9.0 Group Services

Introduction

BigDog Support Services (BigDog) operates a Day Service (Group) in Toowoomba and Rockhampton for clients of the. The group runs from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays), shutting over the Christmas and New Year period. Activities are held in the centre as well as the community. Bus transport is provided to and from the centre as well as during the day activities.

The groups are run by the Coordinator (Coordinator) and staffed at 1 worker to 3 client ratios unless 1:1 support is required. The Coordinator must ensure that the daily ratios are correct and communicate with Rostering to advise if workers need to be removed or added to the Group roster.

The Coordinator is included in the ratio count so must be on the floor supporting clients between hours of 9am – 3pm. Administration duties are from 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm daily. The Coordinator will be supported by an assistant Coordinator who will act in the role in the Coordinators absence.

The Coordinator is a member of the BigDog administration team. They are provided with access to their own email address, hangouts, Basecamp, CareMaster accounts and calendar.

The Coordinator must ensure that they communicate with all parties both internal and external in a polite and courteous manner. They must follow all email etiquettes and use correct spelling and clear and concise wording. Emails must be checked at least twice a day, during the allocated administration times and all emails responded to on the day that they are received.

All incident reports, notes and scanned files must be uploaded onto the CareMaster cloud so that all other administration staff have access to them.

Hangouts can be sent to other administration staff for an informal conversation, these chats may be monitored by the Operations Manager and are to remain professional and polite. If any tasks are required to be completed by the Operations Manager or another administration staff member, they are to be put on the relevant person’s Basecamp for their action.

If the Coordinator is allocated a task on Basecamp, this task must be completed by the due date.

Coordinator Mobile Phone

The Coordinator will be supplied with a mobile phone that is to be kept on charge at the Day Service out of Day Service hours. The Coordinator is to use this mobile phone for all staff, office and client communication. The Coordinator is not to use their personal phone for work communication and is not to provide any clients with their personal phone number. The mobile phone will be equipped with all work-related apps including calendars, phone numbers, HubDoc, emails, CareMaster etc.

Welcome to BigDog

Clients

BigDog will ensure that each new client is made welcome, and their support needs identified and catered for prior to them joining the Group. When a new client is signed up to attend the group, they must attend a meet and greet with their BigDog Service Coordinator and their parent or guardian (if applicable). The client should be shown around the centre and introduced to workers and other clients, so they know what to expect once they commence their group supports.

The Coordinator must ensure that a profile kit has been completed for the client which outlines any behaviours, medical conditions as well as their likes and dislikes. This information should be uploaded to CareMaster and all necessary workers given access to the client's profile so they have access to their information. If any client has a Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP) or a Medical Plan (such as Asthma, Diabetes, Epilepsy etc.) the Coordinator must ensure that all workers have read and understand the plan.

Workers

The coordinator ensures each worker has an understanding of how the centre functions, where all important items are located and vital information about each client that attends the centre. To achieve this, each new worker must be inducted into the group by the Coordinator prior to undertaking their first group shift. The Coordinator is to use the Day Service Induction Checklist to ensure all topics have been covered. Once the induction is complete, the new worker will sign the bottom of the checklist and the Coordinator will witness this signature. The form is then scanned and imported onto the worker’s profile.

Volunteers and Trainees

BigDog understands the importance of upskilling and having qualified disability support workers working in the sector. BigDog proudly partners with Aurora Training Institute to provide an opportunity for people completing their Certificate III in Individual Support to complete their nominal hours in a supportive and supervised environment. As a result, it is common for the Group to have volunteers coming into the centre a few days a week to complete these hours.

The Coordinator is responsible for the signing off on the completed hours, conducting the induction of the volunteers into the centre and completing the signup paperwork using the Volunteer Induction Checklist

The volunteers do not make up the workers to client ratios and are supervised by the Coordinator when completing all tasks.

The Coordinator must pass any concerns with volunteers to the Operations Manager who will pass the concerns to the Aurora trainer.

Group Buildings

Unlock/ Lockup

The Coordinator must ensure that the centre is opened up, lights are on, and tables are set up for the day’s activities.

