen Leegwater
Gillian Schuback
Keith Hutton
Hilda Muller
Lyn Kubbere
Jacky Shore
Maria Awad
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Dalen Periera
Fon Vei Lea
Gail Edwards
Huiqian Ying
Jenny Lu
Lena Liu
Rodney Butt
Samuel Yu
Stephaine Lawson
Susan Melbourne
OFFICE
Jean Burton
Joan Thompson
Joan Wyman
Joy Cook
Joy Salvetti
Kelly Macdonald
Judy O’Reilly
Karen Wheatley
Lena Lui
Luz Tan
Mark Tatnell
STUDENTS
Samuel Yu
TAX HELP
Pam Buckley
Riki Paul
Rosemary McKill
Ross Jones
Sue Sutherland
Teresa Paez
Valda Phillipson
Wee Lin Han
Thomas Reilly
Usha Patel
Yanzhen Cai
Youhan
Mark Mitchell
Michelle Lummow
Valerie Axtell
Norma Pereira
Pearlen Goh-Ngai
Tatyana Hayes
Alan Mckay
5
4.
President’s Report
I became president when Kerry Little unexpectedly had to resign earlier this year.
On behalf of the organisation I would like to thank her for her contribution and wish her all the
best.
Gymea Community Aid is an organisation that works from the heart. Those who are clients are
met in friendship by our volunteers and staff.
Our staff members work hard to obtain grant money from the various levels of government
and organisations that support us. This money allows our Centre to function and we thank
them all. I think our staff are wonderful, in addition we are fortunate to have many very
capable volunteers at the centre.
The volunteers integrate smoothly with our staff to provide an excellent service to the Shire.
They give with their hearts, hands, minds and voice, their time and energy and we very much
appreciate that. As volunteers our wonderful clients are our reward. Our staff and volunteers
are a formidable force for good and the Shire is blessed to have a Centre like ours.
I want to congratulate the many people from Sutherland Shire Council who have helped us
this year. My sincere thanks go to the Funding Bodies; State and Federal governments,
Tradies at Gymea and Caringbah, Gymea and Caringbah and Rotary and other organisations
who all support us. Their money, time and effort are not wasted on us. We are worthy of their
generosity and we are very, very grateful.
I thank you all and the many other people I haven't mentioned. Barbara Bradley in particular
put in many years of service as our volunteer co-ordinator and she left us this year to go on to
pursue other interests. We thank her for all the time and thought she put into this organisation.
Jan McCready
6
5.
Treasurer’s Report
Financial year 2010/11 resulted in an income increase of 8% over the previous year to
$531,348. Operating grants were up by 4% to $428,625 and in addition other grant moneys
from Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, as well as Community Relations
Commission provided an extra $12,527. Additional donations were also received from
Caringbah and Gymea Rotary Clubs for the Depression Support Group.
Total expenditure ($516,629) rose by 4% over the previous year and was principally made up
of wages, superannuation and employment on-costs which amounted to 67%.All other
expenditure was directed to operating the Centre facility and supporting administrative
functions.
As a result of the above, we were able to finish the year with our accumulated reserves in a
healthy position of $64,310.
All areas of the Centre and the projects within each area have been well run by the Coordinators exercising good financial control so that budgets were not exceeded. During the
year we also strengthened our diligence over cost and approval processes and I am pleased
to report the high level of acceptance of these additional financial disciplines. This will be
important for the coming year as like all organisations our costs will inevitably increase.
Budgets for the financial year 2011/12 have been prepared by our Co-ordinators and
presented to, and accepted by the Management Committee. This is the first time we have
undergone such a rigorous process and it demonstrated the high level of ownership and
commitment by all who are responsible for each area of budget expenditure.
In concluding this report I would like to thank everyone that has contributed to the day to day
running of the Centre, and in particular Vera who not only has been a great support to me as
Treasurer, but is indeed the administrative backbone of our organisation.
Ron Byrne
7
6.
Community Development Service
OUR MISSION -“To reduce social isolation and embrace diversity”
Gymea Community Aid and Information Service Inc is made up of a group of three Community
Services working together to fulfil our Mission Statement by providing a wide range of services
to the broad community of Sutherland Shire.
1. HACC – Home and Community Care, services for frail aged and younger people
with disabilities and their carers
2. Settlement Services- providing assistance to new migrants and humanitarian
entrants
3. Community Development - Creating projects to address need and to draw the
community together. This section is responsible for the running of the following groups:-
CHALLENGING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION GROUP
This support group continues to meet fortnightly on a Friday at 9.45am.
We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Rotary Club, Caringbah for funding
which enabled our Support Group to continue this year.
Also, we would like to thank the Rotary Club of Gymea who successfully applied on our behalf
to the IMB Community Foundation for a grant which will allow us to involve health
professionals to deliver more face to face counselling and workshops to our group next year.
Thank you Jackson’s Pharmacy who generously donated Christmas presents to us.
Our thanks also go to volunteer speakers, Neil McDonald, Claudia Silva, Michelle Brunton,
Gabrielle, Megan Taylor and Bianca Wong for providing seminars to us.
We have had 28 registered members this last financial year and a total of 195 attendees to
our group activities. During the group meeting our senior members share their experience
and offer support to new members.
Our workshops/seminars/activities this last financial year included Emotional Management,
Learning Coping Skills, Managing Anxiety, Self-Healing Exercises, Self-Challenging,
Understanding Our Thinking, Effective Communication, Dealing with Grief and Loss, Life Style
Balance, Forming Positive Relationship, Understanding medication, Self-Challenging and
Goal Setting, Christmas in July and Christmas lunch.
