2011 Annual Report Flintwood - Flintwood Disability Services Inc.

Annual Report
2010 – 2011
Flintwood
Disabilty Services
Contents
Management Reports
Presidents Report - Russell Gould
Pictures and contact
6
Treasurers Report - Gordon McLean7
Site Pictures
Contact
16-25
Back cover CEO Report - Jackie Romein8
Admin Manager - Janet Griffin 9
General Manger Report - Gerard Connolly 10
General Manger Report - Kay McPartland 11
General Manger Report - Lauren Abel
12
2010-2011 Management Committee
14
Acknowledgements & Program Numbers
15
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
3
M anagement
REPORTS
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
5
Presidents Report
Russell Gould
This year’s focus has been on improving the
organisation and working towards providing the best
possible service and working environment for our Service
Users and staff. Extensive surveys were completed
across all areas of Flintwood in order to benchmark the
organisation against best practice in the industry. Various
actions resulted from the surveys.
As a part of improving our knowledge and skills,
some of the committee members attended training run
by the National Disability Service on good governance for
non-profit organisations and one member undertook a 6
day study tour of the UK and France to attend relevant
seminars and visit notable not for profit organisations.
Additionally the committee has been involved in
reviewing our constitution to ascertain what changes
might be necessary if Flintwood were required to change
from an Incorporated Association to a Company, in
line with proposed changes in the Department of Fair
Trading’s legislation.
Although we have primarily been focused on
consolidation, and improvement, we have taken on an
additional Day Service at Pennant Hills and are in the final
stages of renovation of an additional property at Harris
Russell Gould
Park, to provide much needed space for the current and
future Harris Park Day Services.
Thanks to the diligent work by Jackie and her team,
we were able to secure approval for funding for the 20112012 financial year, which will enable us to provide an
additional 80 flexible respite places, a full time Clinical
Psychologist, specialised 1:1 support and carry out much
needed repairs and modifications to our various sites.
It has been a busy and successful year for Flintwood
with the organisation developing and stabilising so that it
is prepared to meet the challenges ahead and provide the
service and support that our Service Users require.
I would like to thank the CEO – Jackie, her
management team, and staff for their great effort
and contribution over the last year. Through their
commitment and effort our Service Uses can enjoy a
better life.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the
Management Committee and their supportive families,
who voluntarily give up considerable time and effort to
play an active role in the ongoing progress of Flintwood.
Treasurers Report
Gordon McLean
Once again I am pleased and extremely honoured
to present the Treasurer’s Report for the financial year
2010 to 2011. The position I have been entrusted with
now for seven years.
The past year has again been highly successful with
all areas achieving maximum results and continuing to
operate within funding provisions.
Government grants received from (ADHC) New
South Wales Ageing, Disability and Home Care were
again fully expended which allowed Flintwood to deliver
the highest possible service to all who attend the various
areas. This aspect has now become highly recognized by
all involved in the disability arena.
Flintwood’s balance sheet continues to grow at
a healthy rate and I believe that the sound financial
platform that has been established will stand Flintwood
in good stead in the future, a most important aspect for
ongoing success for any organisation or corporation.
All that has been achieved to date would not
have been possible without the astute, articulate and
dedicated leadership of the C.E.O. Jackie Romein, well
supported by her Management Team, for this I thank her.
The journey thus far which commenced in February
1994 has been nothing but remarkable and no doubt the
foundations have been laid for Flintwood’s continued
success and attainment of the goals it sets itself in the
future.
I once again reiterate it has been an honour to have
been elected to carry out the duties of Treasurer over the
past year.
Gordon m clean
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
7
CEO Report
Jackie Romein
“Daily, I am reminded of why I come
to work and what my role is”
This year has been a year for review and preparation
for the future. Flintwood has seen significant growth
over the past few years and made a strategic decision to
consolidate this year.
We have strengthened the infrastructure including
reporting systems, management team training and
strategic planning for the future. After providing this
sound base we then focused on Families, Carers and
Service Users to gain feedback on the support received
by Flintwood. This was carried out in a survey format and
we commenced with implementing change as requested
by you.
Significant work has been carried out to recruit the
highest standard of employees for the Organisation. An
employee survey was carried out this year and actions
developed to improve areas identified.
