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NEWSLETTERS
MAY 2024
A NOTE FROM JESS
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It has been a busy couple of months at Explore and Soar. We have been focusing our energy on all the new changes happening in the NDIS space (Check out more information on NDIS PACE below), as well as enhancing our skills through professional development training and team days. By ensuring we keep up to date in business and clinical practices, we aim to maintain high-quality support and intervention for our clients and their families in your communities. It is an honour to continue working with you all and to be able to support any life transition you are going through.
In the month of May, our blog has been about “Navigating Therapy Transitions: Your Path to Growth, Health, and Adaptation.” We have discussed many of our intervention modalities that we recommend for our clients and families, depending on where they are in achieving their goals. If you’d like to know more, click the link to the blog, or check out our Facebook or Instagram pages for quick summaries on each intervention modality and client cases who have achieved success in their goals.
IMPORTANT DATES
- 4th year CSU Student Placement: 22nd April to 14th June 2024
- Commencement of Term 2 Appointments: Monday, 29th April 2024
- Maddie Annual Leave Dates: Thursday, 30th & Friday, 31st May 2024
- Molly Annual Leave Dates: Thursday, 6th & Friday, 7th June 2024
- June Long Weekend Public Holiday: Monday, 10th June 2024
- End of Term 2: Friday, 5th July 2024
- Explore and Soar’s 6th Birthday!: Friday, 5th July 2024
- Week 1 July School Holidays Intensives: Monday, 8th to Friday, 12th July 2024
- Week 2 July School Holidays Group Programs: Monday, 15th to Friday 19th July 2024
- Commencement of Term 3 Appointments: Monday, 22nd July 2024
- Term 3 Staff Professional Development Day: Wednesday, 24th July 2024
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
Clients Achieving Their Goals and Soaring High!
Have you heard about Mr Explorer’s amazing journey with Explore and Soar?
Since 2019, he has been receiving our services, which have transformed his life in ways he never imagined. Initially, he had appointments with an occupational therapist and a therapist assistant every two weeks. However, later, he switched to an intensive model that focused on one-on-one social skills. Mr Explorer was determined to work on his goals related to flexibility, cause and effect, winning and losing, and regulation. He wanted to improve his social skills, and that’s where group-based social skills programs came in, and the results were simply amazing!
During the first group, he needed more co-regulation and transition support. However, he quickly learned how to use the skills he learned to play with his peers and family members.
By the second group, Mr Explorer displayed exuberant confidence, engaged with his peers, took on a leadership role, and used self-regulation strategies like a pro!
Today, Mr Explorer is a different person. He regularly attends social groups and has regular check-ins.
Explore and Soar and his family are super proud of his achievements. Well done, Mr Explore, you are absolutely kicking goals!
THE LATEST INFORMATION
STAFF FIRST AID AND CPR TRAINING
This month, our team completed our First Aid and CPR training, reaffirming our dedication to the safety and well-being of our team members, clients, and community. Staying current with our training is essential for us to respond effectively to any emergencies that may arise.
SESSION SAFETY REMINDER
As our therapists work within your homes, it is crucial to maintain a safe and suitable environment for their visits. To ensure the best possible care, we remind you that it is your responsibility to adhere to the following guidelines:
Safe Space: Create a clutter-free area with no trip hazards ensuring adequate lighting and enough room for therapy activities.
Home Environment Information: Share all relevant details about your home environment to support an effective and safe session.
Smoke and Substance-Free: Ensure the area is free from smoke, drugs, and alcohol.
Pet Containment: Keep all pets securely contained to prevent direct contact with the therapist. This includes, but is not limited to, dogs, cats, reptiles, and rodents.
Behavioural Information: Inform the therapist of any challenging behaviours your child may exhibit including biting, hitting, kicking, throwing objects, hair pulling etc so a management plan can be agreed upon.
Criminal History Disclosure: Notify the therapist if anyone in the home has a history of criminal offences or is on a good behaviour bond or parole.
Weapon Security: Ensure no weapons, including guns and knives, are accessible or unsecured within the home.
Visitor Notification: Inform the therapist if any other persons will be present during the visit, such as family or friends.
Failure to provide a safe and suitable environment will result in the therapist ending the session. If the situation is not rectified, subsequent sessions will not proceed. Your efforts help us deliver the highest quality care to your child and provide a safe environment for our staff.
STUDENT PLACEMENT – 4th Year Student Update!
As we shared with you in March, we were excited to welcome Sophie, a fourth-year Occupational Therapy student, to our team.
Sophie is already halfway through her placement with us and we are loving having her! Over the past few months, Sophie has seamlessly integrated into our work environment and has shown great enthusiasm for learning and gaining hands-on experience with a dedicated, caring and hardworking attitude. She has been actively involved in learning and gaining experience working with children and their families. With the guidance of our experienced therapists, Maddie and Molly, she has been writing her own sessions and implementing therapy sessions.
We hope that you have found her sessions to be not only enjoyable but also beneficial. Sophie will be with us until the 14th of June.
COMMUNICATING WITH OUR TEAM
Each of our clinicians has their own work phone and communicates with our clients throughout the year. We love the strong connection shared between our families and therapists through this communication method. However, it’s important to remember that our clinicians are often on the road seeing clients, so they may not always be able to respond to you promptly. Ensuring the wellbeing of our staff whilst on the road is paramount. Therefore, if you have any non-clinical questions, please call our main number at 0477 708 217 or email us at admin@exploreandsoar.com.au. This will allow us to address your questions more promptly. If you contact our clinicians and they are unable to respond quickly, they will forward your non-clinical questions to our client support team for us to answer, but please be aware that this may result in a delay.
Our goal is to support our busy clinicians and improve our communication with our families.
