Staff Matters 183

Staff Matters December 14, 2018 Issue 183 Week 24

RENEWED & REFRESHED EDITION

BEENLEIGH DAY PROGRAM OPEN FOR BUSINESS Our Beenleigh Day Program in Queensland is now open with the team already receiving strong interest in activities and programs for clients.

In This Issue

Beenleigh is a suburb within the City of Logan in Queensland, where Afford has been establishing a presence to support people living with disability in the community.

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Our new Beenleigh Day Program provides services for over 50 clients already and this number is expected to grow in the New Year. The site caters for clients of all needs and staff are all trained to work with complex needs.

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Beenleigh Day Program Open For Business Joke of The Week Afford Rewards Stocking Stuffers Grant Serves Up A New Kitchen

The Beenleigh site has large spacious areas where clients can gather together for programs or sit back and relax to watch TV. The backyard area has interesting outdoor decorative features as well as a unique garden installation, a wooden wind instrument that will makes a sound when the logs brush together in the wind.

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Afford Awards Great Customer Sevice

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Brightness Of Future At Afford Upcoming Events Selfies of The Week

With the opening of our new Day Program in Beenleigh, Afford will now be offering the local community a range of services including both group and 1:1 support options.

Clients also have access to unique Afford services such as Club Afford and Respite.

So far, the team in Beenleigh have hit the ground running getting personcentred programs underway. Some of the programs being coordinated through the site include bowling, movie outings, dance programs, men’s and ladies’ days out, sessions at the library for literacy and numeracy, sports and fitness, swimming, travel training, community access, art and craft, computer literacy and so much more!

In their spacious kitchen, the Beenleigh team and clients cook healthy meals and learn a variety of independent living skills and their beautiful backyard area has plants ready to sow, giving clients many opportunities to get their hands dirty during the gardening program. The centre is also incorporating a sensory space and games room for clients.

New clients and their families are eager to learn more about the services offered by Afford and we look forward to growing this part of the Afford community and hearing some of the wonderful stories of client success to come!

It’s all happening in Beenleigh and it’s a great time of year to welcome yet another Afford Day Program and new clients into the Afford Community!

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: Tara Cotterill POSITION: Lifestyle Assistant LOCATION: Campbelltown FAVOURITE SONG? Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds FAVOURITE MOVIE? The Breakfast Club FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Watching Netflix and eating food FAVOURITE FOODS? Anything Japanese IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A cat WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? London IF YOU HAD THE POWER WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? For everyone to be nice to each other IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? Creative writing SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I don’t like Brussel sprouts or celery or coriander

December 14, 2018 Issue 183

AFFORD REWARDS STOCKING STUFFERS Fill your stocking for less this holiday season with some awesome bargains from Afford Rewards.

Whether it’s trinkets or toys, games or gadget, Afford Rewards will ensure that you have a happy holiday, full of savings!

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Save on electronics at JB Hi-Fi where you can get an instant eGift Card which you can purchase while in store and use straight away to pay for gifts!

Rebel Sport gives you great savings and if you’re after homewares and toys, Kmart and Big W have you covered with great prices and a huge range.

For perfume, makeup and more, you can find all you need at Myer with 6% of discounted eGift Cards.

Secure your prize Christmas ham or turkey with shopping discounts at Woolworths and Coles, or visit Booktopia and earn yourself Cashback on the latest titles.

With the SmartSpending App, you can get holiday savings on the go! Log onto Afford Rewards at afford.rewardgateway.com.au now and download the Smart Spending app from Google Play or the Apple Store.

GRANT SERVES UP A NEW KITCHEN

Funding from grants are so important to provide additional services and enhancing facilities for our clients.

Recently, Afford Belmore Day Program received Community Building Partnership 2018 funding to replace the kitchen and provide replacement lounges and chairs.

The upgrades of the kitchen and other items will ensure that our clients’ time at the site are greatly enhanced. The cooking program will be made easier in the new kitchen, and relaxation and chill out sessions for clients will be much more comfortable.

In recognition of the Community Building Partnership funding, Sophie Cotsis MP personally visited Belmore Day Program to meet with Afford staff and the clients who will benefit from the upgrades made possible by the funding.

She presented clients and staff at the site with an oversized cheque for the $18,000 grant. Ms Cotsis was very impressed with our Belmore Day Program and excited to be able to contribute towards the refurbishments of the site. She is also eager to return to Belmore to see the completed kitchen.

Afford is so appreciative of the support received through Community Building Partnerships funding. These valuable funds allow us to ensure exceptional client experiences across our sites each and every day.

www.afford.com.au

December 14, 2018 Issue 183

Staff Matters

AFFORD AWARDS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE At Afford, we love to recognise those individuals who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer service for our clients. It is this commitment to excellence that makes Afford staff highly regarded in the industry.

