Brackenridge
Annual Report
2010 - 2011
ABOUT US
CONTENTS
Brackenridge is a subsidiary company of
the Canterbury District Health Board that
provides services for children, young people
and adults with disabilities and their
families.
About Us
2
Mission Statement
3
Brackenridge Services
4
Chair’s Report
5
General Managers Report
Employment and Communication Service
High Health Needs Service
Adult Residential Service
Children and Young Persons Service
Respite Service
Training and Organisational Development
Statement of Accounting Policies
Statement of Comprehensive Income
Statement of Changes in Equity
Statement of Financial Position
Statement of Cash Flows
Notes to and Forming part of the Financial
Statements
Statement of Responsibility
Auditor’s Report
Our services include 24-hour support for
people living in residential homes
throughout the Christchurch Region and
respite care for children, young persons
and adults in Christchurch.
Brackenridge also offers specialised
Behavioural and Vocational services for
people in Christchurch.
As an organisation, we believe in providing
people-centred services and options that
focus on individual needs.
All our services support people to identify
their personal goals and aspirations. These
are developed into a personalised and
achievable ‘Individual’ plan, which enables
the people we support to achieve their
immediate and lifelong objectives.
Brackenridge supports the principles of the
New Zealand Disability Strategy and places
great emphasis on the worth of the
individual, personal growth and the
provision of holistic support for people with
an intellectual disability.
Our Vision
At Brackenridge supporting people to live
great lives is the cornerstone of all our work.
This combined with working hard to firmly
establish a culture of continuous improvement
is ensuring people we support are receiving a
high quality service. The better we function as
an organisation, the more able we’ll be to
achieve our vision of ‘people with disabilities
living great lives.’
We strive to have an Outcomes based focus
incorporating an annual review of the quality
of what we are doing which is an inherently
more personalised approach. We recognise
we can only achieve these outcomes
successfully by collaborating and working in
partnership with family, stakeholders and
others operating in the sector.
It’s an exciting journey! As we improve as an
organisation, so too do we improve our ability
to deliver the highest-quality support to people
we serve.
Brackenridge
Services
High Health Needs Service
A Service for people requiring specialised
high health and physical disability support.
Adult Residential Service
Support Services for adults living in
accommodation services.
Children and Young Persons Service
Support services for young people living in
accommodation services offering a range of
living options.
Respite Service
Residential Support for young people, adults
and their family who require specialist
respite support services
Employment and Communication Service
Support service for people looking for work
and people requiring communication
support.
Behaviour Support Service
A support service designed to support
people manage challenging behaviour
through positive behaviour support
Active Support
A service programme empowering people to
participate fully in their daily life.
The Brackenridge
Chairman’s Report
The 2010/2011 year was a year of consolidation for Brackenridge, following a period of growth
particularly in the development of community houses. The second half of the year was very much a
reaction to and response to additional challenges bought by the September 4, 22 February and 13
June earthquakes. The organisation was fortunate that the damages to houses were mostly minor and
there was no requirement to vacate any of the properties. The reaction of staff during and following the
events and loss of services was also very positive and ensured that as an organisation Brackenridge
has emerged largely unscathed from an unprecedented set of natural disasters. The Company’s
disaster planning proved sound but will be further refined from the experiences learnt by the
Christchurch area as a whole.
Despite the challenges outlined, the organisation was able to introduce a new management structure
from late in 2010. This involved the establishment of 7 Managers reporting to the General Manager and
also the establishment of 3 Daily Operations Supervisors. This restructure was achieved from within
the existing budget. From the Board’s perspective, the addition of two new managers from outside the
company and the new functional service arrangements have already shown promising results.
In addition the new structure and service extensions have placed the organisation in a good position in
relation to anticipated policy and funding changes in the Disability Sector currently being piloted by the
MOH. These changes will also be affected by the government’s benefit review, particularly as it relates
to those clients on the Invalid Benefit. It is anticipated that services Brackenridge offers will
increasingly, need to be more targeted, flexible, and subject to greater individual choice and
negotiation.
In an environment of constrained government funding, and in the face of major natural disasters, the
fact that the Company was able to record a modest surplus for this financial year was commendable.
The funding forecasts and other national changes do not bode well for real increases in future revenue.
In the course of discussions with the CDHB in 2009, Brackenridge’s charitable status as a company
was re-affirmed. The Board and the CDHB in April 2011 reviewed progress toward Brackenridge’s
possible ultimate independence, and noted that Brackenridge had made further progress. The
Brackenridge Board has asked management to produce a timeline and costed plan for the divesting of
services Brackenridge currently receives from the CDHB such as payroll, finance and computer
support. We are encouraged by the steady progress being made.
In February of 2011 Brackenridge lost a long standing staff member Wayne Simons. As Manager of
Support Services Wayne had assisted the General Manager and indeed the organisation through a
number of pivotal changes in it’s development. His most visible legacy is the annual Christmas in the
Forest event.