GRANDPARENTS PLAYGROUP
This social support group for grandparents babysitting their grandchildren continues to meet
on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10am -12noon. We are now in our third year and
it is a pleasure to watch the children playing together and the grandparents having the
opportunity to interact with each other in such pleasant surrounds. The activities include water
play, painting, play dough, singing and storytelling. This group has been financially supported
by Tradies Gymea and Playgroups NSW.
SEASONS FOR GROWTH
We provide group counselling sessions on Tuesday afternoons from 4-5pm for children 6-9
years who are having difficulty coping with family separation, grief and loss. We are now in our
second year. The counsellor has made significant change in the lives of these children and is
much appreciated and we thank her sincerely.
No referral is necessary to attend these sessions.
8
COMPUTER KIOSK
Our team of volunteer tutors has now been teaching computer basics to seniors for over a
year .In that time we have taught approximately 36 people a week, five days a week. Quite an
achievement, well done team! There is also a tremendous amount of organising that goes into
the roster to maintain these numbers and I thank our office volunteers for their input into this.
We will continue this service in partnership with Sutherland Council and the TAFE for the year
2011/12.
MAHJONG CLUB
We celebrated our 1st anniversary of the Mah-jong club on August 6th.The Mah-jong club runs
every Saturday from 11am -3pm at Tradies Caringbah RSL, 28-30 Banksia Road, Caringbah.
Approximately 28-32 people enjoy getting together to play this fascinating game and we are
now considering playing on a Wednesday evening as well. We have a project worker who is
responsible for this group and she has a team of 4 regular volunteers who assist her faithfully
every Saturday. I would like to thank them particularly as Mah-jong is a game with many rules
and their help is invaluable.
TAX HELP
We were again able to offer assistance with Income Tax Returns to people with low incomes
due to the voluntary work of Alan. Thank you Alan for the time you have given in this way.
VOLUNTEERS
Most Community Services have volunteers working for them and I am sure they would all say
that they couldn’t provide the services they do without the assistance of these wonderful
people. Here at Gymea Community Aid and Information service our 100 volunteers
approximately provide a total of 218hrs/week = 10,900 hrs /year!!!!!! What an amazing
contribution from the people in the Sutherland Shire to the people of the Sutherland Shire.
Our volunteers work in a variety of areas, ranging from office duties to teaching English,
Computers, helping in different centres with different groups and visiting people at home.
STUDENT PLACEMENT
Yolanda did her 120 hrs work placement for her Community Services Certificate, with us and
helped with a variety of projects.
Anna did a week placement with us for her Return to Work Certificate.
We have a year 10 high school student Sam came to complete his one week work experience,
however he decided to stay on as a volunteer helping us once a week to work in the IT area.
What a “gem”.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDING BODY, SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS - who make
these services to the Community possible.
SUPPORTERS/SPONSORS
Chamber of Commerce, Gymea
Volunteer Link
Caringbah Rotary
Playgroup NSW
Jacksons Pharmacy
Gymea Rotary
Gymea Tradies Club
FUNDING BODIES
Sutherland Council
Barbara Burridge
Community Development Coordinator
9
PHONE AND DESK ENQUIRIES – From 1.7.2010 – 30.6.2011
300
300
250
250
200
200
150
150
100
100
50
50
0
0
Community Development
Community Development
Frail Aged
Frail
Aged
Migrant
Migrant
Room Hire
Room
Hire
Volunteer
Volunteer
Gen info
Gen info
VISITORS SIGN IN SHEETS – FROM 1.7.2010 – 30.6.2011
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Comm Dev
Frail Aged
Migrant
Room Hire
Volunteer
Gen Info
WEBSITE USAGE STATISTICS FOR gymeacommunityaid.org.au
Month
Daily Avg
Hits
10
Monthly Totals
Files
Pages
Visits
Sites
KBytes
Visits
Pages
Files
Hits
Jun 2011
258
212
96
35
573
88478
1036
2787
6171
7495
May 2011
321
229
94
36
623
94681
1144
2932
7127
9953
Apr 2011
167
155
66
32
585
62450
972
2009
4673
5028
Mar 2011
368
271
113
38
714
126428
1179
3516
8407
11410
Feb 2011
300
213
94
46
688
81665
1304
2638
5974
8403
Jan 2011
218
179
96
45
644
72247
1399
2998
5568
6758
Dec 2010
261
204
121
37
551
66029
1151
3777
6332
8094
Nov 2010
334
228
95
47
744
87088
1429
2861
6860
10042
Oct 2010
295
199
92
36
625
91624
1135
2858
6192
9149
Sep 2010
303
226
95
47
640
96493
1424
2873
6801
9119
Aug 2010
296
242
113
53
744
85847
1667
3530
7524
9188
Jul 2010
270
225
110
54
625
86979
1687
3428
6987
8392
Totals
1040009
15527
36207
78616
103031
11
7.
Settlement Services Report
Funded under the Settlement Grants Program (SGP) of the Department of Immigration and
Citizenship, the SGP provides support and settlement assistance, to newly arrived migrants
and humanitarian entrants living in Sutherland Shire so that they become self reliant and
participate equitably in Australian society.
During 2010-11 GCAIS has continued as an effective service hub in providing settlement
casework, information, referral, support, community development and cultural transition to
SGP eligible clients. GCAIS has played a central role in a network of community, business
and government partnerships in the Sutherland area.
