A local disability sector operator wanting to help people realise its vision to assist more people with disability achieve independent living is among eight organisations across the nation to receive up to six months of direct business support designed to give them a competitive industry edge.
As part of its Federally funded interactive learning program, NDIS Success, the Community Business Bureau (CBB) has announced that ACT’s Project Independence is among the successful grant recipients.
CBB General Manager, Consulting and Business Services, Jane Arnott, said: “This direct business consulting opportunity helps these organisations take what they’ve learned through our webinar series and apply that knowledge to some very exciting projects and plans they have in the pipeline.”
“We have been overwhelmed by the interest received during our first round of NDIS Success from small to medium organisations across Australia wanting to adapt and scale services, as well as larger organisations wanting to fast-track their efforts to deliver on the needs of Australians living with disability,” she said.
“Those who successfully completed the program were invited to apply for direct business consulting support to help them take their ideas to the next step of development, and the many applications we received showcased ingenuity, commitment and innovation at its finest.”
In welcoming the mentoring opportunity, Project Independence spokesperson, Susan Beaumont, said participating in CBB’s NDIS Success program had provided the organisation with good information and exposure to a structured learning approach that made sense.
“Project Independence offers people with intellectual disability the opportunity to build their financial and social independence with the support of a caring community. While we currently have about 20 people in the ACT living in their own Project Independence home, our plan is to build more houses so people with disability can enjoy the lifestyle and freedom of choice that comes with independent living,” Ms Beaumont said.
“Having the opportunity to be mentored by the CBB team allows us to develop a feasibility plan for a Pathways to Independence Program designed to help people with disability best-prepare for independent living, whether in one of our homes or another option of their choosing,” she said.
“There are plenty of practical programs that show people the basics of how to cook, clean, shop and do other tasks, but almost no program that assists people with intellectual disabilities to develop essential personal skills such as daily living skills, how to live in harmony with others, managing change and conflict resolution.”
“We want to integrate our strong internal program development and delivery capability with CBB’s sector experience to develop a robust business model that ticks all the boxes.”
Physiotherapists, speech and occupational therapists, medical practitioners, and podiatrists were among an array of participants who accumulated more than 800 webinar views in the initial round of NDIS Success, gaining valuable insight into the critical steps needed to thrive and grow in the NDIS environment from a panel of expert presenters.
Dozens of organisations who completed the program were then eligible to apply for the Federally funded direct business consulting opportunity.
“The CBB team has helped hundreds of Australian service providers to operate successfully in the NDIS environment and we will draw on that experience to work with our round one winners to develop initiatives which are sure to address a number of critical service and support gaps which will ultimately be of great benefit to people with disability,” Ms Arnott said.
Round two registrations for NDIS Success are now open for organisations already providing disability services who are keen to expand as well as organisations in an associated field wanting to move into the disability sector.
Secure your interest in the next round of NDIS Success.
This program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. CBB’s Community Development Fund is also contributing funds to the program.
