across the
spectrum
for the people, families and communities of Spectrum Care
Issue: 82 – Summer 2014
What’s inside:
I 2013 SOSCARs awards
I Unnop, Edmund and Gary paint
the kitchen!
I Basic Assurances: the key, personcentred goal for Spectrum Care
2013 SOSCARs awards
winners announced!
I Commitment and determination
pay off!
Held in late November each year, our ‘Staff Oscars’ (aka SOSCARs) are our key annual awards evening
to recognise outstanding staff achievements in helping achieve our Vision of ‘People with disabilities living
great lives’.
I Lawns Training Programme a great
success!
Each award is assessed against our five Values – first and foremost, ‘Person-centredness’, along with ‘Innovation’,
‘Commitment and Passion’, ‘Partnership’ and ‘Excellence’ in enabling quality lives for the people we support.
I Student’s assignment explores our
brand design
To win a SOSCAR award is a great honour and recognises that the team or individual is working to the
highest standard of person-centred, Outcomes-focused support.
>> More inside...
People with disabilities living great lives
Lawns Training Programme a great success!
On Friday 22 November, the Lawns Training Programme came to an end for 2013.
This was the inaugural running of the training programme, which started
back in late June/early July.
All through the programme, the guys received fantastic support and
encouragement from all staff members at the Lawns base.
It’s a great testament to the five participants – Siauala Tevita, William Webb,
Ian Gorringe, Michael Flowers and Edward Day – that they not only lasted
the whole experience, but did so with great enthusiasm and effort throughout.
There were some challenging times, but the humour and enthusiasm from the
trainees was infectious, and contributed to some great memories for all.
Along the way, the guys began to form a close bond as a team, encouraging
each other each day and – most of all – having fun while learning some
valuable skills. Well done to each of you!
Due to the success of this year’s course and the development shown by the
guys, we’ve decided that we’ll be running the course again next year!
Paul Ryan – Acting Service Coordinator (Aspirations)
2013 SOSCARs awards
Outstanding Team – Hamilton Region
I Norrie Street
Nominees: Rukuhia Road, Brookview Court
Outstanding Team – South Region
I McEntee Street
Nominees: Fairview Road, Pioneer Place
Outstanding Team – Central Region
I Mangere Road
Nominees: Prangley Ave, Bukem Place
Outstanding Team – North West Region
I Relko Crescent
Nominees: Alnack Place, Rosewarne Crescent
Outstanding Team – CYR
I Sturges Road
Nominees: Water Street, Cranmere Crescent
Outstanding Team – Aspirations
I Twin Vines
Unnop, Edmund and Gary
paint the kitchen!
Thanks and ‘Thumbs Up’ to Edmund (House Leader at Birkdale), Unnop
(CSW) and Gary (who lives in the two-bedroom flat) for all pitching
in to paint Gary’s hallway and kitchen.
Nominees: The Lawns
The first day was an engaging day painting and chatting.
Outstanding Cultural Support
I Awhi Group
Gary took to the paint roller with passion and it may have been his first
painting experience!
Nominees: Leotisia Tuima, Vince Doggrell, Sagrika Bejaj
Outstanding Community Support
I Ingrid Moody
Nominees: Tabatha McGowan, Taja Neilsen
Outstanding Support Role – Head Office
I Dorlé van der Westhuizen
Nominees: Andrew Kenny, Bob Jones, Carolyn Chan, Helen Peterson,
Rashika Raman, Caroline Garcia
Chief Executive’s Award
I Helen Peterson
The flat now looks much better and Gary can have pride in his contribution
to the new colour scheme, as it’s very much his place.
Fantastic active support from a very talented team.
‘North West – focusing on ability and contribution’
Catherine Wild – Service Manager (North West)
Basic Assurances: the key, person-centred
goal for Spectrum Care
Following our Business Excellence Gold Award in 2013 and in keeping with our Values of ‘Excellence’, ‘Person-centredness’ and ‘Innovation’, we’ve
undertaken a commitment (our key goal from January 2014) to use ‘Basic Assurances’ as the person-centred foundation for our organisation-wide support,
practice and quality frameworks.
What are Basic Assurances?
What are the 23 ‘indicators’?
I Basic Assurances define safeguards from the person’s perspective
1. The organisation upholds due process requirements
I Basic Assurances require systems, policies, procedures and practices to
operate effectively
2. People have supports to manage their own health care
I Basic Assurances also measure the effectiveness of these systems,
policies and practices, person by person
4. Staff recognise and honour people’s rights
How will it work?
6. The cumulative record of personal information promotes continuity of
services
We’ve established 10 Basic Assurance ‘Factor Groups’ to help guide every
part of our organisation towards the goal of full achievement against this
world-class standard of person-centred support.
What are the 10 Basic Assurance factors?
