BUSHkids 2016-17 Annual Report

ANNUAL R E PORT 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme ABN 43 824 927 762

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PEOPLE

OUR PATRON The Governor of Queensland His Excellency the Honourable Mr Paul de Jersey ac

BUSHkids Council Name

Children’s Allied Health Services (Queensland Health) Name Role

Role

Location Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane

Location Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg

Dr Neil Bartels

Chairman

Bonnie Barr

Occupational Therapist Provisional Psychologist 1

Gloria Ryan

Deputy Chair

Vacant Vacant Vacant

Allison McLean Julian Martin Carolyn Searle David Ham Gail Huggins Margaret Lavery

Honorary Treasurer

Speech-Language Pathologist 2 Family Health Support Worker 3

Member Member Member Member Member 1 Member 1

Fiona Morgan

Volunteer

John Nash

Provisional Psychologist Occupational Therapist 4

Dalby Dalby Dalby Dalby

Katherine West Sarah Siran Julie Rathmell

Speech-Language Pathologist Family Health Support Worker

Jan Boys

Stacey Freebody Helen O’Connell Shelley Green Linda Cholawinskyj

Provisional Psychologist Occupational Therapist Occupational Therapist

Warwick Warwick Warwick Warwick Warwick

1. From 6 December 2016

BUSHkids leadership and operational support staff Name Role

Family Health Support Worker Speech-Language Pathologist 5

Location Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane

Vacant

Carlton Meyn Susan Harrison

Chief Executive Officer Clinical Services Manager Administration Manager

1. Elise Osborne until 1 September 2017 2. Amy Arase until 11 August 2017 3. Janie Stupart until 19 October 2017 4. From 12 September 2016 5. Felicity Rayner until 20 October 2017

Tiffany Bannier-King

Louise Grimes

Accountant

Brett Wall

Maintenance & Safety Co-ordinator

Children’s Allied Health Services (Education Queensland) Name Role

Ingrid Lazarus

Administration Officer

Ken Lewis

Database / IT Coordinator Clinical Administration Officer 1 Acting Clinical Team Leader Professional Lead Psychologists

Location Emerald Emerald Emerald Emerald Emerald Mount Isa Mount Isa Mount Isa Mount Isa

Joy Quantrell Karlee Wiles Sam Brown Janine Kemp Helen Dimond Jenny Marsh Jessica Schieber

Jessica Nikles Georgina Devine

Occupational Therapist

Speech-Language Pathologist

Madeleine Colquhoun Speech-Language Pathologist 1

Professional Lead FHSWs

Vacant Vacant

Psychologist 2

Professional Lead Speech Pathologists 2 Brisbane

Family Health Support Worker 3

Accounts Assistant 3

Sarah Bartsch Danica Kelly Philippa Brown

Occupational Therapist 4

Administration Assistant 4 Clinical Project Officer

Speech-Language Pathologist Speech-Language Pathologist 5 Family Health Support Worker 6

Beth Cassin

Position no longer exists

People of BUSHkids Co-ordinator 5

Vacant

1. Transferred from Warwick 18 April 2017 2. Myles Chadwick until 17 January 2017 3. Rhianna Hogan until 29 September 2017 4. From 6 February 2017 5. From 23 January 2017 6. Melissa Martin until 8 September 2017

1. From 23 January 2017 2. Jackie Redmond until 8 March 2017 3. From 22 February 2017 4. From 28 March 2017 5. Rachel Martin until 24 March 2017

Volunteers Name

Early Start Team (NDIS) Name Role

Role

Location Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane Warwick Warwick

Location

Rob Gluch

Events / data entry

Helen Casey Kay Woods Toni Garrett Simone Driver

Services Manager Early Start Teams Brisbane

Margaret Lavery David Ham Jenny Marsh Sandra Head Susan Goddard

Volunteer

Team Leader 1 Office Manager 2 Social Worker 3

Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg Bundaberg

Policies and Procedures

Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer

Emily Tobin

Speech-Language Pathologist 4 Early Intervention Facilitator 5 Early Intervention Facilitator 6 Early Intervention Facilitator 6 Early Intervention Facilitator 5 Early Intervention Facilitator 7

Emma Cullum

Raelene Whalley Andrea Trudeau

Children and Parenting Support Services (DSS) + eKindy Name Role Location Marianne Taylor Social Worker Team Leader Warwick Joanne McKinnon Early Intervention Facilitator 1 Stanthorpe Lou Keevers Early Intervention Facilitator 1 Stanthorpe Trudy McDonald Early Intervention Facilitator Kingaroy Josephine Horigan Early Intervention Facilitator Agnes Water Sue Clarke Early Intervention Facilitator Inglewood 1. From 16 January 2017

Danae Vale Amy Collins Nicola Garrett

Administration Officer 8

1. From 12 June 2017 2. From 26 April 2017 3. From 5 June 2017 4. From 30 July 2017 5. From 12 June 2017 6. From 8 June 2017

7. From 20 September 2017 8. From 25 September 2017

Front cover: A very popular ‘Read and Grow’session being conducted by Early Intervention Facilitator Emma Cullum and SocialWorker Simone Driver from the new NDIS Early StartTeam in Bundaberg.

Back cover: Bundaberg OccupationalTherapist Bonnie Barr enjoying a quiet moment with a charming young bloke at the newTargo Street combined services Centre.

