Latest News

The report of the Standing Committee on State Development into ‘Regional development and a global Sydney’ has now been released. Community Industry Group prepared a submission to the Inquiry, and appeared twice before the Committee to give evidence. We are pleased to see that much of our evidence has been included in the report, and that it has contributed to many of the recommendations. The report is available on the Committee’s website, along with submissions, transcripts of evidence and other documents associated with the inquiry.

Community Industry Group were eagerly awaiting the release of the so-called ‘cost of living’ budget on 19 June 2018.  However, despite a few bright moments, the budget largely holds little for community service organisations, or for people living on low incomes. Access to safe, accessible and affordable housing is the number one issue affecting families on low incomes and vulnerable people in South East NSW but there is little in the budget to address the issue. While we once again welcome the extension of the Social and Affordable Housing Fund in the 2018/19 budget, the reality is that many people on welfare or on minimum wage are trying to navigate the private rental market. We need incentives to encourage more affordable private rental properties as well as an urgent investment in more social housing. It’s great that the 2018/19 budget holds a further $61.3 million for the whole of government homelessness […]

Position Vacant – Project Officer (Casual) Community Industry Group Inc. is seeking a dynamic and passionate Project Officer to implement a range of short-term projects. We are a not for profit peak body which supports community organisations, promotes industry expertise and pursues social justice issues in South East New South Wales, with offices in Oak Flats and Batemans Bay. We’re a membership based organisation which offers training courses and conferences specifically designed for people employed within the community services industry. Our aim is to improve outcomes for the region’s disadvantaged communities and build a strong and informed community service industry. Our staff enjoy flexible work hours, a friendly office environment, rewarding projects with clear objectives, managerial support and mentoring. The Project Officer will work on a range of projects as determined by the CEO. We are looking for someone with an enthusiastic can-do attitude. Experience with social housing tenants, or within […]

NAIDOC Art Exhibition – Because of her we can Community Industry Group is supporting an art exhibition in Wollongong featuring artwork by Coomaditchie Aboriginal Artists Corporation artists (including Lorraine Brown, Narelle Thomas and Amy Day). The exhibition is located in the Curio Gallery, Church Street, Wollongong (opposite David Jones carpark entrance) and will be on display until the end of July.

Iftar Dinner On Tuesday 5 June 2018, Community Industry Group staff members Amadis and Tessa joined board members Danna, Marlene and Alice as guests of the Sisters Cancer Support Group (www.scsg.org.au) for their Iftar Dinner at Dapto Ribbonwood Centre. Everyone in attendance was made to feel very welcome and enjoyed the meal of soup, chicken, rice, salad and sweets prepared by the group and their supporters. Ramadan 2018 occurs from 17 May to 15 June. Traditionally it is a period of spiritual and inner reflection. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and it is during this time that Muslims fast (sick people, travellers, women in certain conditions and children are exempt from the fast). The daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal “Suhoor” before dawn and a […]

A number of positive changes are on the way for our aged care system, thanks to recent Federal budget allocations and the ongoing evolution of My Aged Care (MAC). Whilst the increased Home Care Package allocation is not enough to meet the demand, it is nevertheless welcome. The Department of Health have also allocated funds for MAC system navigation support, which is something many of us have been advocating for. Again, the amount allocated is not huge, however hopefully the pilot projects will demonstrate the benefit and wider need for this vital, ongoing support. Here’s a summary of key beneficial changes: A further 14,000 level 3 & 4 Home Care Packages. In addition to the 6,000 packages released in the Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, this takes the total up to 20,000 over the next 4 years. It is estimated that 8,000 will be available over the course of the […]

This year’s budget announcement once again contains a mixed bag for the region’s community services organisations and for its many vulnerable residents. We welcome Budget initiatives to support ageing in place and enable older people to live well in their own homes, such as the announcement of a further 14,000 new high level Home Care Packages over four years. Community Industry Group has been lobbying for an increase in Home Care Packages for some time, and while this is a step forward, we should not forget that there is currently an estimated shortfall of 104,000 packages across the country. The commitment of $146m towards improving aged care in rural, regional and remote Australia is also welcome, as is the commitment to ensure more older Aboriginal people are able to receive culturally sensitive accommodation. The investment in mental health services is also a positive outcome, but once again fails to fulfil […]

We issue a free fortnightly e-newsletter full of community service industry information, upcoming events, training courses and positions vacant. To get yours delivered straight to your inbox click here to subscribe or alternatively you can view the published newsletters on our website by clicking here. If you are a member of Community Industry Group, you can send us your events and positions vacant to be included in the newsletter, which goes out to over 900 subscribers. For more information contact Sally Hall, Marketing and Communications Officer, on 02 4256 4333.  

