Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS report

Report

“Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS” events in Grafton, Casino, Ballina and Tweed Heads

Written by Susan Parker, Aboriginal Project Officer, Aspect.

Always was….Always will be…Aboriginal land.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of Northern NSW,

the Bundjalung, Githabul, Yaegl and Gumbayngirr people, on whose land

we have held all four events.

I would like to thank everyone who gave their time to me in the planning of

these events. Without your honesty and advice we wouldn’t have been able

to deliver these four community events to such a high standard.

Figure 1. Map of language groups of Northern NSW (www.ncphn.org.au)

Acknowledgement of Country

Page 2Report - Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS

About the artwork…..Title: A Landscapes Lineage

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Dimension: 4 panels, each 76 cm height x 51 cm width

Artist: Frances Belle Parker

Year: 2016

Award winning artist, Frances Belle Parker was commissioned to create these artworks for the

“Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS” events in August 2016. Four events were held on the North

Coast of New South Wales starting in Grafton, followed by Casino, Ballina and Tweed Heads.

Frances was commissioned to create an artwork for each location which would also maintain

balance and continuity with each of the other paintings. It was important for each panel to signify

the underlying importance and connection to country of the location and the people it represents.

The colours used are pastel in tone to portray the soft beauty of the landscape as well as the

subtle unveiling of the underlying history of the landscape.

The Ballina artwork portrays the Golden sand of the rich coastline, and the abundance of

waterways which connect country and culture.

Wollumbin features predominantly in the Tweed artwork with underlying linear imagery suggesting

what lies beneath the surface of this ancient landscape is subtle to many yet strong to the

traditional owners.

The Casino artwork features two turtles playing. This piece plays homage to the area being well

known as turtle diving country. A long standing tradition which is still going strong to this day.

The Grafton artwork sits on the far right with the emphasis on the aerial view of the mighty

Clarence River in and around the Grafton area. The Clarence River plays a pivotal role in the

culture of the Bundjalung, Gumbayngirr and Yaegl people. This river acts as a life giving vein to

the Aboriginal Nations whose stories and culture is derived from it.

Together these four panels are connected through the lineage of the coast and the ranges which

sit to the west of this stretch of landscape. The Nations and people who are represented within

this work are united through the underlying imagery of subtle linear designs and the existing

coastline which creates a natural trail for our people of the past, present and future.


The All Communities Together (ACT) Now gatherings were held at Aanuka

Bay resort in Coffs Harbour over a period of three years. The ACT Now

gatherings provided a unique opportunity for Aboriginal community

members, service providers and Government officials to yarn, listen, learn

and speak up about community and disability sector issues. The gatherings

provided opportunities for shared cultural and social experiences in a

culturally safe environment. Participant feedback from the gatherings were

very positive about the style and content.

Recommendations from the ACT NOW 3 report are listed below;

• Ensure equal and appropriate Access and Service Delivery

• Education and information must be targeted to our mob – start there

• Resources need to be available in an appropriate format and easily available for all

• Engagement is critical for the successful roll out of the NDIS

• Person with Disability/Carers are at the center of the conversation

• Transport must be incorporated in planning at all levels

• Culture - it all starts and ends with culture

Background


The overall aim of the “Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS” project has been to deliver four

events for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community members regarding the planned rollout of

the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on 1 July 2017. The purpose of the four “Getting

the Mob ready for the NDIS” events was to continue a conversation with Aboriginal Communities

and engage with Aboriginal people about the upcoming NDIS, what changes it will bring, how it

will affect their individual circumstances and what Aboriginal people with a disability, their families

and carers need to do to be prepared for the rollout.

How we did it…Susan Parker, a Yaegl woman from Maclean, was appointed as the Aboriginal Project Officer

responsible for the overall coordination of the four “Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS” events”.

Susan was contracted by Aspect and directed by the ADHC Advisory committee who met before

each event to ensure that the events were on track and well resourced. Meaningful consultation

and establishing successful partnerships with Community members, key stakeholders and

government and non government organisations were a key focus for this project.

Where we did it….The four locations chosen to host the events were Grafton, Casino, Ballina and Tweed Heads.

These towns were chosen because they each had a high number of Aboriginal & Torres Strait

Islander people with a disability and their families and carers living in these communities.