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STUFF

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7

Contents

Our people

Inside front cover

Valé Obituary : Mrs Glenda Keeshan

2 3 4 6 8

Chairman’s report

Connections

Friends of BUSHkids

Council

NOTICE OF MEETING The 81st Annual General Meeting of the Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme – BUSHkids – will be held on Wednesday 6 December 2017 from 5.30pm at 16 Morley Street, Toowong Q 4066. Receive and adopt the Report and Financial Statement for the 12 month period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017; Election of Chairperson, Honorary Treasurer and Council members; Appoint auditors for the ensuing year; Transact any special business for which due notice has been given. By order of the Council Dr N J Bartels Chairman BUSINESS

Members, meetings and projects

Chief Executive Officer’s report

9

Volunteers

10

Fiona Morgan • Jenny Marsh • Susan Goddard

Media

11 12 12 12 13 13 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 17 18 18 18 18 20 20 21 22 24 24 25 25 26 27 28 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Learning and Development

ASS2SP

Play Project - Learning to Play

Telehealth Framework

Read and Grow

Children’s Allied Health Services

Bundaberg

Dalby

Case Study: ASD

Emerald Mount Isa Warwick

Cast Study: Mount Isa schooling

Children and Parenting Support Services

Stanthorpe Agnes Water

Kingaroy eKindy

Case Study: Kingaroy The Common Approach

Organisational statistics

Early Start Teams

Bundaberg

Case Study: Bundaberg Community engagement

NDIS

Rockhampton

Meet some of our staff

Julie Rathmell • Shelley Green • Philippa Brown Toni Garrett • Rockhampton Early Start Team Sue Clarke • Joy Quantrell • Ken Lewis

Trudy McDonald

Work Health and Safety

ICT update Conference

Events

Acknowledgements

36 36

Estates and legacies Donations and bequests

Financial

37 38 39 40 43

Honorary Treasurer’s report Statement by Council Income and expenditure

Cashflows and Notes to the reports

Auditor’s report

Our places

Inside back cover

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VALÉ

Godspeed, Glenda, and thank-you so much …

In the pantheon of heroes, two names – other than that of founder Sir Leslie Orme Wilson – will forever be indelibly etched in the history of the Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme. One is Jim Arkell mbe, a founding member and chairman from 1947 to 1973, who shaped its development over a quarter-century of expansion and consolidation. The other is Mrs Glenda Keeshan, whose management and leadership from 1978 to 2006 steered it through the dramatic evolution and self-reinvention needed to ensure the organisation’s survival into the 21st Century. When Glenda was appointed as State Secretary (as the title was then), few women held leading roles in the business life of Queensland – let alone in a non- profit organisation spanning the farthest reaches of the State. She oversaw a string of semi-independent coastal Homes and a vast, intricate network of volunteers going about their work of safely moving hundreds of children each year, to and from their Outback communities for medical treatment. It was not a role for the faint-hearted, but Glenda was never daunted by the enormity of its scope. “You just had to keep focused on the children,” she would say 10 years later, in interviews for the history book BUSHIES. A highly-disciplined professional and an intensely private person, Glenda rarely allowed her colleagues and staff a glimpse of the warmth of her emotions and passion for always placing what was best for the children foremost in the framework of strategic decisions. Not long after Glenda took the reins, the first inklings of change in the healthcare needs of Outback kids began to be detected. Together with an inner circle of clinical professionals – including psychologist Peter Brown and Patricia Williams (later Carlin) – Glenda commissioned extensive research within the organisation to begin preparing it for the future. It would be a journey of great vision, enormous courage and terrible pain. The dawning realisation that the old model of care was no longer relevant – indeed, would soon no longer be workable – required nothing less than a total reinvention of the Bush Children’s Health Scheme. It would have to turn its face away from the coast, towards the communities of regional Queensland and re-establish itself there. The difficult task of unpicking the bricks and mortar of Sir Leslie’s vision while staying true to its principles, reassigning and reconstructing resources to the Bush, fell to Glenda and a handful of individuals to administer and execute. By the time the last of the coastal Homes were closed – at Scarborough in 1999, where everything began in 1935, and at Clontarf, where that era ended in 2005 – the organisation had completed a most remarkable transformation, one five years in the planning and a full 10 years in its (sometimes bloody) execution. That brave gambit had undoubtedly saved its future, although it had come at a heavy price: of the many affected by the hard decisions which needed to be made, none wanted to be in Glenda’s shoes in making them. Few could see beyond the local consequences of those decisions; Glenda could see the ramifications of not making them. Throughout history, individuals are sometimes called to meet challenges; other times, they find themselves already in place as challenges arise.

