SCI Australia Update
In a letter to members Chairman David Brawn has reported on the latest developments in SCI Australia.
Business Performance
I am very pleased with the performance of the organisation as a whole and the managers and staff in particular. We are tracking well against our 2007/8 operating plans and achieving the associated targets. Three quarters of the way through our financial year, we are achieving our year to date budget and expect to finish the year in June ahead of budget with a healthy cash balance. I thank all managers and staff for their commitment to continuing to provide services to our members in a professional manner.
Senior Manager Recruitment
We are actively involved in recruiting a new CEO and have received a large number of high quality applications for the job. I hope that we can decide on a suitable candidate for the CEO position in April and have this person join the organisation by end April or early May.
We have contracted a well qualified Corporate Services Manager to fill Peter Perry’s vacant position from 2 April and hope to fill this position permanently by end April. Peter Perry continues to provide pro bono support and he will join the Board shortly to fill a vacant position until the AGM. We are very grateful to Peter for his contribution which goes beyond normal expectations.
Walk On Program launch
On Monday 17 March our exciting Walk On program was launched in Brisbane. This intensive exercise recovery program offers a way to maximise functional recovery through a structured program based upon the Project Walk application of the Dardzinski method. Findings suggest that the techniques used increase central nervous system activity, muscle mass and movement, decrease pain and depression and other health problems associated with a spinal cord injury. Returning recently from their Level 1 Certification in recovery methodology training in the USA, our two Recovery Specialists will continue to offer the program to clients under the guidance of Project Walk and one of their Lead Recovery Specialists who will arrive in Australia later this month. See www.scia.org.au/walkon for more information on this program.
Sargood Centre Project Status
The Sargood Centre project is currently on hold as we continue to seek approval from Council to our plans to build the Centre and more importantly because we are still seeking the necessary funds to build the Centre.
The plans for the Sargood Centre have been with the Warringah Council for several months and, as we understand it, the only outstanding issue is related to the proposed positioning of the Centre near a significant tree. This may require some redesign work on our part to avoid damaging the tree.
In relation to the capital funding situation, we had promises of funding in early 2007 that would have given us confidence to proceed to the first phase of construction of the Centre once the DA was approved. However the funders decided to withdraw their support and we have continued to seek new funders. The Board has decided to ask the new CEO to review the Sargood Centre project and make recommendations on the way forward to the Board as a matter of urgency.
You should know that we have had two unsolicited approaches from third parties interested in acquiring the land at Collaroy. Note that the Board has taken the position that it remains committed to building the Sargood Centre and has not agreed to enter into discussions with these parties. With the appointment of the new CEO imminent, it would be prudent to wait to discuss with the chosen CEO the options which are available to us. Of course, under the Company’s Constitution, any decision to sell the land must be made by the members.
While we have faced delays with the building of the Centre, we have been developing the concept and implementation of “transitional support”. This work is being developed in discussion with the Department of Ageing Disability and HomeCare (DADHC) who have allocated recurrent funding to SCI Australia for this ongoing service delivery component. Development of the services provided under this grant will enable us to strengthen and develop our Transitional Care Program described below.
Transitional Care Program
The focus of this program is to expand on our existing peer support, information and advocacy services. We are currently developing a web based consumer forum that will link peer support and information services and provide an arena for communication and problem solving between people with a spinal cord injury and relevant specialists on line. We are also improving the quality and depth of information we provide to individuals within the rehabilitation setting and working with the network of specialist services to ensure that the independence and quality of life of each person is maintained when they return home. In the future we hope to expand our capacity to provide skill development and training. Additionally we will also be creating the partnerships required to expand the availability of accessible housing and employment opportunities for people within their own communities.
We will be forwarding more information on this suite of Transitional services within the near future and we will be seeking your advice on additional areas of concern that we can address.
Teamsafe
Our Ambassadors continue to deliver their safety message while also increasing disability awareness in the workplaces of Australia. Teamsafe has recently been delivered to John Holland sites in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast with repeat bookings for the Gold Coast and Perth over the next few weeks. Bluescope Steel in Wollongong is currently using Teamsafe to assist in their journey to a safer workplace and the NSW RTA has booked Teamsafe in April for their maintenance teams in Dubbo. Teamsafe has now delivered our injury PREVENTION message to every mainland Australian state and will continue to help make complacency the only casualty.
I hope you have found this information interesting. Please do not hesitate to contact either myself (0419 295 400; d.brawn@bigpond.com or David Brice (dbri7667@bigpond.com) if you have any questions.
