Staff Matters
SEPTEMBER 3, ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
CONGRATULATIONS LOCAL CELEBRATION AWARDS WINNER MIKE! A huge congratulations to our Board Deputy Chairman, Michael Allen, who was recently awarded the 2021 Community Service Award from Penrith City Council. This award recognises an individual from NSW who has substantially worked towards improving the quality of life for locals. The recipient is someone who has gone above and beyond the reasonable expectations of their occupation. Mike was presented with the 2021 Community Service Award for his long-term work in social housing and his standout role as volunteer handyman for The Haven Nepean Women’s Shelter. In the Penrith City Council media release, Penrith Mayor, Karen McKeown OAM said, “I heartily congratulate Kristine, Daena, Cathy and Marzi, Gloria, Robert, Michael and Victoria. They are all amazing community heroes who humble us with their selflessness and who make us truly proud to be part of the City of Penrith.” The Haven is a local charity that provides crisis accommodation for women and children in the Nepean region. Mike wholeheartedly supports their philosophy and believes everyone deserves a safe place to call home. His care for the community is also reflected in his other current roles, including Chair for Link Wentworth, Chair of not[1] for-profit Leep, and Board Member of the national organisation Aboriginal Hostels Limited, NSW Aboriginal Land Council Housing Limited and where you may have seen his face as our very own, Afford Deputy Chairman. Mike has served in the not-for-profit sector as a board member since 1989 and joined Afford as a Board director in 2015. He has over 40 years of experience in social and affordable housing management, asset services, homelessness services, and community and Aboriginal housing. Mike is the former longstanding Chief Executive of Housing NSW, now part of the Community Services and Justice Department. In 2011, Mike was awarded the Public Service Medal in recognition of his outstanding and meritorious services to the community and his strong commitment to the values and principles of social housing. Congratulations once again, Mike and thank you for all that you do for Afford and in the Penrith community.
Afford Teams and Tribes
Matters Staff Matters Staff Staff Matters ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
In This Issue Congratulations Local Celebration Awards Winner Mike!
QLD Customer Care Team Spreading Sunshine!
Miami’s Open Day Showcases The Afford Way! Wots On!
Recruitment Superstars Shine Bright
Puzzle of the Week Get To Know
Words of Wisdom Puzzle Answer
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
QLD CUSTOMER CARE TEAM SPREADING SUNSHINE! The Sunshine Coast Customer Care team have recently gone above and beyond to embody Afford’s values and mission. The team purchased a table at the LPE Caloundra Cup Ladies Lunch and gave away 8 of the tickets to some locals.
Customer Care Manager, Jillian Sellwood first heard about the event when she attended 92.7 Mix FM to promote Afford in June. She knew straight away that Afford should get involved but also wanted to use it as an opportunity to connect with the community. “I thought it would be great to purchase a table and run a competition through the radio station to give away the seats to people in the community,” said Jillian. The team at 92.7 Mix FM loved the idea and advertised for listeners to write into Morning Show host Caroline, explaining why they or someone they knew should come along to the LPE Ladies Lunch. In an email to Jillian, Caroline wrote, “I cannot tell you how excited we are by this, it’s incredibly generous and I know it will mean a lot to the community.”
Reminder COVID Catchup Vaccinations
Selfies of the Week
August 7, 2020 Issue 269
Jillian was invited back to the studio to announce two give away winners each day for four days. The extra airtime provided even more exposure for Afford to the local community and made some locals very happy. “Almost all of the winners were carers themselves or knew someone with a disability. They all had a great time and were very thankful to Afford for this opportunity to relax and have a nice day out,” continued Jillian. It was a great success with delicious food, multiple networking opportunities, and special performances organised by 92.7 Mix FM. “We talked non-stop about Afford and got to meet a lot of new people from this end of the Coast. It’s great to be on ground level and get involved in the community. I’m sure all of our guests will be telling their family and friends about the experience as well,” said Jillian. All funds raised from the event went to supporting mental health in teenagers as part of 92.7 Mix FM’s “Give Me 5” initiative. For the last 21 years, the “Give Me 5” initiative has been helping sick kids on the Gold Coast.
Afford Teams and Tribes
Staff Matters Staff ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
Matters
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
MIAMI’S OPEN DAY SHOWCASES THE AFFORD WAY! Miami Day Program’s open day on Tuesday the 24th of August was an amazing success. A total of 36 external service providers attended the event and were introduced to what makes Afford special. Miami Team Leader, Kalo Patuki, Customer Care Manager, Tamara Dunn, District Manager, Charlie Seu, National Customer Care Manager, Sulett Van Wyk, Speech Pathologist, Tayla Campbell and Support Coordinators, Jelena Bekic, Laura O’Brien and Kate Atley, represented Afford with pride and showcased our many outstanding services. “We had Support Coordinators, Plan Managers, Allied Health Professionals and small boutique providers attend the morning tea and everyone left knowing more about Afford than when they arrived,” said Tamara. Networking spreads Afford’s brand awareness but also expands staff knowledge about other NDIS providers who can assist our clients with services we do not currently offer. “One of my clients who is in a wheelchair had recently asked me if I knew of a service provider who offered housekeeping services and through this open day, I now have a contact to give her,” said Kalo. After the event, an attendee emailed Tamara to thank her and shared, “It was great to learn more about Afford and meet your team. The food was fantastic and the mood was warm and friendly. Congratulations on a wonderful morning.” On the day, one of the regular Tuesday clients stopped in for his routine morning tea, so guests were able to experience the genuine atmosphere of the site, as well as its functional features. “Miami is such a great hub with an amazing sensory room which blew a lot of people away,” said Tamara. Kalo added, “Some of the feedback we heard from other providers is how impressed they are with Afford staff. They like that we are creative with client activities and give our clients the freedom to choose what they want to do.” Thank you to all Affordian’s who made this event possible and for sharing The Afford Way.
