annual report 2012
Inclusion WA Staff 2011 - 2012
CEO
Marketing and Promotions
Community Inclusion
Paul Fleay
Kema Rajandran
Wendy Shenstone
Wendy Phung
Kristy Macnamara (Coordinator)
Alan De Araujo
Claire Curr
Tim Cronin
Carol Powell (nee Surgeon)
Minerva Rusli
Gerard Dinan
Damien Duval
Leon Henney
Susan Hockin
Sonal Kaphai
Angelina Pollock
Peter Robinson
Thomas Wood
Megan Jenkins
Luke Rollinson
Administration
Jenny Drury (Administration and HR)
Sheryl Campbell (Finance)
Training
Jo Vassallo
Wilton Kerr
Sports and Community
Development
Denver D’Cruz
Matt Shaw
Claire Jordan
Inclusion WA
Phone: 08 9201 8900
Facsimile: 08 9443 8799
Street Address
Unit 4/61 Walters Drive,
Osborne Park 6017
Postal Address
PO Box 1279
Innaloo WA 6918
[email protected]
Active Smart Mental Health
Kris Poole
Recreation Access
Charlie Evans
Fraser Brownlie
Kris Poole
Suzanne Lawlor
Nicola Kearns
Youth Connect
Jess Kain
Jeremy Peris
Clubs
Alan De Araujo (coordinator)
Bruna Buava de Freitas
Sandra Chaves
Rafaela de Rocha Costa
Emma Hartley
Bethany Hill
Jake Lynch
Ana Carolina Machado
Contents
Chairperson’s Repor t
CEO’s Message
Operational Overview
Community Inclusion Programs
Recreation Access Program
2
4
6
8
10
Youth Connect
12
ActiveSmart Mental Health
and Wellbeing Program
18
Sport Development
2012 Social Clubs Annual Repor t
Board Members
Abridged Financial Repor t
20
28
30
32
Annual Report 2012
1
Chairpersons Report
Inclusion WA believes in the creation of a socially inclusive
society where all Australians irrespective of disability or
disadvantage, feel valued and have the opportunity to
participate fully in the life of our society.
This is truly an ambitious agenda which
we share with the Commonwealth
Government, the Western Australian
State Government and many other
organisations and individuals. So where
does Inclusion WA fit in the social
inclusion movement at this point in
history? There is a spectrum of sectors in
the social inclusion movement. Let me
explain where we fit.
The consensus is that achieving this
vision of a socially inclusive society means
that all Australians will have the resources,
opportunities and capability to:
•
•
•
•
Learn by participating in education
and training;
Work by participating in employment,
in voluntary work and in family and
caring;
Engage by connecting with people
and using their local community’s
resources; and
Have a voice so that they can
influence decisions that affect them.
The six social inclusion priority areas
outlined in the Commonwealth
Government’s statement on social
inclusion “A Stronger, Fairer Australia” are:
•
•
•
2
targeting jobless families with
children to increase work
opportunities, improve parenting and
build capacity;
improving the life chances of
children at greatest risk of long-term
disadvantage;
reducing the incidence of
homelessness;
•
•
•
improving outcomes for people living
with disability or mental illness and
their carers;
closing the gap for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Australians; and
breaking the cycle of entrenched and
multiple disadvantage in particular
neighbourhoods.
This yields 24 sectors arising from six
target areas and for strategy types.
Inclusion WA is currently working in
sector 4C. That is we are working to
“improve outcomes for people with
disability or mental illness and their
carers”(#4) by assisting them to “Engage
by connecting with people and using
their local community’s resources”(#C).
This is illustrated by our web site
statement that :
“Inclusion WA is a dynamic
organisation dedicated to enriching
the lives of all people who may be
disadvantaged, disconnected from
society or living with a disability. We
achieve this by facilitating inclusion in
sport, recreation and community life.”
We are expanding our work especially
in the Alternatives to Employment (ATE)
program where we are committed to
supporting self-directed services where
the individual is at the centre (and the
leader) of all decisions related to their life.
We hope to expand ATE services in the
northern Perth metropolitan area and
regional WA in 2013.
This year we began to provide social
inclusion services in the mental health
sector with the ActiveSmart Mental
Health and Wellbeing program. This
involved working with four of Richmond
Fellowship’s residential houses to
increase the amount of physical activity
their residents participate in and their
connections to the local community.
In sports consultancy we have seen
great success in “Inclusion days”
especially in Karratha which showcase
the opportunities in various sports
for participants to socialise and learn
from each other and connect through
sport and recreation. We have adopted
a community development model to
enable local groups to take ownership
of these initiatives. We will do this in
Carnarvon in 2013.
We have supported sports to develop
pathways within their programs to
enable individuals to progress from
grass roots to national/international
level competitive sport. Examples of
this are the Hockey 4 All program and
the Power Chair Football League as
well as other initiatives in basketball,
lawn bowls, cricket and table tennis.
We have continued to develop
innovative methods of connecting
with the community and promoting
inclusion and the assets of people with
a disability. An example of this is the
City of Bayswater Project. Inclusion WA
will partner with the City of Bayswater
who were recently awarded a ‘Count
Me In’ DSC Grant for the upcoming 24
months. Inclusion WA will effectively
coordinate this project and work with
local sport & recreation clubs as well as
arts groups and cultural organisations.
Our Recreation Access Program (RAP)
continues to operate at ‘best practice’
level, with 123 people receiving service in
the 2012 financial year and another 31 on
our waiting list.
I would also like to draw special attention
to our training initiatives which I believe
have applicability across all the 24 sectors
of the social inclusion spectrum. We
support the community throughout WA
to have a greater depth of understanding
of inclusion and to continually offer
more inclusive programs for all people
who are disadvantaged, disconnected
or living with a disability. The process
of becoming an inclusive organisation
involves creating a change of culture first.
There are no easy steps in this process .
Our trainers facilitate this change process.
We have increased capacity to do more
training throughout WA in 2013.
I wish to acknowledge the leadership
and support of the Disability
Services Commission and the
Department of Sport & Recreation
in assisting with our work.
I wish to thank our staff and our
Board for their continued dedication
to creating a socially inclusive
community in Western Australia.
Robert Campbell
Chair
Our CEO Paul Fleay and his dedicated
staff continue to achieve a great deal
with limited resources. I believe we could
achieve so much more in all the sectors of
the social inclusion spectrum with greater
government funding and corporate
sponsorship. We can and do work in
partnership with other organisations . I
hope in the future we may play a leading
role in bringing organisations together
to address all the sectors of the social
inclusion spectrum.
Annual Report 2012
3
CEO’s Message
This time 12 months ago we had just
begun implementing our new 3 year
Strategic Plan. The plan was very clearly
designed to recognise our strengths
as an organisation and build on those
rather than spread ourselves too thinly
and try to be everything to everybody.
Within our organisation we believe
we have specialist skills that allow us
to have a niche position and it was
these specialist skills we have focused
on expanding in order to provide
greater benefit to the community.
Our Strategic Plan focuses on 3
objectives. These are: to maximise the
opportunities for individuals to be
included in their community, provide
increased support to the community and
to operate in a sustainable, financially
viable manner.
In all 3 areas we have met or exceeded
the majority of measures. This delights me
for two reasons, firstly it simply highlights
we’ve been successful and secondly, it
highlights that we’ve stayed focused and
on task for the past 12 months. It can be
very easy and often tempting to chase
opportunities however this can also lead
to a diluting of strengths unless managed
very carefully.
While we’ve been successful across the
board I would like to focus briefly on 3
programs that have been new to our
operations this year. One of our key
areas of planning focused on expanding
our very successful Recreation Access
Program (for people 18 and older) to a
youth market. With support from the
Disability Services Commission we were
4
able to establish Youth Connect. Within
this program we work with teenagers
(12 – 17) individually and support them
to join their peers in the community. This
program has been successful beyond
my dreams and I encourage you to read
the individual story contained in this
report as an example of how it is already
changing lives.
After 2 decades of working primarily
within the disability sector we were also
provided an opportunity through the
Department of Sport and Recreation
to use our knowledge and experience
in the mental health sector. The
Activesmart Mental Health and Wellbeing
Program focuses on providing training
and support to sports clubs, but also
provides mentoring to staff within
organisations operating in the mental
health sector. This has already lead to
significant outcomes including staff
building physical activity into recovery
plans when this didn’t previously occur.
A final area of focus is the regional
support we have been able to offer sports
clubs and the community in Karratha.
One of the highlights for me personally
occurred when I re-visited Karratha after
12 months and attended a school holiday
training session at the local Rugby club.
After the session I chatted with the club
coach and he said, “I was really worried
about these kids with disabilities coming
down to the club, I didn’t know what
to do with them. But they got involved
and did everything the other kids did”. I
think that one simple statement sums
up why we continue to work with the
community - to help provide these light
bulb moments.
