BUSHkids Annual Report 2011-2012

Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme A nonprofit organisation supporting regional children and families for over 75 years

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ABN 43 824 927 762

2011–2012 ANNUAL REPORT

2012 TEAM MEMBERS BRISBANE Carlton Meyn

PATRON The Governor of Queensland Her Excellency Ms PenelopeWensley AC COUNCIL MEMBERS Dr Neil Bartels Chairman Mr Ian Robinson

General Manager

Kaylene Hoffman Kathryn Healey

Accountant

Service Delivery Coordinator (Tues-Friday)

Tiffany Bannier-King Corporate Relations & Event Coordinator Ingrid Lazarus Administration Officer BrettWall Maintenance & Safety Coordinator

Deputy Chairman

Ms Allison McLean Mr Julian Martin

Treasurer Member

BUNDABERG Heather Moyle

Ms Gloria Ryan Member Ms Karolyn Harcourt Member Ms Carolyn Searle Member Mr David Ham Member Mrs Gail Huggins Member

Psychologist

Laura Back Claire Muller Janie Stupart

Speech Pathologist

Occupational Therapist Family Health Support Worker / Admin Officer

DALBY Eleanor Glover Joshua Dodd Chelsea O’Brien

Psychologist

Speech Pathologist

Clinical Services Manager ( Mon/Tues/Fri), Occupational Therapist ( Wed/Thurs) Occupational Therapist Family Health Support Worker / Admin Officer

Jane Harling Julie Rathmell

EMERALD LucyWaldby

Occupational Therapist

TeneilleWebster

Speech Pathologist

Jeff Mitchell

Psychologist

BronwynWhite

Family Health Support Worker / Admin Officer

MOUNT ISA Olivia Playford

Occupational Therapist

Melissa Bell

Speech Pathologist

James Evans-McLeod Psychologist JaneWallace

Family Health Support Worker / Admin Officer

WARWICK RebeccaWright Psychologist Emily Hetherington Speech Pathologist Helen O’Connell Occupational Therapist Linda Cholawinskyj Family Health Support Worker / Admin Officer INGLEWOOD Sue Clarke Family Health Support Worker MENTORS / SUPERVISORS KarleeWiles Occupational Therapists Helen Dimond Speech Pathologists Jane Morgan Family Health Support Workers / AOs

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CENTRES

BUSINESS NOTICE OF MEETING The seventy-sixth Annual General Meeting of the Royal Queensland bush Children’s Health Scheme – BUSHkids, will be held on Thursday 6th December 2012 at 5.30pm, at Bush Children’s Place, 16 Morley Street, Toowong Q 4066 • Receive and adopt the Report and Financial Statement for the 12 month period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012; • Election of Deputy Chairman and Committee 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

BRISBANE HEAD OFFICE 16 Morley Street,Toowong Q 4066 PO Box 1017, Milton Q 4064 Phone: (07) 3870 7288 Fax: (07) 3870 7723 Email: info@bushkids.org.au BUNDABERG 57 Maryborough Street, Bundaberg Q 4670 PO Box 1328, Bundaberg Q 4670 Phone: (07) 4152 3799 Fax: (07) 4152 7022 Email: bundaberg@bushkids.org.au DALBY 33 B Archibald Street, Dalby Q 4405 PO Box 293, Dalby Q 4405 Phone: (07) 4662 2729 Fax: (07) 4662 4833 Email: dalby@bushkids.org.au EMERALD 5 Clermont Street, Emerald Q 4720 PO Box 53, Emerald Q 4720 Phone: (07) 4982 0905 Fax: (07) 4982 0907 Email: emerald@bushkids.org.au MOUNT ISA 84 Marian Street, Mount Isa Q 4825 PO Box 262, Mount Isa Q 4825 Phone: (07) 4743 2575 Fax: (07) 4749 0529 Email: mtisa@bushkids.org.au INGLEWOOD Community Health Centre Cnr Cunningham Hwy & Princess Street Inglewood Q 4387 PO Box 6, Inglewood Q 4387 Phone: (07) 4652 1236 Fax: (07) 4652 1426 Email: inglewood@bushkids.org.au WARWICK

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CONTENTS

Councillors and staff

Inside cover

Estates

2 2 2 3 5

Acknowledgements Donations and bequests

Chairman’s report

General Manager’s report

Centre reports Bundaberg

1 4 1 8 19 20 23 25 26 32

Dalby

Emerald Warwick Mount Isa

Treasurer’s report Financial statements

47 Guy Street, Warwick Q 4370 PO Box 1229, Warwick Q 4370 Phone: (07) 4667 1200 Fax: (07) 4661 7075 Email: warwick@bushkids.org.au

New and existing partnerships

Service statistics

Back cover

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ESTATES, LEGACIES ANDTRUSTS YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2012

