Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 1 May 09
The future of Pathways
pathways is one of the largest non-government providers of child protection services in Queensland and provides a range of services for children and young people who are under the care of the Queensland Department of Child Safety or at risk of being taken into care. Every year, Pathways assists more than 2,500 children from backgrounds of abuse and neglect to find a foster or kinship carer who can provide support in a caring environment. Pathways recently received confirmation that the Department of Child Safety has re-approved triennial grant funding of up to $1,500,000 per annum until the end of 2011. This funding is for Care’s Maryborough, Bundaberg and South East services, and is in addition to previous funding which had been approved for services in other areas. This funding recognises the great contribution that Care makes within the child protection industry and shows the Department’s confidence in Care’s abilities to continue providing care for children in need.
Message from the Executive Director
Once again, it’s great to report on what has been happening across Care in our variety of services. Our early childhood and aged care services are looking to the future by building extensions and moving into new premises to ensure our services continue to grow to meet the needs of the community. All decisions made in this current financial environment are based on thorough research and assessments so we can grow sustainably and offer stability to the 20,000 Queenslanders we assist each year. Our Pathways services have also received notification from the government of continued funding to provide services in the child protection area. This funding will enable Care to provide foster/kinship care, residential and semiindependent services for children and young people who are unable to remain living at home. Care has been invited to participate in a pilot project called ConnectCare, which brings leadingedge software to regional aged care facilities to enhance their patient care. Our Toowoomba and Cunnamulla services are participating in the trial which aims to bring a variety of benefits to the residents and staff in these facilities.
COnnECtCArE pilOt prOjECt
two of Care’s aged care services are participating in a new project called ConnectCare, which will utilise broadband and video technology to improve resident care. nubeena Aged Care Services in toowoomba and Yapunyah Aged Care Facility in Cunnamulla have been nominated as pilot sites for the project. The ConnectCare project, which is being run by Church Resources, aims to enable small and medium sized not-for-profit aged care facilities, regardless of location, to access leading-edge software services in a way that is affordable, simple to understand and easy to use. The project aims to bring about a number of benefits for the services, and the residents and clients we care for across Queensland. The ConnectCare initiative presents a great opportunity for both residents and staff in Cunnamulla to harness broadband and video-conferencing solutions to improve their communication capabilities with staff, medical professionals and their families. Most importantly, video-conferencing offers the potential to improve quality of care by enabling immediate nursing response and support at the actual time of an incident. Currently, our staff manage situations by calling one of our registered nurses in the Western Region and problem solving over the telephone, but this is hindered by the fact that the nurse is not able to actually see the resident. Through ConnectCare, we hope that residents in need will be able to be reviewed face-to-face via video-conferencing by qualified staff, not only by our nursing staff, but also by doctors and specialists who wish to be involved in their care as well. The project is in its initial stages and the technology is currently being established at our services. In the coming months we should start to see some of the benefits that the ConnectCare project promises.
This funding will help continue Care’s vital child protection work to improve the lives of children in our community.
pathways has recently undergone a rebrand and has a new look and feel – as well as a new name. Pathways will now be referred to as ‘Care Pathways’. Promotional materials with our new name and look have been developed and a new website www.carepathwaysqld.com.au will be launched in May. The website will have links to all our brochures, key information about the services we provide, and contact details for local services. Stage two of the website will also include a government gateway and a carers login section.
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Foster carers are as different as the young lives they transform
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These stories and more have been included in this edition of Insights 2 Care, and we hope you enjoy reading about how Care is impacting lives. Peter Cranna Acting Executive Director
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Two of Care’s aged care services are participating in a new project to enhance resident care.
Care has just undergone a rebrand of Pathways and it now has a new look and feel. www.carepathwaysqld.com.au
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Churches of Christ Care (Care) is one of Queensland’s leading providers of aged care, early childhood services, child protection, and affordable housing and support services. Care recognises the significant support and contribution of both the Queensland State Government and the Australian Federal Government, and philanthropic agencies. Without their ongoing financial contributions and support, Care would not be able to continue to provide essential services to so many people and communities in need throughout urban, rural and remote Queensland.
Churches of Christ Care 41 Brookfield Road Kenmore Queensland 4069 ph: 1800 600 900 website: care.cofcqld.com.au
website: care.cofcqld.com.au
Churches of Christ Care
Our COmmitmEnt tO EArlY ChilDhOOD
CArE StAFF in thE SpOtlight
Care’s Western region Aged Care manager, kim teudt, received a highly commendable award in the Employee category of the recent Aged Care Queensland Excellence in Care awards. kim has been with Care for two and a half years and during that time has been faced with the challenging task of providing operational management for residential and community aged care services in a geographical area which spans from Crows nest to Boonah and out to Cunnamulla and Blackall. During her time, Kim has created a culture of professionalism and personal development amongst service managers and staff. She has developed innovative approaches to staffing to ensure that residents’ needs are competently addressed. She has also fostered a model of person-focused care which recognises the resident and client as the drivers of their care, providing them with control and significant input into their physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual and social care. Kim’s highly commendable award is a testament to her hard work and dedication to the role. Care’s procurement and Fleet manager, richard Schuster, was invited to speak at the Australasian Fleet managers Association’s national conference recently. in 2008, richard was awarded the Australasian Fleet manager of the Year award and was asked to speak on strategic fleet management from a not-for-profit perspective. Richard was able to highlight the cost savings that Care has implemented through tightly controlled purchase policies and vehicle selection, the re-use of fittings and the clever use of technology. He also focused on Care’s environmental policies in which we strive for a greener fleet with less impact on the environment. Richard’s presentation was a great opportunity to highlight Care as a leader in the field and to inform other organisations about different strategies for fleet management.