It remains to express thanks to all our staff, who despite three major earthquakes have continued to
provide high quality support to the people in our service. The Board is aware many of the staff have
been severely impacted by the effect of the earthquakes themselves and it is a true sign of their
commitment they have been able to put this aside and continue supporting our people whilst
maintaining service quality standards.
On behalf of the Board, may I express our gratitude to the General Manager, Peter Campbell for his
consistent efforts and to all the staff, and to those who support Brackenridge in other ways, our
appreciation for a demanding and satisfying year’s work in the face of very considerable adversity. As
to the Board itself, I was sorry to lose the services of Garth Bateup as a longstanding board member at
the end of the year due to his increased DHB commitments with his involvement in the West Coast
DHB – the board members have appreciated Garth’s sound counsel in the areas of management and
finance.
I would also like to offer my personal thanks to the whole Board for their ongoing efforts to support and
challenge Brackenridge to achieve its potential as a provider of quality care in a demanding sector and
in demanding times. Finally Once again, I would like to thank the staff fro their remarkable commitment
through what has been for all, a very difficult year and particularly for those who have either had their
homes seriously damaged or in some cases worse still.
W. David Morrell
Chair,
Brackenridge Estate Ltd
General Manager’s Report
General Manager
The year has been marked by the large earthquakes in September, February and June which have
changed the city of Christchurch forever. Although I am sure Christchurch will arise from this better,
more modern and greener dealing with the impact of the earthquakes has affected all areas of our
work. From the point of view of our houses we have been extremely lucky with only the three houses in
the Parklands area sustaining any significant damage. However even in those houses we have been
able to continue occupancy with only minimal disruption. A number of our staff have not been so lucky
and have lost homes, had to find temporary accommodation and still continue working. It is a real credit
to them they have been able to do this and it has caused little effect on the way in which we have
delivered services.
Despite the Earthquakes much has been achieved over the past year but there are still a great many
opportunities for the continued improvement of Brackenridge services in supporting the people we
serve to live really great lives and in building the capacity of our workforce. We see both of these
outcomes working hand in hand because without a trained and skilled staff our vision for people of
‘living great lives’ will not happen. Throughout the year we have shown great passion and
determination in working to achieve these outcomes and as the knowledge of our workforce has
increased it has been noticeable that staff have examined existing methods and processes of their
work and more and more we are seeing the lives of people we support expanding and becoming much
more meaningful. Our investment in workforce development is bearing fruit and it’s very encouraging to
note the large numbers of staff who are engaged in the gaining of NZQA qualifications through the
Careerforce programme.
At the wider level of the world of disability service provision in New Zealand an evolution has started to
occur and pleasingly this change is being driven by the Ministry of Health. They are piloting a new
model of support and local area coordination in the Western Bay of Plenty which is likely to be the
blueprint for new and enlightened ways of supporting people with disabilities to live great lives.
Brackenridge is highly supportive of the new initiatives and believes they will make it easier for families
and people with disabilities to be empowered and have more control in how services for the person
with a disability are constructed. If we are serious about really making a difference to people’s lives
then we need to embrace the upcoming changes and ensure we are prepared and ready to provide a
range of support services which will deliver improved outcomes for people.
Outcomes
Brackenridge is becoming increasingly focussed on the achievement of outcomes some of which are
strategic and form part of our strategic plan and others which are focussed on the overriding outcome
of ensuring all people we support, ‘live very good lives’.
As part of our strategic vision of being a stand alone community based provider of services for people
with disabilities in December 2010 we moved our main administrative office from the sheltered village
at Maddisons Rd to 29 Birmingham Drive and this has worked very well for us.
In line with our moving the administration office we restructured our client service and now have the
following service areas Adult Residential Service, High Needs Service, Children and Young Persons
Service and Vocational and Employment Service. This move has been very beneficial and managers of
the service areas have more manageable workloads and clearer outcomes that they are working
towards achieving.
During the year we had computers installed in all our houses and have set up a Technology committee
to drive the advances in the use of technology throughout the organisation. A longer term goal is to
replace all paper based forms and streamline reporting throughout the organisation.
The Brackenridge Board and the Canterbury District Health Boards have agreed in principle that
Brackenridge might best ultimately stand alone entity – very likely under some form of trust. We are
also discussing with the CDHB interim steps by which some of the services currently performed by the
CDHB for us might be absorbed within Brackenridge’s own functions so as to strengthen
Brackenridge's position and enable the question of it’s final move to stand alone status to be
negotiated.
During the year we saw solid growth in client numbers and the demand for respite grew beyond our
capacity to deliver. We are exploring options with the MOH for further expanding respite services.
Our Employment and Vocational Service continues to grow and increasingly is playing a larger role in
providing people we support with real options for work or to engage in more meaningful vocational
activities. In 2011/12 further expansion is planned and development of our day programme services to
highest international standards is an outcome we are working on achieving. Some exciting new
initiatives are also in the pipeline for paid work for people we support.
Circles of Support are a key outcome and progress is steady but slow and if we are serious about truly
empowering people and working in partnerships with families Circles of Support need to be in place for
all people in our service.