Remembering our Queensland children in yourWill is a very special way to pledge your continuing support for BUSHkids’ service and will remain a living legacy of “ I bequeath free of all duties and charges the sum of $ ........... to the Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme for the general charitable purpose thereof and I declare that the receipt of the Secretary or the Honorary Treasurer of the said Scheme shall be sufficient discharge to my executors.” Your Solicitor or Trustee Company will alter the form of wording when the bequest is for a share or residue of your estate. SPONSORSHIP Corporate, club or individual sponsorship of specific projects or equipment and resources is an excellent way to ensure a continuity of service for country children. Please contact our Brisbane office or your nearest Centre (details on page 1) for more information on current projects. The Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme gratefully acknowledges the kindnesses of everyone who has supported the works of BUSHkids in the past year. In consideration of the Privacy Amendment ( Private Sector) Act 2000, the full list of donations has not been published. Our heartfelt thanks and great admiration go out to all those who, in whatever way, have supported our regional and rural children and families this year. We would be pleased to receive your written advice at the time you send your next gift if you wish that it be acknowledged in the 2012–2013 Annual Report. BUSHkids sincerely expresses the appreciation of our clients and staff for the assistance and encouragement given by our fellowQueenslanders,community groups, service clubs, media, health, welfare and education personnel throughout the state. The financial assistance given by the Queensland Government through the departments of Health and Education is gratefully acknowledged, as is the valuable support of our many corporate partners, sponsors and suppliers (please see page 32). Once again,a substantial grant of money was made this year by Mount Isa’s Xstrata Mines to the BUSHkids centre in that city, ensuring the continuity of staffing and programs in that region. Our organisation remains grateful for the ongoing and enthusiastic support of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys football team, and we thank the management, staff and players for always being there for BUSHkids. your love and compassion for children. The following wording may be used:

$

Estate Nellie Muriel Ivers

58,544.67

Mavis DouglasWinter Fund (QCF)

16,267.61

Russell McKimmin Charitable Trust

15,852.16

Estate Marjorie Geeves Trust Foundation 8,192.59

Estate CH Boden

7,960.65

N & M Hurll Charitable Trust

4,897.33

The Hart Family Perpetual Trust

3,971.39

Estate Olive Nellie StathamWhite (Qld)

3,189.77

WilliamAngliss (Queensland) CF

1,000.00

Gordon K & June S Harris Foundation

750.00

QCF Distribution

771.05

F & I Clewett Memorial Charitable Trust

114.53

The Renouf Family Fund (QCF)

250.00

The J R & L A French Bequest

31.36

HOWYOU CAN HELP DONATE Phone: 07 3870 7288 Fax: 07 3870 7723 Post:

Royal Queensland Bush Children’s Health Scheme (BUSHkids) PO Box 1017, Milton Q 4064 Visit our website for options: www.bushkids.org.au/support/help

Online:

Email:

info@bushkids.org.au

Donations to BUSHkids help us to: • provide services at each of our Centres for children and their families • provide staff with the resources required to provide those services • provide programs and groups to assist children, families and carers be the best they can be BEQUEST A gift in yourWill is an investment in the future of BUSHkids and the futures of all the children we help.

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It is with great pride in the efforts and talents of our dedicated staff across the Centres, through a year defined by changes, that I report to you now. Our rebranding 12 months ago is no longer new, but it is no less eye-catching, and more widely known and recognised – and has begun to reap direct dividends for BUSHkids. Our bolder, brighter public face has been supported by the development of a new model of service delivery, and everyone at BUSHkids has come to recognise the benefits and embrace a smarter methodology in our team and organisational structures. Had we a mantra for 2012, its principal themes would be ‘accountability’ and ‘ effectiveness’. Although it may well be argued that these traits should be – and are – our everyday watchwords, it is no secret that all NGOs (that is, Non- Government Organisations) and non- profits are facing funding constraints in the current climate. As government ‘ drills down’ more and more, seeking to maximise returns on its financial investments, so BUSHkids is rising to meet the challenges of this increased fiduciary responsibility. This is denoted by changes we have made to our governance structure and, particularly, our committees, where we now have enhanced skillsets in the human resources and fund- raising fields, and representation from clinical areas, to guide our oversight. Almost every Council member serves on one or more of our operational committees, further enmeshing the links with our frontline staff, whose feedback and input receives the direct attention of the executive team and the General Manager. For example, we are investigating improvements to our Warwick Centre and highlighting evidence-based areas of change in our traditional service model. Such changes will enable BUSHkids to meet and, we expect, exceed provisions of the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Charities and Not-for- From the Chairman

Profits Commission (ACNC) legisla- tion, proposed to be rolled out in a two-stage approach over the next two Financial Years (2012-13 and 2013-14). In broad terms, the ACNC will require charities and nonprofits to maintain key operational and financial records, report these annually, and meet certain governance standards in structure. The degree of detail required is said to be assessed against a definition of an organisation’s size – small, or medium and large – and, as we conclude this year’s Annual Report, is one of the areas still being finalised by the ACNC taskforce and its consultations. As we understand it, the government’s intention is to make this information available online in a public, searchable database, increasing transparency of the nonprofit sector’s member bodies and, we trust, reducing the frequency and quantity of reporting which is currently required of organisations by their respective funding departments and agencies. BUSHkids welcomes this broad-ranging initiative and is well placed to meet the requirements of the ACNC. Our credentials have been soundly demonstrated for over 75 years, and our systems and processes are being refined, where necessary, to further address this new framework. Our accountability and credibility, although not in question, has been scrutinised through this new prism during 2012, as we reviewed our performance and service delivery, to ensure we are maximising the outcome of every funding dollar invested in our work. We have focused internally on better utilising existing resources: for example, in the IT area and what we might call ‘data mining’ – that is, looking at the information we already have and collect on an operational basis. There has been much to discover in what we already know, and we are working to better use that data to improve daily running and strategic orientation of our service.

