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StepOut Community Access Program in conjunction with Katherine Regional Arts (KRA) brokered an Art program, KRA supports local artists and cultural development in the region.

The program was established to give people with a disability the opportunity to express themselves through art under the guidance of an experienced artist. The end goal is to have a painting they completed themselves ready to enter into the Katherine Show by July.

For the past 6 weeks both Marlene and Gwenda along with StepOut staff

have been working on their paintings. Both of them have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, their art work is nearing completion and they are very excited about seeing their work displayed at the Katherine Show.

This program has been exceptionally beneficial to both Marlene and Gwenda giving them the opportunity to meet and socialise with people from different walks of life who have the same passion.

We will have photos of their completed artworks in the August newsletter.

Disability Services

News

“Live the Life of Your Dreams

When you start living the life of your dreams,

there will always be obstacles, doubters, mistakes and setbacks along the way. But with

hard work, perseverance and self-belief there is no limit to what you can

achieve.”

“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of

more than you imagine.”

Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Arts Bringing JoyQ3, 16 June 2017

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Somerville’s Disability ServicesUnder a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Somerville will continue to provide high quality individually tailored programs to meet the needs of people with disability. Services Somerville has on offer include:

Shared Living and Accommodation ServicesSomerville operates a variety of different types of supported accommodation services which promote choice, control and community inclusion for people with disability. We will work with you identify what you want in a home and the supports you need to live the life you want.

Currently we operate 12 supported accommodation services in Darwin, Howards Springs and Katherine. These services are staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week to ensure that each person receives the quality support they require. This level of support from highly skilled staff allows for the implementation of various programs of specific benefit to each person ensuring you can live with greater choice, control and independence.

We also support people to live semi-independently. We can provide different levels of support depending on your needs and wants. Supports might include: personal care, meal preparation, skills training, support to access your local community and garden maintenance services.

Life Skills Development ProgramSomerville’s Life Skills Development Program is person centred and individually tailored to ensure your chosen activities meets your needs, wants and aspirations. We have a mixture of community and centre based activities.

At Somerville we operate an exciting and diverse program that provides varied activities under different categories including:

• Health and Fitness• Creative Arts• Information Communication and Technology• Independent Life Skills• Social Outings• Sensory Activities• One off events• Just because it’s fun!

Go to our website to see just some of the activities we have on offer.

Essential to our Life Skills Development Program is our connection to and involvement with our local communities. We have strong partnerships with local people, organisations and businesses in the Darwin, Palmerston and Katherine regions.

If we don’t have a program on offer that you are looking for give Debbie Bampton, Services Development Manager and Administrator, a call so that we can link you to someone who does have it or work with you to meet your need.

Staff Training and SupportsWe know from experience that our disability services staff need and want access to regular upskilling.

Somerville operates a weekly staff training program to ensure our disability services staff are highly skilled, responsive and flexible to meet the needs of people with disability regardless of what environment we are providing support.

Training covers a wide range of areas and includes specific training needed to work optimally with a specific person and generic training to ensure broad knowledge and transferable skills. Training topics include the below list and many more:

• Person Centred Care• Social Role Valorization• Understanding abuse and neglect• Restrictive practices• Duty of Care and Dignity of Risk• Medication Management and Administration• Food handling and food safety• Alternative and Augmentative Communication• Self-care practices• Cultural Diversity• Fire safety training using the Bullex Training

SystemSomerville welcomes interested staff from other organisations to attend our training. There may be a small cost associated with attending.

For more information contact Somerville’s Services Development Manager and Administrator on email or 08 8920 4100.

Happy Birthday Marlene and BevWe celebrated Marlene Mundul’s 50th Birthday and also Beverly Dicken’s birthday on the 31st of March..

An Indonesian international lunch was also planned as a surprise birthday for Marlene with the Workplace Diversity and Inclusion group attending from Darwin.

It was a pleasant surprise for Marlene - she was the lady of the day, lavished with good food and good cheer!

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Katherine Biggest Morning TeaThroughout May and June Cancer Council is calling on Aussies to pop on the kettle and prep the menu for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea to raise vital funds for Cancer Council. In support of this the Katherine Museum held a morning tea on the 25th of May. More than 100 people gathered in the courtyard of the museum to enjoy seemingly unlimited light refreshments.

One of the young women that has organised the past eight morning teas for Breast cancer is now going through treatment herself, the Katherine Community are really getting involved in donating towards the charity.