The management team has further developed
with monthly training sessions and a higher level of
collaboration and communication to provide a supportive
and highly effective team. The General Managers have
settled into the new roles and are taking on a more
strategic direction for the Organisation. Therefore the
site Coordinators have been more responsible for their
site and operations. This demonstrated the need for a
newly created role of Senior Community Support Workers
which was introduced this year. Their role is to take on the
daily routine and sharing of information to run the daily
programs.
The Management Committee has been working
toward identifying the highest priorities for the Strategic
Direction of the Organisation. The identified priorities
include:
• Succession planning
• Administration structure reviewed and
development of the Human Resources Department
• Ensuring updated knowledge of legislation and
policy affecting the Organisation
• Develop policies and training systems
• Review staff turnover and salaries
• Upgrade IT system
• Budget processes
• Ensure adequate premises for service delivery
• Enhance Flintwood’s community profile
• Organisation growth – writing tenders
I would like to thank the Management Committee
members for their time and dedication to the
Organisations goals and progress. This has taken
their time away from their families and shows their
commitment to the Organisation. As the CEO they
have placed value in me and this is shown through their
support and guidance.
We welcome new Service Users to our programs this
year. Sadly we saw the passing of Keith Kemp, Michelle
Kelly and John Thorpe they are fondly remembered and
missed.
Daily, I am reminded of why I come to work and
what my role is. I am humbled by the achievements of
the Service Users, the work the employees carry out every
day and how families strive on. Together we make quite
a team.
I am privileged to lead a team of three General
Managers, Administration Manager, Site Coordinators,
Direct support staff and an administration team who are
genuinely committed and dedicated to providing a high
quality service.
The future landscape for service support will be
changing and we will be working with you as families
to introduce flexible, new and exciting services. The
person with a disability and their family network will be
the centre of the decisions and direction for the support.
Flintwood will change how we deliver services and work
with you in a more holistic way and not be confined by
site or program specific restrictions. These are exciting
times and we look forward to working with each of you
to build the future and enhance the lives of people with
disabilities.
Jackie Romein
Administration
Manager
Janet Griffin
The Administration area of Flintwood has been
an extremely busy place these past twelve months.
Following previous years of continued growth, this year
has seen a concentration on the implementation of
systems and procedures to sustain us into the future
Recruitment has been ongoing with monthly group
interviews continuing to be an effective way of targeting
a large number of applicants. From these group sessions
perspective employees are invited to attend a single
interview before a panel of three people consisting of
a General Manager, a site Coordinator and a Human
Resources representative. Within the past twelve months
this system has enabled us to employ fourty six new staff.
Congratulations to Jenny McGowan for her continued
efforts in her role of Human Resource Officer for driving
the recruitment that has been required.
We have had some staff movement within the
administration office following the resignation of Tracey
Dickin who left to assist in a family business. We have
employed a previous Transition to Work service user
Ashley Gundalach on a casual basis to help during busy
periods which is proving to be quite regular. Ashley is
currently attending TAFE and we hope the work she is
doing at Flintwood will assist her with the course content
and vice versa.
Where would administration be without Dianne
Ridley whose range of duties appears to be never ending.
One of Di’s jobs is ensuring the Flintwood fleet of over 50
vehicles is compliant with registration and insurance, that
they all receive regular services, have current fuel and
NRMA cards and lodge any insurance claims for accidents.
In addition Di keeps all our Service Users / Families /
Employees informed via regular newsletters.
At the end of June 2011 Stephanie Baker from
Human Resources resigned, taking long service leave
for an overseas trip and a well earned rest. Many staff,
families and Service User’s attended a farewell for
Stephanie held at Brookhollow Day Service site. Everyone
at Flintwood administration wish Stephanie all the best
for her future. We are now in the process of recruiting to
fill this important position.
Flintwood have continued with the Employee
Assistance Program following a successful trial year. We
hope our employees and their family members can find
some benefit in this program should their need arise.
We reiterate that this service is completely confidential
between EAP and the user of the service.
Janet Griffin
There has been a concerted effort at Flintwood to
provide staff training at all levels this past year. Many
staff following completion of Certificate III in Disabilities
enrolled for further training to Certificate IV, respite staff
have attended specific conferences for respite, Flintwood
have held conferences on Behaviour Management and
Leading To Succeed which were attended by many of
our staff, the Management Team have had continuous
training throughout the year which has been highly
informative and beneficial. The cost of all this training
equates to 2% of our overall funding.