One outcome of this has seen BUSH- kids begin making structural and operational adjustments to better reflect demographics of the indigenous and non-indigenous communities in which we work and the clients which we serve. Another outcome has been our development of what we call our ‘ reference groups’: consultations with myself and General Manager Carlton Meyn and representatives of local and state government authorities, general practitioners and medical specialists. The concept behind these working parties is to inform the Council and Committee of BUSHkids at a strategic level and, in turn, to better interface with other service providers and community agencies to improve the economy and effectiveness of our service delivery on the ground. Our enhanced internal reporting mechanisms – via the structural and Committee changes I noted earlier – also illuminate this process, as our teams know their upwards feedback is being taken on board and applied in these working group consultations. This enables our staff to focus on their day to day work with confidence that we are navigating the bigger picture, to minimise any duplication or waste and maximise the efficacy of every dollar spent on our clients. We have tested the working group concept in Dalby and across the southern Darling Downs, and are looking to refine and develop this approach across the state in the next 12 months, in partnership with our nonprofit colleagues, clinical service providers and government.

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BUSHkids has had to absorb funding cuts this year, but our core funding streams are assured. It is important to remind ourselves, at this point, that every single dollar of government funding to BUSHkids is directed to frontline staff and services. We work very hard to match that investment, dollar-for-dollar, from our fundraising efforts and other community support, which enables us to equip and main- tain our Centres and underscore their operation. Part of our behind-the- scenes work, this past 12 months, has been to adjust both income streams to ensure that each Centre is broadly supported by both government and community funding. This improved allocation of resources has evened out disparities, minimised operational stresses and increased efficiencies. In addition to the ramping-up of federal oversight, through the ACNC framework, in 2012 we have also seen major changes at a state and local level, following the elections in March/ April. We managed the transformation in the political landscape smoothly and, we believe, effectively, forging open and direct relationships at all levels and with all key stakeholders. BUSHkids is, of course, an apolitical organisation which exists to serve the needs of the children and families across regional and remote Queensland, and our organisation has seen many such changes in its three-quarter-century history. As we look ahead to 2013, there are some exciting prospects and projects in store. Foremost are our people, and we are looking forward to extending and rewarding their skills and loyalty. Part of our review in 2012 identified some opportunities to extend existing BUSHkids expertise into such fields as early intervention treatments for children with autism. In the context of our reference group pathways and refocused operational efficiencies, we are looking forward to this natural

progression of our teams’ capabilities. In return, and acknowledging that the nonprofit sector inevitably attracts passionate people who simply cannot be remunerated as competitively as in other healthcare fields, BUSHkids is in the process of developing changes to leave entitlements and flexibility in work practices to enhance BUSHkids’ reputation as a good place to work. We will further support their efforts with an investment of more than a quarter of a million dollars in a new IT system, improving both day-to-day operations and record-keeping and our mechanisms to meet the challenges of our responsibilities to our funders and supporters. As part of this package, we will also be empowered to build and extend our intranet, enabling faster electronic communication, document management, and enhancing our ability to develop our people’s profes- sional skills with online learning and educational resources. It is thanks to the efforts of our General Manager that BUSHkids is the nominated beneficiary of the 2013 ‘ Loaves-and-Fishes’ lunch at St John’s Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane. This high-profile annual event benefits a different charity or cause each year, and we welcome this opportunity to participate and showcase our work, to raise both funds and our profile in the state’s capital. On the subject of thanks, I want to acknowledge both the staff who have left BUSHkids during 2012, as well as those who continue with us and those who have joined. The same measure of appreciation is due to our corporate and private partners and supporters, who are acknowledged in more detail elsewhere in this Annual Report. One I would like to single out for special mention joined the extended BUSH- kids family as a direct result of last year’s rebranding. A senior manager of Thiess saw one of our bold, bright cars on the road in Brisbane and was

motivated to investigate who was behind this sassy, fun, kid-friendly wordmark. In paying tribute to General Manager Carlton Meyn for his efforts and boundless enthusiasm for BUSHkids, and open, passionate communication style he brings to Council meetings and all the teams, I will let him tell you more about this, and other activities of the year, in more detail, and conclude with some key acknowledgements. My warm thanks to the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley ac, for her ongoing support of our organisation. As our Patron, she takes a keen interest in BUSHkids and we are most grateful for this. In state government circles, I want to particularly acknowledge the Premier of Queensland, Mr Campbell Newman mp, who conveyed his administration’s regard for the work which we do across this great state on many occasions. The two ministers with whom we have had most dealings in 2012, Mr John- Paul Langbroek mp (Education) and Mr Lawrence Springborg mp (Health) are due our thanks for not only their departments’ financial provisions to our service but also their recognition of the vital importance of our work in regional and remote communities. In paying tribute to the head office team here in Brisbane, I am equally mindful of the tremendous efforts made daily by every frontline staff member at our centres; to catch up with you all at the annual conference is an inspiring and humbling privilege for both me and the Council members.

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

FACRRM Chairman

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From the General Manager

It is my privilege to present to you my first annual report as GM of BUSHkids. The last 12 months has been packed with action and achievements, and throughout this year every Council member, as well as our staff, volunteers, mentors and contractors have all contributed to the growth of our organisation.

