BigDog Newsletter July 2020

July 2020 Newsletter

Dear Diary

QLD Border Opens Support Local Business

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Newsletter Editor Notes Support Local Businesses Well, that has been a very tumultuous financial year to say the least. There have been a number of local businesses that have had to close their doors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Some will never open again.

BigDog is a local family run business based in Toowoomba for 10 years while also operating for over 5 years in Rockhampton and more recently in Mackay.

We understand the importance of supporting local business including local community groups and sporting clubs and we trust that others will also support us as locals supporting other locals.

When you use an independent local business…

• You keep more money in your local economy • You celebrate the uniqueness of your community

In This Issue 2 July 2020 Service Information

• You support local jobs

4 NDIS Price Guide Changes

• You encourage community • You help a little girl get dance lessons or a little boy get his footy team jersey • You help local families put food on the table and pay their home mortgages At BigDog, if a local business provides what we need, we always buy local rather than international, and in doing so we contribute to the above things.

6 2020 the Year so Far 8 Community News 9 QLD Border Opens 10 Toowoomba Community Centre 11 Rockhampton Community Centre 12 Safety Matters—History Matters

15 Admin Updates– On call 16 July Events 16 What’s Happening at BigDog

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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BigDog Support Services Magazine

Service Information Our Service Information is provided in hard copy when a service agreement is made and the most up to date version is available to download or to read from our website.

NDIS Yearly Price Review The NDIA sets the price for some supports to make sure they provide value for money for participants.

Changes to prices are updated to respond to market trends and changes in costs and are generally identified through an Annual Price Review undertaken by the NDIA in the lead up to new financial year, with any new prices outlined in an updated price guide, effective 1st July each year.

If BigDog incurs costs, in addition to the cost of a worker’s time, when accompanying and/or transporting you in the community, you will be responsible for those costs. https://bigdogsupport.com.au/about-us/ information-booklets/ Standard Needs

Ref No.

UOM

Price

Self-Care Weekday

01

011

Hour

$54.30

Self-Care Saturday

01

013

Hour

$76.18

Self-Care Sunday

01

014

Hour

$98.06

Self-Care Public Holiday

01

012

Hour

$119.94

Self-Care Weekday Evening

01

015

Hour

$59.77

Self-Care Weekday Active Overnight

01

002

Hour

$60.87

Self-Care Sleepover

01

010

Each

$231.06

Travel / Transport

Ref No.

UOM

Price

Specialised Transport

02

050

Hour

$30.00

Use of a BigDog vehicle invoiced directly to you

02

051

Hour

$10.00

Community Participation Transport

04

590

Hour

$10.00

Group and Centre-based Transport

04

591

Day

$10.00

Group Community Driver

04

120

Hour

$22.44 3

Updates 2020-2021 Price Guide Recommendations from the Annual Price Review to determine 2020‒21 price controls and market settings are reflected in changes to the NDIS Price Guide 2020–21.

Participant plan funds will be automatically indexed from 1st July 2020 to take into account the decision of the Fair Work Commission and movement in the Consumer Price Index. This requires a systems update which is expected to occur on 11th July. Indexation will still apply from 1st July.

Cancellation Rules The cancellation rule regarding claiming 100% rather than 90%, introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic remains.

This means providers can claim 100% of the agreed support price for a cancellation at short notice. This change has been made to cover the costs incurred by a provider if a participant has cancelled at short notice, or does not show up.

Establishment Fees More providers will be eligible to charge an establishment fee to assist with one-off costs such as assessing a participant's needs, creating a service agreement with the participant and setting up service bookings within the NDIA system.

Before 1st July 2020 only providers registered for 0107 Daily Personal Activities could claim establishment fees and the fee was based on a flat fee structure.

Group-based Supports The pricing arrangements for group-based 4

supports will be changed so providers will no longer have to claim for service delivery on a worker to participant ratio.

Supports can be claimed against the appropriate 1:1 support item, reducing significant provider administrative burden.

Providers will be able to accurately apportion time spent with a group and among the members of that group.

