I am off to Broken Hill, which is great because I love the place, my team are doing a great job in the town and our QA audit gives us a chance to confirm that local job seekers are receiving great service.
It’s also a shame because it delays my opportunity to catch up with Stephen Pocklington, Director and lead facilitator at "Well, Beyond Recovery" and Frank Bristol (Balance NZ) who are in Sydney to lead a 5 day WRAP facilitators training program at our St Mary’s outlet
What’s WRAP?
Wellness Recovery Action Planning (google it) a program that dovetails nicely with the work that NOVA does and is proving to be a first class support for our job seekers that have experienced mental illness.
WRAP has 5 core concepts and these are:
Hope
Personal responsibility
Education
Self-advocacy &
Support
NOVA has been interested in developing our capacity to assist those job seekers that have mental health problems for some considerable time and WRAP training (we will have 30+ trained facilitators by the end of this week) is seen as an important adjunct to our development of this service.
Approximately 400 job seekers are presently registered with us that identify in this category and, while that’s a small number, we feel this is an area that our staff require better tools and training and our job seekers could use additional options.
On the subject of Psychiatric Disability and Supported Employment I can’t help but think back to 1993/4(?) when NOVA staff members Racheal Neal and Julie Mayor team in eth development of an innovative and highly successful program that found work for 15 people (all of whom had a diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar disorder). At the end of 12 months not 1 person had lost their employment and all reported significant improvement in their symptoms and self-esteem.
A brilliant program?
Absolutely, and that why the morons that fund these things decided to can our attempt and insisted we refer the then job seekers to a work crew that was being set up locally as these staff, ‘had more experience’ !
Well, that’s in the past. Today is Independence Day and now we have a large self-funding program that can experiment, develop and grow based on our own experience and best practice taken from around the globe.
That’s why we have WRAP and that’s why we are sending staff overseas and inviting international and local experts in the field to join us in Sydney. We want to develop the teams capacity to provide effective help and we want to go beeyond that to create an industry leading example of best practice that we can then share in the same fashion we always have.
July 2010 is probably the most exciting and busy month in the organizations history and, to support these developments the whole team is also attempting to make July the month for our best placements ever.
I am really looking forward to sharing the events we have planned with you and very excited about our growth and skills development projects.
Would you like a face-to-face meeting with Martin via Skype? Click the button below to make an appointment
Subscribe to this Blog - blog.novaemployment.com.au Copy the link above and paste it into your favourite Reader to subscribe to an RSS feed of this blog. To watch a short video explanation of RSS and how it helps you save time reading the web click here
Your Comments There are currently no comments on this article
Previous Posts
Big Win! Saturday night saw a big win for the NOVA team and for people with disability when our Podcast partners NOVA Entertainment- no relationship other than mates - received the following:
BEST ORIGINAL PODCAST - BRANDED
Focus On Ability; Nova Employment & the Nova Entertainment Podcast Team , NOVA Entertainment
BEST ORIGINAL PODCAST - UNBRANDED
Hamish & Andy; Hamish Blake & Andy Lee, PodcastOne Australi
Taken from the web: https://www....
Good Result!
Received the following yesterday morning:
Hi Nova, just wanted to give my feedback in regards to my mother getting a job through you guys and the amazing impact it has had!! The job that mum has received has changed her outlook on everything! She is now much more confident in her self and her abilities....
Welfare Benefits and Health
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's truer that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power: David Brin
DES providers don't need nor should they have been given the authority to suspend welfare benefits (see above)....
Disgusting!
Disgusting!: https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2019/07/ndis-data-drop-reveals-severe-employment-gaps/
I have spoken previously on, to quote former President Bush, 'the soft bigotry of low expectations' - if you are a member of a marginalised group the public don't expect much and are surprised when anything much is achieved!
I've been in this game for more than 30 years and have been privileged to see literally thousands of terrific men and women leave NOVA To gain (and retain) great jobs....
Goodness me!
Goodness me!
Read this article: https://www.smh.com.au/national/no-lights-no-linen-how-alex-survived-for-six-years-on-newstart-20190717-p5284q....
Changing Attitudes
One of the hardest things to do is change a person's attitude - if they are favourably disposed to you, all's well and good - if someone holds a contrary view it's an uphill battle to change a mindset....
Retention Retention, Retention!
Just when you thought things couldn't get any better, something comes along that causes you to stop and to reconsider the way your business is conducted....
Properly Caring
Much is made about the easy life enjoyed by people on welfare - we've all seen the 'news' items that show flagrant abuse of the system with welfare recipients engaged in employment or other activities that conflict with the obligation to inform Centrelink of change in status or simply as a means of defrauding the Commonwealth....
2 Things
2 Things:
First:
About the middle of February I wrote: i. "NOVA Needs You!
We are presently engaged in a very significant recruitment drive and are particularly keen to hear from folk with disability and/or sales experience to join our team of Employment Consultants - THIS IS NOT AN EASY JOB - you need to be resilient, self sacrificing and have stacks of smarts and even then we only take the best....
We're struggling!
NOVA Needs You!
We are presently engaged in a very significant recruitment drive and are particularly keen to hear from folk with disability and/or sales experience to join our team of Employment Consultants - THIS IS NOT AN EASY JOB - you need to be resilient, self sacrificing and have stacks of smarts and even then we only take the best....
Extraordinary Results
When Government Star Ratings seem designed to celebrate the ordinary, it is a pleasure to be able to share a terrific piece of selfless effort on behalf of others....
Whats wrong with Employment Services II? What's wrong with Employment Services II
My mum used to frequently admonish my brothers and I with the words, 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try again'....
Whats wrong with Employment Services? There's rumours of a shake-up in the Job Active program - word is, the program isn't making a real difference and employers don't like it!
There's plenty of evidence to suggest that, despite the best intent of Government and funding body, the Disability Employment Service (DES) is similarly in the doldrums....
I need you! Comrades
NOVA needs you - we are very keen to enlist new members of our organisation.
Here's what you need: the patience of Job, the strength of the Hulk, the wisdom of Solomon and a selfless devotion caring for the needs of others worthy of Mother Teresa....
Tragic Loss People with Disability lost a true champion last Wednesday with the unexpected passing of a truly great man, the Chief Executive Officer of Inclusion Australia and a dear friend Mr Paul Cain....
Fair Warning
I'm giving fair warning of my intention to expose examples of the current DES-ESS contract's exploitation.
I have written to the Commonwealth expressing my concerns about clear manipulation of the present contract....
Fundamentals
The new contract for Disability Employment Services (DES) will not bring performance improvement.
Government will scratch it's head, blame the economy, blame people with disability, talk about educating employers and spend money on consultations before coming to the conclusion that people with disability must meet more stringent 'mutual obligations'....
100%
Each year, around about the International Day of People with a Disability (IDPwD) NOVA Employment holds a formal graduation for students that have participated in our pre-employment programs....
Profiting from poverty
Profiting from Poverty
I am genuinely horrified by this disaster: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/02/the-demerit-system-is-ruthless-social-policy-designed-to-keep-the-poor-powerless
I believe that we presently represent the job hopes of around 1500 people, in various stages of their progression to independent employment....
New Contract but no change!
New Contract but no change!
Today marks the first day of a new Disability Employment Service (DES) contract.
There are new players and new rules....
Subscribe to this Blog