The latest Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot available here shows that renting in the private market is still unaffordable for people on government income support.  For people on low incomes, the reality is that they must often choose to go without essentials like food or medication just to have a roof over their head. This year’s snapshot report reveals that there are no properties available for rent across the whole of the Illawarra, South East NSW or in the capital region, which are affordable for a single person, or a single person with one child, living on Newstart or Youthstart Allowance. This includes shared accommodation. Across Sydney, Illawarra and whole of South East NSW, there were only 26 properties suitable for a single person living on the aged pension, the majority of these in the South East and capital region of NSW. Overall for people on low incomes, including singles and […]

Care workers across the aged and disability sectors support our most vulnerable community members with compassion and skill. Justine Evesson and Sarah Oxenbridge from Employment Research Australia have compiled an excellent report and practice guide for workers and managers to better understand how they can support each other and prevent undue stress and burnout for carers. By taking better care of their employees, organisations also reduce staff turn-over, additional time and resources spent on recruitment & training and can provide more consistent quality of care for their clients. The most commonly experienced stressful impacts on care workers include: Emotionally demanding and complex clients Poor worker management such as insufficient and variable work hours, rostering issues or lack of open and responsive communication Compromised quality of care for clients due to insufficient staff numbers or time allocated for the client’s needs Low pay rates Lack of respect and recognition for the […]

Over 150 people attended the Navigating Mental Health Services forum on 11 April 2018 at Shellharbour Civic Centre to hear Deputy Commissioner Karen Burns from the NSW Mental Health Ombudsman’s office and speakers from the Local Health District, Coordinare, Grand Pacific Health and the NDIS Stakeholder Engagement team. Karen spoke about ‘Living Well’, a Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW 2014-2024, adopted by NSW Government and the current work of the commission reviewing Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention in NSW, Lived Experience Framework, Review of Headline Indicators and Community Based Mental Health Project. George and Shane from Illawarra Shoalhaven Community Mental Health Team spoke about the services offered by the Local Health District including the 1800 triage number, acute care, case management and special services for different age groups. Dr Rebecca Sng, Manager Primary Mental Health at Grand Pacific Health spoke about being a Not-for-Profit organisation providing physical and […]

Last days to book! Navigating Mental Health Services – Options & Referrals for non – mental health service providers Join us for this half day event which will engage, inform and advise non-mental health providers including community service organisations to understand the mental health system, in order to support their clients more effectively. Participants will go away with an understanding of: the layers of the mental health system the customer journey and how to find services how to refer clients into the system the NDIS effect The event will also include: ‘Power pitch’ sessions from local providers to advise you of their services. Marketplace stalls for a chance to meet and network. Click here to book.

Check out the latest from the Community Industry Group with our fortnightly newsletter. You can subscribe here http://communityindustrygroup.org.au/subscribe/ or see our past issues here http://communityindustrygroup.org.au/news/newsletters/    

Community Industry Group was proud to partner with Big Fat Smile to bring this important event to the Illawarra Region on 9 March 2018. Participants heard from Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM, who spent five years as a Commissioner on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Megan Mitchell, National Children’s Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, and Steve Kinmond, Deputy Ombudsman & Community and Disability Services Commissioner with Ombudsman NSW. The full day event gave attendees the opportunity to hear about the findings and recommendations from the Royal commission, to understand the roles of the National Children’s Commissioner and the Deputy Ombudsman, and explore how providers in the region could work together to develop and implement best practice in the protection of children and vulnerable individuals. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions in many different ways, and the day culminated in a facilitated workshop to explore [...]

Always wanted to work at Community Industry Group? We currently have positions vacant for Policy & Project Officers. Part- time (21 hr pw), Contract to 30 June 2020 SCHADS Grade 4 Community Industry Group is seeking experienced and passionate people. These varied roles will support community services organisations to build their quality and capacity both at organisational level and collectively to improve outcomes for clients. Closing Date: 5pm, Wednesday 14 March, 2018 Click here for more information.    