What we did…Participants who attended these four events, watched a PowerPoint presentation and following

that, had the opportunity to ask questions to a panel of experts who answered their questions

using minimal jargon, and real life examples.

Yarning circles and the chance to talk one on one with a support planner also helped to educate

and increase awareness of the participants on the NDIS. All four events were filmed and a DVD

will be produced and used as a tool to further promote the NDIS within Aboriginal communities.

Events have been delivered in an informal way and information was presented in a clear and

culturally sensitive way.

Each event was different….In recognising the diversity of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities within these

four towns, it was important that each event catered for their respective communities. Susan

contacted community members and key stakeholders within the disability and human services

sector. In-depth discussions took place around the purpose of the day, key community members

who should be consulted and the best format and venue for each community. This was done to

ensure that each “Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS” event was customised to the needs of

each community and that community participation was genuine and listened to.

Project Aim and Context


Wednesday 14 September, 2016.

Communities covered: Clarence Valley

Venue: Grafton Community Centre, 59 Duke St, Grafton

Welcome to Country: Uncle Roger Duroux

Attendees: 58

Panel of experts for the Grafton eventNoel Walke - Team Leader, Northern Sydney, Uniting Care

Owen Craigie - Aboriginal Engagement Officer, Hunter, New England & Taree, St Vincent’s De Paul

Craig Windon - Relationship Manager, Ability Links & Early Links NSW

Pier Robinson-Tafft - Manager, Operational Implementation NDIS Design & Transition

Sean Pearson - Engagement Officer, NSW North, National Disability Insurance Agency

TransportThere were no requests received for transport to the Grafton event.

Key themes discussed in GraftonThe discussion that occurred after the PowerPoint presentation was engaging and lively and

saw participants raise a number of concerns, mostly related to the lack of service providers in

the Clarence Valley. Participants sought clarification around what definitions were in place for

their natural supports, family supports and exactly what additional supports would be covered

by the NDIS. Other important issues discussed included the need for a service delivery resource

which outlines what each service provider offers. Some participants felt that Grafton and the

Clarence Valley were under serviced and not receiving enough services to support the needs of the

community. Lack of Aboriginal workforce was raised on a number of occasions. The lack of

service provider choice and the shortfall of Mental health services were raised several times

during the day.

Event 1: Grafton


Outlying communitiesSusan visited Baryulgil Community Centre on two occasions. Initially on 8 November, 2016 and

a follow up visit on 5 December, 2016.

The first visit was informal and helped to establish rapport and family connections. Susan met

with some of the Aunties and Uncles and spoke about the project and the events we were

running. Susan was invited to come back on the date of the next service provider meeting in

order to provide more specific information about the NDIS. Charelle Giobatti, support planner for

FACS attended this meeting with Susan. We spoke again about the NDIS and included a hat and

T shirt in information bags for the 10 community members in attendance. The response was very

positive and we were issued with an open invitation to return to the community in the future.

Community Feedback

What did you enjoy most about the day?

• Learning more about the NDIS

• The information/ holistic presentation of event

• The opportunity to discuss the barriers and access issues openly

• The networking with other agencies

• Opportunity to meet and discuss NDIS - FINALLY

• I enjoyed the knowledge that was shared in a manner that was easy to understand

What do you think needs to be improved?

• Working with other agencies, health especially mental health

• Trying to get all organisations working together

• Floor layout- Roundtable makes it hard to see presentations front on.

• Probably more people associated to the mental health sector to be invited

• For me, nothing really, except hold more sessions and advertise it more

• More services to avail themselves ( mental health)

• More workshops, but good

Event 1: Grafton


Friday 28 October, 2016.

Communities covered: Richmond Valley

Venue: North Coast Community Church, 67 Richmond St, Casino

Welcome to Country: Aunty Gwen Hickling

Attendees: 74

Panel of experts for the Casino eventNoel Walker - Team Leader, Northern Sydney, Uniting Care

Owen Craigie - Aboriginal Engagement Officer, Hunter, New England & Taree, St Vincent’s De Paul

Sharon MacLeod - Project officer, Ability Links & Early Links NSW

Melissa Shina - A/ Manager, District Readiness , NDIS Design & Transition

Sean Pearson - Engagement Officer, NSW North, National Disability Insurance Agency

Key themes arising from CasinoCasino was our biggest event and had interesting discussions. Community members were very

engaged and asked questions specific to their real life scenarios. Robust conversations occurred

around the number of Aboriginal service providers in the Richmond Valley and how non Aboriginal

service providers need to make more of an effort into engaging with the local Aboriginal

Community. A real concern was the amount of non Aboriginal service providers who had not

completed cultural awareness training.

