Carol Sefo

With extensive experience in not-for-profit community organizations, state and federal agencies, I have provided a wide range of training, programs, and services to highly disadvantaged individuals and people with disabilities, as well as their families and staff. Currently serving as the assistant director of service delivery at the National Disability Insurance Agency, I lead multiple teams of delegates and participant support officers. In my previous role at the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (QLD), I excelled as a trainer/team leader for service access across various Queensland sites. Throughout my career, I have consistently demonstrated strong management, leadership, and facilitation skills. Building rapport within teams and supporting members through periods of change and uncertainty are areas where I have consistently excelled. Professional with history of driving team success and achieving organizational goals. Proven ability to streamline processes and implement strategic initiatives that enhance productivity. Known for collaborative leadership, adaptability, and focus on results. Key strengths include strategic planning and effective team management.

Leadership and Accountability

Management Diversity and Span

Job Context and Environment

Independence and Decision Making

Stakeholder Management

• EL1 Assistant Director – National Delivery, National Disability Insurance Agency, Queensland South, QLD, 02/01/18, Current, Providing professional leadership, mentoring and guidance to teams of Planners with an aim to achieve the overall Agency goal-based planning, assessment, and support function., Working alongside my Team Leaders to ensure our Planners are reaching potential within their role to identify what reasonable and necessary supports are required to realise goals and aspirations for our Participants are achieved., Implementing national internal quality assurance processes to ensure the values, objectives and principles articulated in the NDIS Act 2013 and NDIS rules are achieved., Have complex conversations and discreetly handle very sensitive issues involving a large amount of APS Employees and Labour Hire Contractors., Exercise higher level delegations in respect to access, reasonable and necessary supports and considering scheme sustainability., Ensure all staff at the Logan site comply with Legislation, Agency Policies and Guidelines, including the APS Agency Code of Conduct., Quickly built a good and professional rapport with Director/s and Assistant Director/s Service Delivery across Queensland., Upon appointment, individually led, mentored, assisted, and supported 60 staff to form a strong Team in an unfamiliar, temporary contingency site., Identified and trained and mentored Team Leaders who assisted in building a culturally diverse, and inclusive workplace for all staff, who consistently meet daily and weekly KPI’s., Led staff through transition and the many changes and updates within the Agency as they have evolved., Managed all staff through the changing environment due to COVID, ensuring staff health and wellbeing, Working from Home, and transitioning back to the Office.
• Team Leader Service Access A07, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Brisbane and Townsville Regions, QLD, Provide support and advice on merging issues to the Service Centre Manager as required and follow up to minimise risk to individuals and families in a timely manner., Prepared and planned with the team for imminent changes occurring to transition to NDIS., Provided information to Senior Managers on strategic and operational matters., Prioritise the use of scarce resources to ensure services are met and clients and family safely supported., Building strong relationships within Queensland Government departments as well as our Non-Government Organisation (NGO) sector., Lead and manage the Service Access Teams. Provide guidance regarding the delivery of Intake, Assessment and Planning functions., Provide support to the team, people with disabilities, their families, and carers., Participate as lead role on panels, interviews, allocating funding, planning days, performance management, individual time, achievement plans., I have undertaken the role of Service Centre Manager, Mt Gravatt and Oxley Service Access Teams and Business Support Units., I remained focused on ensuring that the quality, integrity and responsiveness of the service access pathway is dedicated to a person-centred approach in our service delivery, within a continuous improvement and best practice framework., I was effective in the use of Management Supervision and team capabilities, negotiated responsibility of work and monitored outcomes and identified opportunities for improvement, through a period of great change and uncertainty., I have built and maintained a professional and consistent working relationship with other Managers, Clinical Services and Service Access Teams across the Region.
• Senior Service Development Officer - Growing Stronger Implementation Team, Disability Practice Improvement, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Brisbane Region – Central Office, QLD, Facilitating Training for Regional Service Access Advisors in the role of Assessment and Prioritisation. Facilitated Assessor Training to new and existing employees. Provide ongoing mentoring support to Assessors across all Regions., Assisting and mentoring staff in the implementation of the Service Access Team Innovation Pilot roles e.g., Extended Intake and Assessor Planner., Assisted in the preparation, content, coordination of training for Intake Officers and Support Linkers across the State prior to Go Live Growing Stronger., Assisting Service Access Advisors in their decision-making processes and determination of and individuals Eligibility under the Eligibility Guidelines., Using a personalised approach and working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify a person’s specific goals for the future., Assessing clients’ functional need via an interview-based assessment by using professional judgement and standardised instruments and tools., Provided ongoing advice and support to Assessors around appropriate and correct service type recommendations and stability override requests on Business Information Systems., Updated the Support Options – Decision Guidance Tool to reflect the changes with the Service Specifications., Contributed significantly to the development of tools to be used by Service Advisors across the state to assist in their recommendations for service options., Independently facilitated training to Departmental Managers, Team Leaders and relevant staff, the Intake Officers, and Support Linking Training in the Far North and North Queensland Regions., Facilitated Intake Officer and Support Linker training to a large audience consisting of Case Managers, Local Area Coordinators, Team Leaders, Intake Officers and Support Linkers in Far North and North Queensland Regions., Provided mentoring and ongoing support to regional Service Access Advisors with confidence., Identified the need for further discipline-specific assessments when they were required e.g. speech pathology or specialist assessment and referrals to Clinical Team/s., Trained and encouraged teams to use the decision guidance support tool when making recommendations for Clients., Assisted in the design of materials and tools used for Review and Referral for case management.
• Training Manager, CoAct (Formerly Job Futures), Spiritus Care Services (Anglicare) Brisbane, Disability Employment Network (DEN), Working with Job Capacity Assessors (Centrelink) to identify and refer highly disadvantaged and people with a disability into the appropriate level of Job Network services., Facilitating and delivering all training on site to Jobseekers at various stages of their journey., Consulting with Jobseekers to develop Job Search Plans., Assisting with the creation of Goals and Action Plans with the Jobseeker., Assessing Jobseeker’s skills and referring them for specific training where required., Assisting Jobseekers to create networks within their community., An increased awareness of Job Futures being a leader in the provision of Job Network services to highly disadvantaged and people with disabilities/mental health issues., An increased awareness of Job Futures as a recognised training provider with Centrelink and Community., Prepared site for Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) audit., Increased professionalism on Site., Led a professional team of staff working in a strong KPI environment to constantly achieve organisational goals.

• Justice of the Peace (Qualified), 80552
• Registered Civil Marriage and Funeral Celebrant, A20215

Justice of the Peace (Qualified)

Civil Marriage and Funeral Celebrant