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT AND CASE WORK
In the past year the service provided over 364 casework services to individuals. This ranged
from complex case support on such issues as accommodation, family violence and mental
health, to short face to face client enquiries. Over 192 clients accessed the casework services
coming from such countries as China, Russian Federation, Egypt, Bosnia, Peru, Sudan and
Iraq. Casework often provides an entry point into the settlement support groups and other
programs provided by the service or results in a formal referral to a range of community
organisations and government agencies. Casework focuses on providing information,
knowledge and resources to enable clients to access services independently and to develop
self reliance. Outreach was also provided at Loftus TAFE for the English class students.
The project add values to clients through increasing their knowledge of services that are
available to them as they settle in Australia, thus increasing their capacity to access services
which can support them in their transition , e.g. emergency relief, family support, training ,
employment and language support. There is an improvement in health and wellbeing of
many clients through involvement in workshops e.g. yoga, relaxation, exercise, stress
management, parenting skills, also through referral to counselling services such as STARTTS,
DV services and financial counsellors.
Service
2010/2011
2009/2010
No. Casework Services
364
482
No. Clients Serviced
192
238
New Clients
121
135
Non casework Services
466
553
Information Sessions
64
54
Group Participants
1250
1239
Reception Inquiries
1007
997
Visitors
1394
1367
Table A. Client Services Provided
The four main issues for clients, as identified in Table B are accommodation, social
participation, language, employment and accommodation continues to be a main issue for
many clients as lack of affordable housing is experienced Sydney wide. New migrants are
disadvantaged in the highly competitive rent market with their lack of rental history and lower
levels of employment. The St George Sutherland Housing Group undertook research into
housing stress and are developing strategies for advocacy on this issue.
12
c
l
%
i
e
o
n
f
t
s
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Client Issues
Issues
Table B Casework Issues.
Settlement Support Groups
During 2010-11 GCAIS continued to assist communities with addressing identified settlement
needs through the provision of social support groups, English conversation classes,
information sessions and training workshops. Social and recreational activities aim to increase
social connectedness, identify needs and strengths and develop self reliance. For many
clients attending one of the social support settlement groups provides them not only with a
social network, but with knowledge and skills; e.g. parenting, health and nutrition, first aid and
consumer affairs. These groups reduce social isolation and enable clients to participate in
community life.
English Classes
The community English Language classes at GCAIS continue to attract new migrants with
over eighty students accessing the five classes. This year a conversation hour was piloted
during the summer holiday break and this was consistently used by 6-7 students. There are
six volunteer tutors who prepare weekly lessons and provide a stimulating and informative
environment. English classes are an entry point for many new clients into the service, who
may require additional settlement services and often join one of the social support groups or
training workshops. English language skills are essential for new arrivals to participate in the
economic, social and community life of Australia, providing access into education,
employment and community activities. This year the group combined with English classes
from Loftus TAFE for a Going Bush programme which included a cultural presentation on
aboriginal rock carvings and bush walk at Jibbon beach Bundeena.
Chinese Mothers Group
Although members change as children reach school age, this group continues to meet weekly
and attract new members. Group leader Kerro Lam keeps the group busy with activities and
social events with a varied program. This year the group undertook an eight week Triple P
parenting program facilitated by Kerro who is an accredited Triple P facilitator. Other activities
included yoga, children’s cooking, information on children’s services and environmental
awareness. The group functions as a support and friendship group for the parents and carers
and they actively celebrate cultural festivals such as Chinese New Year, Moon Festival,
Christmas, Easter and children’s birthdays.
13
Spanish Speaking & Latin American Groups
There are two groups for the Spanish speaking & Latin American community; the Timbiriche
Parents Group and Grupo Hispano-LatinoAmericano. Timbiriche continues to grow with over
30 families accessing the group at different times. The group meets twice a month and is
facilitated by volunteer group leaders. The original leaders Sabrina Peralta and Moramay
Barrera are now pursuing personal goals. Karina Harley and Maria Gallardo Robertson are
organising the group. The group has been very active this year, one of the activities was a
Triple P parenting program, which was a partnership with St George Migrant Resource Centre
and Sutherland Shire Family Services Other workshops have included story time and a “Mum
matters” series and stress and relaxation sessions. Gymea TAFE Outreach has also provided
two courses – a six week Nutrition course & First Aid, both extremely popular and attended by
15-20 participants
The Grupo Hispano-LatinoAmericano met during 2010 with regular social activities but went
into recess for the first half of 2011. It has had a revival with new leaders and is again
meeting twice per month to support newly arrived migrants as well as those who have been
here for many years and who often feel socially isolated and require cultural connections. It
provides a relaxing opportunity for people to speak Spanish, make new friends and enjoy a
few hours together, whether gaining new information, having a dance or merely having coffee.
Both groups function to increase social connectedness through development of social
networks thereby reducing social isolation as well as to maintain a connection to cultural
identity and language.
Russian Activity Groups
As the number of Russian speaking families settling into Sutherland Shire continues to grow,
so does the popularity of the Russian Activity Group which meets twice a month at the
Stapleton Community Centre in Sutherland. This group attracts family groups who want their
children to have an understanding of Russian culture and language. Elena Kravchenko one of
the group leaders involves the children in drama and musical activities.