Here is an overview of what we have achieved during 2012 and our plans and priorities for the coming year. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Current funding comes principally from Queensland Health and Education Queensland and, against a difficult financial backdrop, we have managed to retain most of our state government funding. This goes towards the cost of our much-needed frontline services and, in particular, to our therapists’ salaries in regional and rural areas. At current levels this funding does not cover the full cost of these services. We have worked hard to match our government funding dollar-for-dollar through direct donations, fundraising events, bequests, corporate support and self-funding, but we continue to rely heavily on the financial support of the Queensland Government. Further cuts in our government funding would see us unable to fully meet the needs of the children and families we support on a daily basis in the communities we serve. We have long enjoyed the strong support of the Queensland Government and for that we are very appreciative. In context of the recent government cuts we have urged the state government to consider thoughtfully the benefits we provide to rural and remote Queensland children, and the strong and beneficial relationships we have built in rural communities. Government funding enables us to continue to deliver a highly-valued and highly- utilised FREE service and we offer an important supplement to the other health and education We have been involved with and supported by local communities in a number of very successful fund- raising events. These events have been held at a number of Centres and their success has not only demonstrated local community spirit but also the affection in which our Centres’ teams are held in their providers in regional communities. EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

communities. These events have been coordinated by our Corporate Relations and Events Coordinator, Tiffany Bannier-King, and our local Centre teams. Key events and partnerships include: North QueenslandToyota Cowboys The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys raised money by auctioning the full team’s home jerseys in an online auction supported by the NRL. The team continues to donate Cowboys merchandise for us to auction at our events, and also finds time in their players’ busy schedules to make them available for BUSHkids functions, in particular our Mount Isa Ball. Mount Isa Rodeo Queen –Tash Jessen Tash Jessen raised an amazing $23,047.54 through her fundraising events in the lead up to being crowned the Mount Isa Rodeo Queen for 2012, all proceeds going to BUSHkids Mount Isa. Tash raised the funds through events over the year including a Mother’s Day Lunch, Easter Bunny Egg Delivery, Paintball Tournament, ‘Boots & Bling Ball’, a raffle and much more. Tash achieved a life-long dream when she was crowned Rodeo Queen at the Bell and Moir Toyota Rodeo Ball on 4 August 2012. “Rodeo Queen has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to participate,” beamed the primary school teacher. “Rodeo queens are my type of princesses, hard-working and hands-on. It’s not all about hair and make-up. It’s about a commitment and passion for rodeo and Mount Isa.” Thank you very much to Tash for selecting BUSHkids as her chosen charity!

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Kyle Roggenkamp, Thiess’ Community and Stakeholder Relations Manager in Dalby, has been an amazing support with infectious enthusiasm, organising fundraising events and raffles, and getting together a Thiess team to run the BBQ at our annual Dalby Race Day, as well as supplying the provisions for the BBQ for the day. In August Kyle organised two multi-draw raffles for Toyota Cowboys jerseys, caps and balls, one for all staff on the project and one for the Dalby community, raising an amazing $2,500. In October Thiess joined forces with subcontractor NACAP Australia to provide further support to BUSHkids. NACAP Australia has been working with Thiess to deliver components of the QCLNG project in the Surat Basin. NACAP Australia became aware of BUSHkids through Thiess and donated $3,500 for improvements to the Dalby Centre. Dalby Race Day Our annual Dalby Race Day is a family fun day sponsored by Black Toyota, which kindly provided the marquee and a jumping castle to entertain the children. Thiess provided supplies and manpower for the BBQ. There was extra entertainment for the children in the form of a pirate and a fairy with artistic face-painting and balloon creations. Musical entertainment was provided by singer/guitarist Jan Rottier, who was joined later in the day by our own vocalist Chelsea O’Brien! ‘Fashions on the Field’ was popular with a prize for ladies and men donated by Hays Jewellers. Amulti-draw raffle to raise further funds had top prizes of a $350 travel voucher donated by Thiess, a water tank and a garden trolley full of ‘ liquid refreshments’.

Xstrata Mount Isa Mines Xstrata Mount Isa Mines continues to provide us with a generous annual grant for the operations of our Mount Isa centre. Band of the 1st Regiment, Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery The Band of the 1st Regiment, Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, continues as a loyal supporter of BUSHkids and this year supported us through events in Dalby during the week of 17-21 September, 2012. The band visited Dalby to conduct a series of school concerts and music workshops. The performances, suitable for primary and secondary school students, were both educational and entertaining and had the students totally absorbed.

The week culminated in a Family Concert on the evening of Friday 21 September for the communities of Dalby and surrounding areas, held at the Dalby State High School. The concert involved the students with whom the band members had shared their skills in the workshops, with gold coin donations raising funds to support our Dalby Centre. THIESS In April Thiess announced its support of BUSHkids through its QCLNG Upstream Works project team in the Dalby area. Terry Donaghy, Thiess QCLNG Project Director, presented a cheque to myself and our Dalby team for $5,000, saying, “We look forward to an ongoing relationship with BUSHkids during the life of the project.”

We were also fortunate to have a Dalby community committee headed by Liz Ryan who helped organise the day by collecting sponsors, donations and raffle prizes, organising the entertainment for adults and children, organising the erection of the marquee, setting the tables and chairs with table decorations donated by Black Toyota and much, much more. Thanks to Black Toyota, Liz Ryan and her ladies.

