Touchstone Spring 2011 - Cerebral Palsy League

Cover photo courtesy of Chris McCormack, Quest Newspapers4Why Touchstone?7Touchstone means a benchmark,reference point or measure of quality.We like to think our magazine is abenchmark for our industry and asingle point of reference for everythingyou need to know about CPL.what’sinside?2 REGIONAL INSIGHT101 Jobs in 101 Days2 THE CUTTING EDGEThe NDIS4 SPECIAL FEATUREPicnic in the Park7 ALL ABOUT YOUAnnie Higginson8 FACES & PLACESCP Awareness Week12 BEHIND THE SCENES14 IN BRIEF15 CLIENT Q&ALaura Scurr16 WHAT’S NEW17 THE GRAPEVINE18 STATE CCC UPDATE18 P&G UPDATE19 CEO MESSAGE8Caboolture: 101 Jobs campaign going strongCPL’s very own MylestonesEmployment at Caboolturerecently launched the 101Jobs in 101 Days campaign tohelp people with a disabilitygain employment and raiseawareness of the contributionthey make to the workplaceand their local community.Individuals receiveassistance with vocationalprofiling, interview skillsand on-the-job support tohelp achieve their personalprofessional goals.Two of the participants inthe campaign are AndrewGardner of Delaney’s Creekand Richie Goodacre ofNarangba.Twenty-five-year-oldAndrew secured a casual retailposition for a local hardwarestore and has alreadycompleted his induction andtraining.Richie has secured a casualrole as a disability supportworker and he also providesadministration support atHomelife. The 21-year-oldcontinues to volunteer at thelocal community radio station101.5FM on a weekly basis as well.Mylestones EmploymentCoordinator, Rosslyn Fullagar,said the team is halfway throughreaching their goal of 101 jobs.“We have a very supportivecommunity from Caboolture toKilcoy, which is great,” she said.“So far the jobs range fromadministration, hospitality, IT andlandscaping to factory work andcar detailing.“It’s important to look at theperson’s skills, experience andwhether they can perform thejob, rather than whether theyhave a disability or not,” she said.For more information or tosupport the initiative pleasephone 07 5499 3379 or emailmyemployment.cab@cplqld.org.au.Government commits to improving the disability systemRegional InsightRosslyn Fullagerand Andrew GardnerUpdate on thenational disability insurance schemeThe Cutting EdgeVisit us at cplqld.org.au55 Oxlade DriveNew Farm QLD 4005PO Box 386Fortitude Valley QLD 4006Editor – Lesley SladeCommunications ExecutiveT. 07 3358 8084F. 07 3358 2495E. lslade@cplqld.org.auPatronGovernor ofQueenslandHer ExcellencyMs PenelopeWensley ACHAVE YOUR SAYTell us about the issues you’d like toread about in Touchstone!T. 07 3358 8084E. marketing@cplqld.org.auREAD US ONLINEDownload Touchstone atcplqld.org.au/touchstoneIn August you may haveheard the federal governmentannounce its plan to reform thecurrent disability care systemwith a National DisabilityInsurance Scheme (NDIS).This means Australians willbe provided with insurance forthe costs of support if they, or afamily member, have a disability.It will create a more fair andequitable system across all statesand territories.The scheme will provideindividually tailored care andsupport to around 410,000Australians with significantdisabilities, allowing them tochoose where they use theirfunding so they can purchaseservices to best meet theirneeds.Regional NDIS trials will startin July 2014, before the scheme(estimated to cost $13.5 billion ayear) is rolled out to the rest ofthe nation over the next sevenyears.CPL applauded thegovernment’s backing of theNDIS, however CEO AngelaTillmanns has called on thestate government to step upand secure regional trials inQueensland.“This is a major milestone in along journey, but we must nowfocus on the next step forward.By being involved in the NDIStrials, Queensland would be ableto fine-tune the scheme andbe at the forefront of triallingnew and different ways toprovide services to people withdisability.”Angela said it is imperativefor Queensland to be “on thefront foot” from the very earlystages so it doesn’t end up beingdictated to by states such asVictoria and New South Wales.“Queenslanders are strugglingnow and simply cannot wait forfour to seven years for the NDISto be fully introduced,” she said.There are many social andeconomic benefits of theNDIS. Not only will it empowerAustralians with disabilities todecide where they spend theirfunding and on what types ofservices, it will also boost theworkforce (freeing up carers toreturn to work) which will resultin a stronger and more profitableeconomy.Visit cplqld.org.au for moreinformation or to download acopy of the NDIS inquiry report(available in a range of formatsincluding Plain English and EasyEnglish).2 Touchstone Spring 2011Touchstone Spring 20113