Inclusion WA has been through a period
of significant growth over the past 3
years. The challenge for us now is to
ensure the growth is sustainable and
continues without having an impact
on the high quality services we pride
ourselves on.
Obviously our growth and program
evolution is very heavily reliant on our
excellent staff. Keeping our quality staff
within the organisation and providing
opportunities for continual professional
development is a high priority. We are
also in the fortunate position that we
are still of a size where we can take the
whole team away for our annual retreat
and ensure that every staff member has
the opportunity to be involved with the
decision making for the organisation. I
value this very highly as it provides an
excellent opportunity to ensure we are all
moving in the same direction. Every year
we leave the retreat feeling very much
one unit and the power of that can never
be under estimated.
I would sincerely like to thank all of the
staff for their continued dedication,
passion and good humour. There is
not one day that goes by where we
don’t have a laugh at some point and
I’m sure I speak for many of us when I
say the fantastic camaraderie is part of
what makes coming to work each day
such a joy. I would like to pay a special
thanks to my superb management
team – Jenny, Sheryl, Jo, Denver and
Kristy. Their insight, wisdom, guidance
and drive have made it possible for
me to do my job and their vision
provides inspiration to us all everyday.
While I am thanking people I would like
to thank those that have worked with and
supported us over the year. The Disability
Services Commission, while providing
funding also has an excellent culture
of supporting and working alongside
organisations to ensure great outcomes for
the community, and there are many people
within the Commission that have provided
advice, guidance or an ear throughout the
year. Equally, the Department of Sport and
Recreation continues to work with us to
ensure we are all helping sports, clubs and
the community in the right way.
This year we were also fortunate to
receive support from Telethon which
allowed us to expand and achieve more
for young people with a disability in
regional WA.
We continue to work with the Australian
Sport and Recreation Association for
People with an Integration Difficulty
(AUSRAPID) and their National Sport
Inclusion Alliance. This national body with
representative groups in each state and
territory currently plays, and will continue
to play, an incredibly important role in
educating government, sports and the
community on the benefits and power
of inclusive sport. As stated in the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Appropriate measures shall
be taken to encourage and promote the
participation, to the fullest extent possible,
of persons with disabilities in mainstream
sporting activities at all levels. This National
Sport Inclusion Alliance is committed
to working together to ensure this is
possible for people with disabilities in
Australia and Inclusion WA is delighted to
play a role in WA.
Eoin Cameron and Ryan Campbell have
once again been invaluable as Patrons.
Whether being present at events, writing
letters on our behalf or simply making
introductions, their time and dedication
have been an important component to
our success.
Throughout 2011-12 many wonderful
companies have also supported us
in-kind and we thank them sincerely.
These include: Fraser Gallop Estate
Winery; Gage Roads Brewery and
Empyrean Function Centre.
I would also like to make reference to
Beilby Consulting. As one of Australia’s
most experienced, professional recruiting
firms Beilby know people and as such we
were delighted Beilby chose our people
to partner with. We look forward to
working with them over the coming year.
Finally, a special thank you to the
Board who devote their time and skills
throughout the year, we are extremely
well supported and guided with the
leadership of Bob Campbell and his team.
There is much work still to do and many
exciting opportunities on the horizon. I
look forward to another full year ahead
and invite you to join us on the journey.
Paul Fleay
CEO
Annual Report 2012
5
Operational Overview
Human Resources
Recreation Advice
Volunteers
Inclusion WA’s ability to recruit and retain
quality staff has become a hallmark of the
organisation.
The Recreation Advice Information
Service is a personalised program that
provides specific information to people
with disabilities and their families about
community opportunities within their
local area.
As we work with sports and community
groups rather than running our own
activities Inclusion WA does not always
have opportunity for large numbers
of volunteers on a regular basis.
However we do assist some programs
to source volunteers. Over the past
year approximately 75 volunteers
have participated in 250 different
opportunities. 20 volunteers have also
been regularly involved in supporting
the Sportslink programs run at local
government recreation centres.
In the past 12 months, staff turnover
dropped from 33% to 13% - an enviable
record within the Disability and
Community sectors.
Staff retention is a foremost Key
Performance Indicator of the
organisation. Our successes can be
attributed firstly, to our systematic and
professional approach to recruitment.
Successful candidates are then supported
through their induction period which
includes participation in comprehensive
community inclusion training. Ongoing
professional development is encouraged
and all staff are offered the opportunity
to attend both internal and external
development opportunities.
While the organisation can’t always afford
to pay staff what they truly deserve
we do offer staff an organisational
culture that celebrates successes, a
collaborative workplace environment and
a management style that encourages and
supports personal growth and leadership.
6
Inclusion WA staff research our database
and the local area for each person and
provide advice on what is available
and how to access it. Even with the
proliferation on information available
via the internet this service is still
growing in popularity. During 2011-12
we received over 100 direct requests
from individuals and over 3,000 ‘hits’
specifically on the Recreation Advice
section of our website. Added to this
there is an increased subscription for
our Sport and Recreation database
with over 700 people subscribing for
our regular Inform’D newsletter.
Information Systems
Much of the work that we do on a daily
basis is community based. As such we
have continued to explore ways to
create flexibility for our staff while still
providing the necessary tools required
to effectively complete their roles.
With this in mind we have invested in
tablet computers over this year and
they are already proving very effective
both as planning and research tools
as well as communication devices.
Marketing and
Communications
At the beginning of 2012 we made the
decision to reach out to the Western
Australian public in new ways.
For this reason, we created a Social Media
strategy, encompassing Facebook and
Twitter and began to send monthly
e-newsletters to our database.
Our main aim of our Facebook and
Twitter pages is to create a dynamic
environment where our current members
can reach out to us and potential
customers/partners/sponsors can learn
more about what we do in the hope of
building new and stronger relationships
with external stakeholders.
As an extension of our company
vision, our vision on Facebook and
Twitter is to create a community
of like-minded people who openly
share their stories and give each other
support, advice and information to
ensure all Western Australians feel
welcome in their community.
Furthermore, with the creation of this
community and the subsequent increase
in awareness of Inclusion WA, we aim
for both the e-newsletter and our
social media platforms to educate the
community about social inclusion.
Both platforms have experienced great
success, and we look forward to building
on that success in the coming year
to grow and build new and existing
relationships with the community.
The Advisory Committee
Inclusion WA is committed to ensuring
the services we deliver are of a
consistently high standard, and that they
effectively meet the needs of individuals
and communities.
The Advisory Committee is instrumental
in monitoring the quality of the
organisation’s programs and services by
providing feedback that is essential for
improvement. The Committee also plays
a crucial role in shaping the direction of
the organisation into the future, in order
to meet the needs of all individuals within
our community.
To allow more people within our
community to have their say the
committee is currently undergoing a
review period, so that more people are
able to have a voice.
A member of the Inclusion WA Board
also attends these meetings so they
can report back to the Board on the
Committee’s findings.
Inclusion WA looks forward to the
committee’s continual and integral
input into our organisation as well as the
disability sector as a whole.
In order to truly service the community’s
needs, Inclusion WA recognises the
need to be a continually evolving best
practice organisation. As such we are
constantly looking to improve our
service delivery in programs we are
currently involved in. We hope to also
identify service gaps that we can fill in
order to facilitate social inclusion for all
people within the wider community.
Annual Report 2012
7
Community Inclusion Programs
2011/2012 saw both the Maddington and Osborne Park Community
Inclusion Programs meet with new people and their families who, through
their Local Area Coordinators, were referred to the programs.
Program Growth
We welcome Hayley who commenced
with the Maddington Program and
Michael who commenced with the
Osborne Park Program.
We attended the Alternative to
Employment Expo, providing us the
opportunity to speak to people with
disabilities, their families and other
service providers to share wonderful
stories about what our current
members have been doing. Through
our participation at the A.T.E Expo we
have again been able to highlight the
importance of supporting people living
with disabilities to find valued roles in
their communities. We encourage and
assist individuals to participate and
connect with their community through a
variety of ways- volunteering, community
adult learning courses and participating
in sports and recreation groups.
Program Development
In 2011/2012 we have expanded
our Community Inclusion Program
further north, based on the needs
and wants of individuals we
work with and their families.
This year’s A.T.E Expo was a great
opportunity to capture data to further
develop the program. We mainly
collected information on where people
reside and from there, we were able to
distinguish the gaps in availability of
services in different areas.
8
To get a further understanding of the
type of service that the Community
Inclusion Programs offer to people, we
were invited to Mirrabooka Senior High
School at a Service Provider Information
night to talk to students, parents and
teachers and we have attended LAC
meetings to discuss the needs of people
based in the Northern Suburbs.
