ANNUAL REPORT

2014

Parents of Deaf Children

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Page 3 Introduction / Mission Statement

Page 4 President’s Report

Page 6 Treasurer’s Report

Page 8 Coordinator’s Report

Page 10 Management Committee and Staff

Page 12 PODC Balance Sheet

Page 13 PODC Income and Expenditure Statement

Page 14 Acknowledgements

Contents

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Parents of Deaf Children (PODC) is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to supporting parents

with babies, children and teenagers with a hearing loss in NSW.

PODC aims to provide independent and unbiased information and support for parents and car-

ers, irrespective of their chosen method of communication.

Introduction

Mission Statement To empower parents in NSW to support their deaf or hard of hearing children in reaching their

full potential through information, support networks and representation.

Key Priority Areas

Organisational Expectations

Strengthening parent support networks

Contributing to a statewide and national voice for parents of NSW

Enhancing the identity of PODC and its operational structures

Empower parents to become self advocates

Provide strong representation on behalf of parents in NSW

Influence government policy in the areas of health, education and disability

Build parent capacity through a range of information and advocacy provision

Raise community awareness of deafness

Bring together families

Increase the parent support networks across NSW

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President’s Report

This is my second report as President of Parents of Deaf Children. I have learnt so much being with this wonderful organisation and I would like to express my gratitude to the staff and members of the Management Committee for their passion and drive to ensure that PODC provides support to families. What a busy year it has been. We could not have done so much without your support. I would like to acknowledge the ongoing financial contribution of the NSW Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care (ADHC),

our funding body. Without this funding and your donations, we would not have been able to achieve the following: Ongoing support for Parents of Deaf (POD) groups; Regional roadshow – we visited Taree, Coffs Harbour, Brunswick Heads and Port Macquarie. Supporting POD related activities including ‘Play in the Park’ and Dads’ Night Out; Supporting the Parent to Parent Mentoring Program with Deaf Society of NSW; Supporting Deaf Society of NSW and Deaf Australia with the National Week of Deaf People events; Advocacy and support for families; Publication of Sound News; Sharing information on PODC’s Facebook page; Regular attendance at Interagency meetings with Deaf Society of NSW, Ephpheta Centre, Australian

Sign Language Interpreters Association NSW, Deaf Australia NSW, RIDBC Thomas Pattison School and Shepherd Centre.

There were six Management Committee meetings this year. I sincerely thank the 2013-2014 Management Committee for their valued contributions and support: Leesa Cluff (Vice President), Mark Burfield (Secretary), Amanda Li (Treasurer), Anna Messariti, Sarah Klenbort and Julie Frendin. I am deeply appreciative of the exemplary work, well beyond the call of duty, of our Information and Advo-cacy Coordinator, Kate Kennedy, assisted by Allison McNally, our Administrative and Marketing Assistant. Thanks also to the parents who have participated in the POD group meetings and PODC events. Our plans for 2014/2015 include: Complete ADHC Quality Audit Increasing our focus on regional areas and continue the regional roadshow in Western NSW, South

Coast, Central Coast and Canberra. Be NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) ready; Continue partnerships and relationships with various organisations including Deaf Society of NSW, Shepherd Centre, RIDBC, Ephpheta Centre, Australian Hearing, Accessible Arts NSW, ASLIA

NSW and Deaf Australia NSW; Participate in Hearing Awareness Week and National Week for Deaf People activities; Continue supporting POD groups and POD related events; Provide support and advocacy to our members;

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As the President of Parents of Deaf Children (PODC), I have continued to enjoyed the wonderful privi-lege of meeting wonderful parents, educators, professionals and colleagues whom main goal is to bet-ter the educational and social outcomes for our children. I look forward to the next 12 months working with the Management Committee and staff to ensure that we as an organisation will always be there for parents of deaf children.

Leonie Jackson President

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Treasurer’s Report

2014 was a very exciting year for PODC. It was the first year that PODC operated with financial independ-

ence from DCA and the staff and the committee really stepped up and took on additional responsibilities

to ensure the smooth running of PODC. I'm very proud of the fact that we not only met the challenge of

managing the organisations finances independently, in addition also organized a very successful fundrais-

ing trivia night in September 2013. The additional funds raised enabled PODC to run a number of re-

gional roadshows to reach out to families of deaf children and hard of hearing children in country areas

across NSW.