Providers can claim for non-face-to-face supports rather than having an allowance for nonface-to-face supports built into the price limit.

Capital Centre-based Costs There is a new way to claim for centre-based group supports with the introduction a number of new line items to claim capital centre costs.

This is for providers delivering group-based supports in a centre, so providers can claim a capital allowance for each participant, where appropriate, in addition to the cost of the support worker.

This acknowledges capital costs such as asset maintenance and purpose built refurbishments to centres. A capital allowance was formerly within the price limit and will now be a separate line item.

Temporary Transformation Payment TTP will change from 7.5% to 6%.

Providers need to inform the NDIA of their intent to claim TTP in 2020-2021 before 1st July 2020.

The NDIA is publishing the results of the Benchmarking Survey of TTP providers.

Plan managers will be required to inform the NDIA, when asked, which registered providers have made a claim for a TTP support item.

BigDog Support Services Magazine

Psychosocial Recovery Coach A new support item called the psychosocial recovery coach (recovery coach) will be available for NDIS participants.

Psychosocial recovery coaches will provide support to people with psychological disability to live a full life.

This is a new support item and may take some time for the support to be widely available.

A recovery coach can build capacity and resilience through strong and respectful relationships.

A psychosocial recovery coach must have tertiary qualifications in peer work or mental health (minimum of Certificate IV in Mental Health) or equivalent training; and/or a minimum of two years of experience in mental health-related work Six new line items for Support Category 7 (Support Coordination) are introduced to achieve outcomes in Outcome Domain 8 (social and community participation) Line items subject to price regulation, remote and very remote loadings and standard definition of time of day and day of week Psychosocial recovery coaches may need to travel to meet with participants as well as transport participants as part of delivery their supports. A new line item is introduced to support this, subject to standard rules for provider travel non labour costs.

These price limits will be in effect from 1st July 2020 for SIL supports, and will also be applied to any open quotes awaiting approval. Existing plans containing agreed SIL quotes will continue until the end of their 12 month term, at which point the new SIL price limit will apply.

Providers should develop a roster of care (ROC) using the assistance with daily living price limits to help the NDIA decide the type of supports to be included in a participant’s plan.

First plans and changes of circumstances for the participant will still require a provider to submit a new ROC for consideration.

Changes to the ROC will require detailed documentation to support the changes The rate limit used for SIL will be increased only when the relevant assistance with daily living price limits are increased Before a plan with SIL supports is approved, the NDIA will directly ask the participant (or their nominee) to confirm they have had an opportunity to see and provide input to the roster of care

These changes will mean the SIL process is more efficient and will enable providers to get paid on time.

A new SIL Provider Pack is now available.

Plan Managers Plan Management providers can claim for travel and non-face-to-face supports for some support items.

Supported Independent Living (SIL)

Provider Travel

The NDIA is clarifying the set price limits for SIL supports, in the NDIS Price Guide 2020– 21, replacing the current quoting and negotiation process.

While these items are not price-controlled, the NDIS Price Guide 2020–21 outlines the reasonable level of these non-labour costs that participants and providers can use to discuss and agree on charges. These include:

The NDIA is conducting a review of SIL price controls and endorsed recommendations will be included in a Price Guide released later this year, until this review is complete the price limits for assistance with daily living will apply to SIL supports.

• up to $0.85 a kilometre for a vehicle that is not modified for accessibility; and • other forms of transport or associated costs up to the full amount, such as road tolls or parking.

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The year so far Dear Diary...

In January Australia caught on fire. I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran. We might actually still be almost at war with them.

I don’t know, because Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards show and everyone flipped out, but then there was a thing happening in China, then Prince Harry and Megan moved out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial, and then corona virus showed up “officially,” but then Kobe died and the UK moved out of the European Union.

In February President Trump was acquitted and the Speaker of the House took ten years to rip up a speech, but then WHO decided to give this virus a name COVID-19, which confused some really important people in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty, and Americans started asking if Corona beer was safe to drink, and everyone on Facebook became a doctor who just knew the flu killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.

understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing (I still don’t), but then we were all introduced to Tiger King. (Carol totally killed her husband), and Netflix was like, you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross.