Workforce
Brackenridge has invested heavily in Careerforce Training with up to 50 Support Worker staff being
engaged in working towards NZQA qualifications through this programme. Active Support remains a
key programme that supports people in our service to fully participate in their own lives and our two
Active Support trainers continue to refine and develop the programme.
With our commitment to ensuring all support staff working at Brackenridge have completed training at
the Foundation and Core Competencies levels of the NZQA framework and the introduction of
computers in all our houses we do have some challenges particularly with staff who are not yet
computer literate in being able to read or access the necessary information to function in a changing
work landscape. However we have been thrilled with the way most staff have embraced the new
learning and with computer training planned for the New Year we are confident the obstacles will be
overcome.
Achievement to date
50% of CSW staff are enrolled in or have completed Level Two or Level Three qualifications
We have two in-house assessors who guide and develop staff through the programme
We have gained a grant for Leadership Development training and all members of the senior team are
engaged in a Leadership Development programme
We have established bi monthly meetings with the unions and this has helped address a number of
issues before they have escalated
Our Daily Operations Supervisors have worked hard on the development of a more robust casual pool
and this has reduced the cost of bureau staff.
Finance and Sustainability
The economic downturn that affected the world between 2008 and 2010 followed by the earthquakes in
Christchurch has created the highest budget deficit in New Zealand’s history. As our services are
government funded this means we are in a particularly challenging time and with the spectre of the
national sleepover dispute still hovering over us the likelihood of increased funding to the sector is not
likely. As a result we need to be constantly vigilant of the cost of everything we do and consistently look
for efficiencies. While being mindful of this we cannot detour from the path of investing in workforce
development and innovation to ensure our staff and services are ready for and can adapt to the
changes we know are coming in the disability sector.
Developments over the past year
The creation of Daily Operations supervisory positions in December is leading to better staffing
efficiencies and over more time larger reductions in the use of agency staff are expected. The Daily
Operations Supervisors are improving the way in which staff are taking leave and this is seeing a
decrease in our leave liability. A planned maintenance programme has been put in place for all our
motor vehicle fleet which will result in longer term savings. We have made more efficient use of our
housing stock particularly at Maddisons Rd but further reviews of housing stock are necessary to
ensure housing we use helps us achieve our outcome of ensuring people we support, ‘live very good
lives’.
Wayne Simons
In February 2011 we lost a dear colleague and great servant of Brackenridge when our Manager
Support Services Wayne Simons passed away after a long illness which he battled through and only
left work a week before his untimely passing. Wayne had a huge dedication to the people we support in
our service having had a sister who had been in Templeton Hospital he always strived to ensure we
were able to provide the best for our people. While Wayne will be remembered for a lot of things his
lasting legacy will be the Christmas BBQ and Concert in the Forest Park. It was Wayne who came up
with the idea and over the years and under his leadership it grew into our major event of the year.
Conclusion
Despite a great many setbacks from the natural disasters during the year the organisation has proved
remarkably robust. We continue to achieve targets which are part of our strategic planning cycle and
the organisation continues to establish itself as a leading provider of disability services. We ended the
year with record numbers of permanent and respite clients while our employment and vocational
service grows in strength and reputation. Brackenridge is aware of the huge changes afoot in the
disability sector in New Zealand and we are excited about playing a major role in the change.
We have started the process of finding other service providers for the provision of payroll, phone and
computer technology systems which may ultimately result in us being able to function without any
support from the CDHB. The board have asked management to achieve this capability to provide clear
proof of ability to one day operate as a stand alone entity
Brackenridge from the Board down through management, supervisors, nurse leaders, advanced
practitioners and front line staff are fully committed to the ongoing improvement of services and in to
finding ways which will ensure the people we serve and their families are fully engaged in living full and
great lives.
Peter Campbell GM
Vocational & Communication
Service
Manager
The Vocational Service has undergone considerable change in the last year with the service being
recognised and now incorporating Vocational, Employment and Communication functions. I took on
the position of Vocational and Communication Manager in December of last year, this was a welcome
challenge and the service is an increasingly busy one with the expansion of the vocational service to
include a therapeutic Activity Service and the incorporation of the communication service. With these
changes came the addition of one support staff member into the garden contract area.
The service had it’s challenges this year with the unforeseen consequences of the September and
February earthquakes and the disruption from the snow not many weeks ago. Programmes were
quickly in place after the February earthquakes enabling people to participate in a variety of activities'
to minimise disruption to peoples lives. 2010 also saw the end of Star deliveries which many people
were involved in and enjoyed delivering. An organised thank you evening ( drinks, nibbles and tour)
was held at the Wigram Brewery, everyone had a great time and certificates were handed out. This
evening recognised the work that people had done and gave closure to the star rounds as the change
in delivery came during the period after the February earthquake. As a service we felt it important to
give recognition and a sense of closure for all people involved in delivering the star, fortunately new
rounds were secured with PMP and people are now enjoying being back out deliveing pamphlets as
well as papers. Community and staff support for this type of community role and participation has
increased notably over the last year.