Another area of focus was service
design and delivery to the people who
use our programs. The management
team for the Community Inclusion
Programs participated in Partners
in Change – a work shop based on
organisational change. At this, we
learned to develop and implement a
service design that strongly supports
people to self- direct their own supports
based on their own individual needs,
focusing on people’s gifts, talents and
contributions. This also showed us why
the values, attitudes and mindsets of
staff and recruitment of new staff is
highly important for effective service
delivery, as well as equipping us with
effective skills and techniques to support
people to become included in society.
This work shop provided us the
opportunity to focus on what core
changes we wanted to make for the
Community Inclusion Programs. The
management team collaborated
with our CEO, our Board and family
of members of the program. The
core changes came from what we
are currently doing and what we
wanted to strengthen in these areas.
Core Focus Areas:
•
•
•
Increase a person’s ability to
be part of ordinary every day
experiences in community life –
Our core focus is to address the need
of supporting people in valued roles
within what they were currently
doing/or want to do and to support
people in activities and roles that are
culturally and typical to their age,
gender, cultural, religious and spiritual
needs.
Increase flexibility in staff supports
– who the person wants to be
supported by, when a person
wants support, how much support
they want, where a person wants
to be supported – Our core focus
is to ensure we have the right fit
for current members and the staff
supporting them. To recruit staff
who have skills, interests and flexible
working hours to meet current and
new members support requirements
including age, gender and cultural
background.
Strengthen staff skill set and
understanding of finding out
a person’s gifts and talents,
interests, passions and valued
and meaningful roles – Our
core focus is to provide tools and
techniques from Partners in Change
resources, internal Community
Inclusion Training and external
training opportunities to current
and new staffs which are ongoing.
Community Connections
Kenwick Social
Being part of your community can
be a wonderful place to meet and
connect with people. Over the last
year we have seen the members of the
Community Inclusion Program continue
to be supported to participate and be
involved in a variety of activities that their
communities have to offer. Opportunities
have been from members joining in a
group at their local libraries, community
centres, art groups, friendship circles,
church groups, men sheds, community
gardens and walking groups
The Kenwick Social is heading into its
14th year of operation. The new season
which commenced in February 2012
saw new participants join and welcomed
backed the socials regulars. Still playing
an important role in the community the
Kenwick Social offers people a place
to catch-up with their mates and to
make new friendships- not forgetting to
mention showing off their dance moves
to the beat of DJ Dan and winning prizes!
With the new mailing list procedure the
social flyer can be provided to a broader
range of individuals and other service
providers that are in the community.
Inclusion WA would like to say farewell
to Paul Butler and to thank him for the 4
years he coordinated the Kenwick Social.
We would like to acknowledge and give
a big thanks to the many community
groups who have embraced and
welcomed the inclusion of people living
with disabilities-
Kate’s Story
- Heart & Soul Men shed /Forrestdale
Community Gardens
- Juan from the Armadale Library’s Adult
Learning group
- Bentley Community Gardens
- S.E.R.C.U.L
- Minnawarra House
- S.O.S Choir
- Kelmscott Bowling Centre
- Curtin-Trinity Pirates Hockey Club
- Cottonwool Creations Friendship Circle
- Renew U Walking Group
- Real Life Church
- Southern River Animal Protection
Society
- Kelmscott Art and Craft group
- Noranda Art and Craft group
- Huntingdale Art and Craft group
- Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Rehabilitation
We found that Kaarakin, an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, had
volunteering opportunities. We had conversations with Kaarakin General Manager
Chris who met with Kate and her Community Inclusion Officer to identify potential
roles that Kate could be involved in.
We met with Kate and her family
in a series of planning sessions. In
these, Kate shared with us that she
is a country girl who moved to the
city and loves animals. From these
identified interests, we started to
research opportunities for volunteer
roles in animal shelters.
When Kate started her volunteer role at Kaarakin, she worked closely with another
employee. He was able to support Kate to learn her new role, teaching and
encouraging her to do things that were both new and familiar to her.
Kate was able to build her confidence and learned to drive the off road vehicle to
carry the animal feed around the Centre.
Kate was also given the opportunity to take part in assisting Kaarakin to identify
which Kangaroos were going to be released back into the bush after rehabilitation.
During her time with Kaarakin, Kate developed important skills in learning from
others and meeting and connecting with people who share her passion. It has lead
to Kate wanting to seek employment working in other areas with animals, and we
think she has a bright future ahead of her.
Annual Report 2012
9
Recreation Access Program
The Recreation Access Program works with individuals and community groups in
creative and individualised ways to build sustainable community connections.
120 individuals with disabilities
partner each year with the Recreation
Officers who work on the Recreation
Access Program to develop a strategy
for connecting with others in their
community through sport, recreation and
other community based opportunities.
The Recreation Access Program’s
priority is setting up success for the
individuals who use the service. Rec
Officers understand that really getting
to know each person who uses the
service and understanding them as
an individual assists in finding an
activity that is the right fit for them.
This in turn increases the ability for Rec
Officers to assist in building sustainable
relationships between individuals and
the community. This year, the Rec Officers
reviewed their process for building a
deep understanding of the people they
work with and from this created and
developed a ‘tree’ planning tool. This
tool enables Rec Officers to work with
individuals to identify gifts, strengths,
needs and goals so that an individual
inclusion plan can be executed.
To further enhance our knowledge
in person centred practice and
community development, we were
given the opportunity to learn from
the Coordinator of Inclusion Works in
Townsville, Ric Thompson and his team.
Inclusion Works blends Social Role
Valorisation theory with Asset Based
Community Development, resulting
in a philosophy that aligns with that of
Inclusion WA, whereby relationships are
forged between the service user and the
community, rather than a relationship
10
being built with the service that’s
being delivered. Inclusion Works taught
key members of our team to explore
the Wolfensberger concept of Model
Coherency Analysis and Construction,
which has led to some important
developments within the Recreation
Access Program. Model Coherency has
been introduced as part of the process of
getting to know the ‘client’ in their various
guises of service user and community
group, which has allowed us to evolve
our strategies that enable community
connections to occur.
Defining Success
Defining success continued to be a
discussion amongst the Recreation Access
Team in 2012. The underpinning aim of
the Recreation Access Program is to leave
someone in a better place than when they
started receiving support via the program,
which led the team to reconsider the
reasons behind file closures.
What we discovered was that it was
thought that by only defining ‘successful’
and ‘unsuccessful’ programs, a true
reflection of what had been achieved was
unlikely to be captured. This resulted in
some new categories being taken into
consideration when exiting an individual
from the program, and it was decided
that an individual’s program will either be
termed as ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’.
If the program was complete then they
would have either been successfully
attending an activity for a period of time,
without the Rec Officer, or would have
learnt new skills. This may mean that they
may or may not be attending an activity
when they exited the program. The
individual may have become employed,
or may be studying which is why they
exited the program, however new skills
were still likely to have been developed
throughout the program.
An incomplete program represents the
individuals whose files were closed due
to lack of motivation on their behalf,
transportation issues or situations of
similar nature. A member may also not be
accepted onto the program if they do not
meet the entry criteria in key categories,
such as age, location and eligibility for
specialist services through the Disability
Services Commission.
Recreation Access Program
Survey
The annual Recreation Access Program
Survey is currently being conducted. The
quantitative data obtained outlines that
only 16% of program participants did
not complete the program, compared
to 36% in the previous year. The
majority of those who completed the
program (74%) attended a mainstream
community activity, with the remaining
26% attending either disability specific or
pathways programs.
There are many amazing stories that
emerge from the Recreation Access
Program, like the following story from
Chrystal. Chrystal explored several
different opportunities before finding her
niche at Toodle Jam.
Chrystal’s Story
Finding a niche at Toodle Jam
When Charlie, Chrystal’s Recreation Officer, first meet Chrystal she had a vague
idea of a few of the activities she wanted to do. Charlie spent time getting to
know Chrystal and in exploring what she wanted to achieve from the program.
Chrystal is a very spiritual young lady who has a love for her animals and also
works in a school. She wanted to do something that she felt would give her
purpose, something that would help her experience some personal growth.
Chrystal decided to try to get involved in her local yoga school. Chrystal saw that
this opportunity echoed what she wanted to achieve from the program, while
also providing an outlet for her spiritual side.
Charlie and Chrystal attended yoga each week. The group was a big group
and the yoga was very relaxed, meaning that Chrystal could go at her own
pace. Chrystal was enjoying going each week, and she particularly enjoyed the
relaxation part at the beginning and end. After some time Chrystal was able to
start catching the bus. The route needed to be adjusted several times to fit best
for Chrystal, with the aim of avoiding missing the bus, and to ensure it fitted in
and became a part of Chrystal’s routine.
Chrystal continued to attend with Charlie, and they started getting to know a
few people in the group. Although it was great that Chrystal was meeting people
and doing something new, Chrystal found that yoga wasn’t the perfect fit for her.
Chrystal decided that she would like to explore other options.