The Coordinator must ensure that the centre is secure, lights, computers and airconditioning is turned off and alarms are set for the centre when they leave each day.

Daily Setup

Each morning the Coordinator will set up the daily plan on the whiteboard. This plan will include the activities times for the day as well as times that workers are to take their allocated breaks. Workers are entitled to a 10-minute paid break if they are working a 4-hour shift and a 30-minute unpaid break if they work over 5.5 hours. The Coordinator must ensure that workers do not take smoke breaks unless it is on their allocated 10-minute paid break or 30minute unpaid break.

A toolbox meeting is held each morning so that any updates can be communicated to workers and each worker is aware of what their duties are that day. Any potential risks are discussed as well as ways to mitigate these risks. Each worker is made aware of what is required of them in the event of an emergency or if a Client exhibits unsafe behaviour. The Coordinator must ensure that each worker, volunteer, trainee and client sign into the centre log on arrival and sign out when they leave the centre.

Bus Runs

The Coordinator must ensure that all buses are inspected every morning to ensure that no damage has occurred overnight, and the buses are in a suitable condition to transport clients. The Coordinator is required to check the bus schedule each morning to ensure each client attending the centre will be picked up on time. If a person is making their own way to the centre or not attending the centre that day, the Coordinator must remove the person from the bus run for that day. The Coordinator will map out each client’s address to ensure the bus run runs efficiently and to give an estimate of each person’s pickup time.

The bus driver follows the schedule on their calendar which includes the name of the person, the pickup time as well as the client’s address. The afternoon bus run will also need to be checked each day and updated accordingly.

Safety

Emergency Procedures

BigDog will ensure that an all emergencies are handled in an efficient and responsive manner to reduce the risk of harm to all staff and clients. In the event of an emergency, the Coordinator will be responsible for conducting any evacuation and contacting emergency services. If a person is injured, the Coordinator will ensure that the appropriate first aid is rendered and an ambulance is phoned if required. The Coordinator must lodge all incident reports and make the office aware of the incident as soon as reasonably practicable.

Fire Safety

BigDog recognises the serious risk that fires can cause to staff, trainees, clients, and property. To mitigate the risk of fires BigDog ensures that all extinguishers, smoke alarms and fire blankets are tested regularly and that all Day Service staff have completed the Fire Safety training on NGO. The Coordinator must hold monthly fire evacuations on differing days of the week so that all Day Service staff, trainees and clients are aware of what to do in an emergency and where the evacuation point is. Records of these evacuations are to be kept in the fire evacuation log.

Kitchen Safety

BigDog practices the safe handling of kitchen utensils, appliances and food. The Coordinator must ensure that when a Day Service Client is in the kitchen they are adequately supervised and all dangerous items are stored away in a safe manner, this includes power cords and leads. If a Day Service Client is participating in cooking, they must be shown how to use the item safely and correctly under close supervision from a Day Service staff member.

Client Safety

BigDog ensures that all Day Service Clients are kept safe when they are in the centre as well as when they are undertaking activities in the community. The Coordinator must ensure that a headcount is conducted each time the group leave for or arrive at a new activity. If a client is missing, the Coordinator must conduct a search of the area or return to the previous location that the person was counted at. An incident report must be lodged by the Coordinator and the office notified.

The Coordinator must ensure that each person is adequately restrained while travelling in BigDog vehicles in accordance with Queensland Legislation and that no food or drink is consumed in the vehicles.

Behaviours of Concern

BigDog takes all necessary precautions to keep all staff and clients safe from aggressive behaviours. The Coordinator will hold a toolbox meeting each morning to discuss any potential behaviours that may occur that day, strategies to minimise these behaviours and ensure that each Day Service staff member has been trained in any Positive Behaviour Support Plans for clients attending the centre that day. The Coordinator must ensure that in the event that a client becomes violent, all staff, clients and members of the public are kept

safe. The Coordinator must contact emergency services and the client’s next of kin if required, notify the office and lodge all incident reports, ABC forms and log any damage to property.