In April New York City became the set of The Walking Dead and we learned that no one has face masks, ventilators, or toilet paper, or hand wash, but then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life… or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released videos of UFOs and nobody cared, and we were like man, it’s only April….

In March Italy shut down, and then COVID not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency was declared in US, but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu, but then COVID Not 18 was like you’re not taking me seriously? Continued I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks, but then the DOW took a dive and most of us still don’t

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BigDog Support Services Magazine

In May the biblical end times kicked off historical locust swarms and then we learned of murder hornets and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games but people forgot to let us know, but then people legit protested lockdown measures with guns, and then sports events were cancelled everywhere.

But then people all over the world finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were protests in cities throughout the planet, but then people forgot about the pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18.

The Media struggled with how to focus on two important things at once, but then people in general struggle to focus on more than one important thing, and a dead whale was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest after monkeys stole COVID 1 through 19 from a lab and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) a giant asteroid narrowly missed Earth.

In June science and common sense just got thrown straight out the window and somehow wearing masks became a political thing, but then a whole lot of people realized that statues they don’t even know the name of, are bad and must be removed and then that Gone with the Wind was like non-fiction and it had to be removed. And what about Fawlty Towers mentioning the war or not mentioning the war might offend someone and that episode went.

Scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the centre of the earth, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then it was also announced that there is a strange radio signal coming from somewhere in the universe that repeats itself every so many days, and everyone was like

DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT, but then the USA reopened from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly not that great, but everyone is on Facebook arguing that masks kill because no one knows how breathing works, but then Florida was like hold my beer and let me show you how we’re number one in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Virus.

Then we learned there was a massive dust cloud coming straight at the USA from the Sahara Desert, which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud, but then we learned that the Congo's worst ever Ebola outbreak was over, and we were all like, there was an Ebola outbreak that was the worst ever?

In July… Aliens? Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware?

Keep on reading the BigDog July Newsletter to find out. Editor

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NEWS BigDog Sponsorships Highfields Lions Australian Football Club The Highfields Lions would like to welcome onboard BigDog Support Services as a 2020 gold sponsor. The entire club would like to extend a massive thank you to Steven Paull and the BigDog team for their years of support towards the club. Without Steven’s efforts the 2020 season would not have been possible.

We are honoured to be able to assist local sporting clubs and in particular junior sport. Go the Lions! Editor 102.7 FM Toowoomba Community Radio 102.7FM Toowoomba would like to welcome BigDog Support Services as a Major Sponsor of 102.7FM for the 20/21 Financial Year.

Our committee would like to extend their massive thanks to Steven Paull and the rest of the team at BigDog for supporting community radio.

Local Community Radio is the cornerstone of our media. Name any popular announcer or reporter and they probably started here. Editor 8am to 1pm 3rd Sunday every month Top Oval Lindsay Street Toowoomba Supporting WhatsUp in Disability

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BigDog Support Services Magazine

Partnerships Queensland Border Opens From 12 noon 3rd July 2020 Any person who has been in a declared hotspot within the last 14 days will have to complete 14 days quarantine in government arranged accommodation.

You will need to pay for the cost of your quarantine.

All current COVID-19 hotspots are located in Victoria and currently all of Victoria is a hotspot. View COVID19 hotspots.

Any person who has been in a hotspot, including any local government area within the State of Victoria within the last 14 days should not come to Queensland. If they do, they must undergo mandatory quarantine in a hotel at their own expense for a minimum of 14 days.

A separate application is required for each individual, including children, and all travellers in your party must be eligible for an exemption.

You do not have to quarantine if you are a specialist worker who is required to be in Queensland to work (specialist workers include people such as emergency health services employees such as paramedics and organ transplant teams, drivers transporting freight and other specialist workers who need to provide time critical services that are difficult to obtain in Queensland).

WhatsUp in Disability

A false or misleading Border Declaration is an offence punishable by a fine of $4,004 or a court-imposed penalty of up to $13,345.