During a globally financially difficult period
Flintwood has remained in a good position and has
continued to maintain all our sites at the highest possible
level, equipment and resources for all our services have
also been upgraded and replaced where necessary.
We can all look forward to sustained growth within
Flintwood in the coming year under the guidance of our
Management Committee and CEO Jackie Romein.
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
9
General Manager
Gerard Connolly
BROOKvale/billenya/respite
castle hill & quakers hill/
flexible respite
In the relatively short period of time between the
writing of theses reports the residential respite, Day
Service and Flexible respite services have maintained
their high standards of care. We have seen an increased
number of new Service Users and families and a number
of new faces within the employee ranks.
I would consider 2011 as a year of growth evident
not only through the increase in the number of families
being served and the new employees but also through
our networking and general communications within and
outside of the organisation.
Our families and Service Users continue to be
our focus and to dominate all of what we do and I have
received a great deal of satisfaction through having
spoken with and been witness to the huge gains made by
Service Users across the Flintwood landscape.
On writing the 2010 report we had a number of
vacancies within both the residential respite services
and though they were filling they were doing so at a
much lesser rate than we would have hoped for. Today
on writing this report I am happy to announce we have
reached full capacity within Castle Hill and are fast
approaching maximum numbers at the Quakers Hill
residence.
Our Flexible Respite program also continues to
flourish and as its title suggests offers up a more diverse
range in service provisions and activities all at the control
of the Service User and his / her family.
On the northside, Brookvale and Billenya numbers
have not grown significantly but they have created
little miracles of their own through their interactions
with Service Users. The program quality and activities
provided have witnessed huge improvement in
Service User independence, personal interactions and
communications both on site and at home. Parents
continue to express their thanks to Flintwood for the
many wonderful transformations that have taken place.
Joanne Blume continues to make the long trek
from the Western Suburbs to the North Shore each day
as Coordinator of Brookvale / Billenya. Jo and her teams
continue with their innovative approaches to program
delivery and in doing so continue to enjoy successes
I would like to give thanks to Leeanne Ratcliffe,
coordinator at Quakers Hill for having worked very hard
at attracting new families into Flintwood. Leeanne’s
knowledge of Service Users / families and Flintwood has
been of influence and support. The Quakers Hill team are
well established, always supportive and understanding
of the complex needs surrounding Service Users and
families, their individual skills and collective knowledge
is very pleasing.
John Bindley has the dual role of Coordinator of both
the Castle Hill respite residence and the Flexible Respite
program. Johns respite knowledge and communications
with families and employees creates a wonderful platform
for the Service Users. John continues to develop both
roles with expertise and Castle Hill respite continues to
be a popular attraction for many Service Users / families
through its location. The Castle Hill team have been
established for quite some time, there is a very limited
turnover of employees which allows for a great wealth of
knowledge and understanding of the Service Users and
their families to be shared.
I am grateful to each individual employee within the
Respite and Day Services for always affording me their
time and patience and likewise with Leeanne, Joanne
and John who though totally unlike one another in style
and approach always manage to get the job done.
I owe a great deal of gratitude to my fellow General
Managers Kay McPartland and Lauren Abel who are
always at hand to provide support and advice. My role as
General Manger is made the more pleasant and engaging
for having them to work alongside of.
My thanks to the hard working Admin staff who
do so, so much behind the scenes. Finally to our CEO
Jackie Romein who continues to give of her time and
vast experience. It is so very rewarding to have her
trust, support and belief both in the progression and
future development of Flintwood but also in her General
Managers.
Gerard Connolly
General
Manager
Kay McPartland
Brookhollow/Harris park/
accommodation
I am once again honoured to be writing this report
and feel very proud to be part of the team that leads
Flintwood. I have been in the role of General Manager for
just over a year now and continue to grow and develop
my skills on a daily basis.
2010 / 2011 has been a year of restructuring,
challenges and changes to be able to be in a position to
move forward as the organisation continues to grow.
