The PRWIRE Press Releaseshttps://2017-09-04T01:20:20ZYouth Care UPA Celebrate 20 Years of helping our Young People2017-09-04T01:20:20Zyouth-care-upa-celebrate-20-years-of-helping-our-young-people
On Sunday the 27th of August, Youth
Care UPA celebrated 20 years of service providing out of home care to children
and young people on the North Coast. The special event which included a lunch
and entertainment was held at Alstonville Showground.
Jeff
McDonald, Program Manager (who has been with Youth Care UPA since the beginning
when it was called Kids in Care) organised
the event with the help of the dedicated Youth Care team.
“We
really wanted to thank anyone who had been involved with our service, whatever
their role, over the past two decades”, said Mr McDonald.
Two
hundred people attended the milestone event. Guests were kids with their foster
families, children of the foster families, staff both current and past of Youth
Care UPA, local politicians – The Hon Thomas George Member for Lismore and
Tamara Smith Greens Member for Ballina, a representative from FaCS, and many
more.
“We
were lucky enough to have the first ever young person we had in foster care
attend,” said Mr McDonald.
“The
Massey Brothers provided music, and Horace Bevan was MC,” said Mr McDonald of
the entertainment lineup, “There was a BBQ lunch catered for by the Lions Club
of Alstonville – so a big thanks to them, and there were jumping castles, rides,
farm animals and a craft table for kids.”
“When
we started the general feeling was that we probably wouldn’t be around for the
long term. The battles we have had to fight just to maintain our presence in
the sector right from the beginning and to achieve what we have and to be
placed where we are now certainly needed celebrating.”
The
next steps for Youth Care UPA moving forward are to strive for more growth to
be able to provide a better future for the children and young people in the
program.
“We
will do this with always keeping the best interest of the children and young people
as our motivating factor,” said Mr McDonald.
Foster
Carers are urgently required for respite, short term and long term care.
Families, couples and singles are encouraged to apply by calling Youth Care UPA
on 02 6620 4400 or visiting youthcareupa.org
ENDS.
Youth Care UPA is a program of the UPA Far
North Coast Charity Organisation. They provide a secure, safe and caring
alternate living arrangement for those young people who cannot or choose not to
live with their natural families.
It is their mission to provide an efficient and
effective out of home care which empowers young people, and creates
opportunities for their future to enhance their quality of life.
This will be achieved in collaboration with the
young person, their family and other relevant people and services.
Youth Care UPA plans for quality outcomes,
while providing outreach and support to young people with identified needs.
They are also one of the only organisations in
the field to work closely with the child’s birth family, facilitating change so
as to address the cause of problems and work toward a positive outcome for all
involved.
If you know a child at risk, please contact the
Community Services Help Line 13 21 11.
Foster Carers are urgently required for
respite, short term and long term care. Families, couples and singles are
encouraged to apply by calling UPA Youth Care on 02 6620 4400.
MAJOR GOVERNMENT CHANGES TO HOME CARE2017-02-13T22:45:29Zmajor-government-changes-to-home-care
Senior’s
Week is just around the corner, running from March 3 – 12 this year. Before the
festivities kick off, however, you might be thinking about the major changes about
to hit our National Home Care system. On February 27, the Australian
Government is changing the way home care services are delivered to older
Australians. You might be a person directly affected, or you might have a loved
one who will need to learn about the updates and what they mean for them.
Ours is an ageing population, therefore these changes are
being put in place to establish a sustainable and high quality aged care system
that is more consumer driven, market based and less regulated.
In the current system, home care places are allocated to Approved
Providers of home care through the Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR), a
resource-intensive and highly competitive process with many unsuccessful
applicants each year. Come February 27, funding for a home care package will
follow the consumer, allowing them to direct funding to the provider of their choice. These changes are very
exciting for the consumer.
Currently, home care packages are not “portable” as the
places are allocated to an approved provider and unspent funds are retained by
that provider if the consumer leaves their care. From Feb 27 however, home care
packages will be portable for consumers, allowing them to change providers if
they wish, a new found freedom for those who receive care. If they choose to
change providers, any unspent funds (less exit amount) within their package
will follow them to the new home care provider.
Kim Ryall-Manley, Home Care Manager of UPA North Coast, an
established home care, aged care and youth care non-profit company – said “Our
vision is, and has been very clear since we were established in 1938. We hope that
everyone is able to live with dignity and independence and should be able
to select appropriate and affordable support and care as and when they
need it. Quality of life, and supporting people to live the way they want is
our goal.”
