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unteers can provide invaluable support to the paid
staff by working at reception, maintaining gardens
and grounds, providing clerical support or simply
being ‘Jack of all trades’. During busy times when
events are being organised or fundraising drives
come due, committees of volunteers can prove to be
great assets. Last but definitely not least, the Boards
and Councils that assume the responsibility for the
functioning of thousands of Australian charitable
organisations are invariably made up of volunteers.
BUSHkids realises the great potential value of
establishing a team of volunteers to extend the
capabilities of each centre and to assist our overall
administration. As an example, Brisbane volunteer
Rob Gluch has called upon his vast experience by
working with an IT developer, creating a photo-
graphic record of regional events and helping with
presenting at our Annual Conference. Our Dalby
and Warwick Centres have been grateful to receive
the support of enthusiastic volunteers in running
the events. It is planned to explore all the different
ways in which volunteers can be used to support
the staff and enhance the services that we are able
to offer to the families and children of rural and
regional Queensland.
LOOKINGAHEAD
Funding opportunities
In 2013 we intend exploring additional funding
opportunities through:
Helping Children with Autism (HCWA)
Early Intervention Service Provider Panel
The HCWA funding package provides family and/or
carers of eligible children with access to up to $12,000
(
maximum of $6,000 can be used per financial year)
that can be used to cover the cost of early intervention
services. Eligible children include those 0-6 years with a
diagnosed ASD. Organisations registered as an HCWA
EISP must provide early intervention services to children
through a multidisciplinary team of Psychologists,
Occupational Therapists, and Speech Pathologists.
Better Start for Children with Disability
Early Intervention Service Provider Panel
This provides family and/or carers of eligible children
with access to up to $12,000 (maximum $6000 can be
used per financial year) that can be used to cover the cost
of early intervention services. Eligible children include
those under six years of age who have been diagnosed
with a moderate or greater vision or hearing impairment,
including deaf blindness, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy
or Fragile X syndrome. Registered Better Start EISP
organisations must provide early intervention services to
children through a multidisciplinary team comprised of
qualified and experienced early intervention specialists
or allied health professionals from one or more of; speech
pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, audiology,
physiotherapy or orthotics.
We will continue to actively consider other funding
opportunities as and when they arise. Please feel
free to contact us if you would like to share any
opportunities that occur in the regions.
In addition to the annual fundraising events we
run, in 2013 BUSHkids has also been chosen as the
beneficiary for the 20th Annual ‘Loaves & Fishes’
Luncheon organised by the Anglican Diocese of
Brisbane at St John’s Cathedral, on 30 April 2013.
For further details please contact us.
Developing strong regional partnerships
We are also working to create a regional reference
network through local councils and medical
practitioners, and health and education heads at
the local and regional level. Through this network
we are working to establish a continuous voice for
BUSHkids through friends of the organisation in
areas where we have local representation.
Administrative priorities
On the administrative level our top priority for
the next 12 months is to continue to create systems
that support our teams, especially in the form of
a clinical toolkit and a new database for our client
record management systems. These are necessary to
enhance productivity, accountability and reporting,
and enable us to meet our needs for standardisation.
Deployment of robust ICT is becoming a matter of
strategic importance. Building a broad capability
is essential to improving efficiency, reducing the
regulatory burden, streamlining interaction with
clients and professional networks and increasing
our capacity to work with community organisations.
Throughout 2013, we will continue to encourage
innovation and growth within our teams. We will
also continue to take responsibility for what we can
do for our clients – the children and families of
regional Queensland – and in so doing continue to
be effective, creative and accountable to ourselves,
our donors and our funders.
Carlton Meyn, General Manger
GM