The Vocational/Employment Garden Service has expanded and a number of contractors now service
an increasing number of contracts for the Brackenridge organisation and private homes in the
community. Many private contracts choose to become regular customers. This repeat business is the
best kind of feedback. This area implemented an extensive Health and Safety programme for
contractors to ensure safety comes first at all times. The success of this programme is reflected in the
number of injuries and contract work related accidents which number one for the year. Recently the
contract area implemented a skill matrix to assist in the matching of garden activities to the person
reflecting the strengths of each individual contractor and ensuring people achieve within the area,
which at this time of growth aids in the forward planning and productivity of contract activities, we are
striving for seamless movement between contract activities. The foundations for a firewood service
have been slowly put into place over the last six months and this exciting expansion of the service will
enable people with an interest in this area to be a part of the contract service. It is hoped the structure
of the contract area will enable it to seamlessly transition with any changes in the funding model and
enable people living at home to take up a contract position.
Requests for other work and voluntary positions are increasing and people already participating in work
or voluntary positions are continuing to maintain them and in some cases increasing their amount of
time. These positions are in workplaces or community services. Support for this type of position has
increased and will only improve as the service develops and peoples success and achievements are
recognised and valued.
A non centre based therapeutic activity service is also a new and exciting venture, planning is
underway to create a Brackenridge Therapeutic Activity Curriculum which will incorporate learning
themes and meaningful activities of choice in which people can be involved with and participate in. The
structure of the service will enable the seamless transition of interested people initially from within
Brackenridge and in the future from people living externally at home or with other providers.
The communication Service has continued to be busy and many people are accessing communication
resources to aid in everyday communication. The focus for this service in the coming six months is to
develop and implement a lending library of media for people to access at home. Many people have a
computer at home and others have indicated that the person they support would like to own one. A
Computer resource library would enable people to access activities of interest at home with the support
of staff. Computer activities provide enjoyment as well as learning opportunities. The service has also
been working with Talklink providing training in communication.
The service also supports recreation opportunities through a Monthly Coffee Group, which meets on
the last Sunday of the Month at various cafes, a regular swimming evening at Pioneer on Tuesdays,
Bead Making classes on a Monday night run by NZ Beading and Active Movement Classes on
Wednesdays; Active Movement is a class facilitated by the Christchurch College of Education and
Supported by Special Olympics. Active Movement runs for four terms and is a popular activity of choice
for people. Other activities are also incorporated into to the service when requested. The service
strives to support all recreation and leisure activities as a component of people living full and active
lives.
All in all a very busy year! I look forward to the vocational team being a part of peoples success in
achieving their dreams and aspirations in 2012.
Vivienne
High Health Service
Manager
This past year has been a busy and challenging one. The two major earthquakes Christchurch
experienced over this period really tested the organization and created unprecedented working
situations that challenged everyone at all levels within the organization. Understandably the disruptions
created as a consequence of the earthquakes have had an impact on my ability to achieve the
outcomes and goals identified for this service area however overall I believe progress has been made.
The restructuring process at the end of 2010 resulted in a change of role for me with my appointment
to the Manager High Needs Service position. I also have additional responsibilities of the Health
Advisory Service and the Daily Operations Supervisors who report to me.
High Needs Service
Currently I am responsible for overseeing the support services provided to 42 people in total in this
service area.
33 people are supported in a residential service in the High Needs Service area with ages that span
across the age spectrum from young children to older adults. I am also responsible for respite services
provided within this service area.
Most of the people supported in this service area have a physical disability or higher health needs as
well as a learning disability and require a higher level of support to meet their physical support needs.
Approximately 60 fulltime and part time staff work in this service area and include Registered Nurses,
Enrolled Nurses and Support Workers. A review of Registered and Enrolled Nurses during this period
identified the base number of registered staff required to ensure the health needs of people are met.
There has been a steady stream of referrals from people choosing Brackenridge as their provider of
choice and it is encouraging that we maintain a positive profile with Lifelinks and the disability sector.
There has been a steady demand for both residential and respite services in my service area and
meeting demand has been difficult, particularly the demand for respite services. Consideration has
been given to setting up a dedicated respite service for people with physical disability and higher health
needs as it is acknowledged the current arrangement of providing respite in existing homes is not ideal
and demand consistently outweighs availability. For this to work effectively a dedicated respite house
for people with higher support needs would have to operate on a roster system similar to the one
currently operating in our other respite service, current demand indicates that this would be viable.
Five new clients entered Brackenridge’s High Needs Residential Service and one new client entered
the High Needs Respite Service during this period. One young person left the service returning to a
family based support arrangement.
The challenge for people supported in the High Needs Service area is getting others to look past the
physical disability, so often it is assumed because a person has a physical disability they are unable to
participate in everyday activities both within their home and the community and this low expectation is a
major barrier to people living active, inclusive and meaningful lives. There is a wide range of equipment
and technology available to support people with a physical disability to participate in everyday activities
however if support staff don’t know how to use the equipment or don’t set it up for the person the
opportunity is lost.