Funding was received to develop a Healthy Ageing program for Russian speaking seniors,
who now meet twice monthly and participate in group outings and information sessions and
activities, for health and well being. The group was involved with the Going Bush program and
participated in guided tours of Sydney and Wollongong. Community engagement and
participation has also been fostered through involvement with broader community activities
such as International Women’s Day, Seniors Week, and Harmony Day activities,
An important aspect of work with these groups is capacity building and leadership
development and the groups have shown a readiness and commitment to work towards
organising themselves into an association. Future engagement with the Russian speaking
groups in 2012 will be targeted towards this goal.
Homework Club
The Homework Club continues to provide homework tutorial support for young students from a
refugee and migrant background. Sixteen students are tutored by eight volunteer tutors on a
weekly basis during school term and school holiday activities such as ice skating, cinema
visits and picnics are held to which parents attend. This year a bus has been used to pick up
and transport students home. This has proved very effective in ensuring consistent high
attendance numbers at the Club.
A Youth Leadership Camp held in partnership with St George Migrant Resource centre has
provided the opportunity for young people to gain leadership and team work skills in a fun
interactive environment over a weekend in the Summer school holidays. The camp also aims
to develop an ongoing supportive leadership network.
This year saw the piloting of Homework program at Menai High School with the support of
Shire Wide Youth Services and Menai High School. The program began in May and has six
volunteer tutors and up to ten students. Menai High has a large number of students from a
14
humanitarian background and increased participation in this project will be fostered during the
coming year. Funding has been received to support both these Homework Programs
Indian Sub Continent Seniors Group
Working with the Indian Sub Continent Seniors Group has been a continued success. This
group has been meeting together for three years and has secured several funding grants to
provide activities to its members. The Leave a Legacy Project - Write a letter to your
Grandchildren project is an intergenerational creative program, which involved over 10
families who contributed their stories and art work. The project was launched at Sutherland
Hospital in October 2010 and has been displayed widely across Sutherland & St George and
has featured in Diwali and Seniors Week events.
Another highlight for the group this year was the holding of a Diwali celebration (Festival of
Light) in Sutherland in Nov 2010. This was an opportunity to share the Indian culture with
others cultures, and over 100 people enjoyed traditional dance costumes and food. This group
continues to meet fortnightly and is taking part in the Linking CALD Communities through
Permaculture project, from the St George MRC. The group has visited Nan Tien Temple and
participated in local events such as Social Inclusion Day and International Women’s Day. The
two volunteer group leaders Loga Rengasamudram and Sushma Sachdev received the CALD
Active Senior’s award for 2011. This is a great testament to the commitment of these two
volunteers.
Advocacy on the needs of seniors from the Indian Sub Continent is an important element in
the collaboration with the Resourceful Australian Indian Network (RAIN), and GCAIS works
closely with the RAIN public officer Sudha Natarajan.
Other Projects
Harmony Day 2011
Harmony Day is a day where Australians can focus on and celebrate our cultural diversity. It
is also about community participation, inclusiveness and respect – celebrating the different
cultures that make Australia a great place to live.
Keeping with the theme of Harmony Day 2011, Everyone Belongs, our event focused on the
stories that have brought migrants to this land. Participants shared their stories of struggle and
settlement and enjoyed musical entertainment. It was an opportunity to celebrate what makes
each Australian unique and share what we have in common. The Gymea Tradies again
provided extra support on the day and local businesses supplied over 50 participants with a
Taste of Harmony lunch.
Refugee Week 2011
The theme for Refugee Week 2011 “Freedom from Fear.” formed the backdrop for the
Sudanese Oral History project – “Sudanese people in Sutherland Shire - a moving
community” , which was launched during this year’s Refugee Week celebration. Oral historian
Carol McKirdy worked with the local Sudanese community to document their settlement in
Sutherland Shire and provide insights into the circumstances which led them to call Australia
home. Interviews were recorded with local residents who assisted the refugees from Southern
Sudan to transition into the Australian society. The oral histories project not only records
community history in Australia but records for posterity recollections of life in Sudan, the Dinka
language, images and music.
The overwhelming evidence from the project is that not only has the Sutherland Shire
community worked tirelessly and consistently to support refugees who have made Sutherland
Shire their home; different parts of the community have worked together to achieve the best
possible outcome. Another prevailing theme is the willingness of Sudanese people to
15
participate and make a significant contribution to Australian society yet maintain their unique
cultural identity.
Over 60 people attended a launch at Sutherland Library. Sutherland Library also ran the
Australian Refugee Film Festival during Refugee Week. The oral histories will link to the
Sutherland TAFE oral history wiki website and be accessible and usable by students in
schools and TAFE. The Oral History project can be viewed on;
http://oralhistory.sydneyinstitute.wikispaces.net/Sudanese+people+in+the+Sutherland+Shire++a+moving+community%2C+oral+history+project
Multicultural Women’s Group
Focusing on Health and Wellbeing activities to increase social connectedness and develop
social networks this group has been involved in a diverse range of activities throughout the
year; silk flower making, Zumba classes, relaxation, yoga and mediation sessions, visiting Nan
Tien Temple and movie afternoons. Group participants are forming the basis for a research
project which is evaluating how participation in social support groups and activities can reduce
social isolation, increase social connections and improve feelings of well being Once again the
group supported the annual Knit In for Wrapped With love together with members from the
Seniors Activity group.
