New South Wales

New South Wales

Civic Turns 60!

Civic has supported individuals with disability to reach their potential since 1958. To celebrate our 60th anniversary, we have a year-long series of events and activities planned.

The first event kicked the year off on a high! Popular children’s entertainment group Hi-5 delighted over 300 children with disability, their friends and family at the Cronulla Sharks Leagues Club in January. Thank you to the Hi-5 cast Bailey, Courtney, Joe, Shay and Lachie for being so generous with their time, meeting the children and posing for photos after their high energy concert.

The 60th anniversary activities are designed for everyone in the Civic ‘family’ to be able to participate and include:

• A Family Fun Day at Civic’s Wattle Grove Hub in March with food, sports activities run by the Special Olympics NSW, music, inflatable slide and dance – everyone is welcome, entry and activities are free

WHAT’S ONFEATURE

• Launch of a Civic cookbook in March – featuring favourite recipes from clients and staff

• Civic RecAbility 50s themed disco in June for all clients

• Gala celebration dinner and dancing in September – for clients, families and staff – tickets on sale later in the year

• Art exhibitions in Hazelhurst Gallery and Civic Hubs in December – all Civic clients and staff are encouraged to submit their artwork

For further details on any of these events, please email the Communications Team on communicationsteam@civic.org.au or call 9575 1900.

MARCH 2018THURSDAY 8: Illawarra Disability Expo Fairy Meadow, Wollongong

SATURDAY 10: Family Fun Day, Wattle Grove Hub Food, Music, Sport and Fun for All

WEDNESDAY 14: Ability Expo, Ulladulla

APRIL 2018SATURDAY 21: Civic Industries stall at Woronora Cemetery Open Day Everyone Welcome

LAUNCH OF CIVIC’S 60TH COOKBOOK: Watch this space for details

MAY 2018THURSDAY 25 - FRIDAY 26: Sydney Disability Expo Sydney Olympic Park

New South Wales

• Food • Sports • Music • Dance • Kids Activities • Fun!

1800 253 743 | CIVIC.ORG.AUenquiries@civic.org.au

CIVIC.ORG.AU

ISSUE 10, MARCH 2018

WHAT’S INSIDE:- Civic’s 60th Celebrations - Nas Campanella visits Civic - Accommodation Update - Grant Wins - We’re Hiring!

Welcome to the first Civic Matters of 2018. This is such an exciting year for everyone in the Civic family as it is our 60th birthday, and we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with you all. Our program of events has something for everyone!

New and Expanded ServicesThe families who attended the Hi-5 concert in January told us that the children had a wonderful time. Civic’s Children’s Service is growing and we are now offering before school care as well as after school care, vacation care, accommodation, clinical services and individual (drop-in) support. We are delighted to welcome more young families into the Civic community.

We are very pleased to announce that Civic has been selected by icare as a provider of nursing and attendant care services to people who have experienced workplace injury, acquired brain injury or illness. We will be providing these services in South East Sydney and South West Sydney.

We are also expanding our accommodation services with new types of housing being investigated and new geographic areas explored. We are delighted to have opened new shared living homes in Caringbah, Penshurst, Peakhurst, Riverwood, Narwee, Menai, Camden, Narellan Vale and Nowra, providing the opportunity for many of our clients to meet their goal of living independently.

New AccreditationsThis year we are planning to add to our portfolio of accreditations. We received our Attendant

From The Chair & CEO

Care Accreditation in January. Attendant care encompasses a range of services commonly delivered at a person’s home or in their community to enable them to remain living in their community and focuses on maximising the participant’s independence. We also have a new accreditation for Statutory Out of Home Care for Children and Young People in the pipeline as well as several external audits including Third Party Verification, Community Housing Registration and ISO 9001.

We are finalising the rollout of a social impact tool that enables us to track the progress in outcome quality experienced by clients over time and measure Civic’s service effectiveness. This process enables Civic to support people to continue building on something that is working well for them, address changing needs and assist the person towards their future aspirations.

The Customer Services Team is working hard to assist families

with NDIS Service Agreements, bedding down of plans, agreeing final details of service delivery and so on. We recognise that this can be pretty demanding – so we are only a phone call away if you need support.

Finally we would love to see you at the family fun day at Wattle Grove on Saturday the 10th of March. It promises to be a great day of food, sports for all abilities – thank you Special Olympics NSW – music and dance. Tell your friends as all are invited.

Warm regards,

Annie Doyle, CEO & Luke Streater, Chair

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CIVIC NEWS

People often

think about

moving home,

or would like

to move, but

the process

can be seen as

overwhelming. Civic understands

this and can help ease the way.

Following on from the

Accommodation Information

Sessions held late last year, we

have been working with families

who were keen to learn how

their NDIS plans could include

their supported accommodation

needs, and stepping them

through the process of moving

out of the family home into

accommodation of their choice.

Thinking About Moving?