All of the staff teams working in my service area have been trained in Active Support and there have
been some great examples of Active Support in practice over this period from clients ordering their own
meals at a restaurant using a communication device, operating switches to turn appliances on and off
independently for household activities such as vacuuming, cooking, turning TV’s and stereos on and
off, going to youth group, spending time with friends and family, having a paid paper round and even to
going rock climbing!
I strongly believe that the way forward for people with a learning disability to live a good life is to have a
combination of paid support and natural or informal support; service providers can only do so much.
While there has been increased awareness of what a Circle of Support is it is disappointing that there is
not a fully functioning intentional circle of support in place for anyone supported in my service area and
this remains a challenge and an area of strong focus for me as we move forward. However many of the
people supported in the High Needs Service do have strong family and friend networks and these have
the potential to develop into intentional support circles if supported in the right way.
I would like to acknowledge the Nurse Leaders and the Support Staff who have worked so hard over
this past year to improve the quality of life for the people they are responsible for and I look forward to
working alongside them and the people we support as we head into another year.
Health Advisory Service
It is well documented that people with a learning disability have poorer health outcomes and are more
highly medicated than the general population. The aim of the Health Advisory Service at Brackenridge
is to raise awareness of health issues for people with a learning disability and identify initiatives to
promote better health outcomes for all people supported within the organisation. I was not able to
invest as much time as I would have liked into developing this service however the top three priorities
for the Health Advisory Service over this period were as below:
- Promoting better oral hygiene
- Developing an Annual Health Assessment Tool to raise awareness of health issues and
promote better health outcomes
- Training Support Workers to perform routine non-nursing tasks currently performed
only by registered staff and the development of a Support Plan and Decision
Framework to better support people who have higher health support needs.
Daily Operations
The Daily Operations positions were created through the restructuring process undertaken at the end
of 2010. Currently there are three Daily Operations Supervisors who have a primary focus on ensuring
the smooth day to day operation of the organization with the ultimate aim of providing a quality service
to the people we support.
Much of the role focuses on staffing however the role also encompasses some auditing responsibilities
as well as being the first point of contact for dealing with day-to-day and extraordinary events.
A major focus over this period was on reducing agency staff use by building the casual pool and filling
vacancies and it has been pleasing to see progress in this area.
The Daily Operations role continues to evolve and develop and will continue to play an important role in
ensuring Brackenridge provides quality services to the people it supports.
As we head into a new financial year the focus for the Daily Operations Service is on building a bigger
and stronger casual pool, filling all vacancies, optimal utilization of staffing resources and working in
conjunction with others in the senior team to ensure the support provided to clients is in line with
Brackenridge’s vision and philosophy.
The earthquakes created many challenges for the Daily Operations Supervisors who did a fantastic job
coordinating the organizations response to these disasters and went above and beyond the call of duty
to ensure people were well supported during these difficult periods. I admire their dedication to
Brackenridge and the people we serve.
Rachel Price
Adult Residential Service
Managers
The Adult Residential Service is the largest service run by Brackenridge and as a result two service
managers are employed to run the service. Lynne Stanworth who works full time and is responsible for
eight houses at Maddisons Rd and one in the wider community and Ivor Dee who works part time and
is responsible for two houses at Maddisons Rd and three in the wider community.
Both managers took up their appointments in December 2010 and there have been a number of
significant events that have affected the lives of the people being supported since. A number of
residents were affected by the Earthquakes we have endured and this was noticeable with an increase
in the number of Incidents and PRN usage around the time of the larger earthquakes and also in the
following month or so with ongoing disruptions to their usual routines. Unfortunately the earthquake
meant most adults we support were not able to attend activities in the wider community with some of
the buildings damaged or destroyed and parklands out of action and like most people affected by the
earthquakes this has left people with limited opportunities. However with the city’s rebuild underway
and with the advent of spring- the appearance of sunshine and lighter days there is a renewed
optimism for both staff and people being supported to re engage in social and recreational activities.
The continued swimming and active movement classes have provided people with ongoing
opportunities to get out and about.
Key Results / Achievements:
We have placed increased emphasis in people having greater involvement outside of their home which
has seen a number of people accessing activities and/or vocational day services increase.
Many people engaged in paid/ unpaid employment have increased their hours and we have seen more
people being employed. One family is currently looking at a wider community placement for their son in
a home they own this is an exciting opportunity for the young man and it is great to be able to work in
partnership with the family as they work towards this goal.
Activities people in the Adult Service are involved:
Vocational Day placements: attendance at a variety of established services in the Christchurch area.
Meals on Wheels: assisting with the delivery of meals during the week in a voluntary role.
Swimming is an activity that is thoroughly enjoyed, especially a soak in the spa pool at the end of the
evening. Community paper delivery: a weekly activity for people who are paid for their efforts and
supported by staff to achieve this. It has been great to see these rounds continue over the winter
period with people rugged up and making sure the delivery is completed. These paper runs provide
opportunity for people to interact with other members of the community and builds on self esteem for
people. An increasing number of people now participate in paid employment via the Brackenridge work
crew programme where a range of work opportunities are available including gardening, recycling, lawn
mowing and landscape work. Some people have paid work in open employment on a part time basis.