Glenda’s time at “Bush Children’s” began with the former and ended, almost three decades later, having surmounted the latter. Vision the organisation had aplenty in its first 70 years, but perhaps never together with so much courage, fortitude and determination as embodied by Glenda Keeshan, steeled through those darkest times, greatest upheavals and most vital chapters of its history. The extracts below, taken from Chapter 10 of BUSHIES – the organisation’s history book published in 2016 and to which Glenda graciously contributed her first-hand memories – endeavour to summarise the magnitude of her legacy. The text opens with her closing remarks in the final Annual Report (2005-06) of her tenure: “Lastly, my thanks go to the children and families who use the Centres – we hope you have enjoyed your time with us and that together we have acquired new skills, learned new concepts and grown in experience and understanding of ourselves and our world.” And with that, BUSHIES’ Executive Officer Mrs Glenda Keeshan signed-off after almost 29 years. Her time in the role had spanned six State Premiers, five Governors, three Chairmen, four Deputy Chairmen and three Honorary Treasurers; she had exceeded even the length of the legendary Jim Arkell’s chairmanship by almost two years. When she took the job of State Secretary, Brisbane’s Commonwealth Games were still four years in the future; when she left, Sydney’s Olympic Games were more than six years in the past. When she first arrived from Ilfracombe, the Scheme’s four coastal Homes and intricate statewide transport arrangements were operating just as they had for more than three decades. When she left, a full spectrum of Allied Health services was being provided through an entirely new network of six smaller Centres across regional Queensland. By any measure, it had been a truly remarkable, and unique, stewardship. On behalf of thousands and thousands of Queenslanders who never knew you, but whose lives benefited immeasurably by the hard work you did for so long, and the largely unseen love which drove you through it all, thank you, Glenda, and God bless.

Above: After 10 years at the helm, Glenda Keeshan is pictured here with Chairman Reg Bartels at the ‘New Directions’ conference in 1988, at which the revolutionary reinvention of the organisation was initially determined.

Below right: At the official reception at Government House, hosted by His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey ac – Patron of BUSHkids as the incumbent Governor of Queensland – to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the organisation in 2015, Glenda was an honoured guest.

Background: On 12 October 2017, following a remembrance gathering at BUSHkids’ Toowong premises, Glenda’s husband Len, together with Chairman Dr Neil Bartels, planted a selection of rose bushes – Glenda’s favourite flower – in the grounds of the property, and a memorial plaque was affixed to the wall of the building.

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2

CHAIR

Chairman

Evident in my report last year, the themes of review, renewal and changing times have been amplified during the course of 2017. It has been a year of both profound loss and exciting expansion and, to whomever follows in the legacy of Matt Tesch and Adrian Harrison in reprising and updating our history book for our Centenary, I extend my best wishes into the future for your efforts, for BUSHkids has taken yet another of the great steps which has periodically redefined our organisation. I refer, of course, to the expansion of our early intervention services into the field of early childhood early intervention , in partnership with the National Disability Insurance Scheme. BUSHkids’ newly- designated ‘Early Start Teams’ began operating in Bundaberg during 2017 and our organisation’s successful tender to the NDIA means we will commence similar operations across the Gladstone, Central Highlands and Rockhampton local government regions in 2018. Arguably, the expertise of our clinical leadership and Allied Health teams, and the credentials of our 82 years’ experience supporting chil- dren and families throughout Queensland – via many different models of care and service delivery methods over that time – has well-equipped us to be entrusted with these new responsibilities. Plans for the restructuring of BUSHkids – our line management, discipline-specific and multidisciplinary professional supervision, more robust ICT systems and enhanced administrative support of the front-line teams – had already been developed over many months of planning, and were presented to all staff at our annual Conference in June. Together with these additional funding sources and accountabilities, and projected increase in staff numbers in the next two years, the need for such changes had been clear for some time. We have come a long way in the last five years and readers will see this reflected in the pages of this report: our ‘streams’ of Learning and Development, Children’s Allied Health, Children and Parenting Support, and our new Early Start Teams, have replaced the former Centre-based and discipline-specific approach in communicating with our supporters, funders and the wider community. Concurrently, BUSHkids Council ranks have been refreshed with the ‘co-opting’ of Margaret Lavery and Jan Boys to add their expertise to the comprehensive skillsets of my colleagues. Margaret has been one of our valued volunteers for a number of years, and Jan has taken up the cudgels of the Quality Assurance work begun by Carolyn Searle and David Ham to spearhead our new Risk Assessment Committee. Increased opportunities also carry concomitant risks – strategic, operational, financial and reputational, to name just four – and a clear-eyed reappraisal of where we stand, both now and with our faces turned to the future and the approaching growth of our services, is essential to the effective discharge of our duties to our fellow Queenslanders. Associated with this is the review of our Constitution which I flagged in my report last year. With the altered landscape of BUSHkids’ funding, statutory and legislative accountabilities in this exciting new period, consideration also needs to be given to the reporting requirements – present and prospective – of the ACNC, NDIS and the Corporations Act and these are being evaluated through further research, our intention being to present an appropriately-updated Constitution to the 2018 Annual General Meeting. In paying tribute to the tremendous amount of work which has gone on behind the scenes – both by my fellow Council members and our visionary CEO Carlton Meyn, as well as by our clinical leadership team and many staff members – which has safely and successfully delivered BUSHkids to the close of our 82nd year in December 2017, I also thank our funders, State and Commonwealth, and the donors, supporters and volunteers who are the enablers of all the work we do today and, in so doing, entrust us with their renewed and ongoing commitments to underpin our plans for the future. This year, following the hectic programs of 2015–16, we have been able to give our Patron a ‘bit of a breather’ but we continue to appreciate the keen focus of His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey ac, just as we are blessed with the energetic support of his predecessor’s grandson, Charlie Wilson, and the many volunteer members of our dynamic Friends of BUSHkids groups. We are glad of the attention you give us, and which others then bring to the work we do, and we are empowered and uplifted as a result. On such note, two valedictory observations are in order. The first is addressed to the family and friends of Catherine Dunn, one of our Warwick Centre team who succumbed to cancer in July and who was remembered at a very moving Friends meeting in September. Husband Andrew recalled “the impact Catherine had on lives and organisations she felt worthy of her enthusiastic energy” and we are humbled not only that BUSHkids was among those but also that your connection with us will continue. Keenly-felt, too, was the passing of the doyenne of the Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme, Mrs Glenda Keeshan, in late March. In previous reports I have touched on the powerful legacy of her nearly three decades at the helm; as you will read in Matt Tesch’s emotive obituary on the opposite page, without Glenda you might not otherwise be reading this document at all. In paying our respects to her husband Len, and all who joined us in remembrance at Toowong in October, I am mindful of the future we face without her in 2018 but am confident Glenda would find our return to Emu Park – our second Home in 1937 – and Yeppoon – site of one of the biggest challenges she faced – worthy of a quietly proud smile.