Afford Teams and Tribes
Matters Staff Matters Staff Staff Matters ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
RECRUITMENT SUPERSTARS SHINE BRIGHT
WOTS ON!
Afford proudly recognise that we have the best staff in the sector who always go above and beyond in their roles. Our growing teams nationally reflect our successful expansion throughout Australia and we thank Afford’s Recruitment Team for their hard work.
SEPT 2021
Recruitment is currently hiring an average of 85 lifestyle assistants per month to keep up with the demand for support across all our sites. “We are getting new clients at Afford every day, and more clients means more support. Many clients need one to one support, so we are always expanding the teams to provide that,” said National Recruitment Manager, Jessica Norman.
SEPT 1-30: SOCIAL SEPTEMBER Social September encourages us all to press pause in September - disconnect from our digital lives and reconnect with each other, and ourselves. The aim is to create spaces for face-to-face social connection, promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. SEPT 1-30: FOSTER CARE MONTH The primary aim of Foster Care Month is to raise the profile of fostering in the wider community by promoting the great work done by existing substitute care services in both the Government and non-Government sectors. The month also creates an opportunity to focus on the secondary aim of increasing recruitment by highlighting the ongoing need for the recruitment of appropriate foster care families SEPT 7-13: SPINAL CORD INJURIES WEEK Raising awareness and prevention of spinal cord injury.
Afford proudly follows a stringent recruitment process to ensure that all staff meet a range of criteria including, national and international police checks, working with children check, NDIS worker checks and reference checks. The recruitment team also assess if the applicant embodies Afford’s mission, vision and values. “I encourage my team to imagine that they are interviewing someone to look after their own child. If there are any red flags or something doesn’t feel right, we won’t put the applicant through to the next round,” said Jessica. 2021 has been a big year for the recruitment team, who have learnt to navigate the NSW NDIS Worker Check (NDISWC) introduced on the 1st February 2021 and in April 2021, the reintroduction of functional assessments for lifestyle assistants. “These have been big changes to our recruitment process that have created challenges for the team to overcome. However, the team have done an amazing job and shown great drive,” shared Jessica. We thank everyone in the recruitment team for your outstanding dedication to your roles and for surrounding us with the best of the best.
Afford Teams and Tribes
Staff Matters Staff ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
Matters
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
PUZZLE OF THE WEEK
get to know HAYLEY OVENS POSITION: LSA Morphett Vale FAVOURITE SONG? Dancing In The Moonlight – Toploader FAVOURITE MOVIE? Love Actually FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Cooking, board games and entertaining friends FAVOURITE FOODS? Anything Mexican, Indian or Chinese WHAT ANIMAL WOULD YOU BE? A giraffe, you would see so much more than the other animals WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Egypt, the ancient history fascinates me
IF YOU HAD THE POWER WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? That people judge by what they see WHAT IS THE NICEST THING SOMEONE HAS EVER DONE FOR YOU? I walked past a shop window and liked an expensive coat that I could never afford. A week later my partner surprised me with it! Happiest and luckiest girl ever! IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? English literature SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I make gift cards and sell them online
Afford Teams and Tribes
Staff Matters Staff ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
Matters
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
REMINDER The Coronavirus Homepage on Afford Central Head to the Coronavirus Homepage on Afford Central to find Afford’s pandemic response, current rules, restrictions and other helpful information all in one place. We ask that you update the COVID-19 Notification Form every time you are tested or vaccinated for COVID-19. Please scan the QR code to go directly to the form. The information is held securely on Afford’s network and Afford will only notify supervisors of responses that may suggest a risk to be mitigated from suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. Vaccination information allows us to build an understanding of our workforce’s immunity to COVID-19. This data is essential to our clients, the NDIS Commission and the communities we operate within. We have also collated important information about accessing health and wellbeing resources, FAQs and links to available financial assistance. https://austford.sharepoint.com/sites/AffordIntranet/SitePages/Coronavirus.aspx
COVID CATCHUP - VACCINATION
KEEPING OUR PEOPLE SAFE As of 30 August 2021, disability support workers who live or work in a Greater Sydney local government area of concern are required to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Afford will be continuing with our vaccination program, with many Affordians to receive their second dose next week. We are happy to share that 35% of Afford Staff have received their first COVID-19 vaccination and 12% are fully vaccinated. Another highlight for Afford is that 83% of staff in accommodation have had their first dose, so they can continue providing award-winning care to our clients during these challenging times. Just a reminder before you attend your next appointment for your vaccination, you must have a COVID test with a a negative result. Please bring your test results to your appointment. We can all do our part to stop the spread. Keep safe, Affordians!
Afford Teams and Tribes
Matters Staff Matters Staff Staff Matters ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
August 7, 2020 Issue 269
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
SELFIES OF THE WEEK
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Matters Staff Matters Staff Staff Matters ISSUE 08 | WEEK 10
August 7, 2020 Issue 269
ISSUE 325 | WEEK 10
Words of wisDom
PUZZLE ANSWER Five children - four daughters and one son
Afford Teams and Tribes