Group Services (Program of Supports) – Service Disclosure Statement

These are the service specific Terms and Conditions for Group Services: Program of Supports Shared Housing and Therapy groups are NOT included.

Northcott Group Services include:

Goals relate to:

• Independence and Life Skills
  • Under 18 Services
    • Skills 4 Life
  • Over 18 Services
    • Life Skills
• Work and Study
  • Under 18 Services
    • Skills 4 Life
    • School Leaver Employment supports (SLES)
  • Over 18 Services
    • Work and Study Skills
    • School Leaver Employment supports (SLES)
• Social and Leisure
  • Under 18 Services
    • Teen Recreation
    • Teen Short Stays
  • Over 18 Services
    • Recreation
    • Short Stays

Northcott Group Services is where you come together with people who have similar goals and interests to you. You will be supported in small groups of 1, 2 or 3 in most Group Services, based on your support needs and goals. In centre-based services, your small group will be sharing space and resources with other small groups.

In Short Stays Services, you can be supported in groups of up to 4 customers and in SLES you can be supported in groups of up to 5 customers.

Customer Groups

You tell us what you want to achieve whilst at Northcott. We will assist you in working out what your goals are and the steps you can take to achieve them, we will then assist you in working towards those outcomes.

• Group of 1, 2 or 3
  • Under 18 Services
    • Skills 4 Life, pricing is apportioned
    • Skills 4 Work, pricing is apportioned
    • Teen Recreation, pricing is apportioned
    • Short Stays, pricing is not apportioned
• Group of 1, 2 or 3
  • Over 18 Services
    • Life Skills, pricing is apportioned
    • Work and Study Skills, pricing is apportioned
    • Recreation, pricing is apportioned
    • Short Stays, pricing is not apportioned
• Groups of up to 4
  • Under 18 Services
    • Teen Short Stays, pricing is not apportioned
  • Over 18 Services
    • Short Stays, pricing is not apportioned
• Groups of up to 5
  • Under 18 Services
    • SLES, pricing is apportioned
  • Over 18 Services
    • SLES, pricing is apportioned

Program of Support is where you are supported to work towards your goals in (up to) 12-week terms. We will discuss with you what you would like to achieve within the term, then we will work with you to develop strategies that will assist you in working towards achieving your goal/s.

Goals and Outcomes refers to what you want to achieve whilst at Northcott. We will support you to develop your goals, and the strategies you want to put in place. We will then assist you in working towards achieving those outcomes.

In Skills 4 Life and Life Skills, you may want to learn a new skill or build on a skill you already know. This could involve developing your independence, attending your favourite activities, meeting new people or working on your health and wellbeing.

In Skills 4 Work, SLES and Work and Study Skills, you will work towards getting a job or studying. You will learn essential skills that will help you find the right job for you. Building confidence, resume writing, attending volunteering and internal or external work placement opportunities are just some of the options available.

In Short Stays Services, you may have a goal of building social connections and want to enjoy activities with people with similar interests, while having time away from your home and regular routine.

In Recreation, you can build connections with like-minded people, as you attend social activities, and participate in shared hobbies.

Terms are how the year is broken into blocks of weeks. Most Northcott groups operate 51 weeks of the year and run with 4 terms per year. Our Life Skills, Work and Study, and Recreation groups run for 12 weeks each term with review weeks between terms, to conduct reviews and planning with you.

Our groups for under 18s run in line with local school terms and school holidays.

Most Short Stays operate 7 days per week, 52 weeks of the year, and you are encouraged to book in on a regular basis so that you can work towards your goals and outcomes consistently. Some Short Stays sites only offer services on the weekends.

SLES runs 3 days per week, over 48 weeks of the year.

To find out more about the specific services, terms, and times your local area offers, please speak to your Coordinator or Customer Partner.

Times for Northcott Centre-based groups run in 3-hour blocks.

Our groups for over 18s run 9:00am-12:00pm, 12:00pm-3:00pm, 3:00pm-6:00pm, 6:00pm- 9:00pm and 9:00pm-12:00am.

Our groups for under 18s are conducted after school, on weekends and during school holidays. Short Stays run in 24 hour blocks.

To find out more about the specific groups and activities in your local area, please speak to your Coordinator or Customer Partner.

Centre-Based is where Northcott provides a centre for you to:

• Attend and participate in your activities, including overnight support in Short Stays services
• Attend to your personal care, health care and/or meal-time tasks
• Attend prior to, or after, community-based group activities, or to use as an alternate venue in case of weather events or other changes to your plans that might occur.

Types of Work are the things Northcott staff complete with you, and for you. Examples of these types of work include:

Things we do with you: You may also know this as Face-to-Face time.

Examples

• Planning and developing a 12-week schedule and strategies
• Setting and reviewing your goals and outcomes Working with you in achieving your goals

You will need to read these with the My Service Agreement Terms and Conditions.