Harris Park and Brookhollow Day Services continue
to grow and took on an extra 7 Service Users in February
2011. Unfortunately for Harris Park, Rita Chamberlain
retired at the end of June. Rita was a dedicated and loyal
employee of Flintwood in her 6 years of employment
and will be sorely missed. Annie Dallimer has taken over
the role as Coordinator at Harris Park. Annie brings with
her a wealth of experience and some great ideas for the
progression of Harris Park. I would formally like to welcome
Kelli Simmons to the management team and congratulate
her on achieving a permanent position as Coordinator of
Brookhollow. However, with the recent changes, Kelli
will now be transferring and will be responsible for Best
Rd, Mons Rd and 1:1s and Joanne Blume will be the new
Coordinator of Brookhollow. Joanne has worked in a
Coordinators role within Flintwood for 18 months and
is looking forward to joining the team at Brookhollow. I
would like to welcome Joanne to Brookhollow and hope
she gets to experience as many happy memories as I have
whilst being based at Brookhollow.
I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome
Mary Jacob to the team. Mary replaced Lia Unthank at
Moala St and is currently acting in the position until
interviews for the permanent position are held. Lia and
Mary have both done a wonderful job in 2010 / 2011
with supporting the four ladies who live at Moala St and
should be thanked for their ongoing efforts in ensuring
the ladies heath care and support needs are always very
well maintained.
Jane Callaghan continues to manage the day to day
operations of John St and must be congratulated for its
smooth running and effective community inclusion for all
residents.
As of July, I will be responsible for Best Rd, Mons
Rd, Centre Based Respite, Flexible Respite and any
large upcoming projects which will have an effect on
Flintwood. This is going to be a huge challenge which I
am really looking forward to.
We acknowledge there have been lots of changes
recently, but the changes have been made to improve
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
11
services and move forward with rapid growth which
is occurring within Flintwood. We thank all of our families
for their ongoing support.
I am in the process of developing a competency
based induction system for all Flintwood employees. This
will ensure all employees are competent in all areas. The
induction will link in with the probation period system
to ensure all employees are being trained internally or
externally in all areas. New employees will not be able to
complete certain tasks without being competent in the
area. This will be signed off by the employee’s supervisor.
Other successful projects I have been working on
during the year is creating a generic Communication
Book. The aim of this Communication Book is to ensure
all families / Carers have the option to know as much or
as little about the individual as required. This book is to
be used (if needed) on an individual basis completing
the relevant sections only. This appears to have been a
success at all sites.
Another project I was allocated was to create a
Parent / Carer Information Booklet. This was an enjoyable
project, although appeared to take a long time doing
all of the research and talking to various services and
families to see what services were actually available for
people with disabilities.
Twenty six Service Users from Brookhollow, Best
Road and Harris Park went for a night out in the city,
where they went for a lovely Chinese meal in China Town,
went to see the musical ‘Mary Poppins’ and then stayed in
a hotel overnight. A great evening was had by all. I would
like to thank all staff for all their hard work to make this
night a huge success.
I would like to thank Janet Griffin and her admin
and HR team for the ongoing support they provide to all
services, not just in times of chaos, but on a day to day
basis.
I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues
Lauren Abel and Gerry Connolly and express my
appreciation for the effective teamwork we have created.
The journey continues to be a huge learning curve for
everybody as Flintwood continues to grow.
Flintwood would not be where it is today without
such an effective leader. I would like to show gratitude to
Jackie Romein for leading Flintwood and moving forward
with the sector as we develop more systems to be able to
sustain the anticipated growth. Jackie has always made
herself available for support if and when needed. Jackie’s
grounded focus continues to move Flintwood forward in
a positive direction.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank
all of the staff who have worked so hard all year, giving
everything and doing over and above what is expected of
them. My job would not be as pleasurable as it is without
our wonderful, professional staff.
Kay Mcpartland
General
Manager
Lauren Abel
Penrith/kingswood/pennant hills/
best rd/mons rd/transition to work
What a challenging and rewarding 12 months it
has been not only for me but the Flintwood team in
general. Pennant Hills celebrated their first full year with
Flintwood and are now providing service to the capacity
of 20 Service Users. Annie, Breeane and the team
graciously hosted the event ‘Australia’s Biggest Morning
Tea’ and raised almost $300 for the Cancer Council. It
was an excellent opportunity for all Flintwood sites to
see the Pennant Hills premises and make great use of the
huge backyard. Pennant Hills initiated another fundraiser
which benefited the Kemps Creek Animal Welfare league
where Brett Bell, the coordinator was presented with
an enormous basket of dog and cat food as well as pet
accessories, all donated by Flintwood Service Users,
parents and staff.