Volunteering and Mentoring Activities
GCAIS provides support and development for a large team of volunteers from a variety of
backgrounds that greatly furthers the scope and cost effectiveness of the SGP. Volunteers
work and provide support in many areas; English class and Homework club tutors, group
leaders, administrative support, bus driving and child care.
Training and support for volunteers is given a high priority at GCAIS. Volunteering provides an
excellent opportunity for new migrants to obtain work experience which assists with the
attainment of paid employment. Having GCAIS as a referee has enabled several SGP
volunteers to obtain employment. Mentoring is an important componentt of the support
provided to SGP volunteers. Group leaders of settlement support groups work closely with the
Migrant Services Coordinator and are encouraged to attend relevant trainings and meetings.
This has facilitated the development of some very successful settlement support groups with
skilled group leaders.
Inclusion and Participation
Networking and Advocacy
GCAIS has strong working relationships and has developed partnerships with many
organisations and government agencies across Sutherland and St George region. These
relationships are integral for a collaborative approach to advocate for needs of newly arrived
migrants and humanitarian entrants and to deliver effective services across the region that
meet emerging needs. This has included a strong working relationship with the AMEP
providers in the area, both TAFE and St George & Sutherland Community College, advocating
for needs of clients, as well as supporting the Multicultural Education Unit to continue to
deliver services and courses to the multicultural community.
Through these working relationships, the SGP project also provides opportunities for
information exchange and professional development, thus increasing their capacity to provide
culturally appropriate services and have up to date knowledge of referral pathways. Feedback
from organisations identifies that the information supplied through the email network is
valuable and informative, and assists in service delivery and professional development. A
working group of network email distributors is currently investigating a new e- newsletter
model to streamline the distribution of electronic information. This should come on line by
early 2012.
16
Working relationships also can involve: project partnerships, participation in networks and
advisory groups, working parties and committee membership. GCAIS is a member of KU
Inclusion Support Reference Advisory Group, the Diversity Health Committee of Sutherland
Hospital, participation in the St George Multicultural Network, Sutherland Interagency,
Sutherland Child and Family Interagency and the Settlement Services Providers Forum of
DIAC.
The Sutherland Shire Multicultural Network (SSMN)
GCAIS convenes the SSMN which represents the interest of CALD communities throughout
Sutherland Shire and is a network of non government and government agencies from across
the region. This network meets monthly with topical guest speakers, information exchange
and an advocacy agenda. An email information network maintained by GCIAS ensures that
promotional material information, research, training etc are circulated across a wide spectrum
of organisations. Issue areas at meetings during the course of the year have included Human
Trafficking and Slavery in Australia, Working with Muslim Arabic Elderly, CALD Carers, the
new Industrial Relations System and Fair Work Australia. Representations have been made
by members at the community consultations and cabinet that has been held by the State
Government.
Professional development opportunities have also been provided through partnership work
within the SSMN and a number of training sessions have been offered to workers, these
included Working Effectively with Refugee Survivors provided by STARRTS and
Understanding the Family Violence Provisions by the Immigrant Women’s Speakout. The
SSMN identified the need for social media training for workers which Sutherland Council has
agreed to provide.
The interests of CALD communities in Sutherland Shire, especially new migrants and
humanitarian entrants are advocated for at a regional, state and federal level through
participation in regular forums such as the Multicultural Advisory Committee, Community
Relations Commission Consultation with Settlement Services, Combined Migrant Interagency
and the DIAC Settlement Services Providers Forum.
Sutherland Cultural Awareness Day (SCALD)
Continuing to build on achievements and evaluations from previous years the 4th SCALD best
practice forum was held in collaboration with Sydney Institute Tafe and held at Loftus TAFE on
Nov 7th 2010. This forum attracted over 100 participants who attended 18 workshops. SCALD
is about providing targeted workshops to assist workers in culturally competent service
delivery. The success of this event has its basis in good partnership work between several
community organisations and Sutherland Shire Council. Workshops included resilience in
young children, refugee health, mental health, working with Muslim families and working with
CALD volunteers. SCALD provides a pivotal group learning opportunity for local service
providers to target their new arrival clients.
St George & Sutherland Employment Project
This project was concerned with improving employment outcomes for new migrants and
refugees. Employment has been identified as one of the priority issues from casework. A
working group was responsible for organising a forum which facilitated networking between
mainstream organisations to assist the target group with employment opportunities. An
employment expo was held in May 2010 attended by over 400 participants. A series of
employment related workshops were delivered throughout the region following the expo. Over
the year GCAIS hosted several workshops including, resume writing, returning to the
workforce and Industrial Relations.
17
Affordable Housing
GCAIS advocated for housing issues in collaboration with St George & Sutherland Housing
sub committees. This also included the gathering of evidence based data through a housing
snapshot survey for the region and is working towards improving the knowledge base on
housing policy and initiatives. This work is being continued by the South West Community
Development Organisation.
Challenges and Future Directions
Looking forward to strengthening relationships across the region to advocate on needs of new
arrivals especially at regional, state and national forums. Working with emerging communities
to provide relevant services and to further expand mentoring opportunities, that ensures
support in the development of their capacities to participate fully in Australian society.
As always funding constraints provide challenges, as GCAIS advocates for sustainable
multiyear funding for the Settlement Grants Project from DIAC. Changes to the Adult Migrant
English Program and reduction in pathways courses at TAFE have resulted in access and
equity issues for new migrants in the Sutherland Shire. GCAIS will continue to advocate for
their needs.
