Issue 21-Newsletters-News and Publications-Disability

Disability in New Zealand
News and Publications

Disability Services E-Newsletter

Issue 21 - July 2007
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In this issue:

New DIAS for ASD
Changes to the Disability Services Directorate
DDG Update
Consumer Participation Programme
Communications update
Training & Leadership Fund
Consultation Document: A Career Frameworkfor the Health and Disability Workforce in New Zealand

This newsletter is also available in PDF format:
Disability Services E-Newsletter: July 2007 (PDF, 116 KB)

New DIAS for ASD

Disability Services of the Ministry of Health have contracted Life Unlimited and Parent to Parent New Zealand jointly to provide a new national disability information and advisory service (DIAS) for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families/whanau.

Parent to Parent and LIFE Unlimited are national organisations based in Hamilton. Both organisations have been providing information services to people with disabilities and their families/whanau for many years.They have been instrumental in the development of initiatives and services for people with ASD and their families and with Tanya Breen at the helm, LIFE Unlimited played a major role facilitating the ASD “Best Practice Guidelines”.

This service will:

Provide written information on ASD, support groups and services
Facilitate contact with a Support Parent whose child also has ASD
Provide ongoing support and information to adults with ASD
Have advisors/field workers available to provide ASD information and advice
Provide clinical and evidence-based advice on interventions/therapies to support people with ASD throughout their lifespan
Provide a website listing ASD service providers
Support community network meetings

The service will provide clinical and evidence-based information and advice through their clinical psychologist, who will help them to select an expert team of professionals to critique information and support the training and development of the service. They will also have field worker advisors and volunteer Support Parents, who will support people with ASD and their families throughout New Zealand. Community network meetings, where people with ASD, their families/whanau, providers and professionals can get together are another important feature of the service.

During July and August, Adri Isbister (CEO of LIFE Unlimited) and Anne Wilkinson (CEO of Parent to Parent) will be travelling around New Zealand to introduce the service and to receive suggestions and feedback.They will also be asking for ideas of a name for the new service. 25 meetings in 16 locations have been planned. Disability Resource Centres and Disability Information Centres are assisting with the coordination of these meetings.

Changes to the Disability Services Directorate

As many of you will already know there have been some changes in the structure of the Ministry of Health.

These changes will not affect the way we work with you or the services you are receiving.

Why the change?

These changes are to ensure that the Ministry is working as effectively as possible across the wide range of services, support and advice we fund or provide to Ministers, other Government agencies and people throughout New Zealand.

What has changed?

Most of the Disability Services Directorate has now joined with the other parts of the Ministry that also fund services to become Health & Disability National Services Directorate. Our Policy Team has become part of the Population Health Directorate.

As part of this re-structure we will now be working alongside the National Screening Unit – which is responsible for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and the National Cervical Screening programmes amongst others. This new group with also include the operations wing of Public Health as well as DHB provider funding, the Clinical Training Agency and some specific contracts through Clinical Services.

The new interim Deputy Director-General is Geraldine Woods, who has been the Deputy Director-General of the Disability Services Directorate for the last 2 ½ years.

What does this mean?

This means that although we will be part of a larger group, we will still be responsible for funding the same disability support services we currently do.

The work plan and strategic direction will remain unchanged.

The only changes you will see will be the change of our name to Disability Services, a part of the Health & Disability National Services Directorate. All services and contracts will remain the same.

DDG Update

Geraldine Woods, Interim Deputy Director-General, Health and Disability National Services Directorate

The changes to the Ministry of Health are well underway. You will have received a news brief about these changes at the beginning of July.

The new Directorate has a number of different services and operations under it from Public Health, Clinical Services, DHB Funding and Performance as well as the old DSD except for the Policy Team. It will be a busy few months for me as I learn about the new areas that I am responsible for and put in place systems and practices to ensure that we all work effectively together. It is also a time of change for the staff of the new Directorate as they get to know and work with each other.

Although we are now part of a larger Health and Disability National Services Directorate, I want to assure you that I am as committed as I have always been to ensuring that we get the best possible outcomes for disabled people and provide as appropriate and accessible services and information as we can. I along with the Disability Services Team will continue to work towards our vision of disabled people living and participating in their home and communities in the same way other New Zealanders do.

Consumer Participation Programme

Disability Services is committed to consumer participation. The 2007 consumer forum, hui and fono series concluded in June.

Disability Services staff and Consumer Consortium members were pleased with the turnout of consumers this year. Quality feedback was received about Disability Services' response to concerns and issues raised in 2006.The development of the 0800 complaints and information service was particularly well received. Participants contributed openly about what is working well, what isn't and made suggestions for improvement of services. This will inform future planning within the Directorate. Thank you to the Federation of Disability Information Centres for organising and administering the meetings. A report about the forums will be published on the web soon.

