ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Picture breakthru Customer Tobias (Centre) and friends Michal (Left ) and Jordahn (Right ) making the AUSLAN symbol for "I love you"
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Message from the Chair & CEO
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OVERVIEW Highlights & Key Achievements What we've achieved in 2018-19 breakthru in numbers
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CUSTOMER STORIES Eric's Story (NDIS) 9 Shaun's Story (DES) 11 Charlie's Story (RTO) 13
FINANCE Key Financials
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CLOSING Special Thanks
Picture (Left ) breakthru Customer and SLES participant Amanda from Liverpool. 2
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OUR VALUES
RESPECT
INTEGRITY
We champion diversity, each other and the right of everyone to be able to make informed choices
We do what is right by our customers and each other, every day
RESILIENCE
EXCELLENCE
We display courage in the face of adversity and challenge
We achieve success through innovation and leading practice, ensuring breakthru achieves high performance and sustainability
COLLABORATION We work cooperatively with our local communities and each other to achieve our vision
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BREAKTHRU
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR & CEO The year ended 30 June 2019 has been a great year with many achievements. It is particularly rewarding being able to contribute to our customers achievements and their journeys towards their social and economic goals and living their best life. Our purpose is to promote the unique value and inclusion of our customers in the life of their community, and our vision is that they experience seamless inclusion in those communities. Which is why we focus on enabling our customers to engage in the community and find work – we aim to minimise “centre-based” activities and promote person-centred integration in mainstream activities.
In reflecting on this successful year, we extend our thanks to our many supporters, including funding departments and commissioners, our employer partners and our partners in the community. We also sincerely thank our team of dedicated staff who continue to put our customers at the centre of everything they do. Lastly, and most importantly, we thank our customers for their ongoing support and loyalty. It has been a pleasure to work alongside you! With strong financial results for the year ended 30 June 2019 we will be able to invest in our systems, processes and people to ensure the organisation delivers a high standard of customer-focused services whilst improving overall efficiency.
Quality of service and customer experience is at the top of our list of priorities and the customer stories in this document provide encouraging illustrations. DIANA D'AMBRA
In June 2019, we farewelled a long-standing Director, Paul Bolton who retired after 13 years of service, having also served 15 years with Western Plains Workforce which merged with breakthru in 2007.
CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We thank Paul for his very long service and contribution to the board and various committees as well as the lived experience he brought as a carer.
PAUL STIFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
OUR PURPOSE
OUR VISION
Our purpose is to promote the unique value & inclusion of our customers in the life of their community.
Our vision is that people with disabilities experience seamless inclusion.
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HIGHLIGHTS & KEY ACHIEVEMENTS • Opened a new site in Cairns to better serve NDIS participants in Far North Queensland. • Launched delivery of Allied Health Support services to better support our NDIS participants. • Re-branded our Registered Training Organisation as “breakthru Community College”, extended the scope to include qualifications in Mental Health and launched online learning options. • Won a new contract to deliver Early Intervention Psychosocial Supports in Melbourne West in partnership with Mercy Health. We will make a significant impact to improve the coping capacity of people with mental illness in that area. • Launched a revised customer feedback framework which gives our customers a stronger voice and more say in their activities and how and where we can improve.
Celebrating 25 Years of Support We celebrated our 25 year anniversary with our customers and employees at simultaneous events across our 27 sites in NSW, QLD and VIC.
• Finalised our re-organisation and achieved a financial turnaround from a loss to a sustainable profit. • Implemented a totally new eLearning system and courses to better support our employees to be current and possess the skills to deliver top quality services. • Established a rewards and recognition framework to recognise top customer service and high performance from our staff. • Developed a refreshed Technology Architecture Strategy to guide implementation over the next two years of new infrastructure and applications to improve our efficiency and speed up our processes.
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Eric Stars in Employable Me Eric Barrett, one of our customers on the Central Coast, appeared on the second season of ABC's popular TV series Employable Me Australia. Read about his story further in this report.
WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED IN 2018-19
2000+
NDIS customers
support ed
354 jobseekers
placed!
300 students trained! 998 mental health
200 6
community partners
customers
supported!