During 2011-12 GCAIS will strive to strengthen the quality of service to new migrants and
humanitarian arrivals and will seek out new initiatives to maintain GCAIS as the lead agency in
Sutherland Shire on multicultural and CALD issues.
Acknowledgements
The SGP project is supported by a wonderful team of volunteers who work tirelessly and
enthusiastically providing tutoring for the English classes and the Homework Club,
undertaking reception, administration and management duties, and facilitating the support
groups. A number of students from Loftus TAFE and Gymea Technology High have also
contributed to delivery of the service.
The ongoing support from colleagues and organisations throughout the year is to be
highlighted as a collaborative approach most certainly keeps the project solution focused and
well connected into the community.
The SGP Advisory committee, comprises management committee members, Gillian Craven
the DIAC grants manager and Maree Everitt from Sutherland Council, provide ongoing
support and direction to the project.
Finally thank you to the GCAIS team, staff and management for their commitment,
professionalism and everyday support and encouragement.
Jenny Grey
Migrant Services Coordinator
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDING BODY AND SUPPORTERS
Funding Body
Department of Immigration & Citizenship
Project Funding
Sutherland Shire Council
Multicultural Health SESIAHS
St George Foundation
Dept of Ageing Disability & Home Care
18
Community Relations Commission
Refugee Council of Australia
Clubs CDSE – Gymea Tradies
19
8.
Gymea Home and Community Care Service (HACC)
Our Home and Community Care Program (HACC) is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and
State Governments of Ageing, Disability and Human Services (ADHC.) The purpose of this
program is to support the frail, elderly and younger people with disabilities to live safely in their
own homes with dignity and a measure of independence.
Gymea HACC Services, as part of this initiative, offers Neighbour Aid/Social Support,
Multicultural and Generalist Aged Daycare to HACC eligible clients who reside in the
Sutherland Shire.
This report briefly outlines the activity highlights of our 3 HACC Services for 2010/2011:
NEIGHBOUR AID / SOCIAL SUPPORT.
The aim of Social support is to maximise an individual`s ability to continue to live
independently at home and assist in meeting the person`s need for social contact. Social
Support is either provided in the client`s home, or in client focussed small Groups.
Maureen Clark, our Assistant Coordinator, provides individual Social Support to a small
number of Clients who would be unsuitably placed with a volunteer. Maureen`s report,
outlining more of our Service Activities, follows this one.
Our groups and the activities they provide are determined by the interests and abilities of our
Clients. They include:
SOCIAL OUTING GROUPS - held monthly.
Vision Impaired Group:
This group has attendees that cover a range of ages, the youngest being 38 yrs of age, and
the eldest being 93.
Games and gentle exercise, park walks and sensory garden visits are always accompanied by
morning tea and lunch. Kylie, the group leader, will often read an amusing short story or poem
over lunch. Shopping at Vision Australia, Enfield, for visual Aids and activities is a favourite
outing.
Higher Needs Social Support Group:
Caters for a small number of clients, who are frail and isolated.
Chinese Higher Needs Social Activity Group:
These participants enjoy a range of culturally appropriate activities and outings.
SOCIAL GATHERING GROUPS
Knitting Group: HACC Clients knit and sew squares to create blankets for those in need in
Australia and overseas.
Chronic Fatigue Support Group: This Group was newly established at the end of 2010.
Our Art Therapy Groups have continued this year, under the expertise of Group Leader Kylie
George. Art Therapy has proven to be an invaluable tool in bringing people of varying abilities
together, allowing them to express themselves and tap into their inner creativity. This year we
took the concept further by combining an Art exhibition with fundraising for the Cancer
Council`s `Biggest morning tea`. We were overwhelmed by the response, as seniors` brought
along their pottery and paintings.
20
A day of Aromatherapy, hand massage and general pampering was offered to some of our
very frail clients. Genuine aromatherapy essential oils were purchased with some special
funding from the Dept. Thank you also to staff from the `Body Shop `who gave their time to
assist on the day. A session of meditation completed a very enjoyable day.
STAFF MEMBERS.
Maureen Clark
Janet Brown
Volunteer Driver: Fikry Bassiuoni
Kylie George
Vera Au
NEIGHBOUR AID SERVICE STATISTICS FOR 2010/2011
Information and referral – 690
Assessment and Reassessment – 75
Counselling and Advocacy – 42
CENTRE - BASED DAYCARE SERVICES REPORT
Centre - Based Daycare Services refer to the provision of structured group activities to frail
older people designed to develop, maintain or support the capacity for independent living and
social interaction. The alleviation of client social isolation and depression and relieving carers
of their usual caring relationship are further benefit of such programs.
This year we have been part of Sutherland Shire Centre Based Daycare consultations. In the
light of COAG changes and future viability we need to reinforce our position as a Service Type
that enhances the lives of our Clients.
SUTHERLAND SHIRE AGED DAYCARE SERVICE.
Our Aged Daycare Service, now in its 4th year of operation, offers Groups 3 days per fortnight,
and Cares for over 30 clients. Our geographic area covers from Sutherland to Cronulla.
Our dedicated and innovative staff, assisted by their volunteers, offer a varied and stimulating
program to our frail, elderly clients.
The following are our dedicated team members:
AGED DAYCARE GROUP LEADER: Kylie George
ASSISTANT LEADER: Carol Cosham
VOLUNTEERS: Rosemary McKill, Jacky Shore, Gillian Muslic, Jennifer Henderson, Johanna
Massaar
Thank you also to volunteer bus drivers Ross Jones and Keith Hutton.