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Bec and Emily attended the dinner on 1 September and accepted the award on behalf of the team, the prize including $300 worth of radio advertising on radio station 4WK which was put to good use for the Warwick Golf Day promotions. Congratulations on a great achievement for our Warwick team! Commonwealth Bank contribution to sustainability – solar power use As part of the Commonwealth Bank Centenary Celebrations the bank asked its staff to submit ideas for contributing to local communities for improving sustainability. The bank received an overwhelming response, many ideas based on offering long-term support to rural community centres. BUSHkids was selected as the Commonwealth Bank’s staff’s recipient for their solar power funding and solar panels were installed in our five centres across Queensland. The solar panels will significantly reduce our energy bills and allow us to focus on providing needed equipment and resources. Thank you to the Commonwealth Bank and its staff . DONORAPPEALS Over the year we have also conducted two donor appeals: one pre-Christmas and one pre-tax time. The appeal letters are printed by our supporters at PurePrint at no cost to BUSHkids and have proved to be very effective, with a 30% donor return across both appeals. Thank you sincerely to all who have donated to BUSHkids and to the PurePrint team. REBRANDINGAND MEDIA The new BUSHkids logo was launched at our 75th AGM Celebrations on 6 December 2011 and was received with great enthusiasm by all who attended and applauded by those who have since seen it. The new BUSHkids car fleet was also updated with the new ‘wordmark’ decals which has certainly been effective, catching the eye of Thiess Community and Stakeholder Relations Manager Kyle Roggenkamp. Kyle contacted our Dalby centre in early March, looking to support a local organisation over the life of the QCLNG project in the Dalby area. Pre-Christmas 2011 letters mailed out 1265 Number of donations received Pre-Tax 2012 letters mailed out Number of donations received 340 1374 474

Warwick Golf Day 134 players turned out for a 4 ball Ambrose at the Warwick Golf Club and to raise funds for BUSHkids. Domino’s sponsored the prize for a hole-in-one on the 13th (a year’s supply of pizza) and provided free pizza to all the players on the day! The BUSHkids Warwick team ran a golf buggy bar selling drinks to thirsty players; Apex Life Member Peter Hardwick ran a fundraising sausage sizzle at the halfway house.

Further fundraising took the form of a sporting memorabilia auction, including a Bart Cummings signed photograph, Don Bradman signed bat, and Laura Geitz signed netball outfit, and much more. A successful multi-draw raffle with amazing prizes donated from the community and a major raffle for a Kangaroos jersey signed by the full 2011 team, which was kindly donated by Mark and Hilary Wilde of Brisbane, raised an amazing $1,180. Thank you to the Warwick Golf Club and Condamine Sports Club teams for helping our day run smoothly. Community Service Award –Warwick team winners of the 2012 Heritage BankWarwick Business Excellence Award Nominated by the local community in recognition of the services BUSHkids provides, our Warwick team was announced Winner of the Community Service Award at the Warwick Business Excellence Awards. The award recognises the significant contribution of community organisations to the community in relation to projects that have positively impacted the community and generated long term benefits.

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MEDIA In 2012 we have seen over 50 media exposures for BUSHkids, increasing our profile and certainly helping promote our fundraising events. A small selection of the print coverage is shown below.

As the story goes, Kyle discovered BUSHkids after seeing the new wordmark on my car as I drove past the Suncorp stadium one evening! Banners were also produced to complete our suite of promotional material to create further awareness of BUSHkids. Thanks to Matt Tesch, Masthead Design & Creative, for the literally eye-catching work.

WEBSITE The new BUSHkids website has been live for a year now and has several new features including an ‘ Extranet’ facility that has capacity to host our Policies & Procedures – and further resources to be deployed in the coming year. The site is maintained by Tiffany Bannier-King from our Brisbane team, with assistance from Gavin at Smart Multimedia.

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Ms Gloria Ryan (Member) Gloria is legally-trained and enthusiastically contributes to all aspects of our contracting matters, supporting BUSHkids with legal advice and comprehensively advising on the new Policies and Procedures. Throughout our changes to the organisation’s branding Gloria has given endless advice and is assisting with the registration of the new BUSHkids trademark. Mrs Karolyn Harcourt (Member) While now retired, Karolyn practiced as a Speech Pathologist for many years, working primarily with children, working in Education Queensland and Queensland Health, as well as in her own private speech pathology practice. Karolyn supports our clinical services and is currently working with us to create our new Clinical Policies and Procedures and Model of Care. She spent many hours in preparation of our annual conference. Ms Carolyn Searle (Member) Having grown up in Mackay, Carolyn understands how the needs of children and families in regional areas are often overlooked and how, in many areas, BUSHkids provides the only health service of its type. Carolyn has worked in both the accounting and legal professions before establishing Career Path, a recruitment agency, and has provided recruitment advice for our organisation. Carolyn has helped increase the profile of our organisation amongst the business community ensuring our valuable services reach the children most in need. Mr David Ham (Member) David has worked for Education Queensland all his adult life, first as a staff teacher, then principal and inspector, and finally the Director of Human Resources. As a young teacher/principal in outback Queensland he was very impressed by the care given to bush children by our organisation. David has given invaluable voluntary assistance with the creation and collation of our Policies & Procedures in the areas of Governance, Human Resources and Finance, Admin and Health & Safety and continues to volunteer his time on further projects. Mrs Gail Huggins (Member) Gail is our newest Council member. She was raised and educated in Townsville and Port Moresby and graduated as a Speech Pathologist with her first role involving a hospital Child Development Unit.

