CulturalShift

We have capacity!!

Please give a warm welcome to our new support coordinator Yi (E) Zhang!

Yi joined the CulturalShift family recently and brings a wealth of knowledge with 20 years of industry experience, and 6 years of NDIS experience as both a senior LAC and a senior support coordinator.

Yi has demonstrated knowledge and expertise in support coordination, which he delivers with compassion, kindness and a can do attitude.

Please reach out today to start your support coordination journey with CulturalShift 🌱🌻

📣📣Breaking news: The New NDIS Bill 📣📣

Bill Passed the House

🗳️ The new NDIS Bill passed the House of Representatives today.

⚖️ The Bill is not a law yet.

🏛️ The Bill will go to the Senate next.

❓ The Senate might not agree with the Bill.

🌱 Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John said they will not support the Bill.

What Happens Next

👥 The government has more members in the House, so the Bill passed easily.

📈 This is an important step for the Bill.

⏳ We have to wait to see what happens in the Senate.

Overnight Changes in the Bill that they voted yes to.

Removing Transitional Measures

🗂️ The government removed a rule from the Bill.

🚫 This rule said APTOS would be used until new rules were made.

📜 APTOS was not made to list everything NDIS should fund.

Limiting NDIA’s Power

🔍 The NDIA can only ask for information if there is no other way to get it.

🔒 This change is for privacy reasons.

Replacement Needs Assessment

📄 The original Bill did not say when NDIA can ask for a new needs assessment.

📅 The new changes say these conditions may be in future rules.

Clarifying Payments

💵 The new changes explain when NDIA can give more funding before a plan ends.

💸 More funding can be given if:

• 🚨 The person was a victim of fraud.
• ⚠️ There is a big risk to their life, health, or safety.
• 🧠 The person could not ask for a change due to disability or because they did not have decision making support.
• 🆘 There is an emergency.
• 📜 Or other reasons in future rules.

Possible Future Changes

🔄 The government might change the Bill more to work with the Senate.

Reading Process

First Reading

📘 The first reading of the NDIS Bill was when Minister Shorten introduced it in March.

Second Reading

📗 The second reading happened last week.

💬 Members of the House of Representatives talked about the Bill.

Third Reading

📙 The third reading happened today.

🗳️ Members voted on the Bill.

Senate Process

🏛️ The Senate will read the Bill three times too.

🧮 The government does not have more members in the Senate​.

🤝 The government must work with smaller parties or the opposition to pass the Bill.

Hard Words

🏛️ Senate: A part of the government that makes laws.

🏠 House of Representatives: Another part of the government that makes laws.

🌱 Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John: A member of the parliament from the Green party.

📜 Bill: A proposed law.

🚨 Fraud: When someone lies to get something, usually money

📋 APTOS: Applied Principles and Tables of Support.

Thanks to Team DSC for the information that formed the basis of this post.

Pic desc: an ai generated illustration of a bunch of people out the front of of Parliament House in Canberra and the words “NDIS Bill passes the house”

New here? Please fill in our referral form and a member of our team will be in touch within 24 business hours. We can't wait to hear from you!

Support Coordination Referral Form Please click the link to complete this form.

Here at CulturalShift we welcome and value your feedback so that we can continue to improve our services. Whether you have feedback on what you need us to do better, or compliments for our team, we would love to hear from you.

Feedback Form Please click the link to complete this form.

We have capacity!

CulturalShift has recently grown, with the addition of our wonderful new coordinator Tori Browne.

Tori has come from a background of working alongside a team of allied health professionals and has a strong knowledge in the power of evidence.

Tori has been with us for a month now and has quickly adapted to our client-centred approach, and has proven herself to be a responsive, empathetic and efficient support coordinator.

Tori is Gold Coast Based but can support clients across the Gold Coast, Logan, and Brisbane regions. She is also available to clients nation-wide for those who are comfortable with remote support.

Tori is able to provide level 2 support coordination.

Sammey Ingall also has some capacity to take on new clients. Sammey has been with us for 9 months now and has proven herself to be an extraordinary support coordinator with exceptional knowledge of all aspects of support coordination. Sammey approaches her work with a deep respect and care for every one of her clients, and is an extremely dedicated member of our team.

Ella Marriott, Director and Lead Coordinator, has limited capacity and is only open to Level 3 Specialist Coordination, or Level 2 support coordination to participants with complex needs. By focusing on our high intensity participants, Ella has been able to focus on mentorship and support to our team so that every one of our participants can continue to access a high level of support that aligns with current best practice, while still growing and learning as a support coordinator.