Some of the highlights included a Tour of Prince Henry Hospital Museum, which is a museum
of uniforms, medical practices and implements from a hundred years ago.
Other activities included painting ceramic pots then filling them with spring bulbs, gentle
exercise to classical music, memory games, an informational visit from the Fire Brigade and
guest speakers from the Caringbah Women’s` Health Centre .
Our Groups have once again reached full capacity, however Kylie is always happy to assess
clients and accommodate one more!
21
MULTICULTURAL SOCIAL ACTIVITIES GROUPS HIGHLIGHTS.
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF MULTICULTURAL AGED DAYCARE
With a small Departmental Grant attached to Seniors’ Week we were able to offer small gifts
and a party to each of our 4 Multicultural Groups. A cake with the letter `10,` and a $10 gift
voucher for everyone was presented by a surprise special guest with a significant past
attachment to each of the Groups.
The following is a `snapshot` of activities enjoyed by the Groups:
Gentle exercise and Tai Chi, games such as tombola, bocce and memory games,
Celebrations such as Chinese New Year, information exchange on topics such as
osteoporosis, Australian hearing services, Environmental dept. speaking about Australian
Native plants and animals and a guest speaker from the Aust. Nursing Home Foundation.
Craft to assist with eye hand coordination is always presented around Mothers` Day.
The following are the members of our caring team:
CHINESE GROUP LEADER: Kerro Lam
VOLUNTEERS: Lin Han
GREEK GROUP LEADER: Mary Antoniou
VOLUNTEERS: Angela Kiourtsis
ITALIAN GROUP LEADER: Lorraine Donlon
VOLUNTEER: Carol Luddington
MULTICULTURAL GROUP LEADER: Trinidad Montalvo
VOLUNTEERS: Teresa Paez, Coky Cruz
BUS DRIVER/ CARE ATTENDANT: Goce Bogdanoski
STUDENT PLACEMENT WORKER: 240 hours Jamileh Fazeli
VOLUNTEERS.
Our volunteer numbers, excluding members of the Management Committee stand at 31 in
total. Our volunteers either provide Social Support for clients, which may include accompanied
shopping or just a cuppa and a chat, or they may assist with any of our Social support or
Social Activities Groups.
STAFF TRAINING/ DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING.
Staff and Volunteer Training in OH&S Procedures and accompanying demonstrated
competence in carrying out their duties is an integral part of the new Community Care
Common Standards.
This year I attended a 2 Day workshop in Staff and volunteer mentoring, debriefing and
support to assist in meeting the criteria.
Staff and Volunteer training this year was held over 2 Days and concentrated on new
mandatory policies. OH&S, wheelchair transferral of clients, boundaries, and dealing with
challenging situations. Working with clients with dementia was also included as a separate
training day. Volunteers and Staff also attended training that focussed on Safe Food Handling
and First Aid.
SUTHERLAND SHIRE NEIGHBOUR AID STRATEGIC PLAN
Much time was spent this year working with our Network of Seven Neighbour Aid Services to
develop a Strategic Plan which carried the objective to work more in cooperation to develop
and improve service to Clients.
Each Agency will take on a number of liaison or Policy development tasks, to be completed
within an agreed timeframe.
22
DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
From March 2011 the new Common Care Community Standards come into practice. Many of
the Policies required are similar to the ones already in use. The main difference is the
increasing emphasis on Staff and Volunteer Training. The other major change is to how we
write our individual Client Care Plans. The Commonwealth Government has introduced the
Wellness, or Client Restorative model that focuses on encouraging increased levels of
independence for every client. With over 100 clients to consider it will be a considerable
challenge both in terms of time and actually putting the individualised plans into practice.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
There are a number of small changes to Workcover from January 2012. One that directly
relates to our Service is that both volunteers and paid staff will be known as workers for OH&S
regulatory purposes.
All of our staff and volunteers are required to undergo Criminal record checks, and undergo
training directly related to their positions.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to start with a really big thank you to all of our volunteers, too numerous to name
individually, yet appreciated by all whom they assist.
We are fortunate this financial year to have an especially supportive, hardworking
Management Committee. Thank you to all on the Committee who give the gift of their time.
Thank you to my wonderful Co Workers, Maureen, Vera, Jenny and Barbara and the front
desk volunteers. Our harmonious working environment at the Centre is never taken for
granted.
Thank you also to our Funding Body and Supporters:
Ageing, Disability and Human Services Department
Gymea Rotary Club
Gymea Trade Union Club
Sutherland Shire Council
THE FUTURE - 2011/2012
Neighbour Aid Services Shirewide has engaged in discussions around merging Services in
2012. With seven Services at present operating independently within the Shire it could prove
valuable in terms of combining financial, volunteering and staff resources. Standardisation of
Policies and Practice would also bring positive outcomes for clients. Local identity would not
be lost, as our outlets would remain in the same locations. Legal compliance and daily
operations still need to be investigated.
As always, I anticipate a year of new challenges arising out of the Commonwealth
Government now taking full responsibility for Healthcare and Ageing. From 2012 we may see
changes as our 3 year Funding Agreement falls due for renegotiation. We need to work
stronger and more in collaboration to meet the demands of our changing economic climate
and increased demands on the quality of Services.
JANET BROWN
HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES COORDINATOR.
23
9.