With the new home care changes,
it seems this vision is becoming a reality.
“Our vision really does tie in with the new changes, and we’re
happy that consumers will soon be able to choose home care services that suit
their individual needs,” Said Ms Ryall-Manley.
“The choice affects not only the person using the service,
but their families, and we believe the new freedom of choice will give peace of
mind to the loved ones who trust us to provide the best care possible.”
What else is changing?
A consistent national system for prioritising access to home
care will be established through a national prioritisation system managed by My Aged Care. Post Feb 27, this national
queue will be in place. The way consumers are then prioritised will take
account of their relative needs and circumstances and the time they have been
waiting for care.
The process for becoming an approved provider will undergo
some changes too. Approved providers of residential care and flexible care will
be able to ‘opt-in’ to providing home care rather than going through a full
application process.
Once approved provider status has been granted it will no
longer lapse, whether the approval is for home care, residential care or
flexible care – however, approved providers must continue to meet relevant
quality and accreditation standards.
Ms Ryall-Manley of UPA commented, “When looking for a home
care service provider, people should take provider experience into account
given these new changes. For example, we are an award-winning provider with a
proven track record in meeting the quality standards and accreditation., and so
we’re preparing and looking forward to helping a lot of new faces with their care
packages when the changes come in.”
Amidst all the changes, there are a few things that will
remain the same. Existing home care consumers will continue to receive services
at their current package level, there will be no changes to current fee and
income testing arrangements, claims and payments will still be made through the
Department of Human Services Aged Care
Payment System.
Home care subsidy and supplements will continue to be paid
to approved providers, not directly to consumers. Packages will continue to be
delivered on a consumer directed care basis, and the total number of home care
packages across the country will still be capped.
What you need to do next…
If you are currently receiving a home care package, you do
not need to do anything. You will continue to receive care and services at your
existing package level. More information about the changes and what they mean
for you will be provided closer to 27 February.
If you have been assessed as eligible to receive a home care
package, the path you follow will depend on whether you have found a provider
who can offer you a suitable package and are able to enter into a Home Care
Agreement by 27 February. If you find a suitable provider before 27 February,
you can enter into a home care agreement with them. If you have not entered
into a home care agreement before 27 February, you will be contacted by My Aged
Care when a package at a suitable level becomes available. You will receive
more information about the changes and what they mean for you closer to the
date.
If you are not sure of your eligibility, or would like more
information on the changes and how to choose your provider, the next step for
you or your loved one is to go to the My
Aged Care portal. To do this, you should visit http://www.myagedcare.gov.au/ or call
1800 200 422.
“You need
to choose wisely and know your options,” said Ryall-Manley. “Our advice at UPA
would be to find out about the core values held in the company. It’s such an
important choice for you or your loved one, and your care and wellbeing should
be the priorities.”
If you
would like to contact the experienced team at UPA North Coast with any
questions, you can phone them on 02 6628 5559, or visit their website at
www.upa.org.au.
ENDS
ABOUT UPA
The United Protestant Association of NSW Limited (UPA) is a
Christian care organisation, established with the commitment to care for
disadvantaged children and the provision of care and accommodation for the
elderly. The Association's work commenced at Grafton in 1938 by the late
Thomas Agst, BEM, JP, when he took several small children into care. From
this small beginning, the Association was to gain impetus which has since seen
expanded services to both young and old with over 45 centres throughout New
South Wales. From its inception, UPA has touched the lives of thousands
of people by providing care of the highest quality in the context of Christian
love and compassion. UPA is a non-profit Company limited by guarantee.
Today, our Association is made up of 12 Districts which have
a healthy degree of autonomy, yet are bound together under the one mission and
company structure. A foundational principle used since the very beginning of
our work was that the money raised in the town would stay in the town. Local
governance, management and administration are a core strength of UPA’s work. Working
co-operatively UPA has built a strong growing association of like-minded people
providing a network of the highest standard of care services throughout New
South Wales.
We welcome people
from all religious and cultural backgrounds. We convey compassion, kindness,
respect and honesty in our work. Our staff and volunteers encourage and empower
those we care for to choose their own path. Mindful of how we ourselves would
like to be treated, we aim to provide a caring atmosphere of Christian love and
understanding. When we have
failed to live up to our Mission, Values or Philosophy of Care we will seek to
make amends.
UPA North
Coast
UPA
North Coast services areas from Port Macquarie in the South, to the Queensland
Border North, and across the Gold Coast.