Please don't hesitate to reach out via phone or email, or by lodging a referral request here:

Referral | Mysite Specialist support coordinators will support you to manage challenges in your support environment which may include health, education, or justice services.

If you've got a support worker who isn't quite sure about their role or obligations, there are some great resources available on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission site.

Remember, even independent support workers are small business providers with an obligation to provide support in alignment with best practice, and are required to adhere to the NDIS Code of Conduct.

For workers | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission Under the NDIS Commission, a worker is anyone who is employed or otherwise engaged to provide NDIS supports and services to people with disability.

Our beautiful clients Helen and Vic are hosting Art Therapy workshops from their lovely Yarn and Craft store in Beenleigh.

We are beyond grateful to provide support to this dynamic mother/daughter duo and strongly encourage anyone interested in exploring Art Therapy to reach out to Mean Mothers Creations to discuss joining in on upcoming therapy sessions and crafting groups.

07 2103 1132

[email protected]

The Growing Space bringing amazing ideas 💡💡
Go give them a follow for more ideas like this one ☺️

Tired of cancellation fees? 😩
It's more than annoying to pay for a cancelled therapy or support work sessions, right? Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, if it's in your service agreement and you're Plan or Agency Managed, providers can charge for cancellations with less than 7 days notice.
But here's the catch – they can only charge if they don't have other paid work to fill your spot. It's hard to know if a therapist fills your slot with someone else, so we've got some suggestions to make sure those funds aren’t wasted! 💡
Prepare in advance a list of possible tasks for therapists and support workers if you need to cancel.
You can have a list ready for situations like being sick 🤒, going away 🧳, or car troubles 🚗.
Here are some ideas – but what have you asked or thought of that we can add to this list?

For therapists, consider asking them to:
1️⃣📝 Summarize your progress this year in a short report
2️⃣🏋️‍♀️ Develop a plan for independent skill improvement – stuff you can do by yourself or with family or a support worker.
3️⃣📉 Outline a strategy for reducing therapy in the coming months
4️⃣🎯 List mini-achievements or goals to work towards
5️⃣👩‍🏫 Provide advice or activities for schools or childcare (for children)
6️⃣📚 Create social stories, communication boards, picture schedules or other materials
7️⃣🔎 Research specific ideas, such as dating options or online resources

For support worker shifts, consider asking them to:
1️⃣🛍️ Shop for groceries
2️⃣🧹 Deep clean a room at home
3️⃣🗄️ Organize the pantry or container drawer
4️⃣🧽 Clean the fridge or ❄️defrost the freezer
5️⃣🥫 Check pantry items for expiration dates
6️⃣🧺 Complete laundry tasks (e.g., washing curtains)
7️⃣🌱 Feed your pot plants or get a vege plot started (if that’s something they know about)
8️⃣🏡 Plan a short term accommodation stay
9️⃣🍽️ Create a meal plan with your favourite dishes
🔟🍲 Cook and freeze single-serve meals
1️⃣1️⃣ 🧼 Wipe down skirting boards or other cleaning jobs
1️⃣2️⃣ 🐾 Care for pets if you're unable to
1️⃣3️⃣ 🏺 Research local classes or groups for accessibility and inclusivity around your interests
1️⃣4️⃣ 🧵 Mend clothes if they have the skill
1️⃣5️⃣ 🔌 Set up Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or other desired technology if they have the expertise

pic desc: a black dollar sign with a red circle and strikethrough over it



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Happy International Day of People with Disability.

This is me and my sister Tess, and she has had a massive impact on who I am, and why I do what I do. Tess lives with multiple disabilities but more importantly is a joyous, hilarious, and complex human being.

Being lucky enough to be Tess's little sister helped me to live a life I could never have known without her. She's always shown me the joy that can be found when we focus on the here and now. She's opened up our entire family to the most incredible friends and family members who we would most likely never have crossed paths with otherwise. She's helped me to see the fractures in our social fabric, through barriers presented to both her and our family members throughout her life. She's also taught me to see the world for the inclusive space that it can and should be.

I am proud to know and love Tess. I am proud to know and support every one of my clients and future clients to find their voices and push for the society that all of us deserve; together in unity not just today, but every day.

- Ella Marriott, Director and Lead Support Coordinator for CulturalShift

An exciting outcome for those who have been declined access in the past.

NDIS eligibility widened by Federal Court Chris explores the landmark Fe... Est. reading time: 6 minutes

If you are approaching 65 and accessing NDIS supports, you do not need to give up your NDIS access.

