Meet and Greet visits By Danielle Ramsey and Kristine Flanagan Where do we start?

We have been made to feel so welcome in all the houses that we have visited so far. The residents have been wonderful hosts, given us tours of their homes and asked some great questions. We have met many lovely family members and passionate staff who clearly love what they do. And it has been great to see the respect and quality of the relationships between staff, customers and families.

If we were to summarise some of our key “takeaways”:

» There were a lot of questions about the NDIS and how to get the most out of the planning and review processes

» Customers and families were relieved to hear that there won’t be any changes in the house.

» The staff we have met to date have been excited about the changes and are embracing the opportunities that come with such a change.

» The customers we met in December are all passionate about Christmas and we lost count of the number of spectacular trees we saw.

» The customers we met in January were trying to stay cool through record breaking temperatures.

» Possibly not in this order but ABBA, Bon Jovi and the Elvis Festival in Parkes were popular in many houses!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our visits – some might say a little too much! The morning and afternoon teas have been beautiful and generous, and we’d like to thank everyone for being such delightful hosts. Our only complaint is that we need to now work off all of those yummy treats as we continue with the 2019 house visits!

- Danielle and Kristine

Message from Andrew Richardson CEO, House with No Steps

Hello,

I hope this update finds you well and enjoying 2019!

We have been busy working with the Victorian Government on our preparations for the upcoming transfer and are all energised and excited. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to support you.

I understand that some people are nervous about the transfer. That’s completely understandable – the move from the state government to House with No Steps is a big change. Over time, we will work with you to find ways to improve the services and support you receive, but our aim through the transfer is to keep things as stable as possible, with the same great staff supporting you in the same ways.

The transfer of the Victorian Government services to House with No Steps is part of our plan to consolidate our position as Australia’s leading for-purpose provider of disability supports. We want all our customers to have complete confidence that we have the resources and expertise to support you for the long term, and we also want to have a seat at the table with governments to advocate for the human rights of people with disability in a strong and sustainable way.

We completed most house visits in metropolitan Melbourne before Christmas, with the last few completed in early January. We have since met with families, residents and staff at regional homes in Kialla, Shepparton, Echuca and surrounds. Mildura and Swan Hill will follow by the end of February. These visits have been well-attended, with lots of helpful feedback and questions.

This will be one of several bulletins in the lead up to the transfer. If you have any questions, please ring our Transfer Hotline on 1800 931 934 during business hours. You are also welcome to check out our online transfer hub at www.hwns.com.au/victransfer

Kind regards Andrew Richardson

From the house visits we have conducted to date these are the top 10 questions: Top 10 Questions 1. Are the staff in the house going to change?

No, the House Supervisor and House staff will be transferring across to House with No Steps. The Operations Manager will also be transferring across.

2. Will my family member have to move? No, your family member will not have to move to a new house because of the transfer. We respect that this is your family member’s home and will treat it as such. If, however, your family member would like to move to another location then we will work with families to facilitate this in the future.

3. Will our access to transport change? The government is transferring current group home vehicles to House with No Steps. As part of the transfer we are required to maintain the current levels of transport access. In some metro areas, there are government pool cars (red-plated cars) used across the week-end that will not be transferred. We are exploring options for managing replacement post-transfer. When we have more information, we will talk to you about this further. We understand access to transport is important and we will do everything needed to support this access.

4. Will my family member still be able to access the community in the same ways? Yes. We have been really pleased by the number of activities, interests, jobs and past times that the residents are involved in. House with No Steps will take over the management of the disability support services and this will not impact on the services and activities that your family member accesses.

5. Will the resident’s individual funding stay the same under the NDIS with House with No Steps? Yes. For those that are living in the group homes (as opposed to accessing respite or Short Term Accommodation) we will need to work closely with you as the family member, your house supervisor and staff to complete a Supported Independent Living (SIL) Quote to submit to the National Disability Insurance Agency. Currently, the houses are under “in-kind” arrangements, which means that funding is provided at the standardised level, rather than determined by each person’s individual NDIS needs as indentified in the Plan. We will organise quotes to meet resident’s needs and help achieve their goals. The timing for this has not yet been determined. We will keep you up to date when we know more definitively what and when this needs to occur.

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Photos from our Meet and Greet visits...

‘Mooving Art’ in Maroopna!

Tracey from Coburg was excited to welcome us in to her home!

The Elvis Festival in Parkes was a holiday popular destination for many.

These questions relate to staff and are included as many families wanted to know about these details too.

6. Are you going to change the roster arrangements ornumber of staff on shifts?No. Ultimately, the roster is driven by the needs of theresidents. If their needs change then we would anticipatethat the roster may need to change to accommodate thenew circumstances. As previously outlined, no rosters willbe changed for at least 3 months, excluding emergencies.

7. Will casuals be able to work across other houses (andproviders), as they do in DHHS now?There is work being progressed to balance casuals beingavailable with the need for continuity of support forresidents. As more information comes through, we willshare it accordingly.

8. Will you use House with No Steps casuals, or willDHHS casuals get priority?Under the arrangements of the transfer, staff employed inthe homes must be under the employment conditions andaward of the current DHHS staff.In areas where we know there is a need, we may recruita casual pool to cover shifts that need replacing due toillness or holidays and these staff will be on the sameaward conditions as the DHHS staff.

9. Will our systems and policies change?Yes, some of the systems will change and we will providestaff with the relevant training.There will be some changes to policies however these areunlikely to be significant changes because our policies areguided by the relevant State and National legislation.Our policies and protocols guide how we work in everyservice and region. We have a broad range of policies thatcover the breadth and depth of our work and ensure thesafety and wellbeing of the people we support.We will provide copies of the key policies in the staffresource folders for induction. As part of the training anddevelopment we will also ensure staff know where to findour policies on our intranet.

10. Will training be available in your systems? And inother specialisations the residents need?Absolutely. We have a training and induction program todeliver as the transfer progresses to make sure that staffare supported and confident with the new systems that areused by House with No Steps.Yes, there is training provided to make sure that staff areequipped with the skills and knowledge required to bestsupport their customers.In addition, staff will find that there are a range ofprofessional development opportunities for personalcareer goals and areas of interest.

More photos from our Meet and Greet visits...

A pretty mural on the side of a coffee stop in Rochester. Artist: Jimmy DVate.

Neil from Mooroopna was a wonderful host!

Who is more comfortable? Jeffrey or resident house cat?

Fun Facts!

» There are 62 Supported Independent Living (SIL) houses and 5 Short Term Accommodation Assistance (STAA) other wise known as Respite transferring to House with No Steps.

» We have travelled more than 5,000 kilometres since October 2018 to visit everyone and we were made to feel very welcome at each visit.

» Many residents and families in the rural and regional transferring properties are about to begin their NDIS planning process with the NDIS rolling out in Goulburn and Mallee on 1 January 2019

» Many of the residents and staff at the transferring houses could have secondary employment in catering by the gorgeous range of spreads we had!

» We were in Shepparton during the record breaking heat wave where the car was suggesting it was close to 50 degrees!

join us at hwns.com.au/victransfer

More photos from our Meet and Greet visits...

Overlooking the Swan Hill Art Gallery.

The picturesque grapevines between Mildura and Swan Hill.

Got a question or want more information?

Call our Transfer Hotline1800 931 934star@hwns.com.au