MUSWELLBROOK DISABILITY EXPO
On Thursday, April 4th, Explore and Soar spent the afternoon at Muswellbrook High School to share information about our services and what we offer to the Muswellbrook community. It was a wonderful afternoon connecting with Muswellbrook students, teachers, parents, other service providers, and community members. We extend a big thank you to Muswellbrook High School for organising the Expo for the past five years. The event continues to grow bigger each year, and it’s great to be a part of it annually.
THE LATEST INFORMATION
JULY GROUP PROGRAM
Our Books are OPEN!
We are excited to announce that registration is now open for our school holiday programs during the July School Holidays.
This year, the programs will be held during the second week of school holidays, from July 15th to 19th. If you are interested in enhancing and building your child’s regulation, social skills, and motor skills, (including fine and gross motor skills), as well as developing their cooking abilities to achieve their goals, please register online today!
CANCELLATION POLICY AND NDIS SERVICE AGREEMENT UPDATES
Explore and Soar are currently reviewing our Cancellation Policy and Service Agreement to ensure that they provide clear and concise expectations for both Explore and Soar and our clients.
Our current Cancellation Policy lists multiple cancellation fees, which can be confusing. We will streamline this process to ensure that you understand the steps for cancellation and whether a late cancellation fee will apply.
Similarly, we are reviewing our Service Agreement to ensure that it provides all the important information you need in a clear and easy-to-understand format. This will include details of what Explore and Soar will provide to you as the client and what you need to do as the client or client representative.
Our Management Team is working on these documents and will provide an update as soon as we have completed this streamlining.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our Client Support team at 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au
NDIS PACE CHANGES – WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW!
Have you heard about NDIS PACE? NDIS PACE is an upgrade to the NDIA/NDIS computer system aimed at streamlining planning and funding processing to improve the experience for both providers and participants. It is designed to enhance flexibility while emphasising choice and control.
All new and extended NDIS plans will be transferred to the new system from 1st March 2024.
With PACE, having an NDIS plan comes with a few changes, one of which is how you connect with service providers.
What does this mean for our clients?
Self-managed and Plan-Managed Clients will transition to the new PACE system when they receive their new plan. You may see some new categories on your plan that your LAC will discuss with you; however, your plan will continue to fund services as it previously has.
NDIA-managed Clients will transition to the new PACE system the same way Self-Managed and Plan-Managed clients will; however, the NDIS has introduced an extra step for NDIA-managed Clients. In order for the NDIS to pay for the services you receive from Explore and Soar and your other service providers, you need to list them on the plan as an endorsed “My Provider.”
To make things easier for you, we have prepared some information you need when you notify the NDIS that Explore and Soar is your chosen service provider.
Please note that Explore and Soar and no other provider, including your Support coordinator, can do this for you. If this is not completed, payment can be delayed up to 10 business days, which can interrupt services.
When requesting Explore and Soar to be listed as a “My Provider”, the client or nominated representative must do one of the following:
- Provide Explore and Soar’s details during their planning meeting, check-in meeting, or any other time by talking to their NDIS contact or
- By calling the National Contact Centre on 1800 800 110.
We have provided you with an example phone call script so you have our details for the phone call –
Hello, My name is [NDIS Representative/Parent Name], and I am the representative/parent of NDIS participant [Child’s Name]. Their NDIS number is [NDIS Number]. Their NDIS plan is on the new PACE system, and I would like to endorse our chosen providers with the NDIA.
Can you please endorse Explore and Soar as a “My Provider” for the duration of their NDIS plan? Explore and Soar’s organisation ID is 405 004 6986.
Can you please confirm that this has been completed and that Explore and Soar are now listed on the plan? (Make sure you stay on the call until they have confirmed this has been completed.)
Thank you.
Once you have endorsed Explore and Soar as a “My Provider,” please advise us by letting your therapist know or by emailing admin@exploreandsoar.com.au
A FRIENDLY REMINDER: ADDITIONAL SERVICE COSTS
In our effort to be transparent, we want to clarify the costs associated with extra services provided outside of regular therapy sessions. Our therapists put in significant time and effort to ensure your child receives comprehensive care, which sometimes goes beyond direct therapy sessions. These additional services include, but are not limited to:
- Letters and Reports: Documentation to support your child’s progress and goals for schools, healthcare providers, NDIS, GP, or other purposes.
- Handover Communications: Coordinating with other service providers to ensure seamless care and support for your child.
- Consultations and Meetings: Extra time spent in meetings or consultations with you or other stakeholders involved in your child’s care.
Allocating time for these extra services means our therapists must manage their schedules carefully. We need to account for the time spent on these activities to maintain a high standard of care and ensure the availability of our resources.
We understand that navigating costs can sometimes be challenging. To stay informed, please refer to our Service Options and Price Guide on our website or contact our Client Support Team. They are more than happy to answer your questions and provide any necessary clarifications.
“Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” – Albert Einstein
THERAPIST FAVOURITE GAME
QUICK STATS
- 2 – 8 players
- Multiple Editions – Play Them All!
- 10 to 15 minutes of Playing Time
- Multiple Ways to Play
- Visual Skills
- Turn-taking Skills
- Concentration and Attention Skills
Spot it!
Age Recommendation 6+ can be varied to suit clients older and younger
Spot it! is a staple in our therapy bags!
This fun, multi-player visual card game can be played in so many different variations – we are always thinking of new ways! From animals to the classic to Harry Potter, there are many versions of Spot it! but the aim is always the same – find the matching pair first to either get rid of your cards or collect the most cards, depending on how you are playing.
Spot it! is great for turn-taking, win/lose scenarios, concentration and attention, as well as for visual tracking and visual processing skills.
It is also a great game to take with you in your bag when you go out to dinner or to an appointment to play with your child while waiting!