Latest Training Sessions

We are moving to a new office soon and as a result have several spare desks that we can’t take with us. We are offering them for free to a good home! Please note: You need to remove the desk or desks yourself from our office in Oak Flats and there is a stairwell. They can be dismantled. You are welcome to inspect the desks but must make an appointment by calling our office on (02) 4256 4333. You can take one or many. First in basis. Desks will need to be removed during office hours at a prior agreed time and date. Please click here for more information.

On 25 November 2019, the Government announced that an additional $496.3 million would be spent on 10,000 home care packages across 2019-20 and 2020-21. This included: 3,000 level 3 packages 2,500 level 4 packages in 2019-20 and; 2,000 level 2 packages 2,000 level 3 packages and; 500 level 4 packages in 2020-21. The net impact of these changes is that around 44,000 additional packages at a cost of around $2.7 billion have been allocated to the program over the forward estimates since July 2018 There were 28,638 home care approvals in the September 2019 quarter. This was 7.1% (1,893) more than the approvals in the September 2018 quarter (26,745) The 118,050 people in care at 30 September 2019 represented a 10.6% (11,343) increase from 30 June 2019 (106,707) and a 30.2% (27,404) annual increase from 30 September 2018 (90,646) 48,100 home care packages were released during the September 2019 quarter, […]

We are moving to a new office soon and as a result have several spare desks that we can’t take with us. We are offering them for free to a good home! Please note: You need to remove the desk or desks yourself from our office in Oak Flats and there is a stairwell. They can be dismantled. Some desks are available immediately and some are not available until after 28/1/2020. You are welcome to inspect the desks but must make an appointment by calling our office on (02) 4256 4333. There are also a couple of small drawer units also available. You can take one or many. First in basis. Desks will need to be removed during office hours at a prior agreed time and date. Please click here for more information.

Community Industry Group is proud to be part of the ISLHD Homelessness Mental Health Program. The ISLHD Homelessness Mental Health Program provides brokerage and/or case management to people who are: Over 18 years of age Homeless or at risk of homelessness (tenancy at risk) Have a diagnosed mental health condition Live in the Illawarra or Shoalhaven We also provide advocacy for clients to Government Departments and NGO’s as well as education programs e.g. hoarding and squalor training. Click here for the referral form. For more information contact: Homelessness Mental Health Program Social Worker Social Work Department The Wollongong Hospital Phone: 02 4253 4500 Email: ISLHD-HMHProgram@health.nsw.gov.au For a printable version of the flyer click here.

The staff of Community Industry Group wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season! Our office will be closed from 24 December 2019 and will reopen on Monday 6 January 2020.

We had an excellent turn out of more than 90 people at our latest Navigating Local Services Forum on 28 November 2019. The topic was End of Life Issues and we heard from five keynote speakers plus a great cross section of service providers giving their two minute power pitch. Priyanka Bhattarai from Flinders University gave an update on the progress of the development of the End of Life Directions in Aged Care Resources website. This is mainly for residential care services but it looks like there is valuable information for everyone and it is continuing to evolve. For more information go to www.eldac.com.au. Nilda Miranda, Clinical Nurse Consultant from the Palliative Care Service told us about the wonderful services they are able to offer and how Palliative care has evolved in recent years. We are very lucky to have this service covering the area between Helensburgh to Foxground and […]

Check out all the great work we’ve done in the past financial year! Click here to open our 2018/19 Annual Report.  

We have lots of events in October and November. To check them out and book your place click here.

Representatives from the Illawarra Disability Alliance recently met with Stephen Jones MP to express their concerns about the impact of government changes to Temporary Transition Plan provisions. The NDIS introduced the Temporary Transformation Payment (TTP) from 1 July 2019 in order to provide additional funding to organisations to assist them to transform their business. It acknowledges the costs involved for organisations to transform their operations and continue viably under the NDIS. TTP can be applied to in-home support and community participant supports whether provided in a centre or in the community (and when provided one-to-one or in groups). In this financial year, it is set at 7.5%, decreasing by 1.5% per year. Before claiming the TTP-included price, providers must have the agreement of a participant and agree to meet 3 NDIA-set criteria by December 2019 (the main one being to participate in an NDIA-endorsed benchmarking survey). NDIS plans already in […]

Community Industry Group invites members, supporters and students to our Annual General Meeting on Thursday 7 November 2019, 9:30 for a 10am start at Shellharbour Civic Centre. Everyone is welcome but only financial members are eligible to vote at the AGM. Please contact the office at info@cigroup.org.au to check if your membership is current. Special Guest Speaker: Mark Isaacs We last heard from Mark in 2015 about his time in Naru and his book ‘The Undesirables’. His latest book is The Kabul Peace House about a community of peace activists in Afghanistan. For a printable version of the invitation click here. To confirm your attendance click here.