Charlie and Chrystal revisited Chrystal’s goals, and also took into account that
Chrystal was a bit low on money. After weighing up her options, Chrystal decided
that perhaps doing some volunteering in a children’s centre would be good. With
this option, Chrystal’s interests and goals would serve a purpose for her, the group
and the children. Charlie suggested that Chrystal call up the groups they had
found and make some enquiries. Chrystal found a group that really suited her.
Charlie and Chrystal worked together to explore a new public transport route so
that Chrystal could get there independently.
Chrystal now has a great volunteering role at Toodle Jam. Chrystal assists in many
different roles at the centre. There are around 40 children and adults that attend
and around 10-12 volunteers/staff that have welcomed Chrystal, and that value
her for her contributions. Chrystal is really enjoying her new role at the centre and
she most enjoys playing/spending time with the children, and feeling like she
is able to help others. The best part is Chrystal is starting to build relationships
with other volunteers, even though this isn’t something she is naturally inclined
to do because of her introverted nature and the bad experiences she has had
with others in the past. Toodle Jam is providing a great solution to the challenges
of social isolation that Chrystal has faced for most of her life. Chrystal has found
a place where her gifts and talents are valued and where she can connect with
likeminded people. Chrystal has found a place where she can belong.
Annual Report 2012
11
Youth Connect
Youth Connect was launched by Inclusion WA in August 2011 with funding received
from the Disability Services Commission. The program is for young people living
with a disability who are currently disconnected from community life.
Through this program, young people
are being encouraged and supported to
identify and address their personal goals
by developing social connections with
others and their local community.
Youth Connect also offers individuals
the opportunity to explore new and
existing interests, and in many cases
the program has provided the young
person’s first experience of accessing
activities and services independently
of their existing support network. The
Youth Development Officer assists the
individuals in making these connections
that will lead to independent and ongoing participation and the development
of social and practical skills for both life
and leisure.
We aim to work equally with young
people and the communities they live in
to build more welcoming and inclusive
communities.
Program Development
Our main focus for the first year of Youth
Connect was to set up a program that
delivers a quality individualised service
to the young people we work with.
Our setup process involved writing
organisational child-related policies and
program procedures, informing service
providers of the service and gathering
referrals for our first members. After our
initial setup period we started having the
real fun - working with young people. To
date they have been involved in activities
as varied as cricket, tennis, volunteering,
knitting, dance, glee club, music lessons,
art classes, trampolining, laser tag and a
Dr Who fan club.
12
In the past year we have also begun to
promote the concept of inclusion and
work collaboratively with other youth and
disability service providers and schools.
This has included presenting at the
National Volunteers Week Youth Forum
and working with Volunteering WA and
The Big Help Mob to help them become
more inclusive. We have also linked
members to other youth and disability
service providers as necessary, providing
referrals to other agencies such as Big
Brothers Big Sisters, Youth Focus, Intework
and the People 1st Program.
Something that has become very clear
is that no two individual recreation
programs will look the same and that
every person’s idea of inclusion is
different. We work with every young
person on their own personal goals,
interests and strengths, encouraging
them to find their confidence and
individuality. Some of our members
have goals to develop skills that will
change their lives dramatically while
others have goals to pursue a certain
recreational activity. As a result, the idea
of meeting people where they are at
and determining their individual needs
has been worked into our program
philosophy.
The level of support that each young
person needs also varies greatly
depending on their goals and the
support they have already in their lives.
We have intended the program to be
short-term - working one-on-one with
individuals for three to twelve months. At
present we have found that the length
of a young person’s program and the
sustainability of the connections made
are often reliant on parent support of
the program. Working with parents as
partners and other involved agencies
collaboratively, we are seeing more
positive results and a much greater
chance of success.
Outcomes
There have been 35 service users in
total for the first year of the program. At
present, every young person that has
started and finished the program has
been successful in connecting to an
activity in their community.
All of the young people we are working
with are experiencing real outcomes
with an immeasurable effect on their
lives. Some have experienced a sense
of belonging within a mainstream
environment for the first time in their
lives whilst others have developed skills
that they will be able to use in all areas
of life such as catching public transport.
Independence has become a strong
focus of the program, with many young
people using the program to develop
their confidence and skills in order to be
able to attend activities alone for the first
time. The individualised nature of our
program also helps the teenagers we are
working with take ownership over their
program, giving them a sense of control
and responsibility.
The following outlines some of the
positive outcomes Youth Connect has
achieved.
Positive outcomes
experienced by community
groups
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diversity of friendships
Positive influence on attitudes and
breaking down of stereotypes
More people = more skills and talents
available to them
Contribution towards a healthier
society
Appreciation of diversity and equality
Enhanced public image
Developing skills in collaboration
and accommodation of those with
diverse needs
Building supportiveness and
interdependence
Positive outcomes
experienced by individuals
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Social Connections
Increased confidence
Opportunity to contribute to their
community
Developing the skills needed for
independence
Eases the transition from school to
adult life
Access to role models with similar
goals
Development of friendships based on
common interests, genuine respect
and equality
Improved feelings of wellbeing and
self-esteem.
Practical skill development
depending on activity
Sense of belonging
Micky’s Story
We met Micky when he was 14 years old. We were told that Micky didn’t speak, had
very limited recreational experiences and did not socialise with anyone outside of
school other than family. Micky had no access to transport other than riding his
bike, as he did not use public transport and he had a busy family who did not have
the time to take him to different activities.
Over the following months, Inclusion WA worked with Micky to help him find
an activity that he could attend safely. Our priorities were for the activity to be
something that Micky would enjoy and somewhere he could socialise with people
his own age. It wasn’t too long before we discovered a Teen Fit group at Micky’s
local Rec Centre. Micky was curious about going along to have a look and when
he saw the group he got involved straight away without any encouragement. We
knew we were onto something great.
Micky and his Youth Development Officer started going to Teen Fit every
week. Initially we worked with the class instructors to help them develop an
understanding of how Micky’s autism may affect his involvement. The instructors
quickly accommodated his needs and they now communicate with Micky using
hand signals. The reception staff at the centre have also got to know Micky and
they have helped come up with strategies to help Micky register and pay for his
class each week. Micky’s involvement in the classes has improved the centre’s
capacity to include people with disabilities in the future.
The Teen Fit group itself is made up of about 5 or 6 regulars, all teenage boys from
surrounding schools. Micky has got to know the other participants and they have got
to know him. The boys make sure that Micky is included in their activities and they
have developed an understanding of how to do this. He is now just ‘one of the boys’.
With the support of his Youth Development Officer, Micky started riding his bike
to the class. We then stopped attending all together and for the past two months
Micky has been riding his bike there independently. Micky has slowly begun to
talk more and more over the time we have known him. The activity has provided
him with a sense of belonging and independence in an everyday setting that he
has not been able to experience before. We feel confident that this is a huge step
towards a future where Micky will have more opportunities available to him, and
the skills to take advantage of these.
Annual Report 2012
13
Professional
Development Services
The great Ghandi once said, “We must be
the change that we wish to see in the world.”
If we think deeply on this philosophy it
forces us to recognise areas in our own
lives that require changing. We need to
look deeply at what we value, at what we
believe in. We need to be living a life that
reflects our true selves. This is the way we
will drive change in the world around us.
Truly embracing the philosophy of
being the change that we wish to see
in the world will have a deep impact
on ourselves and the way we live our
lives. The flow on effect of genuinely
embracing this philosophy will then be
evident in our organisations and the
way we provide services. At Inclusion
WA, we wholly embrace being the
change that we wish to see in the world,
and we work with others through our
Professional Development Services to
help them to ‘be the change’ also.
Audience
Mental Health Orgs
Sport and Rec
Regional
Total
Table 1 Annual Comparison
14
In this past financial year, training
has been provided to two distinct
groups of people; community service
organisations, and sport and recreation
providers. Within the community services
organisations, disability service providers
and mental health services have been
enthusiastic in populating Community
Inclusion Workshops, and in booking
sessions for their own organisations.
Sessions Booked
2011/12
Disability Orgs
We’ve discovered through our work that
clarity around the concept of inclusion
is quite vital at this point in time. The
word ‘inclusion’ has the potential to be a
jargony buzz word, with little meaning
attached. The meaning of the word is
often open to debate and can be easily
adapted to fit whatever contexts the
user wants it to fit. This is part of the
reason why we see education around this
topic as such an important endeavour.
Inclusion WA’s Professional Development
Services are aiming to shape a more
congruous understanding of the word
inclusion, and the practicalities of
building an inclusive society.
2010/11
Sport and recreation providers in the
form of Local Government Authorities,
Edith Cowan University Joondalup, Bowls
WA, Netball WA and the Department of
Sport and Recreation have also been
prioritising inclusion skill development in
staff, students and volunteers. We were
also fortunate in receiving some funding
from the Department of Sport and
Recreation to deliver inclusion training in
four regional areas.