Dr Neil J Bartels MBBS LL.M Grad.Cert.Leg.Med. FACRRM

Two new rose gardens, 160km apart at our Warwick and Brisbane offices, were planted in late 2017, to honour the memory and legacies of some very special people and their important roles at different times in the long history of BUSHkids. InWarwick, the types of roses planted in memory of Catherine are: ‘Little ray of sunshine’

‘Remember me’ ‘Isn’t she lovely’

AtToowong, the rose colours chosen honour the memories of: Catherine Dunn DavidTanner

Pat Carlin’s mum Glenda Keeshan

David was our Scheme’s Honorary Treasurer, 1991–2006, and it was through his acumen and foresight that BUSHkids owns the Morley Street property. Pat Carlin mentored many a staff member during two periods as a BUSHkids staff member, 1992–1995 and 1998–2010, and both she and her mum hold a special place in our hearts. Glenda’s quintessential role in the history of our organisation is well-documented, both between the covers of BUSHIES and in the obituary on the opposite page.

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FOLKS

CONNECTIONS

ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL

4 4

THANKS

CONNECTIONS

Est. 1868

MASTHEAD DE S IGN CREATIVE

5 5

FRIENDS

FoBk is a network of volunteers based in the communities we serve. The Friends network provides practical support to the organisation, boosting BUSHkids’ profile, promoting our services, raising funds to support our operations and strengthening our position at the heart of the community. FoBk members come from a wide variety of backgrounds: parents whose children have benefited from our services, health professionals who have an interest in rural or children’s health a of local business, government, and community organisations. Friends of BUSHkids (FoBk)

FoBk Emerald This group is led by Charlie Wilson, the grandson of BUSHkids founder Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, and was launched in June 2016. “We’ve had a busy year up in Emerald,” Charlie noted, “being our first full year of operation; we have had to learn and adjust to find out who we are, our role and how we can provide practical help to the organisation. When we started in June last year we had a very formal meeting attended by around 30 people. Since then we have evolved into a core group of dedicated helpers who meet and plan our events. All the FoBk Emerald group believe wholeheartedly in the need for BUSHkids’ services and work tirelessly to promote and raise much needed funds for the organisation. “The pressure is on to decide on a specific BUSHkids project in Emerald to which we can direct the funds we have raised this year; having a tangible project to support will give the group focus and energy. Once we do this and define our role better, we will gather more members and create something quite special up here in the Central Highlands. “We’ve generated some great support from the local community here already. In April we had a really productive meeting with Mayor Hayes of Central Highlands Regional Counci at which we discussed BUSHkids’ work in Emerald and the Gemfields; the Council later made a generous donation to the organisation. The service centre also had a visit from the State Member for Gregory, Lachlan Miller MP, who kindly helped out by donating all the meat for the BBQ at our BUSHconnect event. “The BUSHconnect event back in July and our Golf Day, which took place in October, were our two big events this year. BUSHconnect was held at Lions Park with the Emerald Community Preschool and Kindergarten, and it was a great way to promote BUSHkids’ services to the community. As well as the free BBQ, with the help of BUSHkids staff we handed out promotional material and our tent was full of people learning about our programs and how we can help them as individuals and families.

“It was a great result, particularly having an event in conjunction with a kindy where there may be kids that could benefit from BUSHkids’ support. We’re planning to repeat the event next year, possibly in association with another of the major preschools in town. “Our big fundraiser this year was the Golf Day in October which was a huge success. Thanks to Enwise Electrical (which had handled the day last year), we already had a profile to build on. We had over 70 players teeing-off on the day, with lots of donated prizes, two raffles, an auction of golf clubs and a donated return flight to Brisbane with accommodation thanks to Helloworld Travel and Qantas. The day raised over $14,000 for BUSHkids in Emerald, which was an amazing result! So many people donated prizes and helped us out, including Westpac, Murray and Associates Surveyors, Cliff Tucker, Gemfields RSL and Ando’s Concrete. Big thanks to Doug Gray who worked so hard to organise the event.” “The community support we get up here really is fantastic. Emerald Mitre 10 is an awesome sponsor of our FoBk group and the Emerald Rotary Club provided volunteers to run the BBQs at both the BUSHconnect and the Golf Day. We also get great support from the BUSHkids team both here in Emerald and back in Toowong. Despite being busy, Carlton always somehow finds time to attend our meetings in person or by phone which is a great boost for the volunteers. Our FoBk members are in awe of the passion and commitment Carlton shows to ‘Bushies’ – it’s a passion which I’m sure would make my grandfather proud.”

