Carers Queensland celebrates one year supporting Central Queensland NDIS participants

When the first Central Queenslanders started using the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in October 2017, Carers Queensland was there to help.

Twelve months have gone by and the milestone was cause for a celebration.

Nearly 50 people joined us at our Rockhampton office to mark its first anniversary, including representatives from Carers Queensland, the National Disability Insurance Agency, local community groups and partners, and of course people with disability and their families, friends, and supporters.

Also keynote speaker and Disability Educator, Martin Broad along with the all-abilities Take Note Choir, a dozen young women with disability who are all using the NDIS.

As the NDIS Local Area Coordination (LAC) Partner in the Community in the Rockhampton region, we work with people at every stage of their NDIS journey, from the initial application to learning to manage their funding, and reviewing their plans as their circumstances change.

The team also provides information, resources and referrals for people with disability who don’t use the NDIS but are looking for other support. Carers Queensland has been supporting Queensland families and people with  disability for nearly 30 years. CEO Debra Cottrell says their role as Local Area Coordinators is a natural extension of their mission.

“The NDIS recognises the value of the informal support provided by our family, our friends, and our social network, but also that everyone deserves the support they need to live an ordinary life, independently and on their own terms,” Ms Cottrell says.

“Empowering people with disability benefits the community as a whole, through increased social, cultural and economic participation.”

Lee-Anne Simpson, Carers Queensland’s Area Manager for the Rockhampton NDIS LAC Partner in the Community program, agrees. “In the year since the NDIS came to Central Queensland, we’ve seen local participants build their skills, get jobs, get support to maintain their jobs, and start their own businesses.

“Our Central Queensland LAC team supports thousands of people from all walks of life.

“We work with people in fossicking camps in The Gemfields and the Rockhampton CBD. We have participants who’ve just turned seven, and in their 60s.”

The Rockhampton NDIS region covers five local government areas: Rockhampton, Livingstone, Gladstone, Banana and the Central Highlands.

To serve that vast area, Carers Queensland has offices in Rockhampton, Gladstone and Emerald. Our teams regularly visit communities across the region including Wednesdays at Bidgerdii Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service.

 

For more information, contact our NDIS LAC PITC Carers Queensland on 07 4994 1627.

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