FOR YOUR INTEREST

For Your Interest carries items for the people we support, employees and friends of NWRSS. There will be regular updates with past entries archived for easy retrieval. If you are visiting the site for the first time you might like to familiarise yourself with the organization through the Service Statement. Comments, contributions and enquiries are welcome by contacting nrodwell@nwrss.org.au

Web Master: Neal Rodwell
Editor: David Rish
Proof Reader: Pamela Rodwell

Unlikely Partners – Unusual Results

winston In light of the Government’s push towards “social inclusion” for those who remain on the fringes of our communities, why aren’t more doors opening to real places at life’s table? Why aren’t we seeing more of the clubs and organisations that gather people in friendship around ideas, interests and activities opening their doors and broadening their welcome to the disadvantaged in our communities?

This is a story about unlikely partners joining to gain a reprieve for an endangered club by opening its doors and facing the challenges that come with real and full inclusion.
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This article was posted on 22/3/12.

Mental Health First Aid

winston One in every five Australians will experience a mental illness sometime during their lifetime.

The law of averages indicates that, at least thirty six of our one hundred and eighty employees have experienced, or are managing a mental illness well enough to hold their positions in our workforce.

Of the ninety people supported by NWRSS, at least eighteen have experienced the effects of a mental illness in addition to their disability.
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This article was posted on 19/3/12.

New Zine from Sarge

Click to download
Sarge's zine 5
in pdf formatPeter (Sarge) Sargison’s fifth zine edition is out now.

If you have missed past editions you can view those also from the Sarge link in the main menu.
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This article was posted on 1/3/12.

Organisational Structure

North West Residential Support Services has been developing its own unique structure since its inception in 1992.

This is a very innovative organisation structure that harnesses the strengths and talents of staff. The organisation structure also effectively and efficiently enables the use of resources to reduce waste and duplication and therefore, provides increased funds into direct service delivery.
James O’Neill, James O’Neill & Associates

I completely support the new proposed structure . . . most importantly it is consistent with the culture of the organisation.
Simon Thiessen, The Real Learning Experience

I must say your organizational structure definitely has its advantages!
Jacquie Petrusma MP, Member for Franklin.

Sarge

Click to download
Sarge's zine
in pdf formatPeter (‘Sarge’) Sargison, by letting me tell this story, provides an important example of the need to think outside the traditional approaches to residential support. Particularly, when, as in Peter’s case, intractable personal problems don’t respond to the narrow and restrictive application of support hours that we have become used to.

This is part of a progression that started with thinking beyond the provision of accommodation (bricks and mortar), to thinking about home creation. From embracing the concept of home we have now moved to life building and the recognition that each life area requires a different application of resources and energy to maximize growth and repair. This chapter in Peter’s story illustrates an approach to role creation or more specifically, in Peter’s case, role retrieval.
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This article was posted on 28/4/11.

Home Sweet Home

winston The quotes that develop around a concept are often an indication of its importance in our lives. The only concept that gathers more quotes than ‘home’ is ‘love’. However, complacency is the greatest threat to understanding. We take our homes for granted and give little thought to how complex and fundamentally important home is to our identity and wellbeing. With high home ownership, secure tenures, no loss through wars, and little through natural disasters, it is easy to forego conscious thought about the importance of ‘home’. The following quotes pepper the stories about home in Where The Heart Is – A Celebration of Home. They form an important background text for people working in residential support services.
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This article was posted on 11/4/11.

What Would Your Mother Say If She Were Watching?

winston In 2009 one of the best yardsticks for determining whether you are working responsibly and ethically was reinforced from an unusual source.
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This article was posted on 11/4/11.

The Real Learning Experience

Supervisory Group with Simon Thiesson Simon Thiesson from The Real Learning Experience working with some of the Supervisory Group. From left: Nathan Wise, Nadine Jones, Deb Mole, Simon, Ros Connlley, Teresa Inkson, Lee-Anne Aulich.

VALE - Steven Conway Eriksen

Steven Conway Eriksen To speak of Steve, in the context of his work, is to celebrate his serious nature. He could be the joker but, as a work mate, he was never without his serious backdrop.