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BREAKTHRU IN NUMBERS
27
456
staff across Australia
locations in QLD, NSW and VIC
73%
Female participation
8.5%
17%
30.96%
38.8 years
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander participation
mature age participation
7
of staff with more than 5 years service
average age
CUSTOMER STORIES
Picture breakthru Customer Joan posing for a photo shoot near the breakthru Liverpool office. 8
ERIC'S STORY FINDING A JOB WITH CEREBRAL PALSY MEET ERIC Eric is an extraordinary young man with an infectious sense of humour who lives on the NSW Central Coast. As a result of birth trauma, Eric was born with Cerebral Palsy, and at just 20-years-old he has already achieved some enormous feats, despite having reduced mobility and a speech impediment. Eric's story began when he inquired with the breakthru Tuggerah office in mid 2018. At the time, Eric was looking for help to find employment. After an initial meet & greet with our passionate Team Leader Donna, Eric instantly felt a connection and decided to move forward with breakthru - and the rest is history. FINDING A JOB With his key goal in mind, both Eric & Donna began working together to contact local employers in pursuit of finding a suitable job. Having tried to find full time work before, Eric we quite demotivated as he was repeatedly knocked back from health administration roles – feeling as though he was overlooked simply because of his Cerebral Palsy. With continued help and support from Donna, alongside his own incredible resilience, Eric enrolled in and finished a TAFE course, which helped him significantly improve his Resume over the course of 2018 – putting him in a perfect position to hit the job market again. But despite their efforts and repeated attempts at finding work, Eric still kept getting knocked back – at least until they met the amazing staff at the Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD). Eric originally contacted CCLHD after seeing their vacancies for an Administration Officer advertised online. With some additional help from Donna and the team from breakthru, Eric managed to arrange an interview with CCLHD where he met Ian and Pip to discuss potential paid employment opportunities in the Administration department. Prior to the meeting, Eric discussed with Donna his desire to prepare a folder with a variety of content including his resume and a set list of outcomes he hopes to see after the interview. Thanks to his proactive and forward-thinking approach, both Ian & Pip were very impressed with Eric’s work ethic and quickly delivered the good news that they would like to bring him on as permanent Administration Officer. FINDING FAME Not one to shy away from a bit of publicity, Eric's work ethic and amazing story quickly landed him with a spot on the award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary series Employable Me, which follows the stories of nine individuals with disabilites in their relentless pursuit to find work. After the series aired, Eric's story quickly spread across Australia until he was also featured on Gogglebox, which - much to his pleasure - turned him into a bit of a local celebrity on the Central Coast. WHAT'S NEXT FOR ERIC? Thanks to his unrivaled work ethic and fun-loving personality, Eric now works virtually independent of breakthru, only reaching out if he feels he needs assistance. He's also set goals for his personal life, cheekly saying that a girlfriend is now high on his priority list. 9
Picture Customer Eric outside of the breakthru office in Tuggerah where his journey began.
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SHAUN'S STORY FROM CUSTOMER TO CONSULTANT MEET SHAUN Husband, friend and proud Father of two. A hard worker with strong interpersonal skills, Shaun fell on hard times after he was suddenly diagnosed with Acoustic Neuroma – a medical condition characterised by nerve damage and hearing loss. As a result of this diagnosis, this meant he was unable to continue his career as a Vehicle Painter, which meant he was suddenly unemployed. Determined to provide for his wife and children, Shaun stood strong in the face of adversity and went back to school to study a Diploma in Event Management, in the hopes that this would secure his position and allow him to follow a career he was already involved in. Although he finalised this Diploma at Distinction level, he was unsuccessful in securing a job. Fortunately, Shaun was put in touch with the breakthru Wallsend team at the end of June of 2017. Having noticed Shaun’s compassionate disposition and lived experience of disability, the breakthru Wallsend team suggested he pursue a job in community services. This saw Shaun enrol into a Certificate IV in Disability course, which he quickly completed with flying colours. After completing his Certificate IV in Disability, Team Leader Sam Murray then identified Shaun’s potential to help people in the community, thanks to his lived experience and cross-over skills from his past places of employment. Sam suggested that Shaun apply for a vacant role in the Wallsend/Raymond Terrace office, and soon after applying Shaun was informed he has been successful in securing a full time role with the breakthru team. Having been in the role for only a short time, Shaun’s managers were extremely impressed with how well he picked up the new position, which was a much-needed confidence boost for the then-customer, now-consultant. WORKING AT BREAKTHRU It’s now been over 6 months since Shaun first joined the breakthru team as a full-time Employment Development Consultant, and the team around him continue to be impressed with his relentless work ethic and compassionate attitude towards helping his customers. “It’s a very rewarding job. I really enjoy helping people and seeing their lives change for the better” he said. Though as with any job, it’s not always sunshine and roses. “While it’s rewarding, it can also be quite challenging at times to help people see the bigger picture. It’s really important if you want to go out and find a great job to have an open and optimistic mindset” When asked about the wider team at breakthru, Shaun said he always feels like he’s treated with the same sense of respect, integrity and genuine interest that any breakthru customer would experience on a daily basis. 11
Picture: ex-Customer, now Staff member Shaun arriving for work at our Wallsend office.