• Have your say

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

11-15 Alexander Street, Toowoomba

Email

admin@whatsupindisability.org

Online

www.whatsupindisability.org

Jul/Aug Magazine Stories in this issue include: • Michael Burge Recognised • Homeless for a night

• NDIS Updates • Peaceful Humans • Akadia is on the move

Steven Paull President 9

Pop Up Pallets Toowoomba Hospital Foundation Thank you again for delivering your beautiful pallet creation for our PUP event.

All of the items we have received are now live on our website ready for bidding and a selection of items are displayed in Grand Central (outside Florence and Marabel Collections) https:// www.toowoombahospitalfoundation.org.au/ auction We will switch over the items on display on Monday 13th July and bidding will close at 5pm on Sun 19th July.

Thank you again for your support and we look forward raising much needed funds for the acute mental health department.

This year Steve and his team created a coffee table so check it out at the auction website

Kind Regards Erin Kehoe-O’Shea Browse the incredible handcrafted creations made by our region’s talented craftspeople and place your silent auction bid on your favourite piece.

All funds raised will go towards the purchase of a Transcranial Stimulation Machine to help patients of the Acute Mental Health Unit break free of depression.

BigDog Day Service Toowoomba

Paul Myatt Community Centre 11-15 Alexander Street North Toowoomba 4350 Coordinator Sharon Price Phone: 4512 6020 dayservice@bigdogsupport.com.au 10

BigDog Support Services Magazine

Welcome to our new Rockhampton Community Centre We are pleased to announce that we have moved some of our group activities into our new building at 170 East Street Rockhampton.

This Building has been the home of Manderson's Dance and Fitness Centre for many years and features large open plan dance floor area, a large open plan dining area both with richly polished timber floors, a bar area, a commercial kitchen, 2 separate offices, 2 male toilets, 2 female toilets, a disabled toilet and a shower.

Manderson’s Dance will be staying on providing dancing lessons as well as a number of specialised dancing sessions for people with disability and wheelchair dancing sessions.

The caretakers quarters will be updated and converted to office space.

There is also plenty of parking spaces, and we have made application to Council for 2 Disability Parking spaces.

The city library is only a block away, Fitzroy River walk a block away and an indoor swimming pool and Gym is on the opposite corner.

BigDog Day Service Rockhampton

Manderson’s Dance Centre 170 East Street Rockhampton 4700 206 Murray Street, Allenstown 4701 Coordinator Betty Cowan Phone: 4573 4611 rockhampton@bigdogsupport.com.au 11

History Matters...

So, it is fair to say that this world of ours is going through some turbulent times at the moment. Bad things have happened, and emotions are running high. And, as always, there are people sitting in the wings ready to exploit the situation to advance their own cause. People who treat disagreement and differing perspective as obstacles to be ruthlessly bulldozed rather than be the basis of a civilized conversation. Pair this with media companies who care only about turning a profit, willing to bend over backwards to compromise the silent majority in order to appease the vocal minority and you get, well, exactly what has been happening over the past weeks.

The editing, censoring and outright removal of movies, books, and TV shows which although acceptable when they were made are now considered problematic because they don’t measure up to the high moral standards that we have set today.

Clearly a movie made 81 years ago and set during the American Civil War should absolutely confirm to our present-day cultural norms. It just makes sense. Or a beloved TV show that uses controversial language in some of its jokes. Clearly that needs to go.

Really, there is no limit to all the nips and tucks that you can do almost without anyone noticing.

But here is the slight problem with all of this, slowly and surely it is diminishing who we are.

Every single piece of entertainment that we consume, from the humblest amateur movie to the grandest blockbuster is a unique and spe12

cial piece of art. It may not appeal to all sensibilities or represent the pinnacle of its genre, but it is art all the same. It exists because it can, not because it must. It exists because we chose to make it so.

People exercise their imagination, their creativity, and their ingenuity to turn a simple idea into a reality, and that is something to be treasured.

