Project overview
Rocky Bay is working in partnership with Latrobe University to implement an Active Support and Frontline Practice Leadership Model.
The Active Support and Frontline Practice Leadership Model, featured in the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s recent Own Motion: Inquiry into aspects of supported accommodation (January 2023), seeks to empower participants to decide how they live and the level of support they receive.
Staff will receive training on empowering participants to exercise their ‘choice and control’ to become more independent within the home environment.
They will provide ‘just the right amount’ of support and guidance, enabling participants to complete tasks autonomously in a safe and supported environment.
Provider story
According to Cheryl Lockwood, Service Improvement Manager, Supported Accommodation with Perth-based supported independent living provider Rocky Bay, their project is about improving quality of service.
‘We wanted to give participants more choice and control over many aspects of their daily lives,’ says Cheryl.
Rocky Bay’s project involves working within the parameters of a participant budget whilst embedding and implementing active support in the home.
Eight houses are included in this project which follows strict research standards that, on conclusion, will give useful de-identified data to the NDIS on the impacts of implementing an active support model.
The projects participants are predominately individuals with an intellectual disability. Research shows that people with an intellectual disability often feel excluded from decision-making processes, requiring external facilitation to engage and support their inclusion.
Without this support, they become disengaged.
Active Support helps to empower and encourage participants to engage more in life and to make choices and decisions.
Staff are learning to give participants just the right amount of support and guidance, enabling them to participate in tasks like cooking and laundry in a safe and supported environment.
‘All staff are being trained in a different service delivery model that’s about doing with and not doing for, where every moment has potential to engage participants to be included in everyday activities of life.’
‘Our team leaders have a key role in this project,’ says Cheryl. ‘As leaders and mentors to staff, they will guide this process within each house. They understand the capability of individual staff and finding the best ways to use their talents in this project.
‘Our project aims to implement and embed active support in the houses we operate. Once embedded, we hope the approach will be adopted in other areas of our business.’ says Cheryl’.
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