Unwell Clients

BigDog is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all clients and workers. The Coordinator must not permit any worker or client who are unwell to enter the centre. Temperature checks must be completed when each staff member and client sign into the centre and their temperature recorded. If a staff member is sick, the Coordinator must notify the office and arrange for a replacement worker. If a Client is unwell the Coordinator must contact the Client’s parent, guardian or SIL provider to come and collect the client. The office must also be notified.

Risk Assessments

BigDog Day Service ensures that all activities are conducted in a safe manner to minimise any harm to staff and clients. The Coordinator must conduct a Group Activity Risk Assessment prior to a new activity being undertaken or a new client joining in a current activity. The risk assessment for each activity will need to be scanned and saved on each client’s file. If a risk score is “high” or “medium,” the activity must be approved by the Operations Manager before the activity is implemented. If there are any risks involved in undertaking an activity, the Coordinator will need to outline what strategies will be implemented to reduce or remove the risk.

Safety Audits

BigDog is committed to providing a safe and healthy centre for all workers and clients. This is achieved through following all WHS standards and regular auditing of the centre and its vehicles. On the first Monday of each month a Service Coordinator will undertake an audit of the centre using the Paul Myatt Centre Audit Checklist for Toowoomba and the Rockhampton Centre Audit Checklist for Rockhampton. The Coordinator will sign off on the audit and any issues are logged in CareMaster as an incident for follow-up. The Coordinator will also conduct a Vehicle Audit on all buses and report any issues through an incident report on CareMaster. The original audits are to be scanned into CareMaster on the relevant vehicle or building file.

Appropriate Clothing

BigDog is committed to minimising the risk of harm to all workers and clients. The Coordinator must ensure that all workers are dressed in accordance with BigDog WHS Induction Manual Dress Code. If a worker is not dressed appropriately the Coordinator must request that they go home to change their clothing and return to the centre when they are dressed appropriately. The office must also be notified of this. The Coordinator must ensure that all Clients are wearing appropriate clothing for that day’s activities. If a Client is wearing unsuitable clothing, the Coordinator must advise the relevant Service Coordinator for their follow-up. The Coordinator must ensure that all clients follow relevant sun-safety protocols including wearing hats, covered shirts, sunscreen and sunglasses.

Incident Reports

BigDog has a responsive incident reporting system that allows all relevant parties to be notified of the incident and the incident followed up effectively. The Coordinator is responsible for lodging any incident reports in CareMaster for any incidents that occur within the Day Service. If other staff are privy to the incident, the Coordinator must ensure that the staff member also lodges an incident report, outlining what they witnessed. The Coordinator is to ensure that their incident report covers all the facts of the incident including who, what, where, when and why the incident occurred. The Coordinator must use correct spelling and clear and concise wording to ensure that the incident is reported accurately. Incidents that need to be reported include behaviours, injuries, damage to property, medication issues, staff issues and any other issue the Service Coordinators need to follow up.

If an incident report is lodged due to a client’s behaviour, an ABC form must be completed and sent to the relevant Service Coordinator.

If an incident report is lodged due to a motor vehicle accident, a Motor Vehicle Accident Report must also be completed and sent to a Director.

Medication Management

BigDog is committed to the safe storage of medication in the Day Service and assisting Day Service clients with self-medication. The Coordinator is responsible for all medications in the Day Service. Medications are to be in a clearly marked webster pack and to be signed in and out by the Coordinator using the Day Service Medication Sign In/Out Form. The medication is to be stored in a locked draw or safe in the administration office and only removed when the medication is being taken, if the group are leaving the centre for a time when the medication needs to be taken or when the client is leaving the centre for the day. If the group leave the centre for an activity, the Coordinator must take the medication with them in the Day Service backpack which is not to be left unattended by the Coordinator at any time.

If the client is a BigDog SIL client, the webster pack must be accompanied by the SIL medication log so the Coordinator can sign off that the medication has been taken. If the client is not in a BigDog SIL, the medication must be signed off using the Medication Fortnightly Log which is to be scanned into the client’s file each fortnight.

Cleaning

At BigDog Day Service, clients are encouraged to assist with daily cleaning tasks such as vacuuming, washing dishes and using the washing machine. Engaging in these tasks teaches each client how to complete necessary chores around their house. The following cleaning chart must be completed each day by the staff with assistance from the clients.

