Since starting in the role of Acting State Manager in April, I have been busy with onboarding new staff to the team, some who you will be introduced to in this update. I have been busy engaging with providers, agencies, peak bodies and departments and planning for and developing strategies to deliver on our core work plan.

I have met with Government working groups regularly; including the QLD Health-led COVID-19 working group and engaged with government departments to address barriers that exist preventing them from hiring people living with an intellectual disability. I have also developed a number of employment presentations around performance reports and star ratings.

This month I have engaged with quite a number of organisations from many locations, including Mackay, Bowen, Cannonvale, Blackwater, Emerald, Rockhampton and Gladstone. At each location I am interested in learning more from providers about their operations, issues of note, and ongoing challenges in the sector; in order to assist them to be well equipped with the latest and most appropriate information, training and support to meet the needs of their clients and staff.

Let me introduce you to our Senior Sector Development Officers: Tracey Shaw and Jeremy Farley.

Meet Tracey Shaw

Tracey has over 30 years’ experience in the community services sector including over 14 years as the CEO of a medium sized not-for-profit organisation in north-west Queensland with the operational oversight of diverse community sector programs. These included a Neighbourhood Centre, disability and mental health services, family support and youth services, community housing, community development, and domestic violence services. In addition to Tracey's formal qualifications in social work, education, auditing, and management, she has significant governance experience having sat on several regional, state and national industry boards.

Meet Jeremy Farley

Working in community development and capacity-building roles with NDIS partners and peak bodies since 2017, Jeremy has a growing history of leading collaborations with not-for-profits, government, and community members. He most recently covered 10,000 kilometres of Queensland highway during an outreach role assisting disability services to facilitate NDIS access support for vulnerable cohorts. Jeremy loves to travel and previously backpacked through over a dozen countries for a project documenting different approaches to inclusion.

Action in Canberra

Our CEO Laurie Leigh has recently been in Canberra to attend the Disability employment Roundtable hosted by Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. This roundtable discussed the barriers facing people living with disability and innovative programs to assist them into employment. This was followed by another roundtable on the results of the formal performance review for disability service providers. For details of these roundtables and recent issues, please refer to the NDS website for more details. 

On a final note, we are excited to be holding NDS's National Navigating the Uncertainty of Change conference on 12 to 13 September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. This will focus on how to help others navigate change, how to create and lead a culture of trust and positive learning. With change inevitable and ongoing challenges facing the sector, the conference aims to focus on how a proactive approach can change stress and fear into win-win situations. 
 
After years of virtual events, we are really looking forward to opportunities that this face-to-face will bring to engage and network with our colleagues and, we really hope you can join us at the convention centre! For program details and to register, please go to Navigating the Uncertainty of Change.