Transport: A bus was organised from Lismore to Casino, local transport around Casino was also organised.

Getting the

MOB

Event 2: Casino


Community Feedback What did you enjoy most about the day?

• Relaxed and not to formal yet well presented

• The networking & conversations

• Access to knowledgeable panel members for Q & A

• The information presented was concise and easy to understand. The response from the

panel was clear and to the point

• Everything very informative

• Info presented in simple easy to understand, best NDIS workshop I’ve attended

• Explanation is good


• Should have had white board for yarning circle

• Fans & A/C

• A bit more information culturally

• Panel members ability to respond to emotional question/comments with empathy

(thought they were very polite & professional)

• Local Aboriginal Workers to be present

Event 2: Casino


Thursday 1 December, 2016.

Communities covered: Ballina, Cabbage Tree Island, Wardell

Venue: Ballina Aboriginal Child & Family Centre, 10 Haymen St, Ballina

Welcome to Country: Aunty Carol Roberts

Attendees: 36

Panel of experts for the Ballina eventNoel Walker - respected Bundjalung man, and former Team Leader, Uniting Care

Charelle Giobatti - Support planner, ADHC

Transport Transport was provided by the Ballina Aboriginal Child & Family Centre

Key themes arising from Ballina:The format of the Ballina event was changed to keep the focus more informal. We had six support

planners available to talk through any questions the participants had regarding their individual

circumstances. The participants were so engaged that the question and answer session began

taking place while the PowerPoint session was being delivered. At all other events we had

delivered the PowerPoint presentation in its entirety before taking any questions. Adapting the

format to suit the audience worked extremely well in Ballina, mainly due to the smaller number

of attendees. Participants were the most interested in talking about early intervention planning,

which is not surprising given most participants had an established relationship with the Child &

Family Centre.

Event 3: Ballina

Getting the

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Community Feedback


• The information and staff present who assisted the families

• Listening to the lady speaker and the slideshow, and speaking to Darren about my plan

• The informal setting

No feedback was received on how we could improve the day from the Ballina event

Event 3: Ballina


Event 4: Tweed

Getting the

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Thursday 2 February, 2017.

Communities covered: Tweed Valley

Venue: South Tweed Community Centre, Corner of Heffron St & Minjungbal Drive, South Tweed

Welcome to Country: Uncle Victor Stockee

Attendees: 52

Panel of experts for the Tweed Heads eventSharon MacLeod, Relationship Manager, Ability Links & Early Links NSW

Gerard Corbett, Assistant Director, Community Engagement, Queensland South, National

Disability Insurance Agency

Charelle Giobatti, Support Planner, FACS

Felicty Cocuzzoli, A/ Senior Project Officer, NDIS Coordination, FACS

Allan Roberts, Senior Policy Officer, NDIS Governance & Engagement, FACS

Transport Transport was requested by local Tweed resident, and provided by an ADHC staff member.

Key themes arising from Tweed HeadsParticipants started the conversation off seeking clarification around exactly what was defined as

a disability. Panel members clarified the difference between a disability and a health condition.

Participants were engaged and asked specific questions regarding their circumstances and how

the NDIS would assist them. Key matters of concern regarding the NDIS being unable to pay

for a family holiday. Panel members advised other paths that could be taken to receive a more

favourable result in terms of respite and family support. Ability linkers are able to assist the family

of the people who has a disability and can help support siblings to participate in sport and other


extra curricular activities. The overall vibe of the day was extremely positive, and comments were

made about the discussion from these events being made into a digital format would improve

access for many Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community members

Community Feedback


• How everything was explained

• The people

• The information was really good

• Learning something every day is certainly true. I learnt a lot of interesting, new and useful

information

• Awesome Job Dave. Uncle Victor’s welcome to country and that I knew nothing and it

got my brain moving in the right direction.

