Issue 30-Newsletters-News and Resources-Disability

Disability in New Zealand
News and Publications

e-newsletter - Issue 30 - August 2009

In this issue:
Ian Axford Fellowship
Update from Group Manager
2011 Disability Survey
Swine Flu update
Disability information promotional campaign
Attitude Awards

Download this newsletter in in PDF format:

Disability Services Provider E-Newsletter: August 2009 (PDF, 454 KB)

Ian Axford (New Zealand): Fellowships in Public Policy
Over the last seven months the Disability Support Services Group at the Ministry of Health has been hosting Alixe Bonardi on an Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in Public Policy.Alixe is Assistant Director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research. She is a trained occupational therapist and has spent the past ten years working in disability policy research and development. While here in Wellington, Alixe researched approaches to risk management in New Zealand intellectual disability services.

Fullbright New Zealand administer awards for New Zealanders and Americans wanting to study and research in each other’s country. The Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in Public Policy, is for mid-career professionals from America to research, travel and gain practical experience in public policy in New Zealand for seven months.

Below is a summary and link to the report Alixe prepared at the end of her fellowship.

The Balance between Choice and Control: Risk Management in New Zealand Intellectual Disability Services
Abstract

Supports for people with intellectual disability in New Zealand have undergone great changes in the past 20 years, many of them positive and driven by a vision for real participation in the community for all New Zealanders. Movement of a service model from institutional care to a model that supports community participation, flexibility, and choice has been steady and in many cases has shown positive change in people’s lives. There is growing concern, however that the pace of progress has slowed, and that people with intellectual disabilities continue to experience barriers to living an “ordinary” life in New Zealand.

Studies completed in New Zealand, as well as international studies suggest that people with intellectual disability experience greater vulnerability to poor health outcomes, experience higher behavioural support needs, and are at greater risk of abuse or neglect, compared to the general population.

This report examines how risk management is approached in New Zealand, in particular in the context of services for people with intellectual disability. It reviews the development of the philosophy of service provision to provide necessary background, followed by an analysis of how risk management is perceived and applied by a number of stakeholders, including people with intellectual disability and their families. The tensions between flexibility (choice) and safety (control) are explored both at an individual and system’s level. The report concludes with considerations and recommendations applicable to the current New Zealand context.

Download full report in PDF format: http://www.fulbright.org.nz/voices/axford/docs/axford2009_bonardi.pdf

Update from the GM Anne O’Connell
Group ManagerDisability Supoort Services
Health & Disability National Services

Greetings from Wellington. It is almost Spring and the mild weather recently has almost made me forget it is still winter.

As this is my first newsletter I would like to introduce myself, identify what my priorities are, and update you on where we are up to in terms of our work plan.

I joined Disability Support Services (DSS) from ACC, where I held a variety of roles over the last 10 years. I originally trained and worked as a Registered General and Obstetric Nurse so know what it’s like to work in both frontline, hands-on health services as well as the managerial side. I have worked in the health purchasing area for some time and have experience with outcome purchasing, developing new service models, service trials, developing monitoring and performance systems and developing strong provider relationships.

I have been in the job of Group Manager DSS for almost five months now and during this time I have started to get to know how the Ministry works, who our service users and providers are and what is important to the disability sector. Being new to the role I have the opportunity to bring new ways of working to the group.

My way of working includes clearly identifying roles and responsibilities and working with providers, disabled people, their families and carers to achieve good outcomes for everyone. Improving the relationship between DSS and the organisations we work with is one of my priorities.

Another key priority for consumers is flexibility and influence and how we can get more flexibility and influence into the services we fund. This presents some challenges to us as funders. How do we ensure that people feel safe and secure, service providers are accountable and that there is some discretionary scope for change and adaptation? It requires new ways of thinking and new ways of operating.

Our 2009/10 work programme is tempered by the current financial environment. While our funding has not decreased, there will be no extra funding this financial year. There is increasing pressure on our services and on the available funding and my job is to work out how to use this funding efficiently and effectively. We also have some recommendations from the Select Committee report that we are looking to implement. We will have updates for you in the next newsletter on some of our projects such as further developing Supported Living options, improving choices for young people in residential support services, expanding Individualised Funding, exploring Local Area Coordination and continuing to improve the disability workforce.

There are many overlaps with our pieces of work so my task over the last few months has been to work on a framework or plan that brings these together and guides us on a way forward. This plan is well underway and I will, hopefully, be able to expand more on it in the next newsletter.

The current economic environment is an opportunity for us. It challenges us to think even harder about solutions and out of that will come new and different ways of doing things. We need to identify those innovations, learn from them and share them. We all have a role in this.

I look forward to meeting and working with you all over the coming year.

2011 Disability Survey
The Statistics New Zealand Disability Survey Team would like to announce that a full disability survey will be carried out in 2011. The decision to do a Disability Survey in 2011 was made after considerable consultation with key stakeholders and users. Consultation will continue as the survey is developed. A Statistics New Zealand web page has been set up which will be updated as the survey development progresses.