We’ve had some interesting trends
when comparing this year to last year,
as illustrated in this table below. For
instance, we’ve delivered less sessions in
the Disability Sector, but have had over
200% increase in sessions for the Mental
Health Sector, and Sport and Recreation.
We have delivered 50% more hours of
training in total, and delivered a total
of 34 sessions during 2011/12, which
represents a 48% increase from the
previous year.
Participants
2011/12
2010/11
Delivery Hours
2011/12
2010/11
14
16
-12.5%
227
362
-41%
83.5
73
12%
6
2
200.0%
82
54
52%
28
14
100%
10
3
233.0%
175
108
62%
32.5
11.5
183%
4
2
100.0%
43
39
10%
14.5
7
107%
34
23
48.00%
527
563
-6%
158.5
105.5
50%
For Disability Service
Providers
Testimonials from training participants
from Disability Service Providers:
In 2011-12, 14 sessions were delivered
to 227 participants from these and
other Disability Service Providers:
Activ, Advocacy South West, Autism
Association, Baptistcare, Blue Sky WA,
Brightwater, the Centre for Cerebral
Palsy, Community Vision, Disability
Services Commission, Essential
Personnel, Family Support WA, Hills
Community Support Group, Identity
WA, Interchange, Nulsen, Mosaic
Community Care, My Place, Perth Home
Care Services, Rocky Bay, Therapy Focus
and Transition Integration Services WA.
“This workshop made me understand
that it is ok to let people make their
own choices, and that I need to provide
more opportunities for choices to be
made.”
The sessions delivered to this target
group included full days for single
organisations, or multi-agency sessions.
Any organisations that booked sessions
to be delivered within their own groups
were involved in a consultation process
to determine the needs of the group, the
parameters of their existing programs,
any existing issues and to identify
expected outcomes.
Many of the organisations that booked
sessions for their own groups did so
on word of mouth recommendation,
or through previous involvement
with Inclusion WA. Activ’s Registered
Training Organisation, Activ Pathways,
continues to contract Inclusion WA’s
training services to deliver units in
Certificate III and IV of Disability Work
for a second year, and has already
booked sessions into 2013.
“This workshop emphasised to me
the importance of understanding the
person so that I can help address needs
in a better way.”
“This workshop was absolutely
fantastic. Very engaging. There
was lots of active thinking and
engaging with the presenter and other
participants.”
Health Services. Organisations that have
attended the WAAMH sessions include:
Perth Home Care Services, My Place,
Richmond Fellowship, Ruah, St. Vincent
de Paul Society, Mission Australia, and Life
Without Barriers.
Through the new ActiveSmart program,
Inclusion WA’s training was made
available to the Richmond Fellowship,
one of our partners in this program.
This session still primarily focussed on
community inclusion, but explored in
more detail the stages of change, and
the vehicle of sport and active recreation.
In the new financial year, more sessions
will be delivered as part of ActiveSmart’s
mentoring and leadership strategy to
other key Mental Health services.
For Mental Health Services
Testimonials from training participants
from Mental Health services:
This financial year, 6 sessions were
delivered to 82 participants from Mental
Health Services. This represents a 200%
increase in sessions delivered and a 52%
increase in participants from the Mental
Health Sector.
“This was an enlightening day for
me. It has made me aware of what
recovery really is.”
The WA Association for Mental Health
(WAAMH) contracted Inclusion WA
to deliver a regular session on Social
Inclusion: Contributing to Community
Connections. This session is part of their
existing training calendar, resulting
in five sessions this year being made
available to people working in mental
health settings. WAAMH has already
booked another four sessions in the first
half of the new financial year. This is
great exposure for Inclusion WA in the
mental health arena, which will help
in our future bids to work with Mental
“Many presenters of health related
training could benefit from seeing
Inclusion WA’s approach to training
– i.e. unlocking the participants’
knowledge and using and open
approach.”
“This workshop prompted me to
organise my thoughts and ideas. I’m
leaving with many useful ideas for
planning and better assisting service
users.”
Annual Report 2012
15
Professional Development
Services Continued
For Sport and Recreation
Organisations
During 2011/12, 10 sessions were
delivered to 43 participants from
Sport and Recreation Organisations.
This represents a 233% increase in
sessions delivered and a 10% increase
in participants in comparison to last
financial year.
There is clearly a drive from government
organisations to prioritise improving
accessibility and inclusion, as the
Department of Sport and Recreation,
the Town Of Kwinana, Bowls WA,
the WACA and Netball WA all
accessed Inclusion WA’s Professional
Development Services to explore
Disability and Inclusion in Sport.
For the fifth consecutive year, Inclusion
WA was offered the opportunity to
guest lecture for students in ECU
Joondalup’s Human Movement and
Disability unit, which is an elective
in the Sports Science degree. We
have again been approached to work
with ECU in the new financial year.
16
Sport and recreation is a particularly
interesting group of people for Inclusion
WA to seek feedback from post session.
This feedback is used not only to improve
the quality of future sessions, but to
gauge support and interest from the
community around the topic of inclusion
for people experiencing integration
difficulties. Here is what some of the
participants from 2010/11 had to say
about Inclusion in Sport workshops:
“It was great to explore modifying and
creating change with integrity, while
maintaining the challenge for all
participants.”
“I came away understanding that
disability is not that – a ‘disability’,
and that there is always an alternative
to make people equal and to feel equal.”
“I found the session educational and
the resources valuable. This really
made me think outside the square and
challenged my thought processes.”
Feedback from 2011/12
sessions
Every session that Inclusion WA delivers
incorporates evaluation by participants.
The evaluation contains key questions
that are used to evaluate quality across
several areas. The evaluations are collated
at the end of each session, with a copy
of the collation made available to the
organisations that purchased the service.
All evaluation scores are collated and
averaged to provide an indication of
overall quality at any given time.
In 2011/12, 527 workshop participants
were given the opportunity to
provide feedback. The following
numbers represent the percentage
of responses that indicated scores
in the ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’
categories on the evaluation forms.
‘Very Good’ and
‘Excellent’
In comparison to
2010/11
Content of the session
96.94%
1.09% increase
Presenter’s presentation style
97.63%
0.25% increase
Opportunity to share experience
or ideas
99.50%
2.46% increase
Overall rating for this workshop in
increasing skills and knowledge
94.75%
1.44% increase
Evaluation criteria
Table 2 Evaluation collation and comparison
This is the second year that data from
evaluation forms has been collated and
averaged over all sessions, which gave
us the opportunity to measure quality
in comparison to the baseline scores
from last year. Encouragingly, we have
maintained and increased our scores in
the ‘Very Good’ and ‘Excellent’ categories,
and have exceeded goals to achieve
scores at 90% and above. The most
notable feedback comes not in the form
of evaluations, but is reflected in the
growth that has occurred in the business.
We have experienced an increase of 48%
in sessions booked and delivered during
this financial year. This is a very good
indication of the perceived quality that
Inclusion WA’s Professional Development
Services offer.
Inclusion WA’s Professional Development
Services are vital in assisting individuals,
organisations and communities to work
together to address social isolation.
Our aim is to continue to provide
opportunities for people to learn, to
challenge traditional thinking, and
to implement genuine change that
supports social inclusion. 2011/12 has
been a very positive year, with every
indication that next financial year will
yield further impressive outcomes.
During the coming financial year, we
aim to increase the portfolio of training
on offer to key stakeholders in the
Community Services Sector, and also
engage a corporate audience. We
will also be piloting a Mentoring and
Leadership model that has growth
potential, but also holds huge potential
to affect positive change not only in
the Disability Sector, but in the lives
of individuals living in supported
accommodation.
Demand for Inclusion WA’s Professional
Development Services has increased
significantly, with projections indicating
45 sessions at a minimum, which includes
a large scale mentoring project to be
undertaken during 2012/13, which has
required us to secure another Training
and Development Officer. Wil Kerr
comes to us with a wealth of experience
in facilitation, and will offer plenty of
creativity, unique knowledge and energy
to the existing team.
Annual Report 2012
17
ActiveSmart Mental Health
and Wellbeing Program
The ActiveSmart Mental Health and Wellbeing Program began at Inclusion WA in February,
2012. It is a two year pilot program, funded by the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR).
The aim of the program is to increase
sport and recreation opportunities for
individuals who have a lived experience
of mental illness, focusing on the
importance of physical activity and
community connectedness in the
recovery process.
The program works in partnership with
organisations, individuals, and Local
Government Authorities (LGAs) to build
the capacity of the community to include
individuals who have a lived experience
of mental illness in physical activity and
sport. This capacity building is done
using a combination of training, coaching
and mentoring to increase the level of
knowledge regarding inclusive practices,
and to support the transfer of this
knowledge into practice.