Kingswood has made a strong effort over the past
12 months to fill the Service User vacancies and found
themselves in a fortunate position to exceed the capacity
by 3 places. Kingswood is now providing service to 36
individuals who would otherwise not have funding for a
day program, some of which have moved from working in
permanent part time employment.
We are awaiting the return of Amanda Haines in
early September who was appointed the position of
coordinator prior to taking maternity leave in Feburary
this Year. Kingswood staff are continuing to develop the
skills of the Service Users and the goal moving forward
into 2012 is to focus on retirement and age appropriate
programs for those who are ageing.
Best Road and Mons Road sites had fantastic ‘make
over’s’ with a new coat of paint and window treatments.
Both sites have a fresh feel about them which has helped
the Service Users and staff to develop new and exciting
programs.
Best Road has settled into a positive routine and
together with a great team of permanent staff they are
ready to tackle the challenges that 2012 may bring as one
united team.
The Transition to Work program has dealt with
a move from Harris Park garage to the new site also in
Harris Park to Mons Rd cabin all in their stride. Kirsty and
the team of Service Users have been actively seeking
employment which resulted in two Service Users being
successful, Aroha in supported employment and Mark
in open employment in the trades industry. They have
gained valuable information by attending trade shows,
educational expos and completing hands on work
experience over the past 12 months. John Bindley has
been appointed coordinator of the TTW program and
will be focusing on growing the program by visiting
local schools and marketing the program to 2011 school
leavers.
Penrith have shown a great deal of growth over the
past 12 months, not in the size of the group, but in the
maturity and connection as a team. Chris and staff have
shown flexibility as a team and this has positively impacted
in the change in groups and opportunities provided
to the Service Users on a daily basis. The one on one
programs have been providing excellent opportunities
to the Service Users with one client attending a comedy
show and Masterchef recording where she met one of the
judges! The one on one program is slowly increasing in
size and we are thankful to Dean in choosing Flintwood
as his service provider in 2010.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that
I have personally been provided by Flintwood. I would
like to thank Jackie and the Management committee for
the chance to go to a Disability conference in Toronto,
Canada in May of this year. I was incredibly grateful for
this opportunity and learnt so much from the speakers
and delegates that I will be implementing into my work
in the future.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the support
and guidance that Jackie Romein, Gerry Connolly and Kay
McPartland have provided to me over the past 12 months.
We have definitely had our challenges and had to work
through things that question our thoughts, knowing that
I have their support is appreciated more than I can express
in words. I would also like to thank all the coordinators
that have supported the aims and missions of Flintwood
and encouraged their staff to do the same. Flintwood is
an organisation that I am proud to be associated with and
I am very excited with what lies ahead for me.
As part of the General Manager moves, I am looking
forward to providing support to Brookvale, Billenya and
Harris Park as well as our two group homes at John Street
and Moala Street where I am sure the challenges and
rewards will continue into 2012.
Lauren Abel
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
13
2010-2011
Management Committee
Russell Gould
President
Alan Bradbury
Member
blah blah
Member
Brian Conway
Vice president
Sharon Foord
Member
Gordon Mclean
Treasureer
Peter Willis
Member
Sigrid Rottmann
Secretary
Acknowledgements
we wish to thank the following
companies and individuals
for their contributions to
flintwood in 2010-2011
RANSTAD
Paint Corp Australia (Peter Stathakis)
Fuji Films
Atos Picture Framing
Adalong Pty Ltd
The Stair Guys
Blacktown Workers Club
Grant Family
Dee Why RSL Club
Program Numbers
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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P ictures
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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‘ Enhancing lifest yle o p p o r tunities’
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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‘ Emp owering p eo ple with disabilities’
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Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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“ T o be a fle x ible service
that enhances the
opportunities of people
with disabilities to have a
varied and fulfilling life
within the community.”
Annual Report 2010 - 2011
27
contact US
11 Fennell Street, North Parramatta, 2151, Australia
Ph +02 9630 1777 Fx +02 9630 1788
[email protected]
www.flintwood.org.au
Photography & design
Tim Engelbrecht
Mob 0433 364 504 Ph +02 9624 7416
[email protected]
© Copyright 2011 Flintwood Disability Services Ltd, All rights reserved