Above: FoBk Emerald chair CharlieWilson (centre) flanked by CEO Carlton Meyn and Cr Kerry Hayes, Mayor of Central Highlands Regional Council, at their meeting in April. Right: CharlieWilson (centre, again) with FoBk member Clinton Adams and Golf Day auction winner Mark Murray in Emerald in October.

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FRIENDS

Friends of BUSHkids

FoBkWarwick Ian Mace, whose son has received support from BUSHkids, leads the FoBk group in Warwick. “I know firsthand what great services BUSHkids provides,” Ian enthuses. “I’ve been involved with Friends of BUSHkids in Warwick since it started up a few years ago and took over as chairman last year. It’s great to be able to give something back to the organisation as it has done so much for my family. “Our big fundraiser this year was our annual BUSHdance which was held in August. It was a great success: Warwick Redbacks AFL club provided the venue for us free of charge and it was packed this year; there was barely enough room for the dancing! It’s a great fun event for kids and families and we were delighted that again this year we had the popular local Bush Band ‘Band ‘O’ Coots’ performing. They have played at the BUSHdance for the last couple of years and are great supporters of BUSHkids. One of the band helped us out with the auction we had as part of the night. He runs a tyre and auto service centre in Toowoomba and spontaneously offered a bunch of his own services for auction. “It’s fantastic that BUSHkids is growing in Bundaberg, an area where there is so much need for the organisation’s services. We had a great event up here at the end of August for the official opening of the new NDIS BUSHkids Early Start office in Targo Street, and we were all delighted that Jane Prentice Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, was able to join us in Bundaberg for the opening. FoBk Bundaberg Councillor Judy Peters is chair of the FoBk Bundaberg group and a long- time supporter of our work here. “We’ve been working hard to promote the services BUSHkids provides to the Bundaberg community,” said Judy. “The services we have to promote increased significantly in February with the announcement that BUSHkids had been chosen as the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) provider for the area. “The new services for young children with a disability and developmental delay meant we have been involved with events such as Options Day in September (which was held as part of Disability Action Week). The event was really well attended and a great opportunity for the team to talk to potential families about how the NDIS ECEI program may help their child’s development.

“People really understand the importance of what we are trying to do with BUSHkids and it’s that sort of great community support that really makes being part of FoBk so rewarding. “In fact, we have had some great support from local businesses in Warwick and across the Southern Downs throughout the year. As well as the BUSHdance, local businesses have been incredibly generous in donating prizes for our annual Christmas raffle. “We started selling tickets around the town in April and sales have been steady since then. The raffle will be drawn just before Christmas and we hope it will raise a significant amount of funds to support the Warwick service centre. “We have also received invaluable help in promoting our events from our friends at the Warwick Daily News and the People & Places Darling Downs Magazine along with popular local radio station Rainbow FM. They continue to help us to get the message out about the important work BUSHkids is doing in the area. “All the Warwick volunteers work really hard to make Friends of BUSHkids in Warwick a success. “Our big fundraiser this year was our Barefoot Bowls Day which was held at The Waves Sports Club. The event was really well attended, and the money raised enabled BUSHkids to be a Silver Sponsor of the biennial Queensland Community Development Conference which was held in Bundaberg in October. There were over 200 delegates from across Queensland at the two-day conference and it was a great way to raise BUSHkids profile and network with other community organisations. “As well as supporting Options Day, members of FoBk Bundaberg joined the BUSHkids team at a number of community events including the Flourish Family Fun Day, Dad’s Read, YMCA Open Day, Let’s go Boating, Early Childhood Indigenous Day and the Read to Me Day at Childers, which was fantastic fun. “In June we headed out Bush for the very popular Family Rock Stampede in Mount Perry, about 100km west of Bundy, and it was a great opportunity to raise awareness of BUSHkids in a rural area of the North Burnett where there is so much need for the services BUSHkids provides. At all these events, we have a strong BUSHkids presence with a stall, banners and merchandise. Our aim is to raise the profile of the organisation and provide information about how BUSHkids can help kids and families.”

Grinning winners after the inaugural FoBk Barefoot Bowls Day fundraiser in Bundaberg, with thanks to ABCWide Bay.

“We have a few events coming up before the end of this year as well. At the end of November, the FoBk team, along with BUSHkids’ Bundaberg staff, will be involved in the Aussie Bush Dance, a family friendly event which is being held as part of the celebration of Social Inclusion Week. “We’re already starting to plan our calendar of FoBk events for next year and hope to have some fun fundraisers and events to support BUSHkids staff and promote the organisation’s services in Bundy and across the broader region.”

“We receive great support from members of the BUSHkids team who take time out to attend our meetings at the Centre. We always get a healthy attendance which makes my job so much easier.”

FoBkWarwick chair Ian Mace, seen here with Emma Mace and BUSHkids’ Lou Keevers at theWarwick BUSHdance in August.

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COUNCIL

Council The BUSHkids Council is an equal partner in and contributor to the growth and change in our organisation. Over the past year Council members have not only had strategic input but have also provided hands-on involvement across many aspects of the organisa- tion. Here is a brief profile of each Council member, and a summary in the table below of their attendance at Council meetings. Bullets adjacent to each name indicate the number of projects worked on or events attended in addition to regular Council meetings during calendar year 2017 (one large bullet = 10 commitments).