From here, the program was divided into
three sections:
•
•
•
Working with Mental Health Service
Providers
Working with LGAs, local sport and
recreation clubs and group
Facilitating Community Forums
Evolution of the ActiveSmart
Program: Part One - Working
with Mental Health Service
Providers
From inception, the program focused
on supporting the inclusion of physical
activity and community connectedness
in individual recovery plans. The initial
structure bore many similarities to
Inclusion WA’s existing Youth Connect
and Recreation Access Program; in which
18
staff directly support individuals to
connect with others in their community.
However, through our extensive
consultation with consumers of
mental health services, local service
providers (both government and nongovernment), advocacy organisations
and other interested members of the
community, it was determined that a
slightly different service would better
meet the needs of the Mental Health
sector in Perth. As such, we shifted the
program’s focus from providing a referral
based service, to providing mentorship
and coaching to partnered Mental Health
Service Providers. The intention of this
partnership was to up-skill the staff to
support individuals to include physical
activity and community connectedness
into their recovery plans, through team
training sessions and one-on-one
mentorship.
The use of training/mentoring as the
ActiveSmart Model is reinforced by recent
studies conducted in Queensland. These
studies indicate the transfer of training to
practice is very low if left to stand alone
training or workshop sessions. Ongoing
support and mentorship of staff can
result in a much higher rate of change.
Evolution of the ActiveSmart
Program: Part Two - Working
with Local Government
Authorities (LGAs) and Sport
& Recreation Groups
Like the partnership with Mental Health
Service Providers, the relationship with
LGA’s and Sport and Recreation groups
evolved during the first six months of
the ActiveSmart Program. We identified
early on that to ‘increase opportunities for
individuals who have a lived experience
of mental illness to participate in physical
activity and community connectedness’,
support and mentorship was not just
need needed for the individuals looking
to participate, but the community
itself. So we developed ‘Mental Health
Awareness and Inclusion’ evening
sessions to address issues such as:
•
•
•
•
Stigma
Basic information about Mental
Health
What it means to be inclusive
How to change the culture of a club
or group
These sessions were designed for
members of local clubs or recreation
groups and LGA staff who work in the
community.
We selected Two LGAs to be a part of
the program; City of Melville and City
of Gosnells. These council areas were
selected because of their large size
and diverse range of individuals and
services. Both cities agreed to support the
ActiveSmart Program by:
•
•
•
Providing a location for the
‘ActiveSmart Mental Health
Awareness and Inclusion’ sessions
Sending relevant staff to attend the
sessions
Connecting with local sport and
recreation clubs and groups to
encourage their participation in
ActiveSmart
The following is the story of ActiveSmart at Ngulla Mia,
RFWA residence for 30 individuals;
The staff at Ngulla Mia identified that there are not enough opportunities for the
residents to access physical activities. Many of the individuals were experiencing
barriers to participation such as lack of access to appropriate activities, not owning
the appropriate personal equipment (i.e. shoes), shortage of funds to join an
activity, low levels of physical fitness, lack of motivation and lack of confidence.
After the first set of sessions in June of
2012, we identified that clubs in particular
wanted a clearer definition of what it
meant to be ‘inclusive’. In order to better
support the clubs and groups through
this process, we developed a resource
manual to combine tangible strategies
and practical examples of clubs that have
experienced a change of culture and
practice. This resource asks clubs and
groups to look at who they are and what
their current practices are; from there
decide where they would like to go.
ActiveSmart Partnership:
Spotlight on Richmond
Fellowship of Western
Australia
Richmond Fellowship of Western
Australia (RFWA) was the first Mental
Health Service Provider to partner with
Inclusion WA in the ActiveSmart Program.
The ‘ActiveSmart Community Inclusion’
session brought 16 RFWA staff from
eight locations together to address key
principles and theories of community
inclusion, and how to bring these
theories into practice. After the full day
session, the staff continued to work with
ActiveSmart to increase the opportunities
for the individuals they directly
supported to involve physical activity
and community connectedness in their
recovery plan. This follow-up mentorship
gave every staff member the ability to
look at their own specific situation, and
that of the people they support.
With the goals of increasing opportunities to walk in a group, as well as to have
access to fitness programs on site, the staff began to address barriers identified by
the residents; Lack of appropriate footwear and the non-use of the existing fitness
facilities was another.
To overcome these barriers, a partnership was formed with FairGame. FairGame is
a volunteer organisation whose mission is to “improve the lives of under-serviced
Australians through recycling donated sports equipment and educating and
inspiring through sport, health and wellness programs”. Through this partnership,
a ‘Shoe Library’ was established at Ngulla Mia which has allowed residents who
wished to participate in activities access to appropriate footwear. The staff took the
initiative to move the fitness equipment to a more suitable location, in a room that
is more private and gets lots of sunlight and fresh air.
FairGame also bought their ‘Fitness & Wellness Program’ to Ngulla Mia. Two personal
trainers from local Fitness First locations volunteered to run the program on a six
week trial basis. This program aimed to do the following:
• To assist residents/staff on how to coach most effective equipment use with
existing equipment
• Establish a regular fitness session for a period of time to boost confidence,
improve knowledge and awareness of the role of exercise in recovery
• Benefits of exercise for mental health given other comorbidities including
medications, diabetes, smoking, and dietary requirements
Fitness, but what about inclusion?
The above stated activities will increase the residents of Ngulla Mia’s opportunity
to participate in physical activity, but what about connecting to the community?
This matter was given some serious consideration. The establishment of a walking
group was seen as a potential opportunity. The Heart Foundation supports walking
groups in WA. Most of the established walking groups in the area were not suited
to the needs and desire of the residents at Ngulla Mia, specifically in relation to the
time and area in which they met.
To overcome this barrier, the Heart Foundation has been engaged as another
partner in Ngulla Mia’s ActiveSmart Program. They will train a staff member to be an
‘Area Coordinator’ for walking groups. Part of the role of the Area Coordinator is to
train and act as a resource to the ‘Walk Leaders’. Ngulla Mia will be able to empower
residents to take ownership of the walking group, when they are interested in
doing so. Plus, it will ensure sustainability of the walking group as Walk Leaders
move on from the site.
Once the walking group has established itself and is operating in a way that suits
the residents, the Heart Foundation will support them to make the group open to
the public. This will takes a slightly different approach to community connections:
instead of finding a community activity to join, they will be creating an activity to
share with the community. This is an avenue to consider for the future.
Annual Report 2012
19
Sport Development
Social inclusion through sport is recognised as a powerful and effective way of engaging with
various sections of the broader community. There is significant potential in sport as a medium
for promoting social inclusion and cohesion in our society. For these reasons alone, it is easy to
see the benefit of offering inclusive sport and recreation opportunities within our community.
Inclusion WA aims to improve the
operational practices of the sport and
recreation sector in Western Australia
by educating and helping guide key
stakeholders in the field of inclusion and
acceptance. We engage with a range of
Local Government Authorities (LGAs),
Government Departments such as
Department of Sport & Recreation (DSR)
and Disability Services Commission (DSC),
State Sporting Associations (SSAs), as well
as a range of local sport and recreation
providers to improve the inclusive culture
throughout the sport and recreation
industry in WA.
The Sport & Community Development
Team:
•
•
•
•
•
•
20
Work with SSAs to help them
develop, maintain and promote
their own organisation to people
with a disability and those who are
marginalised in any way
Supports sport and recreation
groups/organisations in many ways,
including supplying them with
resources, consultancy, education
and volunteers
Represents the Australian Sport &
Recreation Association for People
with an Integration Difficulty
(AUSRAPID) in WA
Helps coordinate the Sportslink
program in various locations in WA
Facilitates the inclusive school holiday
program in Karratha
Are working with Curtin University on
research project A Sporting Chance
Working with State Sport
Associations (SSAs)
The Sport & Community Development
Team has had a busy and exciting twelve
month period. Many new relationships
have been developed and considerable
time has gone into strengthening our
existing links within several key sports.
Maintaining these relationships has
helped us to continue building the
capacity of these sports. We hope that
this aspect of our work will continue
to develop our reputation as leading
consultants of inclusive sport practices
in WA.
Sports we have engaged with:
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Athletics
Australian Rules Football
Baseball
Basketball
Canoeing
Cricket
Cycling
Football
Gymnastics
Hockey
Indoor Cricket
Karate
Land Sailing
Lawn Bowls
Little Athletics
Netball
Swimming
Table Tennis
Ten Pin Bowling
Tennis
Touch Football
“Sport has the power to unite people in
a way little else can. Sport can create
hope where there was once only despair.
It breaks down racial barriers. It laughs
in the face of discrimination. Sport
speaks to people in a language they can
understand.”
Nelson Mandela
Highlights of our work with state sport
organisations over the last year:
Australian Rules Football
Inclusion WA worked with the WA
Football Commission (WAFC) and
their local community clubs to ensure
that the Integrated Football League
was a roaring success. The league has
generated significant interest and the
individual clubs have taken ownership
of their new teams, resulting in a truly
inclusive model whereby players can
move into other teams as and when they
are ready. To date, there have been over
150 participants and it is fair to say that
the future of this integrated league looks
very bright.