PODC had not organised many fundraising events in recent years, however, thanks to our members,

friends, the deaf community as well as various organisations in the sector, the trivia night fundraiser and

additional donations raised $9,119 for PODC. PODC membership income remained steady, down

slightly from previous years at $4,884. Grant income for 2014 totaled $93,687. PODC’s current funding

agreement with ADHC ends in June 2015, but we have recently received written confirmation from ADHC

that the funding arrangement will be extended for another year till June 2016. However, the funding ar-

rangements are unclear from 2016 till 2018 and ADHC will notify us in 2015 with more details. When

NDIS is fully rolled out in 2018, ADHC will cease funding the organisation and we will need to seek fund-

ing through the NDIS. The staff and management committee of PODC is currently working on quality as-

surance processes to ensure PODC is NDIS compliant and will closely monitor the developments over the

next few years with the rollout and funding opportunities.

PODC operating expenses have remained fairly steady. There were a few areas where the split from DCA

had an impact. In the areas of accounting we were fortunate enough to have the help of an experienced

accountant who was happy to provide his service pro bono, and have been able to save a significant

amount in that area. I’d like to thank Wayne Longbottom from Krestal Capital for preparing the financial

reports and his help throughout the year. Staff costs had also reduced as the staff are now managed in

house with the help of the management committee. As a result the additional fundraising and costs sav-

ings the 2014 profit and loss statement showed a net profit of $14,650.The accumulated surplus at the

end of the financial year was $41 451.

PODC is in a solid financial position to continue to support families with current funding secured until

2016. Whilst the funding from ADHC is currently questionable for 2016 - 2018, PODC’s staff and manage-

ment committee are working diligently to prepare the organisation for the roll out of the NDIS in 2018.

The exact details of the scheme remain vague at the moment, but PODC looks forward to continuing to

support families in the new system.

Amanda Li

Treasurer

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Parents of Deaf Children is committed to providing parents with skills, information, support and advocacy services to assist them in supporting their deaf or hearing im-paired child. The organisation is overseen by a management committee of parent vol-unteers and staffed by two part time workers. PODC has 121 members and many more supporters made up of families and professionals in NSW and interstate. HIGHLIGHTS DURING 2013/2014 PODC organised 42 events, which included 20 POD meetings, information sessions

and family activities to assist parents to develop new skills, gain new information about parenting and educating their child and build their networks.

On 7 September, PODC held our first ever Trivia Night. This was very well attended with 130 parents and stakeholders. Just under $8000 was raised on the night which far exceeded our expectations.

On 20 October 2013, parents and staff at PODC coordinated the School Tour of Parliament House for Deaf students in Sydney as part of National Week of Deaf People Events. 53 students attended along with 40 teachers and parents

Parents ran the childrens’ activities at the Deaf Festival Oct 2013 in Darling Harbour which was well at-tended by families from all over NSW.

A POD Survey was sent out to POD groups/members in January 2014 to gather valuable feedback which was used to improve services provided by PODC. This feedback has informed our 2014/16 strategic plan.

INFORMATION Information Sessions PODC provided a range of information and workshop sessions for parents in 2013/2014 including: PODC’s Regional Roadshow – 6 x workshops titled “Making Good Choices for your Child” and 5 x Drop In

Information Sessions. We visited Taree, Coffs Harbour, Brunswick Heads and Port Macquarie. The Role of the Teacher of the Deaf Information session in July 2013. Raising Responsible Digital Citizens in May 2014. An Evening with an Audiologist in May 2014. PODC collaborated with My Choice Matters to deliver two “Get More Skills” workshops for families in

Chatswood and Liverpool in February 2014. PODC collaborated with Aussie Deaf Kids and RIDBC Renwick Centre for a parent event, “Developing a

Shared Understanding of family involvement with service providers” workshop in August 2013. Fact Sheets/Parent Information Sheets Several new Fact Sheets were created and placed on website in January 2014. These include: What the NDIS means for you and your Child; Roger Wireless Systems, Promoting Positive Sibling Rela-

tionships. Fact Sheets were updated. These include: A Guide to Advocating for Your Child, Better Start for Children

with a Disability Funding. Sound News Three editions of Sound News were delivered on time:Sound News Winter Edition 2013, Spring 2013,

Summer 2013/4 Autumn 2014 Sound News is now available online as well as hard copy, via facebook or web.

