This edition of CRUcial Times focuses on the theme of “Practical Leadership”
This edition contains the following articles:
Editorial
Margaret Rodgers
From the president
Lesley Chenoweth
The nature of practical leadership
Michael Kendrick is well known throughout the world for his extensive work as an educator, advocate, consultant and author. He is Canadian but now lives in Massachusetts, United States. He has a deep interest in ethical leadership, service quality and the creation of safeguards for vulnerable people. Michael has been a regular visitor to Queensland for over 20 years so brings knowledge and understanding of local and national issues, as well as an international perspective on the issues that people with disability and their supporters face as they strive to live in their community.
Michael’s website contains further information and links to his writings on a wide range of subjects.
Creating change to increased personalisation in mental health services in New Zealand
Ross Phillips is Director of Inclusion Solutions, an organisation based in Auckland, New Zealand and committed to service; policy and workforce development that promotes increased experiences of social inclusion for marginalized groups. His work and research interests include participatory research and practice approaches, measures of social inclusion, impacts of individualized service design, and social constructions of risk.
A West Australian example of influencing systems change by developing personalised and creative community living options
Mr Eddie Bartnik has worked extensively in the human services sector with a particular emphasis in the disability and community services area. He was recently appointed as Western Australia’s first ever Mental Health Commissioner. He has experience in changing disability service systems and making them more responsive to individual needs. He has had a key role in the development and implementation of the Local Area Coordination approach to support for people with a disability and its subsequent implementation nationally and overseas.
Leading the change for older people in the community
Penny Hambleton is the Facilitator of two Individualised Funding projects in the provinces of Otago and Southland, NZ. Her work across the two projects enables her to witness the challenges that people (requiring support) are confronted with and their ability to solve these issues if given the liberty to do so.
She has worked in the human services for over 30 years and commenced her journey as a registered nurse, prior to working in the quality management area Penny’s thesis in 2006 for her Master of Health Sciences (endorsed in gerontology) addressed quality of life issues and policies around frail elders who require support but choose to live in their own home.
Lorna Sullivan is Chief Executive of Standards Plus, a small, national agency in New Zealand working as a community resource to promoting innovation and change in the delivery of services and the development of community for people with disability and families.
Her particular areas of interest are in working alongside people with disability and families to build services and supports that are genuinely relevant to their needs and their individual pursuit of personally meaningful futures. She uses what she learns to support people with disabilities and their families, advocacy groups, service providers, and governments interested in working for genuine change
Changing the perception of People with Disability in the work force
Linda Rolfe is Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in Washington State. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over 40 years. In her career Linda has been a PASS and PASSING Team Leader and Workshop Coordinator. She presided over the development of guidelines for Washington State service providers that establishes six (6) benefits expected from the delivery of services including Health and Safety, Power and Choice, Status and Respect, Relationships, Integration and Competence.
Linda presided over the development and implementation of the Working Age Adult Policy in Washington that establishes the expectation that all people with disabilities can be employed and have the right and responsibility to be employed. She has consulted with several states as well as nationally on employment issues for people with disabilities.
Raising consciousness and influencing positive change through Developmental Evaluation
Mark Benjamin has worked in a variety of Human Services and is the current Chief Executive of SAMS. Mark has conducted developmental evaluations, for SAMS, over the last twenty years.
Standards and Monitoring Services (SAMS) is a Charitable Trust, based in New Zealand, governed by persons with a disability and families. 80% of SAMS trained and experienced evaluators are people with disability or family members and SAMS conducts approximately 100 service evaluations each year. SAMS has conducted evaluations for thirty years.