Kitchen

1. Wipe benches and sinks

2. Tidy fridges ensuring all food is labelled and dates are checked

3. Wipe over fridges and oven

4. Wash up dishes

5. Put all dishes away

6. Empty bins

7. Mop floors

Toilets

1. Cleaning toilets

2. Wipe over the sink

3. Refill paper towels and hand soap

4. Mop floors

5. Empty paper towel bins

Main Room

1. Wipe overall tables and chairs

2. Empty bins

3. Tidy lounge area

4. Vacuum floors

5. Vacuum offices

6. Disinfect and wipe over all surfaces

Outside areas

1. Wipe down tables

2. Tidy chairs up

3. Empty bin every afternoon

4. Water all gardens

5. Rake all leaves

6. Wheelie bins go out every Thursday afternoon / bring back in Friday afternoon.

Cleaning Products

BigDog practices the safe use and storage of cleaning products. The Coordinator is responsible for ordering all cleaning products (including toilet cleaner and dishwashing detergent) from the relevant supplier, Cleaning Essentials on the Run for Toowoomba and Pac Plus for Rockhampton. All cleaning chemicals must be stored in a locked cabinet or area so they cannot be accessed without supervision. The Coordinator must ensure that SDS are held for all chemicals that are used in the centre. No cleaning chemicals are to be purchased from a supermarket.

Food Handling

The BigDog Day Service is committed to ensuring the highest standards of food safety. To achieve this, strict food safety policies and procedures are adhered to. All Day Service staff have completed the Safe Food Handling training on the NGO portal. Correct hand washing techniques are used, and clean and sanitary food preparation areas are maintained. The Coordinator must ensure that food is stored, cooked, and served at the appropriate temperatures to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Temperature checks are undertaken daily for each fridge and freezer. Foods are stored in the correct manner with clearly labelled dates that each item was opened and/or cooked. The Coordinator must check all fridges each day to ensure all items are in date and any food that is no longer edible is thrown out.

Healthy Eating and Exercise

BigDog Day Service encourages healthy eating and exercise for all staff and clients. Each morning the Day Service undertake a morning exercise routine for 15 minutes to get everyone active and motivated for the day. Each day’s program should include an active activity such as walking, swimming, bowling, ball games, playing in the park etc.

Cooking activities and lunch outings should focus on healthier food options rather than unhealthy take aways and sugary treats. The Coordinator should provide education around good nutrition and the importance of looking after your body.

CareMaster

Daily Reports

BigDog acknowledges the importance of regular reporting for each client to monitor goals and client engagement. The Coordinator must ensure that each Day Service staff member has entered their CareMaster shift notes for the day for the clients that have been allocated to them on their roster. The shift notes should be individualised for each client and contain information about how the client interacted with each activity, what goals were worked towards and highlight any concerns that arose.

The Coordinator must notify the rostering person if any clients were not at day service that day so they can be billed accordingly. The Coordinator must check over the Day Service Rosters each day to ensure that clients are billed correctly, and staff are paid accordingly.

Fortnightly Report and Meeting

BigDog encourages an open line of communication between coordinators and senior management and provides an opportunity for all coordinators to hold relevant discussions in a group setting.

Every second Wednesday the Coordinator must submit their fortnightly report to the Operations Manager and Director. The report must be emailed to the Director and Operations Manager and saved on the server under Meetings – Team Meeting – 2023 –[Site] and titled “Fortnightly Report – [Name] YYYYMMDD.

The report should contain all relevant information that the Operations Manager should be made aware of and cover the following topics:

o Staff Issues

o Trainee Updates (hours and performance)

o Vehicle Issues

o Client Issues

o Incidents

o Complaints

o Any other relevant issues.

The Friday morning after the report is due, the Coordinator will attend the Administration Meeting where any issues are discussed, and relevant updates provided.

Complaints

BigDog has a responsive and thorough complaints resolution process. Any complaints that are received by the Coordinator or a worker are to be logged in CareMaster as an incident report. The incident will then be passed to the Service Coordinator of the client who made the complaint. If necessary, the Operations Manager will contact the client for further information and hold an interview with the Coordinator and any other relevant Day Service Staff to resolve the issue. The Coordinator should not attempt to handle the complaint themselves unless approved by the Operations Manager.

