Community Access & Day Service

Day Programs provide meaningful activities that are valued by clients and community members. Activities are based on a person’s individual interests & goals and promote learning, skills development and enable access, participation and integration in their local community

Aims of Lifeskills Plus Day Programs and Community Access Service

• To enable clients access to programs that provide an opportunity to develop skills and interests
• To provide time away from families and carers
• To facilitate interaction with a wide range of people
• Allow access to the local community and to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into their community.

Service

Referrals can be accepted from families, carers, health/welfare agencies and people in the community. Person/family being referred must be aware of the referral.

A meeting with coordinator to have an assessment is arranged, this is to see if the person is eligible for the service and to have service explained.

If eligible and there is a vacancy within the service, an ISP (individual service plan) will be developed with client and family/advocate.

An ISP defines individual goals of person with disability within Day Program times.

There are four possible areas of activities—

• Skills Development
• Community Access
• Adult Education
• Leisure and Recreation

Eligibility

To be eligible for respite care people must:

• Reside in the Mid -Western Regional LGA
• Have a physical, intellectual, sensory,
  disability or a combination of any of these.
• The disability must be permanent, or likely to be permanent and has resulted in a substantially reduced capacity for learning, communication or mobility.
• Aged at least 15 years of age and no longer enrolled at school.

Priority

Priority is given to those people eligible for service who

• Have the highest support needs
• Have aged or single carers who are not accessing other support services.
• People who have no or limited access to other services for reasons of social isolation, geographic location and lack of peer support networks.

Fees

Although Lifeskills Plus is funded by the government through Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care it is expected that clients contribute a nominal fee in part to the cost of service.

No person is disadvantaged because of their inability to pay for care.

Transport

Transport may be provided during the day to assist a person to access program activities, but it is not provided for commuting purposes at the beginning or end of a respite session - other than in limited circumstances.