Civic’s accommodation offers:• A quiet location or close

to shops and town centre

• Easy access to public transport or transport attached to the house

• Wake over or sleep over 24/7 support

• Single or double-storey

• En-suite bathrooms, gardens and outside areas

• Access to a full range of complementary services: community hubs, clinical services, social activities and supported holidays

Using our expertise, we match you with the right staff and the right accommodation to ensure the best long-term fit.

We are also exploring new models of accommodation – for example, to enable families with differing support needs to stay together, or friends to share, with the right level of support.

If you would like to find out more about the options available, please contact the Customer Service Team on enquiries@civic.org.au or call 1800 253 743.

The MatesDavid, David, Paul, Anthony

and Errol recently moved into a

Supported Shared Living home

in the Sutherland Shire. The

young men have been mates for

many years, working and even

attending school together.

Initially, David was not

interested in moving out of the

family home that he had lived

in for many years. However as

he became more involved with

the process, visiting the house,

choosing his bedroom and

talking about the BBQs that

they would hold, he became

more and more excited. Then

after visiting the family home for

Christmas, he was very keen to

go back to his new house!

When the mates see their families nowadays, they enjoying spending time together, with the parents secure in the knowledge that they are happy and comfortable in their new home.

Only 37% of parents with adult children with disability have made plans for when they are no longer able to care for their family member.

*NDIS 2017-18 Quarterly Reports Q1: National Dashboard as at 30 September 2017

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CIVIC NEWS

“The two greatest things a Support Worker can do is to listen and not be patronising.” Nas Campanella

Supporting the Support Workers at Civic

Civic’s ‘Year of the Support Worker’ initiative ended on a high with a conference for 70 staff at Tradies Gymea. A wide range of sessions included talks from Civic’s clinical experts on the importance of mental health of staff. The themes explored on the day were:

• The direction of Civic now and in the future

• Becoming NDIS experts

• The role of a Support Worker

The guest speaker of the day was Nas Campanella. Nas is a talented journalist who works for Triple J as a newsreader. She has been blind since six months of age and is unable to read braille due to near total loss of sensitivity in her fingertips. She commanded

You could have a rewarding career as a Support Worker In order to provide our excellent services, we need more enthusiastic staff. Could this be you?

We offer: • Flexible working hours

• A supportive, inclusive environment

• A rewarding career working in a dynamic and passionate team

• Salary packaging and other benefits

• Opportunities to develop your skills and your career in this fast-growing industry

If you, or anyone you know, is interested in working with an innovative organisation, view our current vacancies on the Civic website www.civic.org.au or email jobs@civic.org.au with general enquiries about careers.

Volunteer with CivicThe support of the community, corporate donors and individuals are vital to Civic. If you would like to express an interest in becoming a volunteer please view our current vacancies on the Civic website www.civic.org.au, email people.culture@civic.org.au or contact the team on 02 9575 1900 to discuss a fulfilling volunteer role with Civic.

absolute silence as she spoke to the importance of Support Workers as ‘enablers’. Nas shared her advice that the two greatest things a Support Worker can do are ‘to listen and not be patronising’.

Clients Aaron, Jenny and Sharon ended the day with an insightful client panel and shared their views on living in supported accommodation, their Support Workers, and their dreams for the future.

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We are delighted to announce that Shepherd Filters (shepherdfilters.com) have come on board as a new client of Civic Industries. Thank you to Shepherd for helping us to provide employment for Australians with Disability.

Civic’s File Bands have had a facelift with the

introduction of a new design and four new

colours. A simple and effective way to band files

and keep them looking professional, file bands are

a wide elastic strap with a hook fastener. Ideal for

the legal and medical professions, accountants

and anyone who needs to store or archive large

amounts of paper.

Visit us at Woronora Cemetery on Saturday 21 April, when we will have a stall at the Open Day.

You will also be able to admire the beautiful

grounds, which Civic’s Lawn Mowing Team

help to maintain.

CIVIC NEWS

What’s New At Civic Industries?

Civic Industries provide a range of services to local businesses. If you know someone who needs warehousing services, mailing services, confidential paper shredding or corporate garden maintenance – let us know.

What’s Happening At The Hubs?The Hurstville Hub has recently introduced a

weekly dancing activity. Featuring a cool salsa

vibe, participants learn at their own pace. There

is also a new music class, which is available as a

group or one-to-one activity. Participants get to

try out different instruments and enjoy a range

of musical activities. Spaces are still available for

both activities.

Sutherland Hub hold a meditation class as well as music and movement classes on a Wednesday morning plus New Era have a Zumba class on Wednesday afternoons. Come along and get fit while having fun. A fishing program started in February – if you would like to learn more about fishing and explore some of the local fishing spots then we have you covered!

The Wattle Grove Hub is looking forward to hosting the Family Fun Day on Saturday 10 March. The other Hubs will also be displaying and selling crafts on the day. Come along for a fun lunch,

sporting activities and some shopping.

See the full program of Hub activities and the list

of supported holidays for the year on our website: civic.org.au/services/social

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Nourish Launches Tim’s PiesCivic’s café in Nowra has launched Tim’s pies. They are so popular that they sell out very quickly each day. Supported employee Tim first expressed an interest in making pies after he saw the success of the sausage rolls. With support from the team at Nourish, Tim has now created a range of delicious pies including a Beef Pie and a Beef, Cheese & Bacon Pie. If you are in the Nowra area call in and try them for yourself at 82 Illaroo Road, North Nowra. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.