Illawarra Consultation Forum – Shelter NSW Shelter NSW has identified five key elements that could underpin a system to deliver on our vision of A secure home for all. Everyone deserves a secure home to call their own. A diverse and integrated system provides a variety of options. All tenures provide dignity, stability and affordability. Cities, neighbourhoods and homes are built for diversity and inclusion. Communities are supported and engaged through change. Shelter NSW has developed a discussion paper to prompt conversations and engagement to build a coherent and persuasive set of messages that are informed by Shelter NSW members and stakeholders. Community Industry Group is partnering with Shelter NSW to seek the input of organisations in the Illawarra region. We want to hear what a secure home for all means to you. Friday 27 September 2019, 9.30am-12.30pm (morning tea included), Southern Youth & Family Services, 25 Lake Entrance Road, […]

The Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs has announced an Inquiry into the Adequacy of Newstart and related payments and alternative mechanisms to determine the level of income support payments in Australia. Details of the Inquiry, including the Terms of Reference are available here. Many of the clients and community members seeking supports from local community service organisations are living on payments such as Newstart and Youthstart. These payments are inadequate to help people get through tough times and into suitable employment. Our members report increasing levels of demand for supports for basic needs such as food and housing, and increasing levels of desperation in those people who are trying to survive on income which, by definition, puts them under the poverty line. The rate of Newstart has not been increased for 25 years, while the cost of living, especially housing and energy costs, has gone through the roof. Community […]

Community Industry Group was pleased to host The Hon Gareth Ward MP, Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services at a meeting with members of the Illawarra Disability Alliance (IDA) on Friday 30 August 2019. The Minister spoke at length about his vision for disability services in NSW, and about his role on the Disability Reform Council, a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) forum for member Governments to progress key national reform in disability policy including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and to oversee reforms that are implemented through the National Disability Agreement and the National Disability Strategy to support people with disability, their families and carers. Members of the IDA had the opportunity to raise issues which are impacting on their clients and communities, and on their organisations. The Minister showed a willingness to continue to advocate strongly for people with disability in NSW. Pleasingly, he announced his intention […]

Community Industry Group were proud to sponsor and to participate in the Local Community Services Association (LCSA) Connecting Communities Conference held at the Novotel Wollongong on 26–28 August 2019. Highlights of the Conference included the address from The Hon Gareth Ward MP, Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services who recognised the value of frontline community work and outlined some of his key policy directions. Particularly pleasing was his commitment to ensuring recontracting of TEI services would begin within the month, and that he had no intention of going to tender for these services. Day 2 saw a keynote address from Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of Locality in London, and from Gary Groves, Executive Director Their Futures Matter, followed by a lively panel discussion on the topic Getting the Outcomes Right for all Communities in NSW. Community Industry Group CEO, Nicky Sloan, participated in the Local Solutions for Global […]

Community Industry Group run a wide range of professional development opportunities especially for people who work in the community services sector. Training sessions for July to December include: Aboriginal Employment Recruitment and Retention Toolkit Training Navigating End of Life Issues The Data Exchange for Targeted Early Intervention Dementia Awareness Workshop Autism Intervention in Mainstream The Illawarra Way – Reablement Pilot Workshop Work with Diverse People Get on Board Volunteer Training Series Leadership for Not for Profits Foundations of Trauma Informed Care and Practice Same but Different Hypothetical on Older Persons Abuse Prevention for Aged Care Service Providers Aged Care Forums For a printable version of our Training Calendar July to December 2019 click here.

BlueScope has partnered with The Flagstaff Group and Community Industry Group to repurpose several disused buildings and the large parcel of greenspace off Flagstaff Road in Port Kembla into new community focussed facilities. It is hoped the buildings and surrounding parkland may be revitalised as a Community Campus, which will bring benefits to local community members, and to local community service  organisations. As well as a business incubator for entrepreneurs with a disability, the Campus will bring training and meeting opportunities for community organisations, and outdoor opportunities for community activities. We are seeking input and ideas from the local community and invite you to an ideas drop in session. Join us on Monday 26 August 2019 between 1pm-3pm or 6pm-7.30pm on site at the proposed Community Campus, Flagstaff Road, Port Kembla (turn off Five Islands Road) for a cup of tea or coffee, cake and a chat. This is your […]

Community Industry Group run a wide range of professional development opportunities especially for people who work in the community services sector. Training sessions for July to December include: Aboriginal Employment Recruitment and Retention Toolkit Training Navigating End of Life Issues The Data Exchange for Targeted Early Intervention Dementia Awareness Workshop Autism Intervention in Mainstream The Illawarra Way – Reablement Pilot Workshop Work with Diverse People Get on Board Volunteer Training Series Leadership for Not for Profits Foundations of Trauma Informed Care and Practice Same but Different Hypothetical on Older Persons Abuse Prevention for Aged Care Service Providers Aged Care Forums For a printable version of our Training Calendar July to December 2019 click here.