Social Gatherings There were three Plays in the Park – October 2013, January 2014 School holidays, April 2014 School

Holidays. Each event was well attended by families. There were 20 POD group meetings from July 2013 to June 2014 that met in North Sydney, North West

Sydney, Taree, Central Coast, and Macarthur area. Connections BBQ held in November 2013 at Parents of Deaf Children, well attended by families and

Coordinator’s Report

Page 9

professionals from the sector. Dads night out held in April 2014 at Surry Hills – 4 Dad’s attended Parent Mentoring On 29 March 2014, PODC collaborated with Deaf Society to deliver/facilitate parent to parent mentoring training to build skills and capacity of parents to mentor others. A total of 6 parents attended and the day was very successful in terms of increasing parent skills for helping other parents. ADVOCACY PODC offers an individual advocacy service to support individual families who have concerns in relation to their deaf or hard of hearing child. Our role is to support parents to raise their issues to professionals, schools and government to bring about positive changes for their child. PODC responded to 47 families who needed one on one advocacy support in 2013/4 to resolve, escalate issues relating to parenting and educating their deaf child/children. Our responses were varied but ranged from gathering information for parents to assist them with decision making, attending school meetings with parents as their advocate, escalating concerns to the Department of Education, letter writ-ing to agencies to escalate a parent concern. PODC attended 3 school meetings with parents in 2013 as parent advocate and support of parents in advocating for their deaf child’ s access to education. In February 2014 a submission was sent into the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Childcare and

Early Childhood Learning. Parents in PODC membership were asked to provide input to FAHSCIA and the BetterStart Advisory

panel re: the impact of Betterstart person centred funding on their child and the family. In Feb, April and May 2014, 2 parents participated with other parents from disability peaks to work with

DEC and University of Canberra on Disability Standards for Education Focus Group with DEC 4 PODC members attended Disabilitycare Workshop at ACU in August. Shared information with other

parents at local parent groups. INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIPS PODC met with the interagency partners (Deaf Society, ASLIA, The Shepherd Centre, RIDBC, Ephpheta Centre, Deaf Australia NSW) in both December 2013 and March 2014. PODC and Deaf Society undertook at review of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to reflect increase in programs we share: parent to parent mentoring and National Week of Deaf People events. STAFF DEVELOPMENT Kate Kennedy completed a diploma of Disability services via TAFE Southwest Sydney 20 April 2014. Kate Kennedy attended MDAA Ensuring Cultural Responsiveness Workshop to better understand

needs of CALD and ATSI families. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the PODC members, who make up our tight knit community. They are always giving their time and effort and without them, this organisation would not exist. I would also like to thank the wonderful management committee. They bring many different skills and attributes to PODC and I am forever grateful to them for volunteering their time. I would like to especially thank our outgoing President, Leonie Jackson. Your warmth, dedication and hard work is a tribute to you and we value your decision to stay on as a committee member. Thank you also to Leesa Cluff, our Vice-President, and Amanda Li, our Treasurer who are always there to support staff in the day to day running of the organisation. My thanks too, to our regional representative Julie Frendin and to Sarah Klenbort who have so freely given their time and energy to PODC. Both Julie and Sarah have been dedicated members of the management committee. A key focus for next year is continuing support families whilst working internally to gain verification for quality management compliance as per our funding agreement with ADHC. It will be a busy year but one that we look forward to with gusto and energy as we strive to be an organisation that parents can turn to in times of need and unbiased support.