1. What if I need to cancel or I did not attend my service?
   1. If you do not attend your Program of Support, you will still be charged as Northcott staff have already completed work in preparation for you to attend; this work includes coordinating, planning, and rostering.
   2. You will need to give 2 weeks’ notice if you wish to cancel and leave the Program of Support permanently, or there are exceptional circumstances as to why you cannot attend your scheduled service. Exceptional circumstances may include, but not limited to:
      • long hospital stays, prolonged illness or injury (for longer than 1 week),
      • moving house or going away (for longer than 1 week).
   3. You will need to give 2 weeks’ notice if you would like to make any changes to your scheduled Program of Support, such as changing a day or adding/removing a day from your schedule.
   4. If you regularly do not show up to your Program of Support your Customer Partner will contact you to make sure the service is meeting your needs.
   5. The Coordinator will check in with you at the end of each Program of Support period to review your schedule, and ensure your supports are meeting your needs. They will also meet with you to discuss your goals and outcomes and make sure you have clear strategies in place to meet your goals.
   6. If you are unable to attend or you are unwell, please contact 1800 818 286. We are available between 8am – 8pm on Monday to Friday, and 8am – 4pm on weekends and public holidays.
   7. To give 2 weeks’ notice for exceptional circumstances, speak to your Coordinator or your Customer Partner, email [email protected] or call 1800 818 286.
   8. To cancel and leave your service permanently, speak to your Service Coordinator or your Customer Partner, email [email protected] or call 1800 818 286.
   9. We can only deliver support in line with the services you have agreed to in your Northcott My Service Agreement. See section 6, ‘What if you need to change your Agreement with us?’ in the Terms and Conditions if you would like to add another service to your Agreement.

2. Group Services Charges

Support is only provided during the agreed operating times of the service. If you arrive early, or leave late, and require access to a Northcott centre, or additional support from staff outside of operating times, you will be charged for the support provided.

Charges for Skills 4 Life, Life Skills, Skills 4 Work, Work and Study Skills, Teen Recreation and Recreation Services are as follows:

Base Group Costs: Includes Apportioned Pricing, Capital Loading, Non-Face-to-Face time and Activity-Based Transport.

• Apportioned Pricing is where you will share the cost of the Group Support based on the number of people in your If you do not want to be a part of a group setting, this is called Individual Service and is offered in your home or in the community.
  Short Stays services DO NOT use apportioned pricing. These charges are explained in a later section of this document.
• Capital Loading Costs cover the cost of running a Group Service in a Northcott It covers things like internet, utilities, maintenance, as well as the use of the facility resources such as computers, iPads, gaming consoles etc.
• Non-Face-to-Face time is the time spent doing things for you when you are not physically on They include setting up and planning activities, developing resources and lesson plans, documenting your 12-week plan and strategies, and setting and reviewing your goals and outcomes. It may also include connecting you to work placements, engagement with placement providers, and risk assessments of site and duties.
• Activity-Based Transport is the transport provided during a Group Service to attend your activities. If you require transport to and from the Group Service, then this is charged at an Individual Services rate. Not all sites are able to offer this service, so please speak to your Coordinator or Customer Partner to enquire about this in your local area.

These are the charges for Short Stays Services:

• 24 hour Blocks Charges include all expenses in a 24-hour period during your stay. This includes assistance with self-care or community access activities, transport, accommodation, food and negotiated activities. If you require less than 24 hours of support due to attending another service during your stay, then we may be able to negotiate the hours of support you are charged, depending on how this impacts staffing ratios. If you require additional support prior to, or after, the 24 hour period, you will be charged at the Individual services rate.

These are the charges for SLES:

SLES uses Apportioned Pricing in groups of 5 customers, and is charged weekly. You will receive 18 hours of Face-To-Face support per week in a group of 5 people. If you require a smaller group, you will receive less hours of Face-To-Face support.

Add On Costs are other charges that may be required. These may be purchased on top of your Base Group Costs for all Services. You may request these, or we may discuss these with you if we feel they are required. Add On Costs include:

• Additional Non-Face-to-Face Time is where staff complete specific tasks for you, outside of your direct support needs, and on top of the standard Non-Face-to-Face time that is included in your Base Group Cost.

This may include attending meetings with your Support Coordinator, Behaviour Support Practitioner, Allied Health Professional or other stakeholder meetings. Writing individualised progress reports, conducting additional individualised training related to your support needs, or developing additional resources specific to your individual support needs are also examples of Additional Non-Face-to Face time.

• Personal Care or Mealtime Assistance will be charged as a separate cost if you require an extra worker to assist you and will be charged as per your individual support needs.
• Shadow Shifts are where we need to introduce a new worker to you due to the complexity of your support This is where your experienced worker will demonstrate to your new worker, how to best support you during your Service. There is a maximum charge of 6 weekday hours a year for this type of support.
• Travel training is where we support you to learn how to catch public transport to increase your You may want to purchase this on top of your group services at an individual rate, or you can work in your small group within your service times. To find out if your local area offers this outside of group operating times please speak to your Coordinator or Customer Partner.
• Additional staff members may be required to ensure your safety in certain situations, such as if you have epilepsy and are going swimming, or if you have healthcare needs or behaviours of concern that require support from two staff.
• These charges will be based on your individual needs.

We will not charge you for our normal operating costs such as ongoing NDIS plan monitoring, developing Service Agreements, or quoting.

3. What is not included in the price of this service?

You will need to pay out of pocket expenses for:

• Activity and entry fees for yourself
• Activity and entry fees for your worker, if you do not have a Companion Card or a Companion Card is not accepted at the place you attend
• Public transport fares for yourself
• Public transport fares for your worker if you do not have a Companion Card
• Food and drinks
• Specialised equipment that you require
• Personal care products that you require
• Your transport to and from your service

4. What the NDIA says is reasonable and necessary

In order to be considered reasonable and necessary, a support must:

• Be related to the Participant’s disability
• Not include day-to-day living costs that are not related to a Participant’s disability support needs
• Represent value for money
• Be likely to be effective and beneficial to the Participant and take into account informal supports given to Participants by families, carers, networks, and the community

Note. Version 2.0