All employment and vocational opportunities encourage increased independence and learning of new
skills.
Staff Performance and Development
Recently the management group revised the Staff Appraisal Tool so that it is evidence based and
measurable. It is about to be rolled out once the Advanced Practitioners have been orientated to it.
A large number of staff are participating in the Career Force Programme and are at various stages of it.
This is giving us a better informed workplace and should improve the quality of support to the people.
Relationships with Organisations, and other Health Professionals:
The managers have developed positive working relationships with a number of Agencies and Health
Professionals to ensure the best care and opportunities for people in the Adult Residential Service.
They work closely with our Vocational Service Manager and Behavioural Support Team and also have
regular contact with are the various Day Services, Therapy Professionals, Hillmorton Hospital, Health
Professionals, GP’s, Lifelinks etc.
Role of Families
It is becoming increasingly more important that families continue to play very important roles in the
lives of people we support. Through the Circles of Support initiative we hope to re-empower families to
have increased participation in the life of their family member.
A number of families are starting to think about alternative housing options for their family member and
we hope in the future more people we support will be able to live in their own homes with
Brackenridge’s key role being the provision of supports for the person. and our role will then simply be
support.
Future Development / Key Projects
Circles of Support is a key concept that we are striving for with all people in the service having active
support circles. Initially we need to identify those key people who have a genuine interest in the person
and develop the supports from there.
To continue to drive/explore employment options for people and support them in developing
appropriate skills that will see them gainfully occupied and receive payment for their endeavours. We
support many people with as yet untapped potential and need to provide them with opportunities to
grow their skills and personality
To implement the new Staff Appraisal system that will see staff systematically appraised over the next
year.
To work with an occupational therapist through Therapy Professionals to investigate strategies to
enhance environments for people with Autism.
The adult residential service is a busy area. We both look forward to empowering people and their
families to live life as a valued member of their family and the community.
Lynne Stanworth
Ivor Dee
Children and Young Person’s
Service
Manager
I was appointed to the role of Manager for Younger Persons services on 17th January this year. Since
then I have spent time getting to know the clients, their families and staff in this service and the policies
and procedures of the organisation. I find this role very rewarding particularly the people contact and
opportunity to help people have a good life. Since I started in my role we have had two significant
earthquakes, these have brought challenges in regards to the effect on individuals and budget
requirements due to additional staff required as some work places and schools were closed.
I really enjoy working with my colleagues I have found everyone to be extremely supportive and willing
to help or advise. Peter is a visionary leader and clearly outlines his expectations for our service.
This service has two houses on the Maddison's Road site, number 8 and 11 and seven wider
community homes and a service for one young man receiving one to one support for eight hours per
day, five days per week. In total I am responsible for case managing 27 clients one of whom is a 13
year old transitioning home to her family and two young people who access respite services with us.
One of the services I manage is for five women, another service is for one young man living alone, one
service supports two young men and the rest support three people in each home. I believe the lower
numbers of people living together in the majority of these homes provides a better lifestyle for them.
Families and their involvement, Organisations and other Health Professionals
In my service area the families are very involved, it is important that I develop rapport and trust with
them, this has been one of my focuses. The staff show respect for the families opinions and do
everything they can to ensure they are happy with the service, overall I find that they do this. From my
experience so far it seems all families are extremely happy with the provision of service, I have
encouraged them to let us know if they have any concerns and to trust that we will follow up with these
as required. They are the best judge of the lifestyle their family member is experiencing.
Circles of support are something our service will be discussing with families at each client planning
meeting, these are a circle of people who voluntarily are part of a persons life. Due to the age of my
clients most have people other than paid carers present in their lives and it is up to us to encourage the
families and others to be as involved as they can.
I have a great deal of contact with other professionals such as GP's, Psychiatrists, PSAID, Lifelinks,
Youth Specialty services, Dental department, Schools, work places, School Transition Services, Child
Youth and Family social workers. I attend health visits, Family Group conferences, Specialist
appointments, planning meetings, IEP meetings at schools, plan meetings at work places, school
transition meetings and any other meeting required for all people we support.
Active support
Active Support is something I believe should be the rule of thumb for working with any person. I believe
as this service is for younger people staff are very aware of the growth and development opportunities
still ahead for the young people and do focus on encouraging them most of the time. It is discussed at
each team meeting and they are expected to complete paperwork to reflect the amount of time each
person has been involved in activities. I believe we need to amalgamate Active support with our
planning process and simplify the paperwork around it in order that it is user friendly, I also believe
outcomes need to be monitored closely as these are what we as an organisation will be measured on
in the future. The earthquake and the fact that workplaces and schools were closed have contributed to
some of the higher cost for staffing. I have made changes to some homes staffing in order to have a
better mix, most of these have occurred when people have left. Other teams have had clear direction
on expectations and follow up to ensure they are doing as asked.