Kate Kennedy

Coordinator, Information and Advocacy

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Management Committee and Staff

Leonie Jackson - President

Leonie is the mother of two very active boys. Her oldest son is a Deaf bilingual child and attends his

local public school with interpreter support. Leonie herself is also a Deaf bilingual adult and has 18

years teaching experience at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC), and was Assis-

tant Principal of the Thomas Pattison School, a bilingual K-10 school for 8 years. In 2006, Leonie re-

ceived a Churchill Fellowship to conduct a research trip in the UK and USA to look at the possibility

of live captioning solutions for the classroom and is currently working at Ai-Media as Head of Educa-

tion and Research. In this role, Leonie is leading Ai-Media’s focus to close the existing gaps in the

classroom for deaf and hearing impaired students.

Leesa Cluff - Vice President

Leesa is a mother of two boys, one of whom is deaf with additional needs. Leesa is currently a men-

tor with the Parent to Parent Support Program, run by the Deaf Society of NSW and has previously

been involved in the stakeholder committee with Deaf Children Australia. Leesa is a currently a

Joeys Leader with Scouts NSW.

Amanda Li - Treasurer

Amanda is the mother of three children. One of her children is Deaf and attends a bilingual Auslan/

English school in Sydney’s North West. “I’ve had very little experience with deafness prior to my

daughter’s diagnosis, it hasn’t been easy and it has certainly opened my eyes to the state of our

education system. I believe that parents are the best advocates for their children and by becoming

involved in PODC, I’d like to provide support and information to other parents and help them en-

sure their children reach their full potential.’ Amanda practises as a dentist part time. She has re-

cently completed the Diploma of Auslan and is a NATTI accredited Auslan interpreter.

Mark Burfield - Secretary

Mark is the father of four children. The first was born profoundly deaf in 1999, received a cochlear

implant in 2001 and a second in 2010, and is currently in a public secondary school hearing support

unit. Mark’s primary concern is the maintenance and improvement of services for the hearing im-

paired at all stages. He is employed by Settlement Services International as an "Ability Linker"

(community development and capacity building for people with disabilities and their families and

carers). His voluntary roles include: Secretary of Universal Peace Federation Australia, State Com-

missioner for Scouts with Special Needs, Co-Chair of the Children's Festival in Sydney city, and Sec-

retary of the Burwood Public School P&C Association.

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Anna Messariti - Committee Member

Anna Messariti is currently on the management committee of PODC. Her son Xavier, who is four

and a half years old, has a bilateral, moderate hearing loss. Xavier was diagnosed when he was 13

days old and has been aided since he was five weeks old.

Anna is currently the Company Producer for Version 1.0, a theatre company based at Carriage-

works. Until recently, she was a Producer/Executive Producer for ABC Radio Drama. Prior to work-

ing for the ABC, Anna worked in independent film production. She produced the successful short

film (35mm), The Projectionist, by writer/director Michael Bates.

Julie Frendin - Committee Member

Julie is the mother of two gorgeous girls. Eleven years ago, Julie’s eldest daughter was diagnosed, at

the age of three, with a moderate to severe hearing loss. There began a journey, and a learning

curve. Julie has 23 years of experience as a teacher, including Itinerant Support Teacher for Hearing,

K-6 classroom teaching and executive teaching roles in both public and independent schools. The

story of Julie’s daughters is published in Additional Needs! Additional Love! by May Sharp. Julie is an

advocate for community awareness, passionate about listening to families and helping to provide

quality family and educational experiences for children and young people with hearing impairment.

Sarah Klenbort - Committee Member

Sarah is the mother of two children, Kaitlyn (6 years old) and Rhiannon (2 years old). When Kaitlyn

was two years old, Sarah found out that her eldest daughter was deaf and that her hearing loss was

progressive. She was initially devastated, however when she discovered the deaf community, every-

thing changed. Kaitlyn is now bilingual – she speaks and signs. Kaitlyn attends her local public

school and also attends Thomas Pattison School for the deaf one day a week.

Sarah admits that it has been a continual struggle to keep up Auslan due to the lack of resources

and for this reason, she joined PODC to try to open up the signing options for other families with

deaf children.

Professionally, Sarah teaches literature at the University of Western Sydney and writes fiction nov-

els and short stories.