INPUT FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS An equal partner in and contributor to the growth and change in our organisation, over the past year BUSHkids Council members have not only had strategic input but also provided hands-on involvement across the organisation. Dr Neil Bartels (Chairman) Dr Bartels is a medical practitioner with a keen interest in children’s health issues. He also holds a Masters degree in Law which has given him further interest in the equity of access to health services for more remote or disadvantaged children, particularly those with behavioural, learning or social issues. Dr Bartels provides valuable medical and legal experience and immense support in the new direction of the organisation. Mr Ian Robinson (Deputy Chairman) Growing up in a rural area and practising as an agricultural economist and as a consultant with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries has backgrounded Ian’s understanding of the need for access to decent services for families in rural and remote areas; identifying them is an issue which he regards as very important. Ian is playing a vital role in our indigenous programs, helping ensure our organisation reaches out to indigenous families ensuring that their children benefit from BUSHkids. Ms Allison McLean (Treasurer) Allison brings her vast accounting knowledge with many years in business advisory, accounting and taxation to support the role of our Accountant. Growing up on a farm worked by generations of her family she feels an affinity for families in rural and remote areas. Allison was originally involved with the Redcliffe Centre at the Scarborough site through community groups, organising games nights and activities and outings for children who had been brought from remote areas for treatment, and Allison continues to support us with our events in the regions. Mr Julian Martin (Member) 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 over 20 years of experience in the information systems industry and a background of providing business-enabling solutions to organisations. Julian supports us greatly in regards to all areas of our IT and has been a valued adviser for the current transformation of our IT systems across the organisation.

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Through this role her awareness of the challenges faced by many families and the value of a multi- disciplinary approach to the assessment and care of children developed. Her career has taken her across eastern Australia, gaining experience in a range of roles in government and non-government health and education organisations and private practice. Gail introduced early intervention expert Dr Doug Shelton to BUSHkids. Thank you to all the members of the BUSHkids Council. It is refreshing to work in an organisation where people involved in the governance and strategic direction of the organisation are also so willing to respond to requests for practical support for the day-to-day needs of the organisation, while leaving the overall operations of the organisation to the General Manager. I do value the support and feedback I receive from you all. ADMINISTRATION MATTERS Policies and Procedures Too often policy and procedure documents are looked upon as being ‘just a lot of words’ or ‘boring stuff’ that may be kept in the bottom drawer of the desk, but not read. This, of course, is far from the case. Policies provide an organisation with a meas- ure of consistency, a safety net when staff are unsure how to progress an issue, and a protection against accusations of wrongdoing or a lack of fairness. In 2012, BUSHkids began the daunting task of reviewing and updating all policies and procedures. A consultant, Dr Phil Costigan from Wildwood Consulting, completed the initial job of writing draft policies and procedures to cover hundreds of issues in four key areas – Governance, Human Resources, Client Services and Health and Safety, Assets and Finance.

A comprehensive consultation process followed, in which Councillors and all staff members were invited to comment, resulting in all the appropriate alterations being made. The final drafts of all but the Client Service Section are now ready for ‘ publication’. The Client Service policies and procedures are currently being reviewed by an expert committee before they, too, are made available for consultation. Our sincere thanks to Dr Philip Costigan for his In January, 2012, Queensland joined other States in passing new Work Health and Safety Laws, in accordance with the Commonwealth Government’s desire for ‘harmonisation’ of these laws across the country. The 2012 laws spell out expectations of workers caring for the health and safety of them- selves and others in the organisation and provide for visits by government auditors to ensure compliance with the legal requirements. In accord with the requirements of the Act, which call for Consultation Sessions to be held with staff on a regular basis, the first information session was held as a part of the BUSHkids Conference in October. The accountable officer is myself, the General Manager – the “Person Conducting the Business or Undertaking”. In the case of BUSHkids, I am assisted by the Coordinator of Work, Health and Safety, Brett Wall. Brett has visited or communicated with each regional Centre to ensure that we are complying with all the requirements of the Act. Work Health and Safety will continue to play a prominent role in the operations of BUSHkids. Thank-you to Brett. expertise and involvement. Work Health and Safety

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The 2012 BUSHkids conference was a great success clinically, largely due to the support and facilitation of Dr Doug Shelton, a paediatrician and Director of Community Child Health on the Gold Coast. Dr Shelton has a particular interest in optimising the development of children so they can achieve their potential across their life course. He pursues many interests including the development of a society for paediatricians who work in child development, attempting to improve child development services and establishing a clinic for the diagnosis of FASD.

IT systems Our IT systems remain a major challenge, with ageing network and systems in need of a major upgrade; issues include, but are not limited to: • network speed and latency • network manageability and security • disaster recovery risks • video conferencing (remote sites isolated) • hardware and software replacement • database inadequacies • flexibility for changing needs • photocopier requirements • remote systems unworkable due to bandwidth limitations • unnecessary complexity and network manageability issues With the help of Council member Julian Martin we are currently reviewing our needs and providers for our IT network and systems. A number of providers have been consulted and proposals received. This exercise has the potential to be expensive and we are exploring outsourcing the use of hardware and data storage. We are working towards a solution for the New Year. Thank you to TLC IT solutions for their support through their IT help desk support. MODEL OF CARE After consultations with internal and external stake- holders we identified we needed to investigate the efficacy of our current Model of Care. The intention of the 2012 annual conference was to review our clinical functioning and ‘draw a line in the sand’ as an organisation to move towards a more focused and consistent service across Queensland.