Communications update

An exciting development in the communications area of Disability Services is that our fact sheets are now available on audio tape.

The RNZFB created some audio tapes for us as well as an audio file that can go on the website and onto CD with the word, pdf and large print versions.

We have also contracted with Unreal Films Ltd to create a DVD about accessing disability support services that are funded by the Ministry of Health.This DVD will be from the service users point of view and feature disabled people. It will have captioning, sign language, Te Reo, Samoan,Cook Island, Tongan languages also included.We aim to have this completed by November this year.

New staff

Tina Berkett
Executive Assistant - Southern Operations
I joined the Disability Services’, Southern Operations Team in May 2007. I have a varied employment history, mainly working in administration/secretarial work for MSD, Wellington Racing Club, CSC among others. Just over two years ago I was offered the opportunity to manage a bar and restaurant. After working 80+ hours for 18 months I decided it was time to get out. I was unsure whether to return to the corporate world or continue within hospitality so worked for the family business as an Agricultural Labourer (i.e. stockwork, fencing, tractor work, baleage, hay making)until I made a decision. After six months I decided to return to the corporate world and took up my current position. When I am not at work I can be found at the gym, clay bird shooting, at home or out enjoying myself with friends.

Robyn Mills
Executive Assistant -Northern Operations
After a redundancy from a private Waikato company I contracted for a Hamilton recruitment agency and was placed with the Ministry of Health in Hamilton on a long term basis. I duly applied for the advertised position and was the lucky candidate. So, after six weeks temping and ‘learning the ropes’ to train a new employee, I started on the Ministry’s permanent full time staff on Monday 2 July.My past employment has been in the private sector and this is my first appointment with the Ministry.My qualifications are in Executive and Administrative PA, Credit Control and Human Resources.I undertake voluntary work for those less fortunate than myself, assisting in their homes and gardens.As an avid gardener and landscaper I am kept busy at the weekends, although mainly in the summer months.

Evelyn Ross
Executive Assistant - ID(CC&R)
Whilst being relatively new to the Health Sector, my public service career began in the early 90s with Te Puni Kokiri before taking a breakin the private sector in an executive recruitment company. I began with the Ministry in 2002 working in Public Health (Immunisation and then Public Health Operations) until March 2007 when I left to start my BCA at Victoria University. While deciding what papers to undertake etc, I found myself back at the Ministry in a temp role which has now become permanent on a part-time basis.When my time is not occupied by playing substitute mother/aunt to the countless number of nephews,nieces and their friends, I am obsessive about painting, Kapa Haka, my Xbox and PS2, reading and cars.

Prema Mani
Contract Relationship Manager -Southern Operations
I have been living in New Zealand for 3 years with my Kiwi husband. I spent my early years in Manchester and 20 years in London before moving to Sydney and Wellington. In London I worked for a number of NGO providers including health providers, specialising in tribunal representation in the area of disability benefits. Since arriving in New Zealand, I have worked as a Contract Specialist for Child, Youth and Family and as National Advisor for the Cancer Society in the area of support and volunteer services. I enjoy travelling, food and drink, good coffee and playing music.

Training & Leadership Fund

Proposals wanted Disability Services is pleased to announce that a $500,000 fund has been allocated to a Leadership and Training Fund which aims to foster leadership for disabled people by disabled people, within the disability sector. The purpose of the training is to assist disabled people become more confident to manage their own supports.

This is one-off funding for projects. Proposals will need to consider nationwide access, collaborative cross-agency funding, have a start and end date and be led by disabled people.

Proposals are sought for projects that will meet the purpose of the fund.

For more information please contact Alison Hearn on Alison_Hearn@moh.govt.nz or on 04 816 3654

For a proposal document please contact Susan Fernandes on Susan_Fernandes@moh.govt.nz or on 09 580 9112

Closing date is 1 October 2007.

Consultation Document: A Career Framework for the Health and Disability Workforce in New Zealand

As you may know this is a joint project between the Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards Workforce Group. It has been developed in consultation with a wide range of sector groups but now it is time to consult with the whole sector on the concept of the proposed Career Framework.

The proposed Career Framework describes the structure of and progression within the health and disability workforce with the aim of:

supporting individuals and organisations to develop careers and career pathways
informing and improving health and disability workforce planning.

Submissions must be sent by 31 July 2007 to:
careerframework_submissions@moh.govt.nz

or

Career Framework Submissions
PO Box 5013
Wellington

The consultation document can also be found online at:http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/6375?Open and www.dhbnz.org.nz under current issues.