We’re all working together to support our clients to achieve their aims and complete the activities on their roster so it’s really important to support each other.

At Skills Options, we have a staff meeting every morning. We talk about what every staff member is doing and any changes to rosters for the day. This meeting is very important as changes to routine often happen. It’s a casual meeting and it’s often the case that discussions arise from issues or problems that happened the previous day. Some days are more difficult than others, so having this meeting enables staff to talk about our experiences and gather information that can be helpful in the future. One new suggestion can benefit the client and also the staff who work with that particular person.

An example occurred last week when a staff member had changed a client’s plate to a flatter one as she had noted the client had previously refused on a number of occasions to eat lunch from a large bowl.
 
At the end of the meeting, we usually have a few minutes (before the clients arrive) to catch up on conversation about family, friends or what’s the best movie to see this weekend.

Ask any disability service provider about recognising the achievements of people with disability. They will tell you that any chance they get they let everyone know the great work or success an individual or group has had. Service providers like mine have worked hard to foster inclusion and ensure access and equity issues are minimal.

On July 2 my service held its annual Ray White Illawarra Awards Evening, where over 300 people come together to recognise achievements of our Sport & Recreation Services program participants.

The night runs just the same as any mainstream sporting club's presentation night, with trophies awarded to the best and fairest participants from each sport and recreational program. Major awards are also presented to participants who excel personally including the most helpful, best teamwork, most respectful and most improved. It is also a great night to recognise the assistance of our supporters and sponsors.

Participants get to dress up in formal wear for the evening and are treated to a sit down meal and entertainment including a live band. It’s a great night out for families and carers to spend time with friends and other participants.

The night went well and was well received by all in attendance. It was great to see so many participants and families enjoy a night out, and great to see the participants who have achieved so much in the last 12 months get recognised for their efforts.

We'd like to introduce Max Burke, one of our other Talent Advisors, as guest writer for this blog. In this post he writes about the challenges of changing careers and how a career quiz can help to make things a little clearer.

The sea of jargon and information facing new applicants entering the disability and community care sector is undoubtedly daunting. Cast out in a small raft amongst lists of pros and cons, warnings and advice from family and friends, it can be a very intimidating time. I like to think of carecareers as the lighthouse atop the cliff, guiding people safely into the calm waters of a new career.

However, carecareers does more than just guide you to shore when the waves get a bit rough. The journey isn’t the same for everyone and carecareers won’t leave you without a few paddles to help you find your way safely to shore. The team has spent the last 2 years preparing its 'paddles' of fact sheets, resumé tips, training guides, case studies, and of course the sometimes overlooked but extremely useful career quiz.

The career quiz, whilst light-hearted in its approach, is an excellent launch point for your new endeavour for two key reasons. Firstly, it forces you to reflect on who you are as you select choices from the pictures provided. Then, the progression leads you to question who you could become in the future. Having done the quiz a few times now, I always find it encourages self reflection about where I am going and what it is that I want to achieve.

The second reason the quiz is important is that it highlights the collective journey all candidates take. Regardless of your background, each individual is called to refocus and reinvigorate their career (and arguably their lives). Asking the appropriate questions of you, the quiz embodies the notion that we aren’t alone in our pursuit of change and that there are others out there, in the same sea, looking for the same thing.

Realistically, an online careers test will never take the place of sound careers advice offered by carecareers, educational institutions and organisations within the industry. We prefer to think of it as a nudge in the right direction, and ultimately just another paddle that the carecareers team can give you. This paddle isn’t made of wood, though; it’s one of those really flash carbon-fibre ones!

Take our fun career quiz now.

Smooth sailing,

Max
Talent Advisor and  Lighthouse Keeper

Pass the word around - there is a role for anyone who wants one in the disability and community care sector.

Just last week carecareers was sent a role from one of our organisations looking for a website manager:

“This role exists to implement creative solutions to address the strategic web and digital communication plans of the organisation, benefiting a range of internal and external stakeholders and audiences.”

A website manager in the disability sector?  How remote is this position from the frontline support ‘florence nightingales’ that the sector is predominately associated with.

