Appendix A
Contents
Appendix A .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Case Study – Holistic Health Group Canberra..................................................................................... 2
Case Study – Alzheimers Australia ACT............................................................................................... 4
Case Study - Isaac’s Band of Brothers and Sisters .............................................................................. 6
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Case Study – Holistic Health Group Canberra, accessed assistance under Program A
and Program B of Ready4.
Holistic Health Group Canberra (Holistic Health) is a small for-profit business that provides health
and fitness services for people living with a disability, offering preventative services such as personal
training and nutrition within a holistic, person-centred framework.
The organisation initially engaged with Ready4 through an invitation to the launch and attending
group sessions. The staff team were keen to learn about other organisations working in the disability
services space and develop connections in the wider community sector to enhance the outcomes of
their clients. The informal networking opportunities provided through group sessions were very
valuable for the organisation in building informal avenues of collaboration with other like-minded
organisations. Through attending group sessions, Holistic Health increased their general knowledge
of various topics and their confidence in relation to the environmental changes inherent in the
transition to the NDIS. Group sessions also identified areas that the organisation could then access
specific assistance through Ready4 that would support them to work through the challenges they
were facing at the beginning of 2016 in relation to costing and pricing, human resources, facilities
and partnerships & collaboration.
Prior to engaging with Ready4, Holistic Health received a Business Investment Package in 2015 that
supported the organisation to set up systems that would support improved service delivery. They
had also previously accessed other business support made available to new start-ups that they did
not find especially helpful. The Holistic Health staff team particularly valued the professionalism,
expertise, local sector knowledge and accessibility of Ready4.
The individual support provided by Ready4 involved the development of a costing and business
scenario planning tool to assist the organisation on a trajectory towards financial sustainability and
growth, as well as coaching sessions to increase organisational capacity to develop strategic
alliances.
In the past twelve months the organisation has experienced significant growth, from one staff
member and no premises to 9 employees and they are about to open their second site. Part of this
growth has involved navigating the operational structures that will strengthen the developing
business. While the organisation had a strategic plan in place, operationalising the strategic plan to
support the growth of demand was supported through coaching conversations with the Ready4
team, as part of the tailored assistance provided. The coaching sessions provided continuity of
connection and built trust and rapport that enabled the Holistic Health partners to navigate
particular business development challenges as they arose. The most significant changes in the
organisation over the past twelve months have included the consolidation of services, increase of
clients (predominantly through word-of-mouth) and increase in employees. Improving financial
systems and collaborative practices over the past twelve months has supported strategic goals,
decision-making and increased efficiency and effectiveness.
As a values-driven for-profit business working in the sector, the Holistic Health team have
experienced a significant change in the way for-profit organisations are viewed in the community
sector. The team reports that they have observed the gap between non-profit organisations and forprofit organisations decreasing. By Ready4 including for-profit organisations in the sector
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development process and creating open and inclusive networking opportunities through group
sessions such as workshops, forums and communities of practice, Holistic Health perceives the
sector as more accepting, and in their experience this has supported positive formal and informal
collaboration across the sector. For example, Holistic Health Group Canberra were successful in
developing a collaboration with the Special Olympics ACT, Capital Football and Cricket ACT to
facilitate an I-Day event on 3 December 2016 to acknowledge and celebrate the skills, contributions
and achievements of people living with a disability.
From the organisation’s perspective, the expertise and support made available through Ready4 was
“priceless”. The organisation would not have been able to access this kind of assistance without the
investment of the ACT Government in this kind of organisational capacity building initiative.
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Case Study – Alzheimers Australia ACT, accessed assistance under Program A and
Program B of Ready4
Alzheimers Australia ACT has had a number of significant changes in the past twelve months. The
transition to the NDIS was one such change, shifting the way the organisation engaged with the
cohort of younger onset dementia clients and their carers. The NDIS funding structure brought with
it a need to change mindset regarding the way service costs and income is modelled. In order to
meet the changes in the external environment and continue to provide valued services to clients,
Alzheimers Australia ACT observed the need to create a new structure for their services. The
organisation engaged with Ready4 through tailored individual support, initially to develop some
costing models and scenario planning to investigate different service options that would meet the
gaps and needs of clients but also create financially viable and sustainable programs.
The team at Alzheimers Australia ACT have excellent knowledge of their clients’ needs and the gaps
that exist in service provision and had a great number of ideas to address the need. The organisation
was aware that modelling the cost and income associated with each option would greatly increase
confidence of decision-making, both for the staff team and the Board, in selecting the best option to
further develop.
As part of the assistance the organisation was able to access through Ready4, a tailored business
scenario costing tool was developed. This tool allows the organisation to input variations in relation
to staff numbers, clients and program hours to calculate the cost and income of various
combinations. This tool has supported the younger onset dementia team to develop a service offer
that will meet the needs of their client cohort that is financially viable for the organisation. This has
assisted the team to provide holistic information about the development of the new program to
their Board to support informed decision-making. While the organisation has skilled business and
finance staff members who are well equipped to utilise the tool, the expertise to develop the
scenario planning tool is outside of the organisation’s skill set. This tool was developed in such a way
that it can continue to support scenario planning and decision making in the organisation into the
future. Through the capacity building made available through Ready4, the organisation has
increased its capacity in terms of scenario planning and confidence in relation to business decisionmaking but is also developing programs to meet the needs citizens in the ACT.