Community Industry Group is proud to be part of the ISLHD Homelessness Mental Health Program. The ISLHD Homelessness Mental Health Program provides brokerage and/or case management to people who are: Over 18 years of age Homeless or at risk of homelessness (tenancy at risk) Have a diagnosed mental health condition Live in the Illawarra or Shoalhaven They also provide advocacy for clients to Government Departments and NGO’s as well as education programs e.g. hoarding and squalor training. Click here for the referral form. For more information contact: Homelessness Mental Health Program Social Worker Social Work Department The Wollongong Hospital Ph: 02 4253 4500 E: ISLHD-HMHProgram@health.nsw.gov.au For a printable version of the flyer click here.

The latest newsletter has just been released. Check it out here. Sign up for our fortnightly e-newsletter to have the latest community service sector news delivered straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Membership of Community Industry Group brings many benefits including: Invitations to contribute to regional responses to key government inquiries, discussion papers, and policy dialogue to help us form submission responses. Significant discounts on all training run by Community Industry Group. Access to Community Industry Group’s extensive sector knowledge, advice and consultation from our highly experienced staff members. As it is now a new financial year, existing membership renewals are now due. Thank you to our members who have already paid. For more details click here. To renew your membership click here. For new memberships click here.

Organisations which receive funding from Family and Community Services NSW have been advised that they will receive indexation of just 1.75% for the next financial year. This rate is the lowest in many years, and will have direct impacts on staffing and therefore on service delivery. The National Wage Decision this year was for an increase of 3% for workers employed under the Award. This means a deficit of 1.25% for wages alone, let alone all of the other costs associated with delivering services. We urge you to write to the Premier, to the Treasurer, to the Minister for Family and Community Services, and to your local MPs to ask for a review of this indexation rate. We have drafted template letters below. Please feel free to use these as a basis for your own correspondence. Feel free to change and to personalise them as you see fit. We need […]

There was an overwhelming response to the forum held on Wednesday 19 June 2019 at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club. More than 150 delegates from a variety of different services and many TAFE students enjoyed the guest speaker presentations and the popular 2 minute Power Pitches from the market place service providers. Local Elder, Uncle Gerald Brown, from the Illawarra Koori Men’s Group gave a Welcome to Country and spoke about the mental health challenges faced by Aboriginal people, especially the men and boys he sees at the group. Deputy Commissioner Pamela Routledge spoke about the NSW Mental Health Commission’s Living Well policy document and the current review. She encouraged everyone to visit the website (https://nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au/) to contribute comments to the review. She congratulated Community Industry Group on organising the forum and agreed that one of the biggest issues for sufferers and carers is navigating the system. Dr Alex Haines, […]

Dagmarsminde Care Home in Denmark May Bjerre Eiby is working at the forefront of dementia care in Denmark. Her care home, Dagmarsminde, which opened three and a half years ago is home for 10 residents with severe dementia. May is an RN with a Masters degree and a keen interest in the humanistic model of care. She bases her care on 18th century principles – use hands, skills, nature and the environment, rather than relying on medication. Staff ratios are 1:4 and are all RN’s or EN’s, and they do everything with residents including therapy, cooking, personal care and activities. The only other staff are cleaners who do all the facility’s cleaning. The facility, which is in a country area, has been designed and furnished to look like a home. It has no institutional furniture. The animals which include dogs, cats, chickens and goats are looked after by the residents with the […]

Community Industry Group is pleased to present a forum for members and other stakeholders to hear the latest developments in the local mental health services system on Wednesday 19 June at Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club. This free event is particularly targeted to non-mental health service providers, carers/supporters, front line staff in schools, GPs, housing, neighbourhood centres, Job Network providers, multicultural & refugee services, faith communities etc. Back by popular demand – Mental Health Services participating in the marketplace will have the opportunity to present their two minute ‘Power Pitch’. The forum will be followed by a light lunch and networking. Mental Health Service Providers are encouraged to book an information table please contact Tessa on tparsons@cigroup.org.au or call our office on 02 4256 4333. Click here to book your place now.