Housing Archives - Northcott Annual Report 2022-23

Monique moves out of her family home

By teamSupporting Customers

Monique

Monique moves out of her family home

Northcott is one of the top 5 housing providers in Australia. Northcott manages 123 disability homes with 9 more under construction (July 2023).

When Monique’s parents heard about Northcott’s new disability accommodation close to their family home, they knew they’d found a place that Monique could call home.

Meet Monique

Twenty-eight-year-old Monique has a lovable, inquisitive personality that draws everyone in around her. For most of her life, Monique has been cared for by her mother Deb, father Nicholas and other family members.

“Monique has NEXMIF disorder which is a chromosomal disorder and presents with autism, Tourettes, a lack of speech and other behavioural issues. She was only diagnosed a few years ago and she has accessed occupational therapy and life skills services with Northcott since then,” says Deb.

Worries about Monique’s future

While Monique was happy living at home, her parents worried about her future and what the next phase of her life would look when they were no longer around.

“Several families in our lives lost a parent and it made us realised we are not getting any younger,” says Deb. Deb was also keenly aware of the lack of modern, robust, single occupancy disability accommodation options around the Riverina region.

At the same time Deb was having these concerns, Northcott announced plans for new purpose-built accommodation with specialist disability housing provider Casa Capace in Gobbagombalin, a suburb of Wagga Wagga.

When Monique and her family attended an information session with Northcott about the new properties, it piqued Deb’s interest. It was the first time Deb felt confident about her daughter moving into a place that would be right for her to truly call home.

Planning for the move

The first stage of supporting Monique to move into the home was the hardest. This involved applying for and securing the right type of funding.

“Applying for funding is a long process in general and when we first applied, the funding we got was for shared living”, says Sam Terzi, Northcott Service Manager. This was not what Monique’s family wanted for her; they wanted her to live independently.

Together with Monique’s family and the Regional Disability Advocacy Service, the Northcott team went to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and advocated for more funds to allow Monique to be in the right type of accommodation for her.

The team was instrumental in gathering the information needed to prove a single occupancy home was most suitable for Monique.

“The wait for the result was again long and tense, but in the end, we got the result we were after!” says Sam.

“I am so pleased for Monique to be able work towards being more independent and really happy for her family as well.

” Northcott supported Monique to move into her new home in early 2023.

Monique and Will

Monique today

When Monique first moved in, she showed significant behavioural issues like banging her head on the wall and having emotional outbursts. She was only able to spend a few hours at the new house before returning to her parents. After a period of transition with tailored support, Monique has now settled in well and lives full time in the Gobbagombalin property. Monique and her family couldn’t be happier.

Will, one of Monique’s support workers, works with her almost every day. Before Monique moved into Northcott’s property, Will and other members of her support team spent time with Deb to learn about Monique’s different communication cues and be able to clearly understand what she needs.

“I absolutely love working with Monique. She is a very smart girl. We know when Monique rubs her hands a certain way that means she wants to have a barbeque on Friday and boy does Monique love her barbeque,” says Will.

Monique loves to cook, and her team are currently working towards a future goal of Monique being able to cook meals for herself as independently as possible.

With Monique now living independently, life has also changed for Deb. No longer Monique’s primary carer, she says she is enjoying spending time as mother and daughter. “I still go to all of Monique’s appointments with her and visit several times a week, but I’ve definitely noticed she is more affectionate with me now.”

27 October 2023

A group of people, four older men, two women and a young man and seated and standing around a wooden outdoor table in the outdoor area of a house. Everyone looks happy. Not everyone is looking at the camera.

A new home for David and Chris

By teamSupporting Customers

David (back), Chris (front right) with their housemates and support staff.

A new home for David and Chris

When Chris and David’s Northcott-supported disability property no longer met their support requirements, our team found them a new home, better suited to their needs.

Chris and David’s needs

Chris and David are long-term friends and Northcott housemates. They have lived together for more than 7 years, initially in Carlingford, and since September 2022, in Oatlands.

