Hey folks. from all parts of our community…
It is hoped that this newsletter finds you all doing well and that everyone has managed to stay dry and safe during this time of wet and unpredictable weather patterns. Here at Resilience Enterprises, there have been some changes taking place which we wanted to keep you informed of. As you know, our people and their voices are at the heart of why we do what we do, and transparency around our work is very important to us.
A NEW DIRECTION FOR OUR SERVICES
We are incredibly privileged at Resilience Enterprises to work with so many clients and stakeholders already, doing the important work we do. It has become apparent that Complex Behaviour Support is increasingly in dire demand within the current NDIS climate, and as a result, we are experiencing a large amount of referrals in this very important space.
Our Behaviour Support Practitioners are very skilled and practiced in this area of service, with our collective expertise continuing to grow every year.
After deep reflection, and over a decade of serving the community in behaviour support, this is where we ultimately feel we can make a key and impactful difference for the communities we serve.
We are therefore writing to inform our stakeholders that our organizational focus will be shifting to a focus on Complex Behaviour Support, as our primary area of practice.
We are currently open to receiving new referrals and also have the capacity to build our client bases in regional and remote locations. We travel to several communities including: Aurukun, Townsville and Palm island
We are also excited to announce that we now have Behaviour Support Practitioners available on the ground in The Darling Downs and The Wide Bay regions!
If you are interested in making a referral to our service, please contact our intake officer on becky@resiliencegrowth.com.au who will be able to discuss potential capacity further
You may be wondering what this means for our counselling services. This does mean that we will no longer be able to take on general counselling clients, as our strategic direction no longer aligns with this as a primary focus.
Having said this, however, sometimes within the broader behaviour support space counselling inclusions may be required for those ‘grey areas’ which pop up (i.e. family-based referrals or short-term assessment work). In cases such as this, counselling will still be provided within the scope of the behaviour support practice.
PROJECT RAINBOW
We are thrilled to announce Project Rainbow! A free education initiative supporting the mental health and wellbeing of gender diverse young people in Cairns funded by the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN). Whether you’re new to working within the gender diversity space, an interested community member, ally or experienced practitioner, our modules will cover everything from Queensland’s treatment ban and family support to cultural care plans, to recognizing suicidal ideation and building support circles. We also cover the building blocks of safe trans, sistergirl, brotherboy and gender diverse care.
Our educators have both lived experience and clinical expertise, and the training provided will be free. The training is built from a lived experience and clinical platform. If you’re interested in finding out more, or attending free training that you could use for professional development or learning opportunities, please reach out to Rhondda@resiliencegrowth.com.au or call us at 0740197699.
OUR ADVOCACY
Advocacy is an important domain that has always been close to our hearts at Resilience Enterprises as quality of life and human rights are extremely important to us.
We also need the operational government systems to be informed of the arising gaps and issues impacting our communities. It is for this reason, that Max (our clinical lead and co-founder here at Resilience Enterprises) advocates for the communities our service supports on a government level whenever possible.
Most recently, Max has been invited to participate in many meetings with government ministers and policy writers, on a substantial issue which has been impacting our work on an ongoing basis: the gap between the NDIS and Queensland’s acute mental health
system. The reality is, many of our behaviour support clients fall under the care of QLD Mental Health, and the NDIS, and the cracks between these two systems can place some of our most vulnerable community members at serious risk.
Max has been raising these concerns directly with decision-makers, and we’re proud to share that those conversations are well underway.
So far, Max has met with (and has ongoing meetings with):
• The office of Amanda Camm MP, Minister for Families, Seniors and Disability Services
• Cr Rob Payne, Cairns Regional Council
• Leading representatives from Cairns Mental Health and other Drug Services
• Leading representatives from Disability Services, Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety
As well as the above, Max also has additional upcoming meetings scheduled with Matt Smith MP (Federal Member for Leichardt) and Donna Kirkland MP (State Member for Rockhampton, Assistant Minister for Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Families and Seniors and Central Queensland).
Other areas of passion include the lack of culturally appropriate identified line items, gaps in service provision for first nations participants particularly those from remote settings) and LGBTIQA plus needs. We’re committed to continuing this work and to making sure the voices of the people we support are heard at the tables where decisions get made. This work is our small contribution to bettering the outcomes of participants, services, families, and individuals we work with.
TEAM SPOTLIGHT: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ALLIED HEALTH ASSISTANT
We love shining a light on the incredible people that make up our team, so we sat down with Marika to find out what life looks like as an Allied Health Assistant with us:
Q: How long have you been a team member of Resilience Enterprises and what is your role in the team?
A: I have been with Resilience for 3 years and I started working as Administrative Assistant and currently in a dual role as Administrative Manager/ First Nations Allied
Health Assistant. I am also studying a Cert IV in Leadership and Management to upskill myself and further my career
Q: How might a regular working day look to you both
1. When you are in the office?
A. We are busy and not one day is the same. E.g. I greet clients and families, liaise on cultural resources, manage team schedules and have been in recruitment processes.
2. On an outreach visit?
A. Travelling to remote areas – building the rapport with our clients and families. Working with the family to achieve what they need and providing culturally safe services.
Q: What do you enjoy about working at Resilience Enterprises?
A: I enjoy working with our amazing team here with all their different personalities and skills and the work Resilience does.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about how Resilience Enterprise approaches working in first nations spaces and communities?
A: First and foremost, our working approach with our first nations spaces and communities is being culturally appropriate first and working with the individuals/families in their ways.
Q: What have you learned about the resilience of our regional and remote community members since starting to work in that space?
A: I’ve learnt that they are incredibly resilient in challenges that they face currently and in the past and with the right services they will become powerful in their selves, community and culture.
CONTACT DETAILS
Phone number – 07 4019 7699 Email – reception@resiliencegrowth.com.au
Address – Boland centre, 14 Spence Street, Cairns QLD 4870