“Since joining the Wallsend & Raymond Terrace teams I see every day how they treat each other with the same respect for our individuality as we do our customers, and that’s why we’re the A-TEAM!” WHAT'S NEXT FOR SHAUN? Alongside his goals as an Employment Development Consultant, Shaun has demonstrated an interest for further study to understand his customers better. This has led him to undertake new qualifications in Mental Health First Aid. Outside of work, Shaun is an avid cyclist and he’s currently working closely with a bicycle company to collaborate on and release a custom-made signature bicycle later this year.
Shaun also continues to focus on healthy living, which recently lead him to organise a 200km backpacking/cycling weekend getaway in the wilderness of New South Wales with a group of like-minded friends. During their expedition, there is no telephone coverage whatsoever – as these weekends away are an intentional strategy to not only take a much needed break from work, but to recharge from life in general “Closing your computer when it is time to do so and having an activity you enjoy outside of work is important for maintaining a healthy mind”
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CHARLIE'S STORY A PASSION FOR PEER SUPPORT MEET CHARLIE
Charlie is a bright 21 year old support worker who began studying with breakthru in February 2019. Charlie’s story is a great example of how success is as much about the journey, as it is the destination. Charlie's journey began when he started receiving mental health supports from another provider in the community. At the time, he was working to improve and maintain good mental health so that he can get back into the workforce as a labourer or in customer service (retail). To help Charlie achieve this goal, his support worker referred him to breakthru where he began receiving employment supports. After meeting Charlie, the team at breakthru Parramatta moved quickly to help him secure work trials in both of his desired industries. It was only after these work trials that Charlie realised they weren’t right for him. During his time with breakthru, Charlie also connected with a friend who was working in the health sector. This introduced him to a line of work he hadn’t really considered before, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Having grown up with family members who were participants of the NDIS, it was clear where his passion was and so he made the decision to apply his lived experience in a career as a support worker. Acting on the realisation that this is what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to be, Charlie enrolled to study a Certificate III in Individual Support with breakthru Community College. There he spent the next 6 months learning everything to do with becoming a professional carer, from studies of biology, to workplace protocol and everything in-between - Charlie was learning something new every day and loving it!
My favourite thing about my job is knowing that I’m helping people achieve their goals, I'm doing something that is humanitarian and meaningful. Although Charlie has achieved his goal of finding meaningful employment his journey does not end there. Looking forward, Charlie has set a new goal to continue gaining experience as a support worker and explore support in the mental health peer work sector. There, he plans to use his own lived experience to help others build their capacity and achieve their goals just as he did.
As part of the course requirements students must complete 120 hours of work placement, so Charlie took this opportunity to volunteer his time at breakthru. Whilst volunteering at breakthru he spent time helping customers with anything they may need; whether it was providing emotional support, helping them eat, exercise or transporting them to various programs, Charlie’s focus was always on their needs and goals.
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Charlie truly embodied breakthru’s person centered approach, which caught the eye of the team leaders supervising him and other volunteers. The team were so impressed with Charlie's work ethic and passion that they decided to offer him a more permanent position which he continues to hold today!
Picture: Graduates of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program in Townsville. 14
KEY FINANCIALS FINANCIAL YEAR 2018-19
Financial Year 2017-18 laid the foundations for the turnaround which we achieved this year, 2018-19. We have moved from a $2.266m loss to a $2.171m surplus thanks to the disciplined execution of our strategy and listening to our customers.
FY 2018-19
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FY 2017-18
Income
$27,055,910
$23,666,446
Expenses
($24,884,524)
($25,933,287)
Profit (Loss)
$2,171,386
($2,266,841)
Retained Surplus
$6,087,744
$3,916,358
THANKS TO OUR FUNDING PARTNERS We extend our thanks to our funding partners. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) In particular our account manager, who has been a valuable support to our customers, helping us solve NDIS planning and claiming issues. The Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS) DSS has granted us a number of Disability Employment Services contracts across NSW and QLD. These contracts are key for us and provided over 350 jobs to our customers. DSS has also granted us Family Mental Health Support Services contracts, which allow us to support children and their families in NSW and Victoria.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services Which funds Mental Health programmes either directly or through Primary Health Networks. The NSW Department of Education For access to Smart & Skilled funding to enable us to train the next generation of support workers and carers in the disability, mental health and aged care industries. QLD Department of Employment, Small Business & Training For access to the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, which partially funds our Registered Training Organisation courses who help hundreds of Queenslanders acquire the skills to work in the disability sector.
THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
INCLUDING: • • •
Qantas Lounges Harvey Norman Target
• • •
Coles Woolworths The Reject Shop
• • •
Baker's Delight Celebrations Anglicare
• • •
Hip Pocket Workwear Global Auto Parts ARA Indigenous Services
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THANKS TO OUR LOCAL COUNCILS
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BREAKTHRU Head Office 2 Palmer Street Parramatta NSW 2150
Phone 1800 767 212 Email hello@breakthru.org.au
Website breakthru.org.au