Dr Neil Bartels (Chair)

A medical practitioner with a keen interest in children’s health issues, Neil holds a Master’s degree in Law with a great interest in the equity of access

to health services for more remote or disadvantaged children, particularly those with behavioural, learning or social disadvantage. Dr Bartels provides valuable medical and legal experience and intense support in the direction of the organisation.

Mr Julian Martin (Member)

Ms Gloria Ryan (Deputy Chair)

After growing up in the Bush, Julian has a high regard for what BUSHkids is contributing to the children of rural and regional Queensland. He has

Gloria is legally trained and is a very enthusiastic contributor to all aspects of our contracting matters, supporting BUSHkids with legal advice as

more than 20 years’ experience in the information systems industry and a background of providing business-enabling solutions to organisations. Julian supports us greatly in all areas of our ICT needs and has been a valued adviser for the transformation of our ICT systems across the organisation. Ms Carolyn Searle (Member)

well as comprehensively advising on our Policies and Procedures. Through the changes to the organisation’s branding she assisted greatly with the registration of the BUSHkids trademark. She was elected as Deputy Chair in December 2014 and in 2017 has been bringing her skills to bear in a number of key review areas. Ms Allison McLean (Hon.Treasurer) generations of her family she feels an affinity with families in rural and remote areas. Allison was originally involved with the Redcliffe Centre through community groups, organising games nights, activities, and outings for children who had been brought in for treatment. Mr David Ham OAM (Member) As a young teacher and principal in Outback Queensland he was very impressed by the care given to children by our organisation. David has given us enormous voluntary assistance in the creation of our Policies & Procedures in many areas and continues to volunteer his time on further projects. Mrs Gail Huggins (Member) David worked for Education Queensland all his adult life, first as a teacher, then principal and inspector, and finally as the Director of Human Resources. Allison brings her vast accounting knowledge with many years in the areas of business advice, accounting and taxation to support the role of our Accountant. Growing up on a farm which was worked by

Growing up in Mackay, Carolyn understands how the needs of children and families in regional areas are often overlooked and how BUSHkids provides the only health services of its type in many

areas. She worked in accounting and legal fields before founding a recruitment agency, and has since provided valuable advice for our organisation. She has helped increase the profile of BUSHkids, ensuring our valuable services offered reach the children most in need. Mrs Margaret Lavery (Member)

Margaret joined BUSHkids’ council in 2017. After graduating from The University of Queensland and spending several years in the Public Service, she returned to UQ, devoting nearly 30 years to a variety

of planning, policy and decision support roles with the University. Margaret began working as a volunteer in BUSHkids’ Brisbane office during 2014, contributing her experience in business administration and planning to the organisation. Ms Jan Boys (Member)

Jan has dedicated her working life to education – as a teacher, curriculum and policy developer, school support centre co-ordinator and, most recently,

Gail is a Speech Pathologist who has extensive clinical and administrative experience gained from working in government and non-government

as Executive Director and Regional Director of Education in Chinchilla, Darling Downs, Toowoomba and Ipswich. Jan understands that good health and wellbeing are vital to effective learning, particularly in rural areas, and brings her expertise to BUSHkids’ growing list of educational programs.

organisations throughout Australia. Her commitment, based on the knowledge and service planning experience that early intervention for children at developmental risk is vital insurance against long-term disadvantage, has always been to provide equity of access to a well- resourced evidence-based service such as ours.

2017 Council

2 Feb

16 Mar

27 Apr

8 Jun

20 Jul

31 Aug

12 Oct

30 Nov*

6 Dec*

Dr N Bartels

Attended Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Ms G Ryan

Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attended Attended

Apology

Attending Attending

Ms A McLean

Attended Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Mr D Ham oam

Attended Attended Attended Attended Attended Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Mrs G Huggins

Attended

Apology

Attended

Apology

Attended Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Mr J Martin

Attended

Apology

Apology

Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attending Attending

Ms C Searle

Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attended Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Mrs M Lavery

Attended Attended Attended

Apology

Attended Attended Attended

Attending Attending

Ms J Boys

Attended

Apology

Attended Attended Attended Attended Attended

Attending Attending

*Note: these meetings scheduled after the production deadline for this report; attendance notes are declared intentions based on prior advice received from Council members.