The survey development team members are working hard to improve the survey in the relatively short period of time available to them. They are currently deciding on content and the questionnaires are being developed. The new survey will be broader than the previous three and will collect new information on those people who care for disabled people, as well as provide some socio-economic outcomes information around such things as safety and security, leisure and recreation.

If you want more information about the 2011 post-censal Disability Survey, please go to: http://www.stats.govt.nz/people/health/disabilities.htm or contact Ian McGregor, Statistics New
Zealand, 04 9314252

Swine Flu Update
The number of people reporting to GPs and hospitals with influenza-like illnesses continues to fall, but people need to remain vigilant and continue to take steps to stop the spread of germs.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says the continuing drop in influenza cases is encouraging, and has given frontline health services a welcome reprieve from the added pressures felt in recent months.

Whether the decline in cases will continue remains unclear. It is common for influenza numbers to rise and fall over several months.

Mr Ryall says, “Now is not the time to let down our guard. It is important that people continue to do the things that have helped keep them healthy during this pandemic: stay at home if you are sick, wash and dry your hands often and cover coughs and sneezes.”

He says it is important to remain prepared in case pandemic influenza re-emerges in coming weeks or months, or returns during the northern hemisphere winter.

Disability information promotional campaign
Over the next couple of months there will be a number of national advertising initiatives promoting Federation information centres. These include radio advertising on Solid Gold and More FM which began on the 29 July and is running for one month. This will be followed with a quarter page advertisement in all community newspapers across the country during August and September and similar advertising in Tu Mai and Spacifik Magazines during September and October.

A reprint of current Disability Support Services information fact sheets with translations in Māori, Cook Island Maori, Samoan and Tongan will be available through Federation Centres. These are part of an information kit that includes new diagram’s and flow charts about accessing services and contact details for all Federation centres and NASCs throughout the country.

NZ federation of disability information centres logo.

This initiative came from feedback received from the recent Disability Support Services fono, hui and forums, and from feedback from the Consumer Consortium. It is designed to provide information to the wider community on how to find disability support services.

Attitude Awards
The Attitude Awards honour the outstanding achievements of New Zealanders living with a disability and are now open for entries in its second year running.

Cameron Leslie had no idea winning the Attitude Sportsman of the Year Award late last year would lead him completely out of his comfort zone. The 2008 gold medal winning paralympian swimmer is used to testing himself and doing hours of pool training.

But when the crew from Attitude TV suggested joining them in learning bush survival in a remote South Island forest, he had to think twice. Going into the bush, let alone spending a night alone, is something the athlete with a quadruple limb deficiency had never contemplated. But he joined Attitude TV (TV One 10am Sundays) presenters Curtis Palmer and Kristy Munro and fellow paralympian Kate Horan and survived the challenge.

He has even done a second - going into Australia’s Outback on a jackaroo adventure- and has been inspired to study journalism at university. Attitude TV in conjunction with Parafed Auckland is now looking for more Cameron Leslies. Entries have opened for the second annual Attitude Awards and are open until September 4 with finalists selected soon after.

There are nine categories in the awards, including sport, courage in sport, community, artistic achievement, youth, spirit of attitude, employer, person of the year and Attitude Hall of Fame. Entrants will range from supreme NZ athletes to Kiwis who family, friends and neighbours think should be recognised for their courage, perseverance or support for people who live with disabilities.

Attitude producer and presenter Curtis Palmer says the team was impressed with the number of entrants last year and hope to see even more entrants this time around. Dr Jan White, ACC Chief Executive says ACC is proud to return as a principal sponsor of the Attitude Awards.

“Last year’s entrants were hugely inspiring and showed outstanding resolve and determination and I’m sure this year’s entrants will be just as strong,” Dr White says. “We were particularly impressed with the employers last year, who demonstrated exceptional commitment to people with disabilities and proved that a disability, whether through injury or otherwise, should not be a barrier to success in the workplace.”

The Lion Foundation has returned to support the awards too. A spokesman says the Foundation is proud to support the awards because its goal is to support and help people achieve great things in their communities and the Attitude Awards play a special role in recognising many people with disabilities who have achieved. Southern Cross Healthcare, Air New Zealand, Invacare, Westpac, Wayne Francis Charitable Trust, Perry foundation and Drake Medox have also committed to supporting the awards. The winners in each category will be announced at a black tie event at Eden Park’s ASB Lounge in Auckland on December 3, coinciding with World Disability Day.

For more information please contact:
Sue Wales-Earl
Project Manager
The Attitude Awards
Ph: 64 (0)9 309 4015
Mb: 64 (0)27 622 5111
Email: sue@attitudetv.co.nz

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.disabilitytv.com

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Health. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this newsletter, the Ministry of Health is not responsible for any ommissions, inaccuracies or changes that may have taken place after publication.