Jess Saunders

In this complementary role to support coordination, I work with NDIS participants and their stakeholder networks to supply:

• Advocacy Support - Interdepartmental negotiation and representation for client's interests in areas such as housing or health.
• Assessments and Reports - Conducting, writing and submission of evidence-based assessments to supply to the NDIA or other government departments, including cognitive or diagnostic assessments.
• Application Support - Direct assistance to obtain information for applications, complete and submit paperwork to relevant departments.
• Community Building - Flexible support to create community groups according to client interest or need where the group does not already exist in mainstream services. Ranging from connecting to a social group of peers to initiating a social platform for an ongoing interest group and handing over ongoing maintenance of that platform to an appropriate stakeholder.
• Short Term Counselling - 1:1 or family counselling to assist with achieving a goal or overcoming a time of crisis.

Support coordination is a capacity building support intended to assist participants of the National Disability Scheme [NDIS] to build the skills they need to understand, implement and use their government-allocated funding packages. In this role I support clients to:

• Understand and implement their NDIS plans
• Utilize their budgets resourcefully to pursue their goals
• Identify and explore options for available supports
• Connect to disability, mainstream and informal resources
• Increase their capacity to coordinate multiple supports and services
• Strengthen their informal support networks
• To exercise their choice and control.

Alongside this, I collaboratively design and negotiate support solutions with stakeholders, develop service agreements, track expenditure, arrange allied health assessments and reports, prepare clients for plan reassessments with the National Disability Insurance Agency [NDIA] and liaise with the NDIA for reports, reassessments, planning and problem solving.

In this role I establish therapeutic relationships with clients to:

• Support them to access their communities safely.
• Empower them to exercise their choice and control in daily life.
• Provide social, personal and domestic assistance.
• Supply emergency care when required.

Over my years in this role, I have become well practiced in:

• Creating clear, objective case notes and incident reports.
• Building rapport and trust with clients.
• Managing competing priorities under pressure.
• Engaging in regular professional development and training.

I engaged in a 500 hour placement in the Defence sector as a part of my university qualification. This placement was self-sourced due to my interest in working with ADF members and veterans. During this placement I:

• Conducted biopsychosocial assessments, brief interventions and generalist practice counselling sessions.
• Wrote comprehensive reports within the boundaries of organizational processes, policies and deadlines.
• Delivered Notification training to serving ADF members alongside Defence social workers.
• Supported Defence families to engage with their communities and local services.
• Designed a community development program for the peer-mentorship of Defence children in collaboration with local community services.
• Engaged in social work supervision and implemented guidance and directives into my practice.

I engaged in a 500 hour placement in the Disability sector as a part of my university qualification. Through this role I:

• Facilitated community engagement programs in both face to face and online delivery.
• Built therapeutic relationships with clients and supported them to access their community safely and to engage in social activities.
• Engaged in regular social work supervision and implemented guidance and directives into my practice.
• Engaged in not-for-profit processes to apply for funding schemes.