BigDog August 2018 Newsletter

Changes to myplace Portal 2018 IDPwD Patron Announced Key NDIS architect Jenny Macklin resigns 1

Editors Note Since the beginning of BigDog Support Services in 2009 I have made a number of subtle changes to the BigDog logo.

I have been very conscious of the importance of the image of the 2 dogs in that logo and I have endeavoured that they remained the same.

“It’s quite fun to do the impossible” Walt Disney

As an owner of miniature dachshunds I see a number of qualities that they have that I want BigDog to also have.

These include loyalty, dedication, devotion, bravery, persistence and although they are only little in size they believe that they are a Big Dog and have a big heart and will defend those who need help.

In This Issue } Marketing

} NDIS Updates } In the world of DisAbility } Community NEWS } Community Partners } Photograph Gallery } Management Updates } Day Service } Rockhampton

} Safety Matters A sign used in Australia to advise that slow drivers are about to temporarily increase their speed.

Steven

} Admin Updates } August Events

BigDog Newsletter Privacy Notice: Please note that as a subscriber to our BigDog Newsletter which supplies news and events relevant to this organisation, your email address or any other personal information collected will only be used for the purpose for which you gave it to us and will not be disclosed to any other person, body or agency except where you have provided your consent or it is required or authorised by law.

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Marketing in a Competitive Environment 2009

BigDog Support Services

2010 FMSTUDIOS We are delighted to announce that we have appointed FMSTUDIOS to update our marketing image.

2011

Founded in 2002, FMSTUDIOS is the Rockhampton Region’s leading bespoke logo design, website design and graphic design studio.

Bronwyn Fenech is the Managing Director and Artistic Director of Fenech Multimedia Studios - FMSTUDIOS.

2014

2017 Christmas

Her creativity, vivacious personality and zeal has propelled FMSTUDIOS as the desired bespoke marketing and design studio within the Central Queensland.

Bronwyn was a finalist in the 2009 Telstra Young Business Women’s Award and she regularly speaks to local businesses, community groups and is a business mentor for new businesses and entrepreneurs within Central Queensland.

She was a founding member of numerous local business networking groups including: Regional Women's Network Central Queensland, Museum of Central Queensland and Capricorn Launch Pad Young Professionals Network.

2018

Bronwyn has been a Trustee of the Rockhampton Art Gallery since 2014 and has recently been appointed as a board member of Every Child Central Queensland.

This is an exciting and challenging time to be operating in the community sector and we look forward to working with Bronwyn and her team to develop a new and vibrant look for our logo, signage, documents and website.

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Changes to the myplace Portal Participant and Provider Portals Among the changes, participants and providers were given more control of their service bookings through the NDIS online portal, so they can amend or cancel service bookings without waiting for National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) staff to process requests.

The online tool used by participants to find a provider has also been upgraded with maps to display provider locations, an improved search function to show provider opening hours and if new referrals are being accepted, increased geographic search capabilities, and a new design with guided help text to improve accessibility.

Portal enhancements will give participants and providers the option to: 

edit or delete new service bookings



increase and decrease the duration, price and quantity of each service booking



immediately cancel a service booking



insert a rejection reason or explanatory note while rejecting a revision to a service booking

The changes will apply immediately to all participant and provider initiated service bookings created since 9th July 2018. For bookings made prior to 9th July 2018, changes will take effect in subsequent upgrades.

The Provider Finder enhancements will: 

make it easier to find providers, their location and hours of operation information



make it easier to find the right service in a participant’s preferred location



provide a mapping tool to give a more precise search response and show location



allow participants to search for providers beyond the current 50km limit



improve usability and accessibility through the roll out of a new visual design and guided help text

Further portal enhancements will be rolled out progressively over the next 12 months.

2018 / 2019 Price Indexation All participant plans with an end date after 1 July 2018 have now been indexed in line with the new 2018-19 price guide. As has been the case in previous years, relevant values in participant plans have received a pro-rata adjustment in the system to match the new price caps. This adjustment does not change existing agreements that providers have with participants, however providers will see some changes in service booking details.

To ensure appropriate indexing occurred, service bookings created at the line item level were end dated on 30th June 2018 and a new service booking was created post 1st July 2018 to cover the remaining period of the participant plan.

If the pro-rata amount in either the old or new service booking is insufficient to cover the cost of supports delivered, the provider will need to contact the NDIA to request the affected service bookings be updated.

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2018 International Day of People with Disability 2018 Patron Gerrard Gosens OAM Gerrard Gosens OAM is one of Australia’s true high achievers. He was born with congenital blindness and at 16 he was the youngest ever recipient of a guide dog in Australia. Gerrard has gone on to become an adventurer, three-time Paralympian, Ironman, chocolatier, motivational speaker and former Dancing with the Stars contestant.