Staff
I recognise staff are a valuable resource and I have started coaching all my staff one to one for one
hour sessions. So far this has been accepted favourably with all coming with issues to discuss and
clarify. I am expecting to be able to do this two to three monthly with each person. It is very helpful as a
Manager to get to know them on a deeper level and have the opportunity to build a good relationship.
When I review the performance appraisals completed I will be able to add my knowledge to these more
constructively. I am a now a Careerforce verifier, in this role I will be able to assess the actual
performance and knowledge of my staff and see that they practice what they have learned.
The future
The Children and Younger Persons Service is very important to the future of the organisation. If we
become known as the preferred provider for younger people they will potentially stay in our service as
they grow. There are many changes occurring in the disability area, families will be even more
empowered and their expectations will set the standard. That is why it is so important now that we
listen to what they say and provide what they are wanting for their young person. It is likely there will be
competition and that if people are not happy with the service they get they may change providers. I am
striving to ensure each person is living in the situation of their choice, with people they choose to live
with and a location they are happy with.
My ongoing focus
For all people to have a lifestyle of theirs and their families choice, the opportunity to grow, develop and
have a variety of experiences;
To build relationships with families, professionals and the community
To motivate all staff to provide the very best service to all clients
To develop the staff to be empowered to carry out their work in a
professional manner with the right values and approach
This has been a busy start to my year and I look forward to building relationships and creating lifestyles
of choice for people within the service
Vicki McClurg
Respite Services
Respite is a very important area of service for Brackenridge and during the year we were able to
provide approximately 35 families respite support. We provide respite for families who have children
and young people aged less than 21 years with intellectual disabilities most often with some
challenging behaviours. This service is provided in a dedicated respite house at Maddisons Rd. We
also provide respite for families with children, young people and adults who have High Health Needs
and this service is provided in Homes One and Two located at Maddisons Rd and also at Iroquois
Place in Hornby. A third stream of respite is for children and young persons with an intellectual disability
who are funded by CYF and these children and young persons often have High Health Needs as well
as intellectual disability. During the year CYF funded respite clients received respite in Houses One,
Iroquois Place and Dunstan Cres also in Hornby.
The dedicated respite service for children and young people provides specialist support to 24 families.
Cheryl Cottle has overall responsibility for this home while the day to day management is provided by
Julie Hampton, a Behaviour Support Coordinator. The children and young people accessing services in
this home often have multiple and specific support needs in relation to behavioural issues. Ensuring the
appropriate supports are provided to a constantly changing group of young people requires a team
approach with the ability to be flexible yet at the same time to provide consistency for each person.
Both Behaviour Support Coordinators have a high involvement with these young people and their
families, schools and specialists.
Families are encouraged to maintain their involvement during their family members stay and for many
the short break provides an opportunity for a much needed respite. The demand for respite in this
service area is high with a constant waiting list. We have recently engaged in discussions with the
MOH regarding possible solutions for this as many families are facing extra stress and anxiety
especially following the recent earthquakes.
Rachel Price manages the High Needs respite services which provided service to nine children and
young people throughout the year. Most of the people supported in this service area have a physical
disability or higher health needs as well as a learning disability and require a higher level of support to
meet their physical support needs.
There has been a steady demand for respite services for people with High Health Needs and meeting
demand has been difficult. Consideration has been given to setting up a dedicated respite service for
people with physical disability and higher health needs as it is acknowledged the current arrangement
of providing respite in existing homes is not ideal and demand consistently outweighs availability. For
this to work effectively a dedicated respite house for people with higher support needs would have to
operate on a roster system similar to the one currently operating in our other respite service, current
demand indicates this would be a viable service area.
Our Children and Young Persons service supports two young CYF funded young people for respite at
our house in Dunstan Cres. Both these young people enjoy their time in the house and it’s a very
successful arrangement.
Training & Organisational Development
Manager
Training and Quality services encompasses responsibility for Quality across the organisation, Health
and Safety, staff education, management of the Behaviour Support Services and the Active Support
Team as well as the responsibility for managing the dedicated children and young person’s respite
service at Maddisons Rd (excluding High Health and wider community based respite services).
On reflection this year has certainly provided the organisation with excitement and challenges
especially during the latter part of 2010 and early 2011 when the Christchurch earthquakes tested the
resilience of the organization's emergency planning and the resources and resilience of staff and
clients alike. Whilst our plans served the organisation well there is room for improvement and
adjustment to better meet the diverse needs of the growing service and this is currently in progress.
Staffs are to be commended for their commitment to their role and their ability to adapt and continue to
provide services to people during what were some very unsettled periods, especially those staff that
were also facing adversity and challenges of their own.
From a quality perspective Brackenridge continues all endeavors to ensure that all people supported in
the service have opportunities to achieve goals and that appropriate resources and supports are
available for them to live rich and fulfilling lives. We continue to place great emphasis on implementing
a Person Centered Approach in meeting the individual needs of each person. Circles of Support for
people remains in its infancy and is underway for a number of people however this remains a key area
for development in the 2011 – 2012 year.