Richard Schuster, Care’s Procurement and Fleet Manager, was invited to present Care’s innovative strategies in fleet management at a national conference.
DEvElOpmEntS in AgED CArE
Care is committed to high quality child care for Queensland children now and in the future.
Care is expanding its aged care services to provide assistance to more elderly people in the future.
Each year, Care looks after almost 3,000 children through its 20 early childhood services across Queensland. professional development is an important part of Care’s early childhood services as staff play a vital role in the lives of children and families. to ensure they are kept up-to-date with the latest industry information and best practice procedures, Care holds an annual training and workshop day. All staff are required to attend, so centres are closed for the day and the staff from around south-east Queensland head to Brisbane where the training is conducted. By placing such an emphasis on this day, it shows our dedication to quality care and the value we place on our staff. Staff are able to participate in workshops to increase their knowledge and enhance their skills. Key speakers are invited to present on issues affecting early childhood and this year topics included infant and toddler environments, food and the possible effects on children’s behaviour, menu planning, child protection and creating beautiful environments that enrich and inspire. The information learned from the day is then implemented by the staff and shared with their families and carers. While Care‘s staff provide care to children at an exceptional level, we are also committed to ensuring the physical environment of our services meets each child’s needs as well. To help achieve this, Care is in the process of relocating or expanding a number of our services. Our early childhood services in Maryborough, which include Maryborough Family Day Care, In-Home Child Care Wide Bay
and the Family Support Service, are counting down the weeks until they relocate to larger and better equipped premises. The new site is currently being refurbished and the outside play area is being enhanced with the help of the local Bunnings Warehouse. They have generously donated plants, turf and seedlings for a vegetable garden, and their time to ensure the new premises have an outdoor environment which is stimulating and interactive for the children who will use it. We have purchased premises for Chinchilla Family Day Care to move into as they have outgrown their current office space within the Chinchilla Church of Christ building. The new premises will allow the service to have their own playground for regular playgroups, instead of having to share with our Chinchilla Early Childhood Centre. We are currently looking at expanding our St George Community Early Childhood Centre, which would create an additional 20 child care places for the local community. The planned extension will include a total refurbishment of the playground and should be completed by the end of 2009. Hervey Bay Family Day Care has also moved to a new location, which was previously used as a state preschool. The refurbishment of the property is currently underway and will include an extensive outdoor play area, office space and training rooms, which we hope will be utilised by the community. These developments are just some of the ways which show Care’s commitment to high quality child care for Queensland children now and in the future.
this year, Care will be expanding its aged care services in hervey Bay and mitchelton to provide an extra 94 places for elderly residents. it’s no secret that Australia’s population is ageing. Statistics tell us that by 2050 the number of Australians over the age of 65 will increase from 2.5 million to approximately 7 million – which is equivalent to 25% of the population. While there have been some negative reports in the media lately regarding the lack of new aged care facilities, Care is looking to the future by expanding its services. In Mitchelton, an extra 60 beds are currently under construction at Moonah Park Aged Care Services. Both high and low care beds will be available for residents to move into from August. At Fair Haven Hervey Bay Aged Care Services, the finishing touches have been completed to a 34-bed extension, with new residents settling into their new home. The development will allow an existing wing to be converted to care for residents with special care needs including dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. The extension to Fair Haven Hervey Bay enables more local people to receive professional and compassionate care that enriches their lives as they age. Bribie Island Aged Care Services has been undergoing an upgrade recently with extensions and refurbishments almost completed to a number of areas. These changes will modernise the facility and provide residents and staff with enhanced facilities for better care. A number of Care’s other aged care services are planning extensions to ensure Care can continue to provide the elderly with the best care possible for many years to come.
ChurChES OF ChriSt CArE – kEY FACtS AnD FigurES
Care is a large organisation which has many facets and features. Below are some key facts and figures to help you gain a greater understanding of the varied services Care provides to the community. • Care has been providing support to the community for almost 80 years. • Care is one of Queensland’s leading providers of aged care, early childhood services, child protection, and affordable housing and support services. • We are a not-for-profit organisation that supports more than 20,000 clients each year in urban, rural and remote areas. In addition, we reach thousands more people through the individual care services we provide in the community. • Over 450 volunteers give their time generously to assist the staff to provide extra services to the people in our care. • Care provides a range of child care options in various locations throughout Queensland to suit the needs of the local community including centre based care, family day care, in-home care, after school care and a mobile service in St George. • Last year, Care worked with 425 foster/kinship carers who made a difference by opening up their heart and their home to 3000 children in need of a stable and loving environment. • During the past year, Care assisted more than 700 people to maintain secure and stable accommodation in these times of financial uncertainty. • This year, Care will be expanding its aged care services in Hervey Bay and Mitchelton to provide an extra 94 places for elderly residents. • Care aims to provide not only physical care for its clients, but spiritual and emotional care as well through our Pastoral Care program. More information about Care can be found in our Annual Report which is available on our website care.cofcqld.com.au
website: care.cofcqld.com.au
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Churches of Christ Care Newsletter