Gerrard was honoured with an Order of Australia (OAM) award in 2012, for his outstanding service to sport and to people who are blind or have low vision. He has also been awarded the Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal, which has been recognised by the international media as “The Nobel of Life”. Gerrard was awarded the Melvin Jones Fellowship for humanitarian service, and in 2003 received a Centenary of Federation Medal for service to sport.

Gerrard has run the 2,000 kilometres from Cairns to Brisbane five times to raise money for charity.

He represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games in the team sport of Goalball. Gerrard returned to his former sporting love – distance running and

represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon (42.2 kilometres). He has gone on to represent Australia at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games, six Athletics World Championships, and 2012 Marathon World Cup. He is currently training for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Gerrard also has a head for heights! He has co-piloted an ultra-light motor glider around Queensland three times, and climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.

His many achievements, strength and determination to succeed at whatever he sets his mind to, saw him named Young Queenslander of the Year, and a finalist in the Young Australian of the Year.

Gerrard is also a Project Manager for MAX Employment, where he assists people with disability to find work.

In addition to his full-time job, business venture as a chocolatier, sporting and adventure pursuits, Gerrard is writing a book called “My Eyes had a Wet Nose”, which provides an insight into the many unique and entertaining experiences that he has encountered with his guide dogs, Joey, Anchor, Summit, Chief, and now Boss.

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Jenny Macklin Resigns

One of the Key NDIS Architects, Jenny Macklin Resigns The Shadow Minister for Families and Social Affairs and one of the key NDIS architects, Jenny Macklin has announced her resignation from politics.

Since the Scheme's historic journey from community campaign to law of the nation, a number of people have been credited as the prime instigator of the NDIS. When something so remarkable and unlikely occurs, everyone is looking for its hero. But while many have claimed this title, few could deny the pivotal role Jenny Macklin played in the Scheme's formation.

As Disability Reform Minister at the time, Ms Macklin choked back tears as she concluded the Senate debate which saw the NDIS pass through the Upper House. She has since then

worked tirelessly to help resolve the implementation problems which at times seem to plague the Scheme. Those who have worked closely with her over the years credit the genuine dedication and empathy that she showed to people living with disability in Australia.

Ms Macklin was a quiet worker. She did not seem to require the credit or the spotlight, instead focusing on getting the work done. Perhaps that is why many forget her name when considering the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) of the Scheme.

Yet we believe that she is as worthy of this title as anyone else. She has been a campaigner, an advocate and a legislator. BigDog wish her the best in what she does next.

(It is also worth noting that Ms Macklin served as Deputy to Opposition Leader Mark Latham, but nobody is perfect).

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WhatsUp in Disability

What you'll learn  Analyse a news story  Turning a bunch of facts into a news story  Writing a feature article  Interviewing techniques  Story layouts  Social Media  Writing a Press Release

The July/August issue includes information about NAIDOC week, a detailed summary of the NDIS 3rd Quarterly Report, the 2018/2019 Price Guide and lots of local stories and upcoming events that you can attend..

To obtain a copy of WhatsUp in Disability magazine or to be an advertiser, please contact WhatsUp via: Office

4/33 Bell Street, Toowoomba

Email

admin@whatsupindisability.org

Phone

4632 6678 7

BigDog Cleaning Services Due to the growth of our cleaning services we have appointed a coordinator and we welcome Deanne to this important role.

Deanne is a professional cleaner with years of experience and has been able to rationalize our range of cleaning products, improve our cleaning methods and provide additional training to our team of cleaners.

Please call us in advance for special requests (i.e. after construction, refrigerator cleaning, inside of oven, inside windows, garage, extra rooms) so we can schedule the time needed to complete these tasks.

Cleaning is for an average residential unit or home on a regular basis on an NDIS service contract, using BigDog cleaning equipment.

Cleaning teams consist of 2 members and charged per person per hour.

Vacuuming of carpets, dusting, and polishing of furniture; cleaning of wood floors, kitchen appliances, bath tubs and shower stalls, toilets, sinks and all sink fixtures;

Removal of rubbish from the interior rubbish containers and deposited in the outdoor Council provided wheelie bins.

Cleanings are scheduled in an order that requires the least amount of drive time for each team. BigDog will make every effort to accommodate your requested time however these times are not guaranteed.

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A timber recycling program that converts pallets into furniture is a work experience activity hosted by BigDog to develop skills in job seekers and give back to our community.

Program Supervisor Steve Asgill said the activity was having many benefits not only to the community but the people who participate.

“I see such a huge difference in the guys who come through the program. Some of them when they first start, need to further develop some skills, especially with use of tools. After a few weeks they are pretty competent,” Steve said.

“I really enjoy working on the program – you get some great guys through this and it’s great being able to give back to the community.