Our Katherine service made the most of the opportunity with many people attending, it was unanimously voted as being the “best morning out” with everyone having a wonderful time. There were so many people there everyone had the chance to catch up with old friends and made quite a few new ones. When it came time to go home everyone was very reluctant to leave as they were having such a good time. We have already marked this event in our calendars as a “must do” for next year!

Support CoordinationWith the introduction of the NDIS Somerville has taken on a new role of Support Coordination.

Support Coordination is a time limited service funded through the NDIS. Its purpose is to help you put your NDIS plan into action.

There are three levels of Support Coordination funded under the NDIS, they are:

1. Support Connection: Short term assistance to identify and link you to service providers, negotiate service agreements and undertake monitoring and review activities.

2. Coordination of Support: Includes activities of Support Connection but provides longer term assistance to build greater capacity and to ensure your services operate smoothly across a wide range of service providers.

3. Specialist Support Coordination: Is a short term option available to people with very complex service coordination issues.

Somerville has employed a highly skilled, knowledgeable and well networked Support Coordinator in Bony Jacobs who will support you through Coordination of Supports.

At Somerville we can support you to:

• Identify the services you need and want• Link you to the best services to meet your needs

and wants• Negotiate service agreements with these services• Organise when your services will occur• Obtain quotes for services• Help you when you need extra supports• Monitor your plan• Help you prepare for your NDIS plan review• Help you engage with the National Disability Insur-

ance AgencyFor more information on Somerville’s Support Coordination Services please contact us via the link below.

Phone: 8920 4100

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.somerville.org.au

Community InclusionCommunity inclusion promotes choice, a sense of belonging, acceptance, respect and the value of differences. It fosters personal growth, the learning of new skills and the opportunity to achieve more than you thought possible.

Being a part of a community is a right we often take for granted and one which people with a disability often struggle to achieve, we can all make that step a little easier, it just takes a smile and one word “Welcome”.

Somerville continues to be a leading advocate for community participation to increase community inclusion for people with disability in the NT. The model we follow is based on best practice and research.

We continuously work as a team with our service users, their families and Guardians and service providers to identify the level of community inclusion which meets the current needs of each individual. The activity chosen will often decide the level of participation an individual may feel comfortable with, this means that some people may initially just want to be present at an activity until they feel comfortable enough to participate or those choosing a higher level of participation where they become an integral and respected part of their chosen community. As a collective we continue to review individual activities constantly to ensure it is meeting the person’s specific needs and interests.

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Recognising ExcellenceThe Northern Territory Disability Services Awards offer an opportunity to recognise the exceptional individuals working in the disability sector as well as government and non-government services, organisations, businesses and programs that demonstrate outstanding commitment to improving the lives of people with disability.

Nominations for 2017 open in August so let’s all put our thinking caps on and identify some of those deserving people who work tirelessly to promote the independence of the people they support.

www.ntdsa.org.au

DARWIN147 Lee Point Road

WAGAMAN NT 0810Ph: 08 8920 4100Fax: 08 8920 4101

Email: [email protected]

PALMERSTON3 Victoria DriveGRAY NT 0830

Ph: 08 8935 1500Fax: 08 8935 1501

Email: [email protected]

KATHERINE30 First Street

KATHERINE NT 0850Ph: 08 8972 5100Fax: 08 8972 5101

Email: [email protected]

VISION STATEMENTPeople are able to gain improvement

in their quality of life by achieving the highest attainable standard of

social and economic outcomes

VALUES• Recognition of the intrinsic

worth of every human being• Generosity from the heart• Service to the community• Justice within our society

MISSION STATEMENT“To impact positively on the dignity

and quality of life of people who are affected by social and economic

disadvantage”.

PaddleboatingA perfect dry season day saw us launch Maggie1 for the first time this year into the beautiful Lake Alexander, a more idyllic spot would be hard to find and is very representative of the outdoor Territory lifestyle.

We had a great turn out for what was a very successful day. Some chose to spend their time sitting in the shade of the trees watching everything going on around them while others went swimming or paddled around the lake. Whatever they chose to do it was obvious

that everyone was very relaxed and enjoying their time, for many it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with people they already knew or make new friends.

The morning ended with a barbeque which everyone enjoyed before heading home.

Maggie1 paddle boating will be a prominent activity in Somerville’s Life Skills Development Program. The activity will be run twice weekly throughout the dry season. We will be sure to let everyone know when the dates are set.


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