Basketball
Ivor Burge
West Rise
In 2011/2012 Inclusion WA has been
heavily involved with three separate
initiatives: “Everyone’s Game” Basketball
Carnivals, West Rise and Ivor Burge.
Off the back of the ‘Everyone’s Game”
carnivals, a men’s and women’s side
was selected to represent WA in
Canberra at the Ivor Burge National
Basketball Championship. Ivor Burge is a
competition for male and female athletes
with an intellectual disability that runs
annually, in conjunction with the State
under 19 squads. This past year saw the
first WA side (men’s and women’s) in the
competition for over 10 years! Both sides
competed well and all coaches, players
and supports are to be commended for
all their hard work.
In the past year, Inclusion WA has worked
alongside the Kalamunda Basketball
Association, and a number of key
individuals to help progress West Rise.
West Rise is an inclusive Basketball league
that runs from the Ray Own Sports Centre
in Kalamunda. The competition has been
expanded to now include four teams
competing against each other. One team
was added to the mainstream league
and travelled to Melbourne in May to
compete in a national competition.
Everyone’s Game Carnivals
Over the past year Basketball WA,
with the support of Inclusion WA,
has organised a series of “Everyone’s
Game” carnivals for athletes with
various disabilities. Eight groups from
around the Perth metropolitan area
enter each of the carnivals; with each
group entering an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team.
ROAD’s (Queens Park), Special Olympics
(Mirrabooka), Swan Friendships (Altone
Park) and Perth Hills Education Support
(Kalamunda) were amongst the eight
groups that competed in the carnivals.
The carnivals were attended by over
200 individuals. While disability specific,
the program is run by Basketball WA,
and acts as a talent identification
tool for the state Ivor Burge team.
“After a few programs, we can now really see improvement in skill level and a
sense of personal achievement from all attendees. The improvement in self-esteem
and a can-do attitude amongst members of our club members is becoming more
obvious each and every program too which is seriously exciting for us as a club”
Sharyn – Karratha Basketball Association
Annual Report 2012
21
Sport Development Continued
Cricket
Hockey
Indoor Cricket
In 2010, Ardross Junior Cricket Club
(AJCC), with assistance from Inclusion
WA, initiated a pathway program called
Cricket Champs. This program is aimed
at getting more kids from marginalised
backgrounds, those with a disability in
particular, into cricket. In the first season,
the program was very successful which,
led to its expansion into several clubs in
2011. Cricket Champs expanded further
in the 2012/13 season and is now being
offered at nine clubs in WA and two clubs
in the eastern states. Since its inception,
Inclusion WA has been working with
Justin Sambell (AJCC President) to help
initiate and roll out the program to other
clubs across the state and country.
Inclusion WA was successful in receiving
funding to run the third year of the
Hockey 4 All program. Following
some great outcomes over the first
two years, there has been a significant
emphasis placed on building on-going,
sustainable relationships within the
local communities of the clubs that are
currently involved Hockey 4 All.
Inclusion WA continues to support the
Lords Taverners State Indoor Cricket Team
for players with an intellectual disability.
This year the team made it to the finals;
one player, Nathan Ball, was rewarded
with selection in the All-Australian Team
of the year.
Cricket Champs offers a safe and fun
environment for all children who want to
experience the game but may need some
extra guidance in cricket. Cricket Champs
is also a pathway into mainstream
cricket for those children that wish to
progress into a mainstream competition.
In the past year, Inclusion WA has been
instrumental in developing an ‘inclusive
club checklist’ so that all clubs are
operating in a similar manner and this will
further ensure that the integrity of the
sport is maintained at all times.
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Community clubs have developed and
strengthened links with local schools
and other key stakeholders in their local
communities. There are now three clubs
that offer the Hockey 4 All initiative:
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Curtin-Trinity pirates
Wesley and South Perth Hockey Club
and
Whitfords Hockey Club
Inclusion WA’s involvement with the
Lords Taverners team has ensured
that they have been able to compete
in the national championships over
the past few years. Our goal is to
keep supporting the team while
encouraging Indoor Sports WA to take
full ownership of the Lord Taverners to
ensure a sustainable outcome for all.
This has happened to a large extent
this season however, Inclusion WA
continues to support the team by
managing some of the administration
and finances. Inclusion WA will assist
Indoor Sports WA so they can eventually
manage all aspects of the team.
Little Athletics
Sport Pathway Programs
Inclusion WA has been working closely
with Little Athletics WA (LAWA) and
Kingsway Little Athletics Club (KLAC) to
offer a truly inclusive opportunity in the
northern suburbs. The ‘Little Athletics
4 All’ initiative is aimed at building
community spirit and strengthening
social connections through the vehicle
of a local Little Athletics Club. The
first season of the program saw 15-20
participants attending each session
which indicated a strong need for the
program to continue on as a way of
introducing the sport to local kids who
had not been able to access it previously.
The model welcomes participation
from all members of the community
and it promotes social inclusion
through volunteering and networking
opportunities.
Inclusion WA has been working
closely with the Australian Paralympic
Committee (APC), AUSRAPID and
several other organisations to facilitate
several pathway programs in WA. These
programs are aimed at promoting
sport to individuals with a disability, so
that they may be able to compete at a
national and international level. Inclusion
WA has engaged with schools and
interested groups to promote ‘carnivalstyle’ talent identification days, to help
establish a link between grass-roots
participation and elite competition. To
date, the talent identification process
has exceeded expectations with several
individuals being earmarked as potential
APC athletes.
“Inclusion means welcoming everyone
with open arms and that's what
‘Little Athletics for All’ did, it really
helped the club in developing that sort
of mindset as well. People from all
different walks of life joined together
and that's the great thing about sport,
it doesn't discriminate, so everyone's
equal on the sporting field. The motto
‘Be your best’ really describes the sport
and the ‘Little Athletics 4 All program”
Abid Iman- Little Athletics WA
WA Representative for
AUSRAPID
Since 2004, Inclusion WA has been the
state representative for AUSRAPID. As
a result of this involvement, we are
responsible for providing support and
advice in the classification of athletes
with an intellectual disability in WA.
Individuals are encouraged to undertake
the classification process which allows
them to classify for national and/or
international competition under the
AUSRAPID banner.
As a result of our relationship with the
national organisation, it is our aim to work
with the SSAs in WA to develop pathways
towards local, national and international
competition for athletes with an
intellectual disability. We hope that our
involvement nationally will provide
further opportunities for these athletes in
the future.
Sportslink
Sportslink was originally developed in
2005 with a pilot program at Subiaco
Police and Community Youth Centre.
Sportslink’s primary aim is to provide a
fun, safe and supportive environment
in which children with a disability can
engage in physical activity. Over the past
six years, the program has evolved into
more than just a multi-sport program
for children. It has become a vehicle to
unify key stakeholders (schools, children,
sports clubs & recreational facilities)
within a local community, to pursue the
common goal of developing pathways
for children with disabilities to transition
into a welcoming mainstream sporting
environment.
Sportslink is currently running at four
centres across the Perth Metro area:
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Kwinana
Morley
Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC)
Subiaco
Sportslink also aims to develop the
capacity of local communities through
identifying existing resources and
providing the centres with a framework
so that they may operate successfully into
the future.
Annual Report 2012
23
Sport Development Continued
Pilbara
A Sporting Chance
Inclusion WA with assistance from
DSC, have been facilitating an Inclusive
Holiday Program in Karratha for the past
twelve months. In this time, the program
has had some incredible outcomes
and has helped to change attitudes of
the Karratha community, particularly
towards people with disabilities. Inclusion
WA have worked with local sport and
recreation organisations to facilitate the
inclusive program for all members of
the community to come together and
engage in organised sport and receive
the benefits of being physically and
socially included. Numbers have been
on the rise since the inception of this
program and the wider community has
really embraced the concept. Many local
residents have echoed their support for
the program and the initiative has helped
to educate all participants and sports on
the concept of social inclusion through
sport and recreation.
Inclusion WA is currently involved
in a research project funded by the
DSC. Our primary aim is to develop
an understanding into the barriers,
inhibitors and promoters of inclusion
for people with a disability, within a
sporting club environment. Inclusion
WA is working in partnership with
the Centre for Sport and Recreation
Research (CSRR) at Curtin University
“This program enables everyone
to participate together as a whole
community, it also educates people
and gives them an understanding
that we are all different in some ways,
but ultimately we all want to feel
connected and be part of a welcoming
and understanding community”
Kerry - Community Living Association.
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The research is centred on two main
areas:
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What support do clubs need in order
to be more inclusive of people with
disabilities?
What support do people with
disabilities need to be able to
successfully join ‘mainstream’ clubs?