Gymea Home and Community Care Service
Assistant Coordinator’s Report
Gymea H.A.C.C. Services consists of:
Gymea Neighbour Aid
Sutherland Shire Aged Daycare Project
Sutherland Shire Multicultural Aged Daycare Project
GYMEA NEIGHBOUR AID
The Neighbour Aid Project exists to help our client group remain safely and comfortably in
their own homes. We are funded to assist people who are frail elderly, younger people with
disabilities and the carers of these people. The services we provide include accompanied
shopping, home visiting, advocacy, information and referral. We also run small groups for
clients with high support needs, clients who are visually impaired and we facilitate a group for
people suffering from chronic fatigue.
Social Support is an important aspect of our services and we continue to look for imaginative
ways to provide the most appropriate support to our clients. Continuing from last year, for
example, we have had volunteers walking a dog for a client and another volunteer visiting a
house bound young man with a disability to play scrabble. We have also assisted a client with
a medical condition to reorganise her office/studio.
For this work we rely heavily on volunteers. We have a small band of dedicated people, some
of whom have worked with the same client for a number of years. We are finding it more and
more difficult to recruit new volunteers, however, despite notices in the window, adverts in the
local paper and an appeal through the local radio.
MONDAY MORNING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES GROUP
Our Monday Morning Group, which is funded through our Aged Daycare Project, continues to
meet each week. This became a combined men’s and women’s group some years ago when
numbers in the men’s group became too low to continue. Unfortunately we now have only one
gentleman in this group so would love to recruit more! The Group Leader is Angela Roberto
who provides a great variety of activities, often designed to stimulate as well as entertainquizzes, games and guessing competitions as well as the ever-popular Bingo and occasional
craft activities, which are organised by our Centre Assistant Coordinator, Vera Au.
Once a month the Group goes on a bus outing. Venues this year have included Flower Power
at Burwood, a BBQ lunch at Oatley Park, the Rowers’ Club at Wolli Creek, Bundeena RSL
Club, Camellia Gardens and Revesby Workers’ Club. The usual format is a stop for Morning
Tea, a shopping or other venue and then a stop for lunch.
The group has also had a number of visiting speakers including from Australian Hearing, NSW
Fair Trading and Arthritis NSW as well as a “pampering day” provided by a consultant from
Nutrimetics.
This group has a limited number of vacancies, so if you know of someone in our community
who might benefit from this type of group activity please let us know. (Janet or Maureen,
95249559).
24
Our thanks go once again to Angela for the enthusiasm and energy she devotes to her job as
Group Leader. A special thank you also to our band of volunteers who assist the Seniors
Group – Sue, Val, Hilde and Pam. These ladies provide transport to members of the group
who would find it difficult to get here otherwise as well as assisting with Morning Tea and all of
the activities and bus trips. Another long serving volunteer, Dick Massaar, also assists with
transport. Our sincere thanks to all of them.
KNITTING AND SEWING SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUP
The “Wrap with Love” organisation was started in 1992 when Sonia Gidley – King organised a
group of friends to craft squares from left over yarn. Since then the group has grown to an
estimated 25,000 volunteers throughout Australia. In 2009, they produced an incredible
37,289 Wraps. The organisation is non-denominational and non political, its sole purpose
being to help “cold humanity”. Volunteers knit or crochet squares which are joined into rugs,
or “wraps”, to be sent to the needy both in Australia and overseas.
Gymea Neighbour Aid first became involved in 2005, when volunteers managed to produce
14 rugs. Since then we have increased our tally each year thanks to our Knitting and Sewing
Group which meets fortnightly and the volunteers who knit and crochet for us at home. In
2010 our tally was 170 and so far this year I have delivered 75 “wraps” to the warehouse in
Alexandria. A win-win situation -- our clients have another social activity which helps to relieve
loneliness and possible social isolation and needy people benefit.
I will end my section of this report with a thank you to all of the volunteers without whom we
could not provide our services, including the members of our Management Committee. I
would also like to thank the Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators of the projects which
make up Gymea Community Services for their professionalism and support for each other.
And as always, if you know of people in our community who might benefit from our services,
please let us know.
Thank you,
Maureen Clark.
Assistant coordinator,
Gymea H.A.C.C. Services.
25
GYMEA HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE SERVICE
STATISTICS FOR 2010/2011
Volunteers (Exclude Management Committee Members)
2010/11
30
Total number of clients:
*Neighbour Aid (Social Support)
Clients Assess
Clients
Hours of Service
47
49
3024
Multicultural Aged Daycare
Clients Assess
Clients
Hours of Service
Transport/Trips
40
52
7440
2481
*Sutherland Shire Aged Daycare
Clients Assess
Clients
Hours of Service (includes transport and care coordination)
44
50
7118.5
8,000
7,000
6,000
Sutherland Shire Aged
Daycare10/11
5,000
4,000
Multicultural Aged
Daycare10/11
3,000
Neighbour Aid (Social
Support)10/11
2,000
1,000
0
Clients Assess
Clients
Hours of Service Transport/Trips
SUMMARY – Country of Birth – 2010/2011
Australia
Colombia
Cyprus
Egypt
Greece
India
South Africa
Others
77
1
2
2
12
4
1
5
Source of Referrals
Public Hospitals
Self
Relative or Friend
Other Community Care Agency
65%
10%
10%
15%
China (excl. SARS & Taiwan)
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
Hong Kong (SAR of China)
Italy
Spain
23
1
1
1
1
15
1
Gender
Female
Male
26
129
17
27

37th Annual Report 2010/2011

Transcription

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