• Very open and clear

• The honesty and openness of all the presenters

• Excellent presentation

• Positivity of the panel re; the NDIS was uplifting.


• Nothing

• More studies with school age children - mental disability starts quite early in life.

• Don’t know

• It’s pretty perfect. Maybe not using the term ‘space’ when discussing Aboriginal culturally

appropriate service provision.

• THANK YOU

Event 4: Tweed



Table 1. Key Community and Key Stakeholder consultations

Key contact/ group From Comments

Dorothy Pholi Cranes Grafton Met with Dorothy to ask for advice on the Grafton

community, and what the best format would be,

and also about any key contacts I had to speak to.

Advised that the Grafton community centre was

the best place for the event, rather than any of the

clubs.

Ngayundi Health forum run by

NSW LHD for the

Bundjalung and Yaegl

Traditional custodians

Addressed the meeting, spoke about the 4 events

I have been employed to do, and gave an outline

around the project aims . Attended the meeting in

both August and December.

Aunty Gwen Hickling Casino Spoke to about the Casino event

ADHC Advisory Group Lismore Gave guidance around who to contact

Lisa Southgate Ability Linker in Grafton Met with Lisa and spoke to her about her role and

the challenges her clients face

Tracey Donnelly Ability linker in Casino Tracey attended the Casino event and we talked

about common issues faced by her clients

Di Creighton Ability linker in Tweed ,

Ballina and Byron

Met with Di in Ballina at the Ability Linker meetings,

called regarding the Grafton, spoke to in regards to

Casino and Ballina event.

Ability Linkers meeting Ballina surf club Introduced myself to around 20 Ability linkers at the

Ballina meeting. Spoke about the events and my

role.Met with Craig Windon.

Beris Duroux Aboriginal Liasion

education officer,

Grafton to Ballina

Met with Aunty Beris, she provided information

and context about the community dynamics

Robin Matthes Manager at Grafton

ADHC

Spoke to Robyn about childcare services who

could provide assistance for the Grafton event

Casino Aboriginal

Education Consultative

Group (10/08/16)

Met with the casino

AECG group

Spoke to the group about the project. Met Lisa

walker from Jumbunna early intervention centre

who was a pivotal contact regarding the Casino

event.

Isobel Bradshaw Early linker at Bunjum

child and family centre

Met with Isobel and told her about the project.

Isobel was instrumental to executing the Ballina

event and engaging with the local community.


Key contact/ group From Comments

Lizzie Ervine Manager , Services

our way at ADHC

Gave a good background on the issues

currently happening in her region as the NDIS

rollout occurs

Damien Becker & Erin

Molloy

Ability linkers and

student placement

Erin assisted with transport enquiries. Damien

promoted the Ballina and Tweed events.

Peter Barton Our mob alliance Expertise and advice provided on venue and

local community engagement

Troy Combo

Steve Blunden

Program Manager,

Casino AMS

Met with Troy and Steve about Casino , the

AMS and engaging the local community

Casino Aboriginal Goori

Interagency

Attended the meeting and told the group about

the Casino event.

Tweed Goori intergency Maribeth Saxby Attended the Tweed Goori interagency meetngs

and informed the group about the four projects,

and specifically about the Tweed event.t

Leweena Williams CEO, Tweed Byron

Local Aboriginal land

Council

Met with Leweena around the background of

the project. Advise on who else to speak to in

the Tweed community

Sue Follent Bugalwena Health

Advisory Group

Met with Aunty Sue and spoke about the

project

Dale Williams Bugalwena Health

Advisory Group

Met with Aunty Dale and spoke about the

project

Chantal Hart Kalwun Medical

services

Chantal helped promote the Tweed event

Nunya Jarjum Lismore Aboriginal

foster care service

NDIS powerpoint presentation, with Amy

Davidson

Baryugil community Community members Met with 10-15 people at Baryugil on 8

November and 6 December

Marvette Logan, Vicky Cora Australian Unity Spoke to regarding the events

Aboriginal disability

network, Tracy Burrel

Tweed Heads Attended a meeting at Minjungbal museum

and spoke about the project, asked who they

thought she be consulted.

Getting the Mob ready for the NDIS report

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