Nourish catering has also taken off with many local organisations, including local radio station Power FM and 2ST, putting through orders. Marty Gould from the station said, “Nourish recently provided catering for one of our meetings. It was great and everyone was impressed. We will definitely be calling Nourish again to order more catering”. If you would like to try the delicious catering menu, call (02) 4409 3955.

CIVIC ROUND UP

We Want Your Feedback!

We recently released a survey to clients and families, asking your opinion on a range of issues. Your opinion is very important and will help to shape the direction of the services that we provide, so please set aside a few minutes to let us know what you think. If you have any questions about the survey please email people.culture@civic.org.au or call 02 9575 1900.

Bring Your Kids To Work DayThursday 25 January was ‘Bring Your Kids to Work’ Day at Civic head office. Fifteen children visited and they had a ball! Each of the parents organised a different activity for the group throughout the day. These ranged from making stress balls (and mess) in the Board Room, origami, painting, to cooking pizzas and chocolate crackle in the kitchen.

Highlights of the day were visiting the Madagascar play centre next door with Annie, the CEO, and the various fur babies who came to visit them. Ava, age 7 said: “I made some great new friends and I loved being at Daddy’s work.” You can also see the story on our Youtube channel.

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Welcome to the Class of 2018friendships, learn about working in a team and of course, have a bit of fun along the way.

CIVIC ROUND UP

TV Stars Have you seen Civic’s recent television ads on the SBS channels? There are two ads - one featuring two long-term mates both called David and the second one featuring twins Emily and Laura. You can also catch them on Civic’s YouTube channel. Both ads have had amazing success with the Davids’ videos reaching over 15,000 people and the twins’ video getting many views in Portugal.

Look out for a new story coming this month featuring the ‘Mates’, moving into their new home.

Meet The Huskies Clients from Civic’s Sunday group were recently able to spend time with the huskies from NSW Siberian Express. Pete, the VP from the club, introduced the clients to the huskies and told them a little about the animals. He then assisted everyone to have photos taken with their favourite dog. Practice Leader Loris de Britt who organised the visit said the clients told her they had an awesome time. Huge thanks to the Club members Pete, Kelly and Chelsea for assisting with the experience and of course the huskies Izzy, Icy, Muska, Chief and Kenzi.

Parade FunThis year Civic’s Blackheath clients again took part in the annual Rhododendron Parade and had a great time joining in the festivities.

If you would like to find out more about the services available in the Blue Mountains or Western Sydney regions, email Tiffany Coles at tiffany.coles@civic.org.au or call 0447 333 049 / 1800 253 743.

This year’s School Leaver Employment Supports program (SLES) – also known as ‘Work Ready’ – has now started and we are delighted to see this fantastic group of young people join the Civic family. Welcome back to second year students Bryan, William, Natalia, Sean, Harrison, Joshua, James and Katrina and welcome to our new 1st years Jacob, Luke, Steven, Benjamin, Samuel and Michael.

The SLES program, which prepares school leavers to enter the workforce, runs over two years. Participants learn job skills and receive travel and communications training with the aim of increasing their confidence and career aspirations for employment. In addition, the students have the opportunity to form Pictured: the second year students

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New South Wales

South East Sydney Office 103 Cawarra Road, Caringbah NSW 2229

South West Sydney Office 14 Mill Road, Liverpool, NSW 2170

Blue Mountains Office PO Box 215, Blackheath, NSW 2785

T 1800 253 743 E enquiries@civic.org.au

PRIVACY NOTICE – Your email address, postal address or any other personal information collected will only be used for the purpose for which you gave it to us and will not be disclosed to any person, body or agency except where you have provided your consent or it is required or authorised by law. To access and seek correction of your personal information or to obtain a copy of Civic Privacy Policy, go to www.civic.org.au or phone head office on 1800 253 743

GRANTS UPDATE

Thank You to Our Generous Funders A big ‘thank you’ to all our generous funders who make it possible for Civic to bring about improvements in the lives of clients. All grant funding goes towards worthwhile projects contributing to substantial change.

Recent grant awards include:

You Are Invited To:

Stronger Communities Programme, Hughes ElectorateThank you to Craig Kelly, MP for the Hughes Electorate for a $5,500 Stronger Communities Programme Grant. With matched funding from Civic, the funds are being used to improve the facilities at the Sutherland Community Hub. The break out room is being renovated and new furnishings purchased to make the space more fun and practical for clients and clients.

Community Building Partnership Grant, Cronulla ElectorateThank you to the Hon. Mark Speakman, MP for the Cronulla Electorate, for a $16,500 Community Building Partnership Grant. The funds are being used to renovate two bathrooms at the Kingsway Centre Based Respite to make them accessible. Wheelchairs will be able to turn in the shower and roll in easily under the washbasins. There will also be low handrails, lower mirrors and the floor levels adjusted for the new wet room conditions.

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