Although the pair were comfortable and happy in Carlingford, a review of their living situation revealed things had changed over time and their home no longer fully supported their needs.

Due to weakening of his knee joints, David needed better support while walking around the home. He also had limited opportunities to socialise with the other residents living there.

“David was participating in an arts and craft day program 4 days a week to meet his social needs. He is 60 years old and it was time that he started experiencing social outings to enjoy and relax, rather than learn and create,” says Alan, David’s brother.

For Chris, a lack of communal areas around the home was impacting his opportunity to socialise.

A more suitable option

After Chris and David’s Northcott team put the word out about finding a new home, two vacancies came up in a five-bedroom purpose-built Northcott house in Oatlands, just 10 minutes from where they were living. The team felt the home and current residents were a perfect match for Chris and David – allowing them to live as independently as possible and experience a socially abundant life.

“Not only are the current residents, Guy and Graeme, of similar ages to David and Chris, but they also have similar social needs such as engaging in smaller group outings rather than centre based programs,” explains Alys, Service Coordinator at the Oatlands home.

“The wall rail system built around the house is also a great solution to keep David more mobile while living as independently as possible. This home also has a separate section with two rooms and a common area so David and Chris can have their own space within the larger home.”

David (left) and Chris.

The transition

Before Chris and David could move into the new home, significant work had to be done to ensure the change would lead to a better life for everyone.

Alys started liaising with all the stakeholders, including talking with the families of the customers to highlight the benefits for Chris and David. Once all families agreed to the move, Chris and David regularly visited the Oatlands house to start to feel comfortable and get to know their new housemates.

“For the move itself, we set up Chris and David’s rooms to help make the transition more comfortable. On the day of the move, we planned a picnic to bring all the housemates together. It was an epic day for everyone,” Alys remembers.

Positive outcomes for all

David and Chris are now living in a newer, purpose-built home that better meets their needs, with closer proximity to shops, the local pharmacy and access to transport.

“It’s great how, despite the move, I have been able to keep my life going – my doctors, my work, my favourite restaurants,” says Chris.

“In my opinion, the most important benefit of the move is an enriched quality of life for all residents. The group community access and social interactions for all residents have increased. Since their needs and goals match, all four of them can enjoy the outdoors by visiting Sydney’s surrounds rather than participating in centre based programs,” says Alys.

Chris and David’s families are also happy with the outcome.

“Change can be daunting and challenging but ultimately, this change has delivered great outcomes for everyone. I am extremely happy with the staff at Northcott and am confident that my brother is well taken care of,” says Alan, David’s brother.

24 October 2023

When opportunity knocks …

By teamOur people

When opportunity knocks …

Kayla May, Service Coordinator

“The opportunities are there; you just have to take them.”
– Kayla

Since stepping up to a Service Coordinator role, our Deniliquin-based staff member Kayla May has enjoyed playing a greater role in improving quality of life for her customers.

Kayla’s career path

“I started in this disability home in 2015. I was a casual support worker. Back in my 20s, I started working in community aged care and supporting young people with complex disabilities.

“I found I enjoyed looking after people. When I moved to the disability home, I enjoyed building relationships with the customers. I would do eight hour shifts instead of visiting a person for one hour. It was more rewarding for me. I’ve now got relationships with the customers and their families, and there’s something special about that.

“Since becoming a service coordinator, I’m enjoying a closer connection with the allied health practitioners who visit our house. I have also built a really good connection with our support coordinator. I like to know the ins and outs of my customers’ plans so I can have a say about what funding they might need. If someone needs a holiday, or new equipment, I’ll let the support coordinator know and talk about what we need to do to make it happen.”

A woman is lying in a wheelchair with another woman leaning over looking and talking to her.

Kayla loves her job supporting customers living in Northcott’s disability home in Deniliquin.

Internship program

“In 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in the Northcott Innovation (NI) Supported Living Lab Internship program. I liked the idea of getting workers together without managers to solve some of the complex issues we have. I also liked being given the opportunity to participate from Deniliquin, which is a very long way from head office.

