Hi Beth! We’re excited to have you onboard. Please tell us about yourself.
Hello! In true Beth-ian way, this is frenetic and not necessarily in any order!
In 1987, I did my Certificate III in Care Attendant at Minda (back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth). I have a Bachelor of Social Science and an Associate Degree in Social Science Disability Services, which I then ended up being on staff and teaching. (I don’t have a Cert III Individual Support … insert shocked emoji here! Currently, I’m completing my Ageing Skill Set and then will do my Disability Skill Set).
I have worked in Disability or Community Services ever since.
In the early 1990s, I accompanied my first client to the USA for 4 weeks—that was an experience! I worked in Queensland state government, overseeing services funded under Disability Services Queensland, before moving to Dept Community Services. There, I managed a portfolio of funded services across the life span—from youth work to aged care.
I started training support workers part-time at Mackay TAFE in 2003, while working part-time with Dept Community Services. I’ve popped in and out of disability support training ever since, coupling it with various roles in Disability, Electoral Commission and Census Management (I’m a nerd about stats 😊). I’ve also worked as a Case Manager for an NDIS service provider.
My family returned to South Australia to support my ageing parents, and I advocated for both my parents as they went through Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s. I sat with each one as they passed. I have been a carer for my now ex-husband and for my son, being blessed to have the skills to do his palliative care at home.
I am a muso, doing vocals and keys, and I’ve been in a Fleetwood Mac tribute band for nearly 14 years. Unfortunately, that is now folding, with one gig to go. BUT! I have started my own band and continue to occasionally do solo work. I teach singing and piano from home.
What interested you in My Ability Pathway and Support Coordination?
My two daughters live rurally. My eldest is married with two daughters and my youngest followed me into disability support. She works in the Clare Valley. I have no ties to Adelaide, so am looking to move to Nuriootpa when my lease is up next year. Originally, I chose My Ability Pathway because of location. However, the more I learned about the values and the organisation, the more interested I was in working with MAP.
In relation to Support Coordination, I see it as a service to the client, helping to demystify and unravel processes that can sometimes seem overwhelming. I am a strong believer in social justice, and I see Support Coordination as a scaffold, or facilitator for the client to get exactly what they need to have the best quality of life.
Support Coordination is a challenging, complex role. What’s a key thing you’ve learned since you began?
I mentioned that I have worked as a Case Manager. I have had to change my mindset from being that “reactive, responsive” one to a longer term, sustainable process. It is definitely a “do with” not a “do for”.
The best advice I’ve been given is that the aim of Support Coordination is to do yourself out of a job. I am equating it to the Community Development guru I studied with, Jim Ife. In line with Jim’s philosophy of empowerment and community development, the aim of Support Coordination is to build a participant’s capacity to manage their own supports and live the life they choose.
MAP values what everyone brings to the team. How have you found the culture?
I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of My Ability Pathway. By that I mean, rather than just focusing on the “doing”, it’s about questioning why things are done a certain way. I enjoy the connectedness of MAP’s culture and how no one is complacent.
Please share some goals with us! What are you aiming for over the next few months?
I want to build a rapport with clients in such a way that I understand their perspectives.
I want to get a handle on the locally available services for participants so that I can add as much value as possible.
I want to have a deep understanding of NDIS processes so that I can be effective.
What advice have you discovered during your career that you’d like everyone to know?
I don’t think it’s advice. It’s a perspective that I learned very early in my career, that comes from two movies I encourage everyone to see: “My Left Foot” (1989) and “The Doctor” (1991)—throw in Brené Brown’s empathy for good measure. The perspective is to push past the obvious and superficial and SEE the human behind that.