Thank you, Dr Doug Shelton, for your passion and enthusiasm for the work we do at BUSHkids. The key Conference topics workshopped were: BUSHkids’ unique qualities Staff were divided into small groups and asked to create a short radio or television advertisement for BUSHkids. The products coming from this activity were entertaining and highlighted the unique characteristics of BUSHkids. Model of Care The key elements that came out of all the group discussions were that BUSHkids’ focus should be on early intervention, prevention/health promotion and multidisciplinary work that is family-based.

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Early intervention and multidisciplinary work Dr Shelton provided an informative presentation on the evidence supporting the importance and effectiveness of early intervention. He highlighted the need for parent education and awareness from pre conception. This added weight to the proposal that our service should become more focused on early intervention and education. Intake The intake process for referrals was a big topic for discussion and workshopping. With input from mentors, Dr Shelton, clinical Council members and BUSHkids staff, it was determined that referrals from parents were the most logical and that the time from referral to ‘first contact’ was often far too long. Changes such as parent referrals, intake interviews at the time of referral and screening opportunities were all suggested to improve efficiencies. Our mentors and staff – • Helen Dimond for the Speech Pathologists • Karlee Wiles for the Occupational Therapists • Jane Morgan for the Psychologists and Family Health Support Workers • Chelsea O’Brien, Clinical Services Manager • Kathryn Healey, Service Delivery Coordinator – played a vital role in the effectiveness of our 2012 Annual Conference. Thank you to you all. STAFF MATTERS We continue to employ the same staff numbers in each centre, including a Psychologist, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Family Health Support Worker, with a Family Health Support Worker in Inglewood. Professional development As an organisation we place great importance on the professionalism of our staff and as much as possible facilitate the constant updating of their skills. This has been done by supporting targeted professional development activities. We will continue to support staff in this way in the coming year.

Mentoring Mentoring of frontline professionals plays an vital role in ensuring the delivery of quality clinical services to our clients, and 556 hours of supervision of clinical staff were provided in the 2012 year; we will continue our mentoring program throughout the coming year.

Mentoring July 2011 - June 2012 Speech Pathologists Occupational Therapists Family Health Support Workers Psychologists – Provisional Psychologists – Registered

Number hours supervision

110 110 110

136

90

TOTAL hours

556

Distances travelled Total BUSHkids travel during the last year was more than 90,000km driven around Queensland.

CENTRE

km

BUNDABERG

4,730 6,353

DALBY

EMERALD

12,736

INGLEWOOD MOUNT ISA

5,072 3,805 3,500

WARWICK

BRISBANE - GM

18,075 3,6671

BRISBANE - Maintenance

I want to express my sincere appreciation to all our staff for their contribution to the organisation: our clinical teams delivering services and caring for the children and families under their care, our mentors for their wisdom and knowledge in supporting our clinicians, our clinical leaders involved in setting our clinical direction, and our administration support teams including Ingrid for her dedication to our donors, and Kaylene, our accountant, ever watchful of our budget and investments and ensuring our staff and bills are paid on time. We could not have achieved what we have without each of you. Volunteeering Volunteers bring enthusiasm, experience, much- needed additional skills and fresh ideas, as well as their labour, time and energy. They are another link with the community, another way of attracting sup- port, another way of ‘spreading the message’. Vol-

Professional development July 2011-June 2012 Number of staff who applied for professional development

Totals

21

Days

106.5

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or Fragile X syndrome. Registered Better Start EISP organisations must provide early intervention services to children through a multidisciplinary team comprised of qualified and experienced early intervention specialists or allied health professionals from one or more of; speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, audiology, physiotherapy or orthotics. We will continue to actively consider other funding opportunities as and when they arise. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to share any opportunities that occur in the regions. In addition to the annual fundraising events we run, in 2013 BUSHkids has also been chosen as the beneficiary for the 20th Annual ‘Loaves & Fishes’ Luncheon organised by the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane at St John’s Cathedral, on 30 April 2013. For further details please contact us. Developing strong regional partnerships We are also working to create a regional reference network through local councils and medical practitioners, and health and education heads at the local and regional level. Through this network we are working to establish a continuous voice for BUSHkids through friends of the organisation in areas where we have local representation. Administrative priorities On the administrative level our top priority for the next 12 months is to continue to create systems that support our teams, especially in the form of a clinical toolkit and a new database for our client record management systems. These are necessary to enhance productivity, accountability and reporting, and enable us to meet our needs for standardisation. Deployment of robust ICT is becoming a matter of strategic importance. Building a broad capability is essential to improving efficiency, reducing the regulatory burden, streamlining interaction with clients and professional networks and increasing our capacity to work with community organisations. Throughout 2013, we will continue to encourage innovation and growth within our teams. We will also continue to take responsibility for what we can do for our clients – the children and families of regional Queensland – and in so doing continue to be effective, creative and accountable to ourselves, our donors and our funders. Carlton Meyn, General Manger