“I really enjoyed getting to know other support workers. Working out in Deni, we don’t have that connection with other staff. It was really good to know that we’re not alone, that others have issues.

“I was very nervous, but also excited when my idea was chosen by NI to be presented to the Northcott Board. I’m now working with NI to develop my project further. It is a really good feeling to know I’m actually making a difference.”
– Kayla

Kayla’s innovative idea from the Internship

The challenge
Customer support plans are often complex. Bringing new support workers up to speed on each customer’s unique support needs and preferences is time consuming. How can Northcott improve this for customers and staff?

The solution
InstaSupport – short, informative videos that demonstrate how customers prefer to be supported – as per their support plans. At the start of a shift, new support workers watch the videos to quickly learn about each customer’s individual needs and preferences.

Working in disability

“If disability is what you want to do, Northcott is a great place to work.

“When I started working here [at Northcott’s disability home in Deniliquin], I never thought I’d be a service coordinator eight years later. It was never in the plan. When it was suggested that I should step up, that’s just what I did.

“A big aspect I focus on in this house is keeping the skills our customers have. For example, we have one customer who can do her own washing. That means a lot to her. Seeing the smile on her face when she accomplishes that, it’s rewarding.

“Working in disability is not as scary as you think. It can be complex at times, it can be difficult at times, but you have all the support you need. It’s really rewarding. It is a great job.”

19 October 2023

Supported Living Lab Internship

By teamInnovative Projects

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Supported Living Lab Internship

5 PROJECTS from the 2022 program are being explored further by Northcott and NI teams.

Our second cohort of interns graduated from the Northcott Innovation (NI) Supported Living Lab Internship program in September 2023. This unique learning opportunity offers Northcott support workers a chance to learn human-centred design skills while contributing to better outcomes for customers who live in our disability homes and the staff who support them.

Northcott’s innovation subsidiary NI works alongside customers and people with disability to find ways to do things better or solve challenges in the disability sector. One of the team’s initiatives is the Supported Living Lab (SL/Lab). This co-design hub is focused on improving the quality of supports and services provided to Northcott customers living in our homes.

In 2022, NI launched the SL/Lab Internship Program for support workers from our disability homes. An enthusiastic group of frontline workers from across NSW participated in the inaugural internship, and the second cohort will complete their internship later in 2023.

Over 7 months, interns learn skills in communication, problem solving and human-centred design from experts and educators from Northcott and the disability sector. Additionally, through a partnership with the University of Technology Sydney’s School of Design, they gain skills in design thinking and the design process. Each participant brings a challenge to the group that they believe, if solved, will positively impact the lives of customers. Over the course of the internship, participants put their new skills to use to explore and develop a solution to their issue before pitching their idea to the NI Board. Solutions with the potential to make a difference to customers and/or staff are adopted by NI and Northcott for further development and, down the track, implementation.

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Our 2023 Interns

Evelyn
“I have gained an understanding of and experience in Human Centred Service design, which puts customers’ needs, desires and abilities at the centre of the development process.”

Bernard
“I have enjoyed learning how to identify problems, how to choose strategies to address the issues and how to plan and execute the tactics needed to achieve customers’ goals.”

Sofia
“I’ve enjoyed hearing and experiencing how to work with others. It’s been good making new friends as it is hard to find others because we all work in small groups.”

Bernard
“I am walking away with knowledge I can apply at work and in my lifetime experiences. I am not the same guy who started at the beginning of the program. I have grown and am proud of my educators and myself.”

Kumba
“I found it interesting having people with lived experience of disability educate us about their experiences and the ways we can support them better. I also enjoyed the UTS session … and having the opportunity to meet members of Northcott who shared their work experiences.”

Mitul
“This has given me the opportunity to think outside the box, learn from my own experiences, identify problems and find solutions. It has enabled me to be a changemaker and stand up for customer voice and choice.”

19 October 2023