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CEO

Chief Executive Officer I am very proud to lead such a well-respected, dynamic and responsive organisation. The depth of feeling for, and high value our communities place on, our services was brought home to me during our annual Conference this year, when all our regional service centre phones were redirected to my direct number during the Conference sessions. It was a privilege to talk with our families and stakeholders, and realise the trust and respect they have for our staff, and the important role our teams play in their families’ lives. As an organisation, our teams strive to live up to our core values of being child-focused and family- centred, working collaboratively to make a difference for vulnerable families, and being accountable to our clients, stakeholders and communities. At the same time we continue to grow as a community partner providing services to the children and families in rural, regional and remote locations in Queensland. After a decade or so of stability, we are now confi- dently taking up the challenge of growing our organi- sation to reach more families and vulnerable children across our vast state. In reflecting on our achievements and challenges in the past year, I am delighted to see the gains we have made in meeting what we set out to achieve in our strategic plan. We have increased the availability of our services to rural, regional and remote families and children by expanding our services, developing our model of care and exploring innovative service delivery methods. This has included successful submissions to become an NDIS Partner in the Community delivering Early Childhood Early Intervention Services across five local government areas in Central Queensland, and our telehealth research project, being undertaken in partnership with The University of Queensland. This project has entered its second stage and is well on the way to informing our organisational telehealth framework. You will read about our other innovative programs in the Learning and Development section of this report. These projects have facilitated our planned move from predominantly clinical intervention services to targeted group, preventive, universal and education services. We continue to make great strides in ensuring our services are evidence-based, clinically efficient and provide demonstrable outcomes for the families and communities we serve. Our BUSHbase database is collecting the information we need to inform practice changes and support service delivery. Robust supervision and professional development systems are in place to ensure our service staff provide contemporary support to our communities. I encourage you to read about these developments in the relevant sections in this report. Strong relationships and networks continue to be developed and this year our Friends of BUSHkids teams have contributed greatly to our work in the regions, active in fundraising, volunteering their skills, raising our profile and – perhaps most importantly – helping ensure the services we are providing meet the needs of the local communities. One sterling example of this is the development of our A Steady Start to School program and the involvement of our Friends in its success.

We are working hard to ensure that our services are provided in an ethical, efficient and sustainable manner, providing value for money for our funders. BUSHkids is being recognised as a leader in the provision of developmental services for families and communities across Queensland. This was confirmed to the organisation as we celebrated being awarded our second NDIS Partner in the Community grant in September this year. Our media, print, radio, TV, and social media reach has continued to grow, as evinced by the coverage of our Bundaberg ECEI service launch, with both ABC Radio and Bundaberg News Mail presenting major features. We aim to be an employer of choice for staff and volunteers and continue to receive large numbers of applications for new and vacant positions. We are about to start trialling new service models for positions that are difficult to recruit, such as a ‘telepsychologist’ for registered psychology provision. A restructure is underway to ensure our operational framework supports the growth in our organisation. This new structure will deliver improved operational management and professional supervision, will introduce a Quality Assurance Team to monitor risk and compliance across the organisation, and provide support for future development of our services through the introduction of our Strategic Development Team. All these changes are reflected in the substantially different format of this year’s Annual Report, with the move to ‘streams-based’ reporting rather than recent years’ focus on individual Centres and clinical disciplines. The dramatic expansion and realignment of BUSHkids’ operations in the past year necessitated a fresh look at how we both view and report on our work; it is a tighter and more disciplined appraisal of an organisation that is, truly, ‘82 years young.’ As we approach our next exciting year of service, we have a great deal to look forward to as we aim to meet the needs of more families, children and communities in rural, regional and remote locations across Queensland. We look forward to seeing results from our telehealth research and for it to inform our operations in the future. Establishing and growing our Early Childhood Early Intervention services in Central Queensland in partnership with the NDIA and local communities is another exciting prospect, bringing with it more professional opportunities for our growing staff base. I take this opportunity to thank our funders, donors, supporters, connections, volunteers, our BUSHkids Council members that guide us and, most of all, our dedicated staff who have served BUSHkids and our client families during the last 12 months. I pay my respects on behalf of BUSHkids to the late Mrs Glenda Keeshan and her family. Glenda led the organisation for 29 years with great dedication and strength, first as State Secretary then CEO from 1991–2006. We also pay our respects to the memory and family of our late Warwick staff member, Catherine Dunn. Our organisation is greater for the legacies of these dedicated ladies. Carlton Meyn

Carlton Meyn

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VITAL

Volunteers

BUSHkids couldn’t provide the services it does to rural, regional and remote communities without the help of an army of dedicated volunteers who give up their time in support of the organisation. Our volunteers support BUSHkids in a variety of ways, whether through fundraising, organising events, promoting the organisation in the communities we serve, or by helping out at the service centres.

Fiona Morgan volunteers at our Bundaberg Centre and has one message for anyone thinking about volunteering: “Just do it.” Fiona said deciding to give her time for two days a week was one of the best things she could have done. “I’ve been a stay-at-home mum for 23 years so it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything.” With her husband working at Bundaberg Brewed Drinks and their two children both at university, Fiona decided to get out and help the community. “I thought ‘I’ve got a lot of spare time’, I’d like to do something but I just don’t know what,” she said. It was then she heard there was a volunteer position at BUSHkids Bundaberg. “I do a variety of things: I just try to do things that let the team who work there do their jobs. It helps to give them more time to see clients.” Jenny Marsh has volunteered at BUSHkids’ Toowong office since August 2016 and joined BUSHkids as a part-time Accounts Assistant at the start of 2017; alongside her part-time work Jenny still volunteers one day a week. “I had been retired for almost five years when my sister, then a BUSHkids volunteer herself, suggested I start helping out the organisation,” said Jenny. “The first thing I noticed upon coming on board was how caring and supportive the staff were of the volunteers. I feel my volunteer work is valued and very much appreciated by everybody at BUSHkids.” “It’s very interesting and varied work and there are great opportunities for volunteers to develop. I was delighted to be asked to take on a part-time role, but wanted to continue volunteering because I enjoy it so much. BUSHkids is a great place to be whether you’re a volunteer or an employee, and I’m both! “One of this year’s highlights for me was attending the annual conference – my first. As a Brisbane- based team member it was great to finally meet and chat with some of our regional staff rather than just talking with them over the phone. “There were some great presentations about the services BUSHkids provides, and it was a real eye-opener to see the amount of thought and hard work that goes into getting a program ready for implementation.” “What BUSHkids does for children and families living in regional and remote Queensland is phenomenal. It’s hard not to feel just that little bit proud when mentioning BUSHkids and my association with the organisation.”