The latest Department of Health Webinar Updates for Aged Services were released on 14 February 2018. See our summary below: My Aged Care Operational Update – Release 10, December 2017, improvements: Changes to reduce clients having their packages withdrawn. Capacity to transfer clients between same service outlets, without MAC contact centre involvement. Incoming referrals process improved for service providers. Release 11 will be active 26 February 2018. Improvements in service providers listing availability of current services, service types and inability to provide services. My Assessor App: ACAT can now refer and register clients via the app, which follows the same template as the MAC Assessor Portal. Important that assessors search for a client record prior to creating a potential duplicate record. Only ACAT can use the app at this point, however RAS usage is in the pipeline. Improved management of client status for assessors and service providers, such as when a […]

Friday 9th March 2018 Community Industry Group in partnership with Big Fat Smile invite you to book in for a unique opportunity to explore how providers in the region can work together to develop and implement best practice in the protection of children and vulnerable individuals. We are excited to welcome Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM, Commissioner with the Productivity Commission, formerly a Commissioner on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse for five years, Megan Mitchell, National Children’s Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission, and Steve Kinmond, Deputy Ombudsman & Community and Disability Services Commissioner to the Illawarra. This important event is perfect for all human services providers - education providers, children’s services, social workers, emergency services, community workers or anyone working with children and vulnerable individuals or communities. Book tickets here: www.royalcommission.eventbrite.com.au 

Celebrating 25 years – and a new name! We were very proud to host a morning tea on Monday 12 February 2018 to celebrate 25 years of service to local community services, and to launch its new name and brand. The celebration was held at Wollongong Town Hall and was well attended by our member organisations, local MP's, the mayors of Wollongong and Shellharbour as well as many of our board members. Gareth Ward MP, Parliamentary Secretary to The Premier Illawarra and South Coast congratulated CEO Nicky Sloan and the Community Industry Group on their outstanding service to the community and was on hand to cut the cake with board member Danna Nelse.  CEO Nicky Sloan said, ‘The Illawarra Forum was incorporated in 1993 to be a central body that could speak out and challenge a range of issues on behalf of the community services sector in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Our [...]

The Illawarra Forum is now proud to be known as the Community Industry Group. The name change was voted in by our members, at the recent Annual General Meeting, to better reflect the work we do and the greater geographic area we reach with our programs. We are currently in the process of updating our marketing materials and documents and will replace these on our website as they become available.      

Policy & Project Officer – Aboriginal Initiatives Community Industry Group is seeking an experienced and passionate person to support the growth and development of community services organisations in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven region; leading to more culturally appropriate service delivery and improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more details please click here. Applications close 5pm, Sunday 11 February 2018.    

Wednesday 14 February 2018 9.30am to 4pm, Illawarra Forum, 106B Industrial Road, Oak Flats Members $180, Non Members $280 Workforce challenges are a high priority for disability and aged care services. How do you get the right staff for the right job and retain them in the future? Move beyond band aid solutions for recruitment and retention with Workforce Planning. At the end of the training you will: • Identify the benefits of Workforce Planning for your organisation • Understand the process and resources needed for successful Workforce Planning • Learn how to integrate Workforce Planning into your organisations strategic and business planning • Develop skills to design and implement a Workforce Plan Click here for the full flyer.    

Increased competition for care workers in the aged and disability sector has led employers to look for creative strategies to hire the right person for the job. Traditional methods of recruitment are no longer returning the results needed. Here are some approaches for broadening your recruitment strategies to access a more comprehensive talent pool. University students – Both the aged and disability services are experiencing an aging workforce and are looking for a diverse workforce to match their client’s needs. Part time and casual employment suits many university student timetables. Students studying nursing, social work and psychology may have an interest in working in the industry prior to graduation but don’t limit yourself to those areas as many other students may have the skills and attributes you are looking for. Click here to access the UOW 2018 Employer Guide. For more comprehensive information, please click here. High School Students – […]

Working effectively with interpreters is essential in delivering culturally responsive services to people from non-English speaking backgrounds. The Illawarra Forum has developed a simple fact sheet to assist community service professionals to effectively use interpreters with their clients. The fact sheet includes tips about when and how to use an interpreter, as well as some of the interpreting services available in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region. Click here to view the Working with Interpreters Fact Sheet.

Illawarra Forum have developed a Wellness and Reablement (W&R) Self-Audit for CHSP services. This short questionnaire allows you to do a quick stocktake on where you are now in your W&R practice, and where you may want to look at changing your procedures. To do the questionnaire please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W3V2MQ5 We will also be using the data from these surveys to plan for future training, professional development and organisational support for 2018.