unteers can provide invaluable support to the paid staff by working at reception, maintaining gardens and grounds, providing clerical support or simply being ‘Jack of all trades’. During busy times when events are being organised or fundraising drives come due, committees of volunteers can prove to be great assets. Last but definitely not least, the Boards and Councils that assume the responsibility for the functioning of thousands of Australian charitable organisations are invariably made up of volunteers. BUSHkids realises the great potential value of establishing a team of volunteers to extend the capabilities of each centre and to assist our overall administration. As an example, Brisbane volunteer Rob Gluch has called upon his vast experience by working with an IT developer, creating a photo- graphic record of regional events and helping with presenting at our Annual Conference. Our Dalby and Warwick Centres have been grateful to receive the support of enthusiastic volunteers in running the events. It is planned to explore all the different ways in which volunteers can be used to support the staff and enhance the services that we are able to offer to the families and children of rural and regional Queensland. LOOKINGAHEAD Funding opportunities In 2013 we intend exploring additional funding opportunities through: The HCWA funding package provides family and/or carers of eligible children with access to up to $12,000 ( maximum of $6,000 can be used per financial year) that can be used to cover the cost of early intervention services. Eligible children include those 0-6 years with a diagnosed ASD. Organisations registered as an HCWA EISP must provide early intervention services to children through a multidisciplinary team of Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Pathologists. This provides family and/or carers of eligible children with access to up to $12,000 (maximum $6000 can be used per financial year) that can be used to cover the cost of early intervention services. Eligible children include those under six years of age who have been diagnosed with a moderate or greater vision or hearing impairment, including deaf blindness, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) Early Intervention Service Provider Panel Better Start for Children with Disability Early Intervention Service Provider Panel

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BUNDABERG THEYEAR IN GENERAL 2012 has been a very busy yet satisfying year in Bundaberg. As we sadly bid farewell to Sandra ( Psych) and Tanya (SLP), we were delighted to welcome two new staff members, Heather and Laura, who easily transitioned into the team and got straight to work providing high quality services to the children and families of Bundaberg! Many clients have received individual OT, SLP and Psychology support, in addition to support being offered through a variety of groups run by the FHSW both at the centre and in local schools. Some of the groups offered in 2012 included PALS, Fun Friends, Friends for Life/Stop Think Do, Friendship, Holiday Craft, Art and Literacy, PAL literacy, Fine Motor and handwriting groups. As always, demand for our services has been high, resulting in lengthy waiting lists for individual therapy services. The lists for psychology and speech pathology services have been closed for much of 2012 (our psychology books have recently re-opened) and, while it is difficult to turn a referral away from our service, we know when a possible wait for therapy is at least a year, it is better for the child and family to access services elsewhere. The Bundaberg community has been hugely supportive of our situation regarding new referrals, and we feel our team has negotiated well with other service providers to ensure children and families have alternative avenues for accessing their much-needed therapy. Our centre welcomed a second year OT student for a placement in Janu- ary and February. It was wonder- ful to have the addition of such an enthusiastic and willing learner within our team (albeit for only three weeks!) and we all enjoyed imparting our knowledge and

skills, and convincing our student of the incredibly fun and reward- ing experiences which come with working in early intervention. Since launching of the BUSHkids rebranding and new website in late 2011, our bright, eye-catching and more contemporary image has generated much positive feedback from parents, students and other clinicians who have ‘checked us out’ on the website. We have also enjoyed showcasing our bright new image on our letterhead, business cards and new work car. Brett recently serviced the centre during his week-long maintenance visit; thanks, Brett, for all your work in and around the centre. As a team we were delighted by the addition of a new therapy room – almost complete with sink, shelving, caterpillar tables and chairs. Thanks to Mumma’s Nest and the Commonwealth Bank, we now have a new flat screen TV and DVD player for viewing Triple P and various other parent education DVDs, along with a new lounge for our waiting room. Verbal feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. AROUND OURAREA Bundaberg is a large regional town servicing a greater population of over 100,000 – that includes the townships of Childers and Gin Gin. While best known for its sugar and rum, the Bundaberg region is also a big tomato, macadamia and fig producer. The biggest drawcard is no doubt Bundaberg’s proximity to the coast and its enviable climate – said to be one of the best in the world (akin to that of Florida!) – and this makes it all the more possible to enjoy the picturesque beaches of Bargara, Elliott Heads, Mon Repos (famous for its turtle rookery) and Lady Elliott Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

In terms of population, Bundaberg is a lower socio-economic region. Many schools have special needs units attached and we have one of the largest special schools in Queensland. This exemplifies the need for free services such as BUSHkids within the community. ACTIVITYAND OUTPUTS Psychology – reflections by Heather Moyle I commenced my role in January, with enthusiasm and an ideal of how I would be instrumental in bringing about amazing changes to children in this community. I was attracted to BUSHkids by the proud history, the philosophy, and the family-centred focus of service delivery, and totally passionate about playing a role. I knew that in Bundaberg the demand for our services was high, but it came as a surprise to find a waitlist of 83 clients on the books, and that it was continuing to grow. I looked at the cheerful faces of my colleagues, took a deep breath, and dived in. It’s been an amazing journey: I’ve had the opportunity to meet with, get to know and understand some of the personal circumstances of the many families and children waiting and depending on our services. I’ve engaged with parents, developing personalised treatment plans to address the specific needs of their children and/or family. I’ve also dis- covered that I am yet to meet two children that are remotely alike! Most rewardingly of all, I’ve found, the children and families I have engaged with have all responded positively to the BUSHkids style of service delivery: an investment in one-on-one, personalised interest, engagement and time. Despite limitations with diagnoses, ongoing family problems, or some difficult school environments, the

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