Interested in volunteering? Please send an email with details of which area you live, any special skills or interests you have, and how you think you can help, along with your

contact details to us at: info@bushkids.org.au

One of our volunteers at the Warwick Service Centre is Susan Goddard . Susan is on the Friends of BUSHkids committee in Warwick and helps out at the centre one day a week . “I’ve been volunteering for BUSHkids for about 18 months now,” said Susan. “I do a variety of admin tasks which helps free up the clinical staff at the service centre, so they can spend more time with the clients. I enter data for them, process referral forms, welcome clients at reception, answer the phones, that kind of thing. “The great thing about volunteering for BUSHkids is that it’s a friendly, caring organisation. The staff are very welcoming and helpful to volunteers, and are very appreciative of the work we do helping out. As a member of the Friends of BUSHkids Warwick committee, Susan is also actively engaged in the group’s fundraising efforts and events. “I’ve been involved in selling raffle tickets and really enjoyed the BUSHdance this year which was a great success. We had a great turnout and as well as being a lot of fun it raised much-needed funds to support BUSHkids’ operations in Warwick. “It’s great the way the community here on the Southern Downs supports the organisation when a lot of people around here are doing it tough. “I think one of the fantastic things about BUSHkids is the way it has changed and evolved over the years to better meet the needs of rural and regional children and their families. “I like the way it offers such a wide range of programs, not only for young children but also for families to better understand parenting. It’s that holistic approach – not just supporting the kids’ development but helping the families so they will have better outcomes in the future.”

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LEIFs MEDIA

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L&D

The range of education and development programs and workshops being delivered by BUSHkids teams continues to grow, with both considerable experience obtained in the delivery of proprietary, external programs and, more excitingly, the consolidation of increasing expertise in BUSHkids’ own, internally-developed materials. Learning and Development

CSM

A Steady Start to School (ASS2S) A Steady Start to School is a parent workshop developed by BUSHkids based on the best available evidence in supporting parents to support children’s development with the aim of children making a successful transition into formal education. The ASS2S Program enables BUSHkids to provide high quality universal information to whole communities. When a child experiences a positive and successful transition to primary school they are more likely to experience positive social, emotional and academic outcomes at school and in later life. During the workshop, parents/carers are offered this information along with evidence-informed strategies. Parents (and those in a parenting role) are encouraged to think about how the information applies to their child and family, and have the opportunity to practise some of the key strategies as the first and most significant teacher in a child’s life. The ready-to-use workshop (two hours) is delivered by BUSHkids’ professional staff and Early Intervention Facilitators and can also be utilised by skilled and trained volunteers. The ASS2S package consists of a presenter’s manual, PowerPoint presentation, participant workbook and a suite of tip sheets related to child development and parenting. Participants are also provided with a take-home bag including tools for starting school. The workshop was trialled at three sites in November 2016. Feedback from participants and presenters was used to make necessary adjustments. From observation of the three trials we identified a need for standardised training for staff to competently and professionally present ASS2S. A training package was developed for staff including: reference library, practice manual and training video. Staff are required to read research papers, watch a two-hour training video, present three sections of the presentation to a supervisor and sit an exam prior to presenting the group. The rollout of the program to the communities began in terms 3 and 4 of 2017. BUSHkids will use the SCORE (Standard Client / Community Outcome Reporting) to collect outcome measure data from each presentation. The development of this package has been an exciting project for BUSHkids in moving our service model towards universal supports for all families in regional, rural and remote locations of Queensland. ASS2S will also be tested in our telehealth research project to investigate the effectiveness of this mode of service delivery as part of our options for reaching greater numbers of children in our huge and geographically dispersed state.

Play Project – Learning to Play Play is how children learn many skills they will need to succeed in formal education. Adult-mediated play, playing with peers and independent play all perform a vital role in children’s development. Play helps children develop social and emotional skills, health and safety awareness, language, cognitive development, cultural knowledge and motor skills. Many parents who attend BUSHkids do not have a full understanding of the importance and value of children’s play. Funding via the Gambling Community Benefit Fund Queensland was provided to assist children in rural and remote locations learn skills that will prepare them for school. Research shows that early years learning should be play-based and recognises parents as first teachers. The Learning to Play project goal was to develop a pick up and go training package that staff could use to educate parents and early childhood carers about the importance and value of play in early childhood development. The target audience are parents or carers of children in the 0-5 age group. The aims of the workshop are for participants to: Feel supported in their role as first teachers Learn the value and importance of play and adult-mediated play Feel more confident in their own ability to support a child’s developmental needs Gain some theoretical knowledge and practical strategies to adopt in the home or care facility Know who to contact if they have developmental concerns Experience a closer connectedness with children as a result of play Become invested and interested in their children’s play Support children who are more likely to develop to their full potential in the years prior to school. Lou Keevers, who has extensive early years teaching experience, has been the key project worker under the supervision of OT Karlee Wiles and Social Worker Marianne Taylor. The project is currently on track to deliver our second universal program after ASS2S, with pilot workshops planned for 2018.

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