Reporting Children at Risk - The new threshold of risk of significant harm has come into effect:  A mandatory reporter is any person who, in the course of their professional work delivers health care, welfare, education, children’s services, residential services or law enforcement, wholly or partly to children; and a person who holds a management position in an organisation which provides these services.  If you are a mandatory reporter, employed by a non-government organization you should report matters where you believe a child is at risk of significant harm to the Community Services Helpline on 13 3627.

The Managing Challenging Behaviour workshop will be held in at Lismore Workers Club 6pm-9pm, Thursday 18 March 2010.  It will provide individuals with a variety of options to prevent and/or reduce the possibility of the occurrence of challenging behaviours.  It will also discuss how to be proactive in your approach instead of reactive, and how to empower the individual to be more responsible for their own behaviour.  The techniques used can be transferred to many situations involving both children and adults exhibiting Challenging behaviours.  This workshop/DVD has been designed for individuals who provide services for people with Challenging Behaviour, including: parents, teachers, child care workers, special education teachers, support staff, nurses, carers and respite workers.  Course cost is $99.  Please arrive by 5.45 for registration.

Mediation & conflict resolution training will be held May 5th & 6th in Byron Bay.  This interactive and stimulating 2 day course will assist professionals to explore conflict and impart the essential principles and process of mediation. The structured 5-step mediation model and specific conflict resolution skills will be presented and practiced.  The course can be utilised in many different areas of conflict e.g. client work, workplace disputes and interpersonal conflict.

The Department of Human Services together with the Department of Premier and Cabinet has engaged KPMG to develop a long term plan to build the capacity of the non-government sector and develop the child and family workforce to deliver on the NSW Government’s commitments under Keep them Safe (KTS).   As part of the project, KPMG is conducting a series of consultations with stakeholders to draw upon your views and experience in relation to the areas of focus to inform the further development of the Plan.  The consultations include three different formats for you to contribute:

1. participation in one of the workshops set out below
2. a short online questionnaire
   
3. opportunity for direct email response to the discussion paper by emailing
   Matthew Duong This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) is seeking examples of better practice in HACC as part of The Better Practice Project.   ADHC wants to showcase practical examples of better practice from every ADHC Region, and is encouraging service providers large and small and peak bodies to participate in the mapping initiative lead by Alt Beatty Consulting.  Better Practice includes HACC services or programs that:

• focus on each client and carer’s strengths and abilities;
• respect and embraces a person’s autonomy and independence;
• considers each client’s goals and tries to achieve them with short term support;
• promotes health and restores client functioning through a ‘use it or lose it’ approach and
• by doing things with each client rather than for the client; and
• supports each client and carer’s connections to the community.

A HACC Regional Forum on the topic of Ethical Dilemmas in the Delivery of HACC Services will be held on 14 April 2010 at Dee Why RSL Club 932 Pittwater Road, 9:00am – 12:30pm.   It is free to come and morning tea and a light lunch will be provided.  Registration is essential, to register please download the form here and email back to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or fax to (02) 8405 4455.  Guest speakers include; Professor Wendy Rogers: Professor of Clinical Ethics Philosophy Department & Australian School of Advanced Medicine Macquarie University, Christine Regan: Senior Policy Officer, National Council of Social Services NCOSS, Pauline Armour: Community Care Development Manager UnitingCare Ageing NSW.ACT and Carolyn Hodge Policy Officer Council on the Aging (NSW) Inc.

Vision and Plan for Social Housing is a report on the future of affordable social housing in Australia.  This report was deliberately called “Vision and Plan”, because you can’t properly plan or manage anything unless you know where you’re heading.  We desperately need a vision for social housing.  There’s plenty of COAG activity; plenty of rules and regulations for the providers of social housing – especially in the not for profit sector; and, in one sense, there’s plenty of money.  But what are we actually trying to achieve with all this effort?  What do we expect of our collective investment in social housing in a post industrial, post GFC, ageing and carbon priced Australia?

The theme for the conference will be Ageing at home: sustainable housing and communities for older people and it will be held 15 & 16 April 2010, at Ballina RSL Club.  The conference will provide the opportunity to discuss some key issues relating to housing and communities for older people and will be of interest to health and aged care practitioners, policy makers, researchers and anyone interested in current issues in ageing.

All Community Services funded NGO's are invited to enrol into Child Protection Dynamics to be held over three days 26-28th May 2010 in Ballina.  The only prerequisite to this training is to have completed Identifying & Responding to Risk of Harm training.   Please note, this training DOES NOT REPLACE MANDATORY REPORTING TRAINING OF "IDENTIFYING & RESPONDING TO RISK OF HARM" and is rather a supplemental training to Identify & Respond for those who  would like to broaden their knowledge when working in this field. 

This course, run by the Aged Care Services Association of NSW and ACT, aims to provide participants with an understanding of the fundamentals of medication management in residential aged care.  It will be held on Thursday 22nd April in Port Macquarie.

Children’s services child protection obligations Staff at preschools, day care centres, and other children’s services play a vital role in the child protection system by working daily with children and their carers.  Under Keep Them Safe, all child care workers, family day carers, home-based carers and both paid and volunteer children’s services managers must report cases of suspected risk of significant harm to children to Community Services.  “There are some useful resources to help children’s services staff and managers determine when to make a report including the online Mandatory Reporter Guide, the Community Services website and the Keep Them Safe information line on 1800 772 479 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday,” said John Tansey, Executive Director Children’s Services.

Aged Care Queensland’s State Conference and Trade Exhibition will be held at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast from Wednesday 17 March to Friday 19 March.   With a program boasting an extensive calendar of social activities and dinners, networking opportunities, hands-on site visits, cutting-edge workshops and seminars, a 62-booth trade exhibition and the announcement of the Excellence in Care Awards winners, there has never been a better opportunity to personalise your conference experience to suit your professional needs.