This year saw the implementation of a new management structure along with the organisation having
more clearly defined service areas. In conjunction with this change and the growth of service areas
administration services were moved to a more central location in Middleton. This move has
encompassed Brackenridge services as a whole and has provided the opportunity to be seen as a
community based provider of disability services rather than the previous focus placed on services at
the Maddisons Rd site.
The dedicated respite service for children and young people continues to provide specialist support to
24 families requiring respite support for their family member. This is a very busy house and whilst I
have overall responsibility of this home the day to day management is very capably provided by Julie
Hampton, one of the Behaviour Support Coordinators and the staff team. The children and young
people accessing services in this home are provided with opportunities to be involved in community
activities a much as possible as appropriate. The difficulties of supporting a rotating group of people
are managed well by staff through knowledge of support plans, routines and consistency. It is a goal for
the New Year to be able to increase the capacity to provide respite support for people who are on our
waiting list - this will require innovation from us in conjunction with support from the Ministry of Health.
This year we achieved Primary Level requirements for the ACC Work Safety Management Practices
Programme which was a positive move forward for us with regard to Health and Safety. There has
been an improved positive approach to health and safety within the organization this year and this has
been aided by the implementation of a robust Health & Safety Monitoring system managed by Property
Maintenance and Management Ltd. This has ensured compliance with relevant Standards and Codes
and has also supported an increase in staff knowledge around everyday health and safety.
The Behaviour Support Team is now well developed and offers assessment and advisory support as
well as hands on with staff and people we support where required. Demand for their involvement
continues and they provide an accessible service based on sound researched practice principles. The
Behaviour Support Team has had a very positive impact within the organisation with regard to improved
supports for people through the development of comprehensive functional assessments and
individualised behaviour support plans focused on positive support strategies.
Of particular note this year the two Behaviour Support Co coordinators had a presentation accepted for
the ASSID Support Worker Conference held in Melbourne in November 2010. This was testament to
their growing professionalism and confidence in their expertise and also provided an opportunity for
Brackenridge to showcase its success in this area.
Both Co coordinators also continue the facilitation of a comprehensive staff education programme –
Positive Behaviour Support. This programme provides staff with an increased knowledge and skill
development in supporting people whose behaviour can challenge. One of the Behaviour Support
Co coordinators is also responsible for managing the liaison with Lifelinks which remains a key focus
along with managing the referral process for all new people entering the service, and the other
Coordinator is also an NVCI (Non Violent Crisis Intervention) Instructor.
Brackenridge provides a comprehensive staff education programme and more staff are taking the
opportunity to engage in Careerforce the industry based training programme . We encourage all staff to
participate in this programme as it builds a more aware and professional staff base and provides staff
with extensive and relevant knowledge . Staff members have the option of completing the Foundation
Studies (Level 2 NZQA) or Core Competencies (Level 3 NZQA) and the Intellectual Disability Strand
(Level3) leading towards the National Certificate of Human Services qualification. Francie Ryder has
been a great contributor to staff success in the programme in her role as assessor and this year has
been joined by Kay Liversidge. Both Francie and Kay facilitate the programme and provide essential
support for the programme’s success.
Active Support trainers have worked hard at implementing the programme with staff teams and
individual follow up with people we support. In moving forward there are two key goals for the
programme in the coming year. One is to simplify documentation and data collection processes to
better inform staff and people we support of their successes. The other goal relates to the revision of
the current training programme with the inclusion of new and refreshed material and the development
of a refresher training programme.
Ensuring the best care, welfare, safety and security for the people supported by Brackenridge is a
primary focus in service delivery and a number of initiatives are utilised in order to achieve this. A key
concept in this is the NVCI (Non Violent Crisis Intervention) programme. This programme has been
running successfully since 2000 and is now a well established component of the staff education
programme.
As an NVCI (Non Violent Crisis Intervention) Instructor and along with the facilitation of the staff
Organisational Orientation programme and other staff education sessions I am provided with the
opportunity to meet all employees as they join our work teams and on an ongoing basis through
refresher training courses.
I have continued the role of secretary of the regional Disability Providers Group, now part of the New
Zealand Disability Services Network (NZDSN) having held this position for the past 3 years. With the
formation of the NZDSN this has broadened the membership of our local group which has been
positive and increased networking opportunities.
As an organisation Brackenridge is growing and changing with planned direction – it is our continued
enthusiasm and drive, our continued working together that will ensure success in achieving a service
delivery that has people living rich and fulfilling lives. Having dreams and expectations and challenging
ourselves is vital especially if we are to be well positioned for the future as we work towards set goals.
I have enjoyed working with my colleagues and more recently with changes to the management
structure an extended group of colleagues which has brought added enthusiasm and diversity to the
senior team. I am looking forward to a continued positive working relationship with all those I engage
with at Brackenridge as we move positively and strongly towards a future of growth and change and
ensure Brackenridge is strongly positioned in the disability sector.
Cheryl Cottle