This great article by The Summer Foundation is well worth a read.

NDIS participants living in aged care and registration with the NDIS Commission - Summer Foundation Support coordinator, Francine, reached out to the Summer Foundation when she was told the lively 64-year-old she supported must give up access to the NDIS if she wanted to continue living in the residential aged care (RAC) facility she has lived in for 10 years.

Hi,

I’m Sammey. I have been working as a Support Coordinator for a little over a year now and I love working in such a caring and supportive industry.

My skills and interests are very much person centred, with a large focus on building relationships with people, helping and supporting them to create a more inclusive community.

I have extensive experience working with people of all ages and abilities. My many years experience working with children and as a centre director, coupled with my experience as a Disability Support Worker, has given me a unique skill set ideal for supporting my clients. My true passion is working with ECEI, and Child Services along with other supports to create and implement support plans to support children to succeed.

I am so excited to be working with Ella and soaking up all of her knowledge and experience.

Great news

https://ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releases/9471

“Getting NDIS participants home from hospital

The Hon Bill Shorten MP
20 October 2022

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Hon. Bill Shorten has today announced that 54 NDIS Specialised Hospital Discharge Planners will work in hospitals across the country.

These specialist planners will speed up discharge by working with participants throughout their hospital journey, using increased delegation and decision making powers to approve higher plan values at a local level where needed.

A total 50 Hospital Liaison Officers will also now help wrangle the supports needed across systems for safe and timely discharge of people with disability.

These new positions comes as Labor can announce we have reduced the number of NDIS participants waiting in hospitals by more than 300 participants since better data collection began in August.

“I promised to work with states and territories to improve the hospital discharge process for NDIS-eligible patients, by getting the right disability supports in place as soon as they are medically fit to leave hospital,” Minister Shorten said.

“I am thrilled our work is coming together and seeing the number of people leaving hospital and going home or into appropriate accommodation is on the rise.

“There were over 1,400 NDIS participants estimated to be medically ready for discharge who were unnecessarily languishing in hospital beds under the former Liberal Government.”

The National Disability Insurance Agency will also fund interim plans that include medium term accommodation where applicable.”

Getting NDIS participants home from hospital | Department of Social Services Ministers 20 October 2022 Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Hon. Bill Shorten has today announced that 54 NDIS Specialised Hospital Discharge Planners will work in hospitals across the country. These specialist planners will speed up discharge by working with participants throu...

Hi, I'm Ella, and I'm the Director and lead Support Coordinator for CulturalShift.

If you're looking for a Support Coordination provider who will always put you first, you've come to the right place and I invite you to get in touch.

We're a small company built on integrity, passion and a love of achieving great outcomes for our clients.

My personal story is that my sister was born with a complex intellectual disability, and also developed a psychosocial disability in her adolescence. I've always proudly advocated for inclusion for her, and all people with disability, and this passion has only grown in my career.

Professionally, I trained and worked as a paediatric registered nurse, before embarking on my career in disability services. I have been an NDIS planner, a Local Area Coordinator, and am now almost 2.5 years into my Support Coordinator Career. The majority of clients I have supported in my career are still with me, which I think says a lot about the service that I provide.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing [email protected] to arrange an initial conversation to confirm if we will be the best fit for you.

CulturalShift updated their phone number.

CulturalShift updated their website address.

Welcome to CulturalShift, a Gold Coast and Brisbane based support coordination service with the capacity to utilise teleconferencing for remote coordination around the country.

Our director is Ella Marriott, who has worked tirelessly in the sector for the past 6 years to build not only extensive knowledge and understanding of the NDIS, but also to build upon a treasure trove of lived experience and understanding.

We want to build upon what we know can enrich the lives of all people with disability, but especially those who use our Support Coordination services. We do this through excellent Support Coordination, offering community connections that are enriching, thorough report writing, and evidence-based planning.

Our goal with CulturalShift is to pull together the best and the most exciting opportunities that your region has to offer, so that our participating members have an amazing smorgasbord of choice along with the absolute choice in whom you hire to share your NDIS supported goals and experiences. We can help you connect with support services, allied health therapies, or a stand-out community opportunity. So if you want to form good, strong, independent relationships, or to discover what different organisations in your region have to offer, we are here to help.

If you are due for a funding review, you can't go past CulturalShift for excellent report-writing, and comprehensive understanding of the evidence required to prove once and for all to the NDIA what you need to succeed and thrive.