Luke has been on the program for nearly three months.

“I think I was a little different than most people because I actually really wanted to do this. I wanted to come and do something. So I enjoy being able to come here and make things, learn some new skills, having fun with the guys and talk,” Luke said.

The participants spend their days breaking apart pallets and reusing the wood to make items to be donated.

One of their first projects was to build a TV entertainment cabinet that would go into Luke’s house.

“It’s pretty good when you finally deliver the finished products. I’m like ‘yes I did this – I put this together’ and it feels really good,” Luke said.

Great job Luke, we are all looking forward to seeing the next completed piece of furniture,

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Promoting BigDog on the NDIS The Provider Finder tool, available in the myplace provider and participant portals, gives both providers and participants the ability to search for providers by name, location, and service or professional group. The Provider Finder displays the provider location on a map.

To make sure that participants can find providers in the Provider Finder it is important that all of their details are kept up to date in their myplace profile.

BigDog delivers supports from different locations and the Provider Finder has the ability to display this information using the ‘Outlet detail’ function.

The more information that BigDog includes about our services and our business in the outlet details screen, the more we increase the likelihood of being found through the Provider Finder.

Provider lists are published quarterly on the NDIS website and available for anyone who does not use the myplace portal. People can search for providers by name, location and registration group.

BigDog also utilises the internet through our website, signage on our buildings and motor vehicles, newsletter, word-of-mouth, direct advertising, social media and marketing, as well as via brokers, community organisations and markets which interact with the NDIS.

We have updated our eftpos machine to include a simple interface for recording activities through the Day Service program.

This also provides a detailed receipt so that you can reconcile your payments.

Check us out at www.bigdogsupport.com

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For over10 years this community based disability support program has provided a nimble pick-up and delivery service that’s tailored to small and medium-sized Toowoomba businesses.

We will go to the post office on your behalf to collect your mail each morning from your mail box and each afternoon deliver your mail to the Post Office, giving you back more time to do what matters.

Daily office tasks like visiting the post office is time consuming especially when there’s a million other things to be getting on with.

Contact us to find out more, or get a quote now on 1800 22 44 36

Leave all those hassles to us and take advantage of a Mail Pick-up and Delivery Service.

We provide total convenience for all your incoming and outgoing mail, parcel delivery and collection.

Thanks

Dazza and Mikey (and their Support Staff) 12

Healthy meals straight to your door

BigDog Healthy Meals

My Weekly Menu Plan (Example)

With over 50 meals on our menu, you’ll never be short of deliciousness or variety.

Monday

Using only Australian sourced, grass-fed and free-range meats and vegetables. All of the flavour with none of the nasties!

Chicken Diane

Tuesday Bangers & mash with onion gravy Wednesday Hearty Lasagne Thursday Oven-baked fish and chips

No preparation, cooking, or cleaning required.

All you’ll need to do is decide which deliciousness you’re going to eat first

Friday

Nutritionist developed and approved. Because when we say healthy, we really mean healthy.

Deliveries are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and are prepared fresh for the next 2 days (3 weekend) and under NDIS preparation and delivery of meals under Core Supports code 01 022 $12.20 per day and a small copayment of $8.00 which covers all the meal ingredients for lunch and dinner.

Helps work towards YOUR goals. Looking for increased independence? More time to be spending living that awesome life? Need help with weight loss and increased energy?

Healthy meals delivered will be your new best friend!

Slow-cooked beef stroganoff

Saturday Classic Sheppard’s Pie

Sunday

Lamb Roast and vegetables

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Cooks Soft Drink Factory

Off the Chain - K9 Rescue Queensland

Wednesday 6th August 2018 We will be travelling by BigDog Mercedes Sprinter and the Wheelchair accessible bus to 1 Yandilla Street Pittsworth to experience a tour of an operational soft drink factory. All participants wishing to join us for this outing are welcome to attend and after the tour the group will enjoy a BBQ in the park together next to the Pittsworth Art Gallery in Short Street You will be required to wear appropriate closed in shoes and bring a packed morning tea and water bottle along with you. As this is an optional activity, those who are not attending won’t have their regular Day Service attendance affected.

Cost $20 for Factory Tour and BBQ Lunch Includes Transport, A Sampling of Beverages (Sugar Free options) and Lunch

Wednesday 29th August 2018 Morning tea to raise funds for K9 Rescue

Based in Toowoomba every OTC dog is health checked, vaccinated, microchipped and treated for worms, ticks and fleas on intake.

Vaccinations, worm/tick/flea are kept up to date while in care. Dogs are registered with their local council. Dogs are desexed as soon as they are old enough and after 15 days in care Morning tea is through a gold coin donation.