The organisation also recognised a need in the current operating environment to restructure some
of their existing teams to diversify funding and increase capacity. Collaboration was recognised as an
essential element in the strategic direction of the organisation, but in order to develop fit-forpurpose external alliances and partnerships, the organisation needed to commence with building
their collaborative capacity internally.
Like the NDIS, the aged care reform brought with it a focus on person-centred approaches. The
Client and Family Engagement team worked with Ready4 under program B to identify gaps in
services for people diagnosed with dementia and improve internal and external collaborative
practice to meet the need. The team mapped out the journey of a person with dementia from
beginning to end and looked at all of the touchpoints for families and individuals. From this process
the team identified challenges and barriers from the perspective of individuals and families and set
about re-designing their service to provide more person-centred support. The team explored
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strategic alliances to ensure a quality service and eliminate any duplication of services across the
ACT. The service re-design involved re-structuring the team internally to create a collaborative
model with a key worker that stays connected to the family and the individual throughout their
journey, continuing after the person moves into residential care. Continuing to work with people
once they move to residential care is an expansion of services for the organisation and has involved
developing external collaborative relationships with care facilities. The Client and Family
Engagement team is also integrating grief and loss education, looking at the key touchpoints of a
person’s journey, and collaborating internally with other programs. The team has reported increased
capacity, stating that they anticipate they will be able to almost double social support groups,
through the reallocation of staff time under the re-designed key-worker model. Increasing social
support groups offers opportunities for client contribution fees to increase, ensuring the
sustainability of the program and providing positive ripple effects into other supports for the person
diagnosed with dementia.
Alzheimers Australia ACT staff stated that Ready4 provided expert advice and support that it would
not have been able to access without the investment of the ACT Government in this initiative. Staff
found that external eyes, but ones with knowledge of the local sector and the best interests of the
organisation in mind, provided an objective perspective and constructive support that was
welcomed and valued.
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Case Study - Isaac’s Band of Brothers and Sisters, accessed assistance under program
A and program B of Ready4.
Isaac’s Band of Brothers and Sisters (The Band) are a microboard, an incorporated association that
works with the Canberra community to build a good life for Isaac, a young man with an intellectual
disability. Their mission is to develop their networks to support and safeguard a good and ordinary
life where Isaac has choice and control and truly belongs in his community and to share what they
have learned with others. The work of a microboard is person-centred and all decisions and actions
are made around the person at the centre’s likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, including the
individual as much as possible in decision making.
The Band, as a microboard, offers a unique business model and a sustainable structure of support.
Microboards originated in Canada and were first established in Australia in Perth by Microboards
Australia. The Band is among the founding members of Microboards Canberra. The advantage of
incorporating is that the more formal nature makes the group more likely to be sustainable – even
when parents are no longer able to care for their children.
At the beginning of 2016, Isaac and the Band set goals for the year. As part of these goals, the Band
wanted set up a small business or a social enterprise for Isaac where he delivers mail between
business locations to post office boxes. This kind of employment for Isaac would require the
assistance of support workers and so the microboard was looking to develop their capacity in
relation to business modelling, business management, hiring staff and applying for grants. The
organisation has had a great year – achieving Isaac’s goals for the year in six months.
In order to achieve the goals the organisation has grown in knowledge and confidence in a number
of areas. The executive members of the Band had limited experience in Human Resource
Management or Business Management and wanted to ensure that they identified and managed risks
appropriately, to ensure the long term viability of the microboard and the success of Isaac’s
business. The Ready4 group session related to risk and sustainability was helpful and increased the
confidence of the board to manage risk and set their risk appetite. Through coaching sessions
available through Ready4 individual support the Band were assisted with information and advice in
relation to human resources, which provided a significant investment in the learning of the
organisation and increased capacity. Through coaching sessions the Band were also assisted with
developing strategic partnerships with organisations that would provide funding or in-kind support.
The Band identified that becoming an NDIS registered provider is not an easy process and were
unsure of the advantages and disadvantages for their business model. As a community-based not for
profit organisation, the Band did have concerns about adding a layer of complexity if the benefit was
not clear. The organisation has experienced challenges in communicating with the NDIA and
navigating the systems and processes, but the members of the executive have developed their own
capability in financial management and IT systems through personal research, to meet these
challenges.
Isaac’s Band of Brothers and Sisters have greatly valued the investment of Ready4. They have
experienced value through the collaborative strategic thinking and network connections offered
through Ready4. Without the expertise in business development and knowledge of the sector
shared through Ready4 that increased the microboard’s knowledge and confidence, the organisation
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does not think they would be currently self-employing. Self-employing has meant that the
organisation can ensure the consistency of support and routine that helps Isaac. The President of the
Band reports that Isaac is so happy, and this is a great outcome.
The Band has achieved a number of great outcomes for Isaac this year, but they have also invested
more widely into the sector, recognised through their selection at the 2016 Chief Minister’s Inclusion
Awards for their excellence in innovation.
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