Kate Kennedy - PODC Co-ordinator, Information and Advocacy

Kate is a parent of three teenagers, two of whom have a hearing loss. She was a past Committee

Member for three years prior to taking the role of Information and Advocacy Co-coordinator. In her

professional life, Kate has worked in the IT training arena for many years and has had her own small

business in the past. She feels strongly about the need for unbiased information and support for

parents of deaf children so that they can make informed choices about their child's future.

Allison McNally - Administration and Marketing Assistant

Allison has worked with PODC for the last two years. She has three young children, aged 8, 6 and 5.

Prior to having a family, her background was in public relations and event management. She cur-

rently works two days per week and is very happy to be working again with such a dynamic and for-

ward thinking organisation.

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PODC Balance Sheet

Balance Sheet Parents of Deaf Children Inc

As at 30 June 2014

30 Jun 2014 30 Jun 2013

Assets

Bank

Cheque account $20,582.26 $5,274.26

Other Cheque $848.48 $846.79

Porfolio cash management $1,765.36 $735.36

Term Deposit $21,274.76 $20,000.00

Total Bank $44,470.86 $26,856.41

Total Assets $44,470.86 $26,856.41

Liabilities

Current Liabilities

Accounts Payable $198.00 $0.00

Employee leave provision $2,341.58 $0.00

GST $480.19 $56.00

Total Current Liabilities $3,019.77 $56.00

Total Liabilities $3,019.77 $56.00

Net Assets $41,451.09 $26,800.41

Equity

Current Year Earnings $14,650.68 -$3,129.35

Retained Earnings $26,800.41 $29,929.76

Total Equity $41,451.09 $26,800.41

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Income and Expenditure Statement

Profit & Loss

Parents of Deaf Children Inc

For the 12 months ended 30 June 2014

Jun-14 Jun-13

Income

Donation and Sponsorship $1,090.00 $0.00

Fundraising income $8,029.45 $0.00

Grants $93,687.54 $88,966.71

Interest Income $1,331.32 $73.18

Membership income $4,884.88 $5,056.50

Other Revenue $0.00 $8,302.30

Sales $0.00 $377.82

Total Income $109,023.19 $102,776.51

Gross Profit $109,023.19 $102,776.51

Less Operating Expenses Accounting and Management Expense

$233.87 $6,408.00

Bank Fees $117.97 $291.99

Cleaning $1,397.50 $978.25

Conference registration $792.41 $0.00

Employee leave $2,341.58 $0.00

Entertainment $0.00 $387.81

Fundraising expenses $1,005.00 $0.00

Information Technology $1,009.50 $0.00

Insurance $1,799.79 $1,887.45

Interpreting $7,112.27 $2,747.07

Light, Power, Heating $118.18 $0.00

Meeting expenses $948.36 $400.00

Membership fees $64.54 $71.72

Merchant Fees $365.59 $0.00

Motor Vehicle Expenses $0.00 $1,716.37

Office Expenses $2,373.93 $1,517.32

Postage $922.64 $0.00

Printing & Stationery $4,911.89 $7,603.46

Rent $1,654.52 $2,080.51

Sponsorship and donation $500.00 $471.80

Staff Amenities $272.73 $0.00

Staff Training $109.09 $1,010.98

Sundry Expenses $72.73 $495.82

Superannuation $8,765.82 $1,960.29

Telephone & Internet $2,724.15 $3,626.84

Travel - National $650.92 $1,630.40

Wages and Salaries $52,565.69 $69,981.11

Workers Compensation $1,541.84 $638.67

Total Operating Expenses $94,372.51 $105,905.86

Net Profit $14,650.68 -$3,129.35

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Parents of Deaf Children relies on a government grant provided by the Department of Age-

ing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) to provide support, information and advocacy services

for families. We acknowledge with gratitude their financial support and also that of Deaf

Children Australia.

We also rely on memberships and tax deductable donations. We would like to thank Rosa-

lie Judith White and Robyn Herps for their kind donations to PODC.

Parents of Deaf Children

Block D, 361-365 North Rocks Road

NORTH ROCKS NSW 2151

PO BOX 4748

NORTH ROCKS NSW 2151

Ph: 02 9871 3049

Fax: 02 9871 3193

Email: info@podc.org.au

Website: www.podc.org.au

ABN: 47 618 685 904

CFN: 11530

Acknowledgements

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