Art is what makes us who we are. From the first time that we learnt to use tools we have been driven to create things that will outlast our short lives. To tell stories that enthral and captivate. Our art is an expression not just of who we are but of who we were and who we might be. The good and the bad.

It allows us to explore our highest aspirations and our deepest fears, the power of our compassion and kindness, and the darkness of our cruelty and hatreds. It can enthral us with stories of courage and determination, adventure and excitement or vengeance and anger.

It can impart wisdom and knowledge, stir our wonder and imagination, carry us to far off worlds and different cultures. It can show us the strength of love and friendship or the dangers of anger and conflict. It can give us daring heroes and terrifying villains. It can make us laugh and it can make us cry. It can show us the best and the worst of humanity or even challenge what it means to be human.

“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably. The first time any man’s freedom is trodden on we are all damaged.”

Jean luc Picard Star Trek: The Next Generation

BigDog Support Services Magazine

On-Call Phones Toowoomba

0427 408 698

Rockhampton

0429 053 396

Staff Birthdays

Just a reminder that these phones are only to be contacted outside of office hours for urgent matters ie

} If you fall sick and are unable to complete your shift } If you are sick and unable to work on the weekend

July 2020

} If the person that you are supporting has a medical

5th 7th 11th 19th

emergency Please make sure that you know all your shift information by 4:00 pm that afternoon or by 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon if the shift is for the weekend.

If the matter is not urgent, wait until the office is open.

If you need to make contact during office hours please call the main office number 07 4632 9559 as the on call phones will not be monitored during the day. Your call will be directed to the relevant coordinator.

Hannah C Steve A Brad Mark T Mikaela

Have a great day!

All on call contact will now be recorded utilising our Customer Relations Management software, Insightly.

You may find that the coordinator on call will phone you back so that the details of the call and the contact time is recorded.

Shift Notes A reminder that these need to be completed at the end of every shift utilising the BigDog Staff Portal. As the notes are time sensitive, the will enter the database on the date that you submit them, not the date of the shift.

This causes issues, especially at the end of the month.

Please ensure that your notes include more than “Had a good shift” or “Had a great day” or “Community access”. A good note includes activities undertaken and/ or goals achieved. Your notes form part of the participant’s NDIS review and can effect their future supports.

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Postponed Events NAIDOC Week 2020 The National NAIDOC Committee has decided to postpone NAIDOC Week 2020 (5th - 12th July) in the interest of safety for our communities. This decision was not taken lightly.

We have taken on-board the advice from the Federal Government, health experts, our key partners and from leading national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations.

We all believe that an escalating COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis as we head into winter would have disastrous impacts on our mob especially for our elders and those in our communities with chronic health issues.

Winter Wonderland

Crazy Hair Day

Crazy Hair Day is a day to go crazy with your hair - teased, coloured, gelled or twisted; wigs and scarves, punk or just plain messy! is an annual fundraising event organised by Cystic Fibrosis Victoria (CFV) and is a fun way for schools to celebrate the start of third term.

International Day of Friendship The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly to sponsor friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals.

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Environment and Community Committee Chair Cr James O’Shea said the decision to postpone the event for 12 months was a difficult but necessary one with community health at the forefront of all decision making.

“Like most of the residents in our community, we were thoroughly looking forward to the iceskating rink returning this winter but with the current health restrictions in place there was simply no feasible way we could host the event this year,” Cr O’Shea said.

“While it’s disappointing the event won’t be proceeding in 2020, I’m pleased to announce the Winter Wonderland will return in 2021.”

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30th July

BigDog Support Services Magazine

Justice of the Peace This service is available at the Paul Myatt Community Centre 11-15 Alexander Street Toowoomba (please call first to make an appointment) The JPs in the Community Program is also available through major shopping centres, libraries, court houses and hospitals.

Contact Us BigDog Support Services 232 Ruthven Street Toowoomba QLD 4350 PO Box 234 Harlaxton QLD 4350

(07) 4632 9559 1800 22 44 32 0427 408 698 (On Call) www.bigdogsupport.com.au 15

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