Finance

BigDog understands that attending a Group can be costly for families who are continuously having to pay out of pocket for daily activities. BigDog works to keep out of pocket activities to a minimum to reduce this financial burden on families. BigDog will fund the Group $10 per client per day to attend activities or to purchase activity resources and supply food. The Coordinator must budget for this amount of spending when drafting the monthly activity calendar to ensure that the budget is not overspent.

The Coordinator will provide a breakdown of attendances to the Payroll Officer who will transfer the money on the first Friday of the month for the previous month’s attendance. The Coordinator is responsible for the use of the Day Service debit card. The card must be kept in a secure location at the centre at all times and is not to be taken home by the Coordinator.

Any purchases made on the Day Service card must have a receipt that shows a breakdown of what was bought. Receipts are to be scanned through to the accounts team daily via the HubDoc app on the Day Service mobile. If any purchase does not have an appropriate receipt, the Day Service Manager will be responsible for covering the cost of the purchase.

Activities Calendar

The Coordinator must prepare the monthly activities calendar each month. The calendar should be published by the 3rd week of the previous month so that it can be distributed to each client and promoted online. Each day should have more than one choice of activity to allow each client to decide what they would like to do on that day. The Coordinator should seek the input of each client as well as the Day Service staff when creating the calendar for the next month. Activities should be educational, engaging, NDIS goal orientated and require minimal additional costs to be incurred by the client. One day a month should be a day outing where the group attend an activity for the entire day (trip to zoo, museum, water park etc). If permission slips are required, they should be provided to the parent or guardian at least 2 weeks before the activity is to take place. The permission slip must state that if the slip has not been returned by the morning of the activity, then the client will remain at the centre and 1:1 funding will be used.

The calendar should be colourful and engaging using appropriate graphics and minimal wording.

One day a month, the Day Service holds a themed fund-raising morning tea where all community clients and their support workers are invited to attend for a gold coin donation. These funds are donated to the nominated charity of the month.

Other Group Services

After School Care

BigDog provides supports in the Day Service centres for after school care. These services are run by the After School Care Coordinator. The Coordinator must work with the After School Care Coordinator to ensure that all workers are inducted into the Day Service, that all workers are aware of how to secure the building at the end of the supports and that the centre is left in a clean and tidy state so After School Care can use the centre.

School Holiday Program

BigDog looks to engage a variety of clients in their Day Service Activities. This includes providing a School Holiday Program for NDIS clients who would like to engage in group supports during their school holidays. The Coordinator is responsible for creating the School Holiday Program and having the program ready for the Service Coordinators to promote at least 6 weeks before the School Holiday Program is due to commence. The School Holiday Program needs to take into account the abovementioned budgeting requirements that Day Service Activities receive. The Service Coordinators will distribute the activity schedule to support coordinators and conduct the intake meetings for any referrals. The Service Coordinators must advise the Coordinator how many referrals have been signed up for the School Holiday Program so the Coordinator can advise the Rostering Officer how many s are required each day.

Delegation of Authority

Name Position Details

Steven Paull Director

Authorise review and implementation

Courtney Carroll Director Authorise review and implementation

David Burrett Operations Manager

Monique Paull HR Lawyer

Ensure information dissemination

Ensure compliance by workers

Jess Wright Toowoomba Centre Coordinator

Tylah Cox Rockhampton Centre Coordinator

Version Details

This policy will be reviewed every twelve (12) months unless circumstances deem it necessary to review earlier. The review process will involve an analysis of the usefulness of the policy and to note any changes which are required to improve the contents of the policy

If minor changes are made in wording or to clarify the intent, the version number will indicate this by adding a ‘point’ i.e. Version 1.0 indicates the original version and 1.1 with the first round of minor changes made. A significant change or intent of the policy will be indicated by a whole new number i.e. Version 2.0.

The following rules also apply in interpreting this policy:

• Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

• A singular word includes the plural and vice versa.

• A word that suggests one gender includes the other genders.

“Participant”