Staff Matters October 12, 2018 Issue 174 Week 15
RENEWED & REFRESHED EDITION
MELBOURNE AND QUEENSLAND SIGN UP In This Issue Afford in Melbourne and Queensland are really taking off with the new signage now in place and boldly positioned to welcome potential clients, carers and families to find out more about what Afford has to offer. In addition to the usual front of site signage, new signage also includes big, bold and vibrant window sized imagery which communicates the client benefits offered by the Afford lifestyle.
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Melbourne & Queensland Sign up Joke of The Week Accommodation Team Buzz Refresh & Renew Inspiring All Staff Profile
Further to this, we are also incorporating signage that tells stories. We have signs that include quotes from our clients that talk about why they enjoy being part of the Afford community. The teams in Melbourne and Queensland are hitting the ground running and looking into new initiatives, events, partnerships, sites and more to make sure that the wider community are well aware of our services. Queensland are working hard connecting with potential clients and the local communities in which Afford operates by coordinating a range of NDIS Information Sessions, as well as opening Afford’s doors to local school leavers for ‘school walk throughs’. Queensland’s Beenleigh and Southport sites will welcome students from schools within the local areas to showcase all that Afford has to offer school leavers. The North Queensland region has welcomed their first Lifestyle Assistant, Maria. She will begin next week with one-to-one support in the community. The team have also attended two network information sessions, which have proved successful in developing relationships with local service providers.
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Step Up To The Challenge Laura O’Brien Supporting Afford Volunteers For Our Gala Ball Lucinda Welcomes Baby Girl Upcoming Events Selfie of The Week
In Melbourne, the team have positioned Afford well to meet the needs of new clients as the NDIS continues to be rolled out across Victoria. The team have a variety of information sessions scheduled at the Berwick Cheese Factory site to provide information about SLES and different topics relating to the NDIS. In addition, the Customer Care team have been working with a local Victorian advocacy group and local DES organisations to inform them about all that Afford has to offer. The Frankston Head Office is now up and running and the Allied Health Team is working from this location to service clients. In the coming weeks, the Melbourne team will begin tailoring programs for Day Program, one-toone-support and community access services. Great work Queensland and Melbourne teams! We look forward to hearing more exciting news about progress in your regions over the coming months.
REMINDER
Don’t forget to send your clients’ achievements, good news stories and photos to Marketing@afford.com.au
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
STAFF PROFILE NAME: Motti Kaplan POSITION: Team Leader
October 12, 2018 Issue 174
ACCOMMODATION TEAM BUZZ Buzz Nights are always well attended events that nurture the team culture at Afford.On Saturday, 6 October, the Accommodation teams from Penrith and Bligh Park joined together for their Buzz Night. The night was set to be an exciting time for all with the venue being The Major Oak in St Marys which is a comedy theatre restaurant.
FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Weightlifting
The night included a sumptuous three course meal and drinks shared with a great team of people and was made even better with awesome comedy acts - which included some famous impersonations of well known celebrities such as Cher, Elvis, Meatloaf and Robbie Williams, just to name a few.
FAVOURITE FOODS? Hamburgers
“We could not of had a better night out and all had an awesome night where we spent the night laughing so much out cheeks hurt,” said Kristie.
IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? Any kind of Monkey
“The night was about having a laugh (which did not disappoint) and laughing about ourselves.”
LOCATION: Ashfield Day Program FAVOURITE SONG? Europe – The Final Countdown FAVOURITE MOVIE? Terminator 2
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Iceland WHAT IS THE NICEST THING SOMEONE HAS EVER DONE FOR YOU? Client’s parents telling me they trust me IF YOU HAD THE POWER WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? Take away all guns! IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? I would teach people how to drive courteously SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I compete in Powerlifting
Buzz Nights are important in getting to know the people you work with everyday outside of the workplace. It’s a time to let your hair down and develop camaraderie within your team. Great ‘work hard, play hard’, mentality teams! Great to hear you enjoyed the Buzz Night!