USQ Health and Benefits Fair Wednesday 29th August Keynote speaker will be Mark McConville, The Laughter Clinic. Mark believes that the psychological benefits of laughter in regards to decreasing stress hormones, elevating ones mood, self-esteem, and hope, are all worthy allies in the fight against stress and mental illness.

Attendance price of $10 includes lunch.

BigDog Day Service Toowoomba

Paul Myatt Community Centre 11-15 Alexander Street North Toowoomba 4350 Coordinators Marrissa Moore and Sharon Price 4512 6020 dayservice@bigdogsupport.com 14

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Price Reduction!!!!!

We have a fantastic range of sensory items here at our office available for purchase.

You are more than welcome to come in and have a look at all the goodies we have.

Please share this with your friends and family and tell them to come in and check it out. stock needs to go as soon as possible.

Unfortunately we do not have eftpos, only CASH. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to call our office on 4928 6550. Have a great day.

BigDog Day Service Rockhampton

Coming up in September

1/105 Denham Street, Rockhampton 4701 Post Office address PO Box 9777 Frenchville 4701 Coordinator Suzanne Smith 0438 724 306 Suzanne@bigdogsupport.com 15

Our lawn maintenance work is undertaken by teams of two or more depending on the size of the job (The “Team”). A team leader is assigned to your home and BigDog will make every effort to maintain the same team leader.

Lawn maintenance times are scheduled in an order that requires the least amount of drive time for each team. BigDog will make every effort to accommodate your requested time however these times are not guaranteed.

BigDog agrees to provide lawn maintenance services that include the following: 

Provide all labour, equipment and supplies required to perform the services and undertake to properly maintain all equipment so that work is performed in a timely and professional standard;



Grass clippings to be deposited in the outdoor Council provided wheelie bin.



Be respectful while in your property. They will not smoke, eat or drink while in your yard.



Provide for use by the team in the performance of this agreement any specified supplies and equipment. (i.e. weed killer)



Remove or store any clutter from the yard (i.e. toys, furniture, rubbish etc.) The team will not remove clutter in order to mow.

Please call us in advance for special requests (i.e. house inspections or rubbish removal) so we can schedule the time needed to complete these tasks.

Their only purpose while in your property is yard maintenance.

The householder’s responsibility 

Grant permission and facilitate entry for the team to access the property on scheduled or otherwise agreed days during regular business hours or any additional mutually agreed upon time.

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Business Disability Awards

Birthdays

Gala Dinner 13th September Nominations are open now at www.tbda.net.au

August 5th 6th 7th 10th 20th 26th 27th 30th

Zac C Jodi W (50th) Emily C Susan W Dom N Deeanne G Rebecca Mc Sandra W

Have a great day!

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Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce

This workshop is facilitated by Helen Cracyk an enrolled nurse with 30 years experience

Manual Handling Broadribb Home Training Room 13 Goggs Street Toowoomba Day 1 9am - 4pm Safe manual handling practices Practical manual handling procedures Day 2 9am - 4pm Practice manual handling skills Akadia Training will be providing all training resources, morning and afternoon tea and lunch Cost is $450 per student

Bookings ann@akadia.com.au

Providing a healthy workplace is critical for businesses for many reasons ranging from maintaining productivity, keeping the number of staff absent days down through to job satisfaction for your team and making sure your business is considered an employer of choice.

The Healthy Workplaces Breakfast event will take a closer look at what businesses can proactively do in their workplaces to develop a healthy workplace and culture.

Guest speaker, Ivan Frkovic the Queensland Mental Health Commissioner, will be joined

by BreastScreen Toowoomba and Westfund to share their knowledge and lead this discussion with breakfast guests.

Venue: Fitzy’s 153 Margaret St Toowoomba Date: Tuesday 7th August 2018 Time: 7.00am to 8.45am Price: $45.00 Member | $65.00 Non-Member

10:30am Sunday 19th August 2018 Tickets $6 each 18

Saturday 25th August 2018 9:30am - 8:00pm Toowoomba Library

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What’s on in August 4th August Saturday

Footy Day in Brisbane

7th August Tuesday

Highfields Business Breakfast Healthy Workplace Breakfast

8th August Wednesday

TDSPN Meeting 10am - Noon Cooks Soft Drink Tour Pittsworth

12th August Sunday

Languages & Cultures Festival

13th August Monday

Steven and Ann on leave to USA

15th August Wednesday Brisbane Show Holiday

Contact Us BigDog Support Services 232 Ruthven Street Toowoomba QLD 4350

19th August Wednesday Incredibles II Sensory Showing

PO Box 234 Harlaxton QLD 4350

23rd - 24th August

(07) 4632 9559

Manual Handling Training

1800 22 44 32 0427 408 698 (On Call) admin@bigdogsupport.com Visit us on the web at www.bigdogsupport.com 20