1. Rights Protection and Promotion
2. Dignity and Respect
3. Natural Support Networks
4. Protection from Abuse, Neglect, Mistreatment and Exploitation
3. The organisation monitors Basic Assurances
5. Policies and practices facilitate continuity of natural support systems
7. The organisation has individualised emergency plans
8. The organisation implements systems for reviewing and analysing trends
potential risks and sentinel events, including allegations of abuse neglect
mistreatment and exploitation and injuries of unknown origin and deaths
9. The organisation provides individualised safety supports
10. People are free from unnecessary intrusive interventions
11. People receive medications and treatments safely and effectively
5. Best Possible Health
12. The physical environment promotes people’s health safety and
independence
6. Safe Environments
13. Decision-making supports are provided to people as needed
7. Staff Resources and Supports
8. Positive Services and Supports
14. The organisation implements policies and procedures that define prohibit
and prevent abuse neglect mistreatment and exploitation
9. Continuity and Personal Security
15. People have meaningful work and activity choices
10. Basic Assurances System
16. The organisation provides positive behavioural supports to people
Who’ll be involved?
17. The organisation ensures objective prompt and thorough investigations
of each allegation of abuse neglect mistreatment and exploitation, and
of each injury – particularly injuries of unknown origin
In a word, everyone…
While a number of people from all levels of our organisation have been asked
to participate in these groups, we all have an extraordinarily important
contribution to make in turning Basic Assurances from theory to reality.
Basic Assurances focus, first and foremost, on the people we support, but
they belong to all staff, from CE to CSW, and we all have an important role
in delivering these outcomes successfully.
This is our single most important person-centred initiative.
Basic Assurances will be our key focus over the coming year.
18. The organisation respects people’s concerns and responds accordingly
19. People’s individual plans lead to person-centred and person-directed
services
20. The organisation implements policies and procedures that promote
people’s rights
21. The support needs of individuals shape the hiring training and assignment
of all staff
22. A comprehensive plan describes the procedures for monitoring Basic
Assurances
23. People access quality health care
Where do we start?
In order to succeed with Basic Assurances, we’ve undertaken an extensive
audit of the extent to which the following 23 ‘indicators’ are in place.
These indicators are our surest pathway to the achievement of Basic Assurances.
What’s next?
Keep an eye out for upcoming issues of Across the Spectrum for regular
updates and person-centred stories of how Basic Assurances is helping the
people we support live great lives… lives like any other.
Commitment and determination pay off!
Catherine couldn’t hold back her smiles after the Special Olympics Swimming award ceremony, held in Dunedin in November 2013.
She showed everyone (including her workmates in Altus Enterprise) her
medals which she had won – a gold and a bronze (freestyle) and a silver
(backstroke).
Commendations are well deserved by the Burnsall Team for their continuous
supports to ensure Catherine was at her training every week for many years,
which is now seeing the astounding results for Catherine.
In the weeks leading up to the National Games, Catherine was practicing
arduously, even though sometimes it was demanding on her time and body.
She persevered without losing sight of the goal she had set for herself and
proved her determination to win gold!
Congratulations to Catherine once again, also for your dedicated
Burnsall Team!
Cilla S Pele – Service Coordinator
It was her first entry into the National Games and being selected early in
the year gave her the thrust to push her own limits. The support she
received from Burnsall staff in ensuring she achieve her dream was stronger
than ever.
It was a dream realised and she is now looking at other sports within the
Special Olympics itinerary for next year. She savoured her victory for
several weeks before returning to Te Aroha for Christmas with her parents.
Well done Catherine!
Thomas Loo – House Leader
The above story is surely a huge goal achievement for Catherine.
This has been a goal for a number of years for her to win goal medal and
to be selected for the National Games. Also, the ultimate is for it to be on
the international stage.
Catherine has now achieved the gold meda and it’s so wonderful to see the
people we support pushing themselves against the odds to ensure they are
pursuing their dream, and the dream becoming a reality.
Well done Catherine – the sky is the limit!
vision:
people with disabilities living great lives
values:
person centred
Responsive to the person; individualised services and support
innovation
Pioneering and looking for better ways
commitment and passion
Creating and maintaining a high-performance culture, where we are
passionate about what we do
partnership
Working successfully together with others, valuing each other’s
contribution
excellence
Leading the way
Student’s assignment explores our brand design
Some months ago, a design student named Katoanga Finau contact Spectrum Care to ask if he could use our organisation and brand as the basis
for a design assignment, as part of his course.
We agreed and Katoanga then provided us with the outcome of his
assignment. He’s done a great job of reinterpretting our brand design and
received great marks for his work.
From Katoanga:
“The assignment includes the logo design of what it the logo looked like
before and after.
“It also includes a Spectrum Care publication, which is a 16-page booklet,
with interactive buttons you can use. It lastly includes a promotional
strategy document.
“I would love to have the assignment presented in your newsletter. I first
had to talk to the tutor who taught this paper for permission and she is
happy for this to happen. Thanks!”
Katoanga Finau
Finau Design
[email protected]
Across the Spectrum available by email. Register now!
As part of achieving Spectrum Care’s ongoing vision of ‘people with disabilities living great lives’, we’re constantly looking for opportunities to streamline
our activities and provide higher-quality support to our service users.
To this end, Across the Spectrum is now available via email, with the aim of making more resources available to support our service users in living great lives.
If you’d like to receive Across the Spectrum by email, please send your email address to: [email protected], or simply go to our website
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