Many organisations have grown from their early days, where a couple of volunteers banded together with the common purpose of supporting a particular group in need. They are often now larger organisations that require a board of directors, a chief executive officer, a chief financial officer (CFO), a group of specialised management professionals, a human resources team, an administration team and an information technology team.

And don’t forget the sales, marketing, fundraising, public relations and digital communications professionals that work to promote an organisation and to appeal for donations and funding. All of these roles require skills and qualifications that bear no resemblance to a Certificate III in Disability and they are necessary to provide the back up and support to the coal face of frontline support workers and frontline professionals.

Delve even further into the teams mentioned above and they reveal some interesting roles:

The IT job family is vast.  It stretches from basic user support on our computer software to advanced specialist knowledge around networks and specific products. Help desk support, network manager and infrastructure manager are just a few of the many job titles.

The CFO oversees the financial controller, the accountant and bookkeeper who all have a huge responsibility in managing funds within an organisation, made even more important with the focus on accurate financial management within the disability and community care sector.

The administration team may need an office manager, a personal assistants and or an administration officer to oversee the day to day and varied duties, which can include database use, service coordination, appointment scheduling, phone calls, reception duties and managing office supplies.

The human resources team is headed up by the human resources director who will likely be part of the senior leadership team and will contribute to the setting and implementation of organisational strategy. The director will also oversee those responsible for managing and implementing the policies, processes and strategy in relation to human resources and staffing.

These office based roles are just  a few of the roles that are available in the sector. If we look at other areas such as in-home support we find a number of roles that will surprise many outside the sector.

The catering assistant that helps with the preparation of food for a client will probably be cooking up a storm based on the guidance of a dietician. The gardener/grounds maintenance person will also look after or help a client to look after their garden, and the licenced tradesperson looks after everything from changing  light bulbs to installing ramps, handrails, bathroom and kitchen modifications, and any other needs identified by the occupational therapists; all of which help the client to continue to stay at home.

While at home the client may have visits from a physiotherapist or a podiatrist or they may use the services of a community driver to get them out and about to their various appointments, or to visit their employment development officer or open employment consultant who will help support them in entering the workforce.

The variety of roles available in the sector is huge and I haven’t even mentioned the psychologists, social workers, counsellors, speech pathologists and finally the assistants in nursing and the registered nurses.

I am sure that I have missed some roles but when you are next having a conversation with a mate, who says that they would love to enter the sector but don’t think frontline support is for them, point them in the direction of the larger not-for-profits who will surely have something that suits them.

Who knows - while working in another role, they may get exposed to the benefits and rewards experienced by frontline support staff and they may then decide it is for them after all.

Whatever your role within the disability and community care sector – frontline, administration or board level – your work will impact on much more than a balance sheet.

There are many rewards and benefits, including:

1. Work-life balance: Whether you're returning to or starting in the sector on a Part Time basis, combining your work with caring for others at home or easing into retirement, you can work shifts that suit you
2. Salary packaging: Australian taxation law allows certain organisations to offer salary packaging benefits to their employees which helps you to make significant income tax savings on your salary
3. Find your perfect position: With roles available from entry level through to senior management, there is plenty of scope to find your niche in the sector
4. Development: The sector understands the importance of helping people reach their potential, and you will be encouraged to develop your career
5. Job variety: It may sound like a cliché, but in this sector no two days are ever the same and you’ll develop skills in many diverse areas
6. Challenging: The work you do will stretch and develop all of your abilities - from organisational skills to creative problem solving
7. Cultural fit: Work in the sector is valued and valuable, allowing you to align your career with your personal values and to work with like-minded people
8. Hobbies and interests: The things that inspire you may be the things that will inspire your clients
9. Location: The sector provides many opportunities to work within close proximity to your home
10. Impact: One of the most rewarding aspects of a career within the sector is the potential to use your skills and passions to build meaningful relationships with people that contribute as much to your life as you do theirs - the work you do will make someone's day and not many jobs can promise you that

Not sure if the sector is for you or what role would suit you? Complete our fun career quiz to find out, or search for jobs in the NSW disability and community care sector.