As an Employer of Choice initiative, we recognise outstanding individuals through our Customer Service Awards.

Congratulations to our Sydney South West and Sydney Central East November Customer Service Award winners.

Sydney South West Winners: 1st Place: Skye Hurst (Southcombe), LSA, Oran Park Skye has put in extra work during November and is always there for the team. She always goes above and beyond in her job and can be relied on to provide support for the team by organising rosters, staff, and completing PACES requirements while still doing her normal duties of caring of our lovely clients. She comes in early to help and stays back if she sees things need to be done and never complains. Skye is a wonderful example of how a team should pull together, especially when there are many changes happening. She is an asset to the team.

2nd Place: Louise Mc Crea, LSA, Campbelltown Louise enthusiastically encourages clients to get involved in activities. You are instantly aware that Louise puts clients interests first in the way that she interacts with clients. She is always a team player and gets on well with all staff.

3rd Place: Antoinette Imbruglia, Team Leader, Oran Park Antoinette has shown such courage and determination to take on her new role of Team Leader at Oran Park and is doing an excellent job. Although she is busy, she makes time for clients and makes a point of talking to each staff member.

Sydney Central East Winners: 1st Place: Marie (Natalie) Peters – Belmore Natalie implements tasks, encourages and follows through with clients in helping with car wash, assembling the Christmas tree, getting all clients to help with the cleaning and cleaning up after breakfast. She teaches clients valuable skills about co-operation and interaction and reduces behaviours with clients. Natalie displays a positive attitude, exceptional customer service, efficiency and high standards. She always performs over and above in these areas.

2nd Place: Gautam Karki – Guildford Gautam always helps out and understands what is best for both clients and staff. Gautam goes above and beyond with problem solving skills and has the ability to teach and help with staff development skills. He has bought more efficiency, accountability and a proactive approach to the team. He makes sure that nothing is overlooked and that all corrective measures are being applied.

3rd Place: Katarzyna (Kasia) Tuhmeh - Guildford Kasia always put everything into making sure her peers and clients are having a good day. She is reliable with notes and adheres to all Afford policies and procedures. Clients are always happy when they see her and even more happy when they have her as a support worker for the day. Kasia is always smiling, easy to approach and greets families when they drop the clients off to the centre.

Well done to all the November winners! Great effort this month!

www.afford.com.au

Staff Matters

December 14, 2018 Issue 183

BRIGHTNESS OF FUTURE AT AFFORD When you join Afford as an employee, you can be sure that you will have a range of opportunities for personal and professional growth, in a supportive environment where your skills and knowledge are valued and recognised.

At Afford, we encourage our staff to push the boundaries to let their abilities soar. We present opportunities that support brightness of future for all Afford staff and promote skills development that support growth now and into the future.

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Afford established the Step Up Program to provide employees with the drive and determination to progress in their career with avenues to make their work aspirations a reality.

Helaman Samuela in Queensland is one such Affordian. Helaman has swiftly moved into an Acting Business Development Officer position in November this year after starting with Afford as a casual Lifestyle Assistant in September 2018.

We are so fortunate to have Helaman as part of the Afford community. He is confident and engaging and quickly builds a strong rapport with those he meets, especially with young people.

Previous to his role at Afford, Helaman was with the Queensland Police where he worked on Project Booyah as a Youth Support Officer. Project Booyah (which translates to an expression for ‘joy, excitement and triumph’) incorporates adventure based learning principles, social and skill development training, community interventions, mentoring, case management, education and vocational scholarships to support young people and their families to build careers and vocational pathways, as well as bridging their disconnect with society.

With Afford, Helaman has completed all functional training, as well as Induction, and his experience from working with the QLD Police and dealing with youth, guidance counsellors, teachers and heads of schools aligned perfectly with the skills needed for his current role of Acting Business Development Officer in Queensland.

At Afford, we encourage our staff to push the boundaries to let their abilities soar. We present opportunities that support brightness of future for all Afford staff and promote skills development that support growth now and into the future.

Afford is an Employer of Choice because we care about our employees and have a whole-of-life approach to employee programs and initiatives.

SELFIES OF THE WEEK

as ove: ADE Christm In the Selfie Ab n! ro Aa Elf d party, Ray an

Pawsome Se lfi furbaby, Pan e Above: Kie’s fluffy dora!

UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:

EVENT:

18 Dec

Afford’s 66th Birthday

21 Dec

NSW Staff Christmas Party

25 Dec

Christmas Day

26 Dec

Boxing Day

1 January

New Years Day

www.afford.com.au