By Jenel Hunt
Thirty-four years ago, Granite Belt Support Services was an infant organisation established to help people with disabilities.
It has grown to 87 staff and the centre is no longer the modest operation it was in the beginning, but GBSS Service Manager Therese Crisp says there’s one thing that hasn’t changed.
“Our number one priority is our heart. We don’t have a choice but to put everything on a business footing because of compliances and the way we are funded, but our heart is always, always number one for us.“
She said the ethos and the culture of the organisation had remained the same throughout the three-plus decades of operation.
“We have a wonderful management committee that is very supportive. The committee is made up of interested community members, parents and carers of people with disabilities.”
There are four arms to the service – the support workers, operational team, therapy team and plan management team.
Therese is the Service Manager and heads up the operational part of the organisation. The co-manager is Chris McNamara, who is the Therapy Manager.
“She is a wonderful colleague. Chris has 10 therapists plus families that she manages. We got so big we needed this kind of collaborative leadership model. It’s very democratic and works very well,” said Therese.
The Allied Health professionals are in the fields of occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech language pathology and work with people of all ages to improve or maintain their wellbeing in everyday activities like play, learning, communication, getting along with others and forming friendships, movement skills, everyday tasks and leisure.
“I’ve been here for nearly 26 years and I wouldn’t go anywhere else because we have a great team and I truly believe in the values of GBSS.
“The best part is making a difference to people’s lives. However big or small it is, making a difference is important. We believe in looking beyond a person’s disability to see the person and their ability.”
Not one of the 87 members of staff is a permanent full-time employee. “As a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) operation, the GBSS is only allowed to have permanent part-time or casual staff.
“We have 21 people in the operational team; the administration. Most of us used to be permanent but NDIS doesn’t allow for that. Plus, it is a stressful job. We all need an extra day off sometimes. All the disability workers are casual. It’s just the way things are run. When you’re working in the human services sector it’s hard to turn off. You live the job. That’s one reason we’re an r u ok champion service. We know that mental health is really important to our workers as well as the people we work with. The whole team has access to any support they may need. We have the channels within our organisation to make sure they get the support.”
She said recruitment of staff was quite a detailed process with an excellent induction and orientation program, including modules and online training that had to be completed by people who wanted to work there. Background checks were made. Getting support workers could be an issue like anywhere, but people soon knew if they really wanted to work in the industry.
Being a part of NDIS had changed the business end of the service. There were regulations and lawful requirements to comply with, along with changes to funding.
“I think our biggest challenges are external. For example, the Tenterfield and Liston families [in NSW] that we support have added issues because two different types of legislation are involved. This happens even though NDIS is federal.
“Once we could take a person on a cruise or on holidays or outings. That’s very limited now because of the funding that person receives and what they can claim and can’t claim. Funding is very restrictive for a lot of families – especially in a rural area because travel is expensive but is poorly funded in people’s packages. Just doing a pickup can be 35km but it may not be adequately catered for in the funding. For some, travel is a small component of their funding but others aren’t funded at all. Still, NDIS has made a big difference to a lot of people, and that’s a positive.”
The Granite Belt Support Services is designed to support people with disabilities from birth, through therapy help with early intervention right through until aged care takes over. It offers support and services to individuals covering a wide range of disabilities. The assistance includes life skills programs and development, social and community access support, in-home support and overnight respite (they have just opened a second respite house), NDIS plan management and community participation support.
Therese said the group’s Facebook page showed some of the many diverse activities that helped foster acceptance and inclusion in the community for people with disabilities.
Last month GBSS took part in the Super Swim Challenge for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Another fun event was lacing up sports shoes to do a walkathon. The group’s Auslan choir has performed at the art gallery, Weeroona Park and even at Stanthorpe’s annual busking competition.
“Breaking down the barriers is something that we continue to do, but we’re lucky we live in an inclusive community. They’re very accepting.”
