Asking people to join a circle of support is often the thing that people find the hardest. What if they say no? Here are some tips for asking in a way that is likely to get a yes and what to do if they say no. Tip #1 The first step doesn’t have to be asking people to a meeting Your first step can be focusing on getting to know people over a shared interest. Read more…
The purpose of a circle of support is to help your family member with a disability to build the good life they want. It’s going to be important that your family member is supported to get involved. This isn’t easy if your family member experiences anxiety at meetings, doesn’t read or speak. In the beginning my son Isaac would hide in his room as he was anxious about having lots of people talking about him. Read more…
Are you coordinating all the daily tasks you support team members do? Then you are being the team manager and that’s not sustainable. The first step to stepping back and becoming a leader and not a manager is to delegate responsibility for coordinating these daily tasks. But that’s not easy is it. What if they stuff it up? Isn’t it more trouble getting someone else to do it right than it is for you Read more…
If you’ve developed a big fat training folder for your support staff to help them to better support your family member then that’s awesome. Some training sure is better than no training! So well done you! But there are a few inherent problems with big fat training folders and here are some of them that you might recognise: 1. They are big and fat This means they are not easy to carry around with you. Read more…
Ever been to a meeting that was a total waste of your time or you felt you couldn’t have your say without having your head shot off? Yes, me too. Terrible aren’t they. But a well run, safe and productive team meeting can be the best thing for your team. Why have team meetings? They can be great for checking in on progress, planning for upcoming activities and resolving problems. They can also be a Read more…
Who are the people in your social networks? The first step is to figure out who is there in your social networks. Here is a tool you can use to dig deeper into who you know in order to identify potential people to ask to join your circle. Get step by step guidance on starting and running a circle of support in my Circle of Support Project This project will help you to lower Read more…
Do you want staff to do a report on their day with your family member but not quite sure what to ask staff to report on? Before you start on designing your shift report consider the following: Only report on what is important to and for your family member. I’m not sure I’d like someone reporting on my every move would you? Make the report easy and quick to fill in – asking staff to Read more…
A circle of support is a group of family and friends who work together to help create, promote and support the goals of a person with disability. The circle acts as a community of friendship and support around the person at the centre. Members can provide practical advice, solve problems and generate ideas to contribute to the person’s life. Circles do not : · replace the role of the family in a person’s life · Read more…
Your support staff may have some qualifications and experience in disability support, but they won’t know your family member. Here are some ideas for what training you might need to create for your staff to help them provide support that is specific to your family member. How to turn up to work on time and get paid Rosters Timesheets Payruns Payslips Leave Understanding job purpose, responsibilities and authorities The vision for your family member’s good Read more…
Tip #1 You don’t need any special equipment – just a smart phone with a video camera. Tip #2 Encourage staff to film things as they do them. Help them to develop a mindset of creating training for future staff. Tip #3 Do a rough and ready plan of what things you need to show in the video to make sure you capture them all. Tip #4 If you have a person speaking to camera, Read more…