We are conducting interviews with
key people from sports and recreation
organisations around Perth on topics
such as: club history, their involvement,
factors impacting sustainable inclusion,
barriers and challenges to being
inclusive and the strengths and benefits
of their club being inclusive. From the
information gained in these interviews,
we aim to have a better understanding of
the first research area.
To gain insight into point two, we
chose to work with our Alternative to
Employment members, using a technique
called Photovoice. Photovoice is a
rigorous research method that is inclusive
and accessible to those groups of people
that are frequently ‘researched’ but often
have very ‘little control’ over the actual
research process. Photovoice allows
people the opportunity to communicate
through an alternative means.
Once the interviews have been
conducted Inclusion WA and the CSRR
team will analyse the information and
develop a formal paper that can be used
to highlight where and how inclusion
works best. It will also give the wider
industry some rigorous information
about the barriers so that we can all work
together in breaking down those barriers
and have more people included in civic
life within our local communities.
Jordan’s Story
Jordan (17) is a caring, warm young man who lives in Karratha. Jordan started coming along to the inclusive holiday program
with his two brothers Jamelah (8) and Preston (9). Jordan was/is the primary carer for his little brothers during the holiday
periods when their mum, Toni is at work. The boys initially got wind of a sports program and decided to come along and check
out a session one day. After a slow start, the lads saw that they could all get involved and have a go at a range of different sports.
They slowly started coming out of their shells and showing off some unique skills and gifts.
Jordan is a very protective and caring big brother and had obviously assumed the male-mentor role for the family when he
had to. This program soon saw Jordan spending quality sibling-time with his two brothers and it was very clear that he dropped
his guard and really let himself have a great time. Jordan helped not only his brothers develop skills but soon became a
volunteer and a coach for many other children. Jordan helped in food preparation and a host of different activities and his entire
body language and persona developed to the stage where Jordan was recently able to sit his Learner Divers Test. After passing
the initial exam, Jordan has been able to drive his brothers down to the sport sessions under the watchful eye of his mum and
his grandmother.
Jordan also recently registered with DSC with an intellectual disability and his brother Preston, recently acquired funding as he is
autistic, a condition that went undiagnosed until recently. Now the family receive adequate help and are more able to integrate
into mainstream community life with a little bit of added support. Jordan has also picked up a job at the local hardware
store and aspires to one day manage the store himself. Jordan is also really keen to get his Toyota land cruiser up and running
(currently in parts) so he doesn’t have to borrow his mum’s car every time he would like to go somewhere. The inclusive holiday
program has helped Jordan spend quality time with his brothers and it has also allowed him to lead groups and activities,
helping to boost his sense of self-worth and belonging in his own community.
Annual Report 2012
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Annual Report 2012
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2012 Social Clubs Annual Report
Inclusion WA facilitates two social clubs,
the Meeting Place and the Subi Club.
People with disabilities who want to
broaden their skills and make new friends
attend the clubs on Friday or Sunday
and activities are alternated between the
venue and out in the community.
The last twelve months have been
successful for each of the clubs, with
both the Subi Club and the Meeting
Place experiencing a significant increase
in members. This is most likely due to
the excellent reputation of our groups
among services providers, families and
people with disabilities around the Perth
metropolitan area.
Whilst Inclusion WA aims to increase
participation in mainstream areas of the
community for people with disabilities,
we believe the social clubs still have their
place in our organisation. The clubs have
proved to be very helpful in supporting
people with disabilities to take their first
steps out of their ‘comfort zones’ and out
into the community.
At the beginning of 2012, we sent a
survey to our members to evaluate
how the clubs were faring and
to see if members felt anything
was needed at the clubs.
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The results of the survey were great –
and showed an extremely high level
of satisfaction and reinforced to us the
importance of the support to people with
disability around Perth by these types of
programmes.
“The program has improved out of
sight- Well done. I like that the clubs
are participating in community events
and trying out new activities such as
Zumba class and Jet Boat”
- Subi Club member
As part of the growth and
development of the clubs, we also
encouraged members to give their
ideas, suggestions and feedback
to staff following each activity.
These suggestions were then passed on
to the coordinator immediately, which
has allowed us to improve the quality of
the support to our members.
Our last planning session highlighted
the following as the most popular
activities: Dinner and games at the
Casino, Pizza and drinks at Madonna’s
Fremantle, Fremantle Prison night tour,
AFL games, Trots night at Gloucester
park, train trip to Mandurah, Zumba
dancing class and mini golf.
This year has also seen a new level of selfmanagement at The Meeting Place that
we have never seen before – which can
be largely attributed to three new staff
members – Teanne, Sandra and Emma.
The staff and the members have together
done lots of great pre-planning and
organisation in order to improve the club
and the activities each week.
For example, The Meeting Place this
year decided to create their own healthy
menu plan. Each week, the group
randomly nominate members to preorganise meals and create shopping lists
for the following week, which they then
cook themselves.
We hope that this level of engagement
continues, and that each of the clubs
continue to experience the growth and
development that they have in the last
twelve months.
Annual Report 2012
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Board Members
Bob Campbell
Kurt Burrows
Barbara Oosterhuis
Board Chair
Treasurer
Board Member
Bob is a certified practising accountant
and tax agent in public practice in the
Perth CBD. His firm, R.J.Campbell &
Associates, specialises in the auditing
and financial management of public
benevolent institutions, charities,
churches, schools and colleges. He has
over 25 years experience leading social
welfare and educational institutions in
NSW and the Northern Territory and holds
a Master of Social Work Administration
degree. He serves on the boards of
four charities in Perth. He is married to
Gail and together they love the beach,
rugby, cricket, golf and red wine. Kurt joined the board in October 2011, is
a Chartered Accountant and a Director in
KPMG Perth’s corporate tax group. Kurt
spends most of his non-work time with
his young family.
Barbara is passionate about community
inclusion and works to ensure that all
people will have a quality life filled with
opportunities, friendship and choices.
Barbara has for many years worked in
a variety of organisations which have
endeavoured to assist people with
disabilities into the broader community.
She has a background in human
services, working in the areas of access
and inclusion in local government and
as a project manager for a disability
service provider’s peak body group.
Barbara is married and is the “besotted
grandmother of several delightful
grandchildren.”
Matthew Popham
Deputy Chair
Matt is a tax partner at a big 4
accountancy firm. He has over 15 years
experience in providing tax advice to
a range of entities including not-forprofit organisations and has a degree
in Business Economics. Matt is married
with three children and together with his
wife Jennifer plays an active role in the
Superfins swimming club for people with
disabilities. In his spare time, Matt still
plays rugby union, is a keen runner and
enjoys most sports.
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Rebecca Bunney
Secretary
Rebecca is a litigation and family
law solicitor at Cullen Babington
Hughes. Rebecca has experience in
providing legal advice to not-for-profit
organisations and also volunteers as
Sussex Street Community Legal Centre
as part of the Night Legal Service.
Rebecca holds degrees in psychology
and law, and worked for the Autism
Association of WA as an intervention
therapist for a number of years. Kay Masters
Board Member
Kay has been connected to Inclusion
WA since 2005, initially as an employee
and later as a board member. In her
current employment as the Workforce
Development and Training Manager at
Western Australian Association for Mental
Health she develops and delivers training
packages to support staff, coordinators
and managers working in HACC funded
agencies. Kay enjoys a wide range of
activities including walking, ballroom
dancing and rowing.
Brendan Cullinan
Board Member
Brendan joined the Board in April 2012.
He has a long history of involvement in
sport as a player, coach and administrator.
Brendan has worked full-time in the
sports sector for over 15 years primarily
in AFL football. He is currently the senior
consultant for high performance with
the Department of Sport and Recreation.
Brendan keeps active by volunteering
as a surf life saver and coaching junior
football. He holds a degree in sports
management and is married to Jane with
two children. Damon Pattinson
Ross McRae
Board Member
Board Member
Damon is the Creative Director of The
White Room, a Perth advertising agency
driven by a powerful combination of
creativity, strategic thinking and business
acumen. With two boys under three he
utilizes all his creative thinking to get
through breakfast time with a clean
shirt. He holds degrees in Fine Arts and
Advertising. Other than his family, his
world revolves around his smartphone.
Devika Tampi
Board Member
Devika joined the Board in March 2012.
Devika works in the resource sector in a
community development role and holds
a Law degree from UWA.
Hermione Scott
Board Member
Hermione joined the board in October
2011. Hermione works in the mining
industry managing a team specialising in
government approvals, her work is based
in the Perth CBD with regular travel to the
Pilbara region. Hermione holds a degree
in Town Planning. In her spare time
Hermione is a keen gardener interested in
sustainability and urban agriculture.
Annual Report 2012
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Annual Report 2012
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www.inclusionwa.org.au
We gratefully acknowledge the support given by the following organisations throughout the year