REFRESH AND RENEW INSPIRING ALL
We are so pleased to share a truly inspirational story about a young girl named Matilda (or ‘Tilly’) from the Rouse Hill region. Recently, Michelle Flynn from the marketing team was in search of a mirror to beautify an Afford site in line with our recent renew and refresh initiative. She found a stunning mirror online which she knew would be perfect. The owner, nine year old Tilly and her mum, were asking for $100 for the mirror. Michelle explained that she worked for a disability organisation and that the mirror would be incorporated into a service for people living with disability and wondered whether she could negotiate the price. To this, Tilly told her mum that she wanted to donate the mirror to Afford. Tilly has shown all of us that great maturity and wisdom can come from some of the most unlikely places. We’re now in search of a worthy home for this beautiful mirror donated by Tilly. If you think your site deserves this mirror, please email marketing@ afford.com.au and tell us how you will use this mirror and why your site should be its new home.
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
October 12, 2018 Issue 174
STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE
The Step-Up Program is an Afford initiative designed to provide all staff with career growth and development opportunities. At Afford, we strive to create an organisational culture that we can be proud of; one where our staff are engaged and striving to meet their goals.
Through our Step Up Program, we provide opportunities for existing Afford staff to take on new positions that arise that may be of a higher level and present new challenges.
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How does the program work? Every quarter, an Expression of Interest goes out to all client service staff to apply for the Step Up Program. The program prepares and mentors staff who wish to progress from Lifestyle Assistant to Team Leader, or from Team Leader to District Manager. From Expression of Interest Applications, HR then selects applicants for interviews. Those who are successful in the interviews can then go into the program where they receive relevant leadership training and are given hands on knowledge both formally and also on-the-job. This sets them up to take on temporary acting positions that arise while an existing staff member is absent. This provides the Step Up Program participant with the relevant skills and experience to decide if the career move is right for them. This year, we are pleased to report that we have had a number of successful Step Ups from our existing staff. Wade Fitton is one such success story. He initially joined as a Lifestyle Assistant at the Narellan Group Home in November 2017 and soon afterwards, was offered a position as Support Coordinator at Afford. He was very enthusiastic about progressing his career and was always willing to go the extra mile. Through the Step Up Program he was offered a Team Leader role at Guildford Day Program and has performed very well in the role. He will soon be moving to Melbourne to take on a Team Leader position and help to build Afford’s brand, grow client programs and expand the Afford culture. Well done Wade. We look forward to hearing more successful Step Up stories.
LAURA O’BRIEN SUPPORTING AFFORD It’s always great to hear stories about our staff being able to share Afford’s work and culture with the wider community. Laura O’Brien is one of our Support Coordinators. She was recently invited back to her university - the University of Western Sydney - to give a presentation about her role at Afford and how her education has led her to this rewarding career path. She addressed the audience, which consisted mainly of current university students, and spoke about her role at Afford and her job responsibilities. Laura studied a Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Therapeutic Recreation and a qualified Diversional Therapist. During her studies she completed a practical at Afford and then was offered a casual job as a Support Worker (Lifestyle Assistant). An internal job opportunity then arose which led to Laura being offered a job as an NDIS Support Coordinator which she has now been working in for over a year. Laura’s role as a Support Coordinator has given her a lot of exposure to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and she has enjoyed being able to work with families and liaise with relevant stakeholders. Thank you for sharing your experiences Laura! We’re sure your talk inspired many others to enter the disability sector.
Staff Matters
October 12, 2018 Issue 174
VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR GALA BALL Thank you so much to everyone who has nominated to help at the Afford in Wonderland Gala Ball this Saturday, 13 October. The countdown to Afford’s Alice in Wonderland Gala Ball is on! For all the staff who have put up their hand to volunteer on the night, we ask that you please be at Penrith Panthers Marquee (123 Mulgoa Road Penrith) at 4pm. Duties will be allocated to you on arrival with a briefing at 4.30pm and the night to conclude at 10pm. Finger food and drinks will be served to all Afford staff separately to the main event. Dress code: You are required to wear black pants with a coloured Afford polo shirt. **If you do not have a shirt please specify the size required and we will have them there on the night for you to wear**
LUCINDA WELCOMES BABY GIRL Congratulations to Afford Oran Park staff member, Lucinda, who recently became a new mum to a cute baby girl! Wishing you and your family all the best. Keep us posted!
SELFIE OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:
EVENT:
1-31 Oct
Girls Night In
1-31 Oct
Mental Health Month
1-31 Oct
Dogtober
13 Oct
Afford Gala Ball
19 Oct
Pink Ribbon Dressup Day
In the Selfie Above: Girls day at Jodie’s house, with Emma & Cristina.
www.afford.com.au