Staff matters July 26, 2018 - Issue 163 Week 4
Management Conference a Soaring Success
In This Issue 1 Mangement Conference A Soaring Success
2 Staff Profile Visual Aided Communications For Clients
‘We Care’ was the theme of last week’s Afford Management Conference at Brighton Beach and the conference overall was a soaring success! Eighty nine staff from across Afford’s diverse businesses, all came together for the two day conference to share ideas and strategies, network with peers and talk about the year ahead. The conference presented all attendees with a valuable opportunity to discuss business strategies and different ideas about leading their teams, as well as to further cultivate the strong work ethic and team culture of Afford. A key message throughout the conference was that Afford’s great success is our ability to adapt to challenges. Afford is one of the few disability service providers that have refused to cut or stop services simply to increase profits. Our competitors are shying away from services that are hard to deliver and make profitable – such as one-to-one supports – only to focus on those services they consider profitable. The reality is, that Afford is not only delivering these services, we are making them profitable.
3 Mangement Conference A Soaring Success
TryTimes Champion Training
4 Afford Staff Stress Less Upcoming Events Selfie Of the Week Have a Laugh
Our CEO, Steven Herald, highlighted that as an Employer of Choice, we maintain a high spend on training which attracts the best staff in the sector. “We are chasing steep growth this year which will be a challenge. But with our great staff and leaders and Employer of Choice initiatives we will continue to expand and attract the best staff in the industry. We have a can do culture at Afford and we are recognised for that and we need to maintain that culture.” One of the highlights over the two day conference was a motivating and informative talk by Peter Ritchie, who was the first employee of McDonald’s Australia and the first employee of the McDonald’s system outside North America. During the 70’s and 80’s he played a major role in every aspect of the company’s development from establishing raw product suppliers to the construction of new stores and the development of training programs. McDonald’s Australia grew to more than 500 stores and 50,000 employees during his time as Chief Executive.
Let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au
Reminder Don’t forget to send your/clients’ achievements, good news stories and photos to
Marketing@afford.com.au
Staff matters
2
July 26, 2018 - Issue 163
Staff Profile
Visual Aided Communication for Clients Adults without cognitive and/or communication difficulties generally are able to plan their own day. We make choices, so we know what is coming next and we know we can change or alter our plans if needed. Now, imagine waking up every morning and having little to no idea about what you are doing for the day or what is going to happen next? What if somebody came over to interrupt an activity which you were enjoying to stop you or without warning insist that you do something else? How would you feel? Probably quite frustrated!
Kevin Cahill
Employment Consultant DES Liverpool Favourite Song: Too many to list. 80’s, 90’s music is my favourite. Favourite Movie: Step Brothers Favourite Hobbies: Watching Rugby League – go Dragons! Favourite Foods: Vietnamese and French. If you could be an animal what would you be: A dragon What is your dream holiday destination: Japan If you had the power what would you change about the world: War, poverty and injustice. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you? Married me! If you had to teach something what would you teach: Respect for all! Something no one knows about me: I used to be a Chef, Government worker and Technical Officer for a chemistry laboratory
let your abilities soar
This is often what happens to our clients if a visual support or schedule is not in place. Many times, challenging behaviour, (e.g. physical aggression or shouting) is a way of communicating. In our everyday lives we use visual supports to help us to be organised, prepared and to carry out our daily functions. For this reason, the Allied Health team are introducing visual supports throughout all Day Program sites and will also soon begin introduction in Afford Group Homes. Visual supports are not intended to replace verbal communication, but rather to support it by increasing independence and confidence and decreasing frustration. We will also be using choice visual boards. A choice board is a visual support which can be used by the client to communicate what activity, item or task they would like. A minimum of two choices would be presented at one time for them to make a choice. In terms of scheduling Day Program activities, it is important that clients also understand what they will be doing during the day. People with significant language/cognitive difficulties could get anxious or frustrated when they are directed to do something they were not expecting, or when they are abruptly told to stop a preferred activity. This could lead to challenging behaviours. Our clients may also have trouble remembering or visualising, if you simply tell them how the day will unfold. A schedule makes it easier to understand, follow, and remember the expectations of the day. Moving forward, we are introducing visual schedules for each site. Each centre should have a visual schedule which can be used to show the plan for the day. It is important that this schedule is accessible for clients, as well as staff. Amazing work from our Allied Health Team for introducing such a fantastic initiative. We hope to see how this eases communication between clients and staff.
www.afford.com.au
Staff matters
3
July 26, 2018 - Issue 163
Management Conference a Soaring Success The team building kite flying activity was an overwhelming success, with Team Creative, including Donna, Aaaron, Madison, Karina, Lily, Nancy, Kristina and Serina taking the first prize medal for the best self-made kite. This was the final conference for the year and we look forward to what is to come next year and beyond!
TRYTIMES CHAMPION TRAINING Trytime Brother’s Football team is a wonderful initiative that was established three years ago to provide opportunities for people with disability to enjoy sport. Since inception, Trytime Brother’s Football has been very successful in creating friendships, encouraging team work and promoting healthy lifestyle choices. Recently, the Trytime Brother’s Football team were presented with the opportunity to participate in a closed training session watching the NSW Blues team at Allianz stadium. Needless to say, the team were over the moon to be offered such an exclusive opportunity! Every member of the team is a huge football fan - not to mention, Blues Fans! Everyone was excited to watch the training session with the hopes of meeting one of the football stars. “I really liked the day and enjoyed meeting players. It was a big stadium” said Lawrence Camilleri. Dean Elliot snapped a shot with football legend, Paul Gallen, before taking the opportunity to showcase his league talents; tackling full back, Tyrone Peachey, who commented that Dean showed rare talent! All clients had a fantastic day meeting many rugby league greats, such as Brad Fittler, Paul Gallen and the current NSW team. This was a first for our Trytime team but hopefully not the last! Go Blues!
let your abilities soar
www.afford.com.au
Staff matters
4
July 26, 2018 - Issue 163
Afford Staff Stress Less To coincide with National Stress Down Day, Afford arranged for staff to receive massages as a way to unwind, de-stress and relax. Taking time to look after employee physical and mental well being has been found to increase productivity in the workplace. As an Employer of Choice, Afford has incorporated regular massages into the work life of staff and is pleased to provide staff with opportunities to take advantage of this employee health and well being initiative. Don’t forget to book in your next massage and stress less!
UPCOMING EVENTS Date: Event: 30 July 28 Jul - 3 Aug 1-31 Aug 1-31 Aug 4-11 Aug 5 Aug 17-24 Aug 20-26 Aug
International Day of Friendship Be A Superhero Wheel Make a Change (Cerebral Palsy Alliance) MS Readathon Gold Coast Disability Expo Jeans for Genes Day Book Week Keep Australia Beautiful
Have a laugh
ek e e i lf w
Seof the
In the Selfie Above: Jess, Kiesha & David representing at the Melbourne Carers Expo.
let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au
Please send in your selfies or laughs