So let’s have a look at:
1. Why set goals? When we ask people why they set goals, most people gave reasons that are similar to these:
The bottom line is: the goals you set yourself have to work for you. They have to excite you and get your through the tough times when you want to throw in the towel and give them all up. People have talked about different types of goals and it might be good to have a mixture of the following different goals: 1. Lifetime Goals: these are the big goals of life and it might take you your whole life to achieve them, or at least a very long time. As you get older, your lifetime goals will probably change. Lifetime goals might be about family and relationships, about health and wellbeing, about how and where you live, work and play. Many of these big goals are about what’s really important to you and about the things you value. 2. Long-term Goals: think about these goals as being achievable in a 5-10 year period. For example, saving a huge amount of money, planning for a big life change, planning a career or wanting to get really good at something (did you know it takes 100,000 hours of practice to get really good at something. Things like golf, playing an instrument or painting.) 3. Short-term Goals: these goals are things you can achieve in a day, week, month or maybe a year. Getting fitter might be an example of such a goal, or eating less sugar, being kind to at least one person a day or helping another person. 4. Stepping-Stone Goals; these are smaller goals towards achieving bigger goals. Goals like doing 15 minutes of exercise and then doing 30 minutes. These goals build one on top of the other and with each stepping stone, you get closer to your goal. When we work with you, we like to ask you to think about what makes a good life for you and help you come up with goals in three important, meaningful areas of life:
3. How to keep on track? Lots of people talk about SMART Goals and lots of us have heard about that, so let’s use it. A SMART goal means that the goal is:
S = Specific: “who, what, where, why” M = Measurable: “how many, how much, how will you know you have progressed” A = Achievable: but don't make it too easy R = Relevant: your goal has to excite you and matter to you T = Time bound: have a target date, a time in the future when you evaluate how you are going with your goal 4. Is changing my mind about goals ok? ABSOLUTELY! Anyone who tells you that you can’t change your mind is stifling your creativity and cramping your style! Smart people change their minds, because they learn new stuff, hear about some interesting things they want to try out and are just curious about what life’s got to offer. Don't change your goal just because your goal is hard, though, or because someone tells you your goal is a pipe-dream, or because you are starting to doubt yourself. - If your goal is too easy to achieve, it’s probably not worth having - If your goal does not excite you, it’s probably not worth having - If your goal is really someone else’s goal or opinion, it’s probably not with having But - If you goal is hard but it makes your heart sing, stick with it! - If you believe in your goal, stick with it! - If your goal makes you happy, definitely stick with it! Also stick with any goal that gives you fun and joy!
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Everything is online more and more. It seems if you are not, you are missing out. Whether it’s your Covid 19 vaccination certificate or arranging to get your transport funding from your NDIS plan paid to you (if you have transport funding) you need to get yourself connected to the relevant government agencies. Below, we collect a few good links and resources on how to get yourself set up. Go to this site to get started: You’ll find a video and a step-by-step guide and information in different languages. To set yourself up you will need:
Once all that’s done, you will be sent your username and password to your email address and then you can start linking your other government services such a NDIS, Centrelink, Medicare and others (Please note you can also now sign up for mygovID. mygovID like your digitial identity. If you want to know more try this link ) Once you are linked, you will be able to see things like
The NDIS has also created a step by step guide for all things on the 'myplace' portal and you can download the guide.
When you are ready to set it all up, you will need to call the NDIS 1800 800 110 to get a NDIS Activation Code. If you want to read more, here is the link to the NDIS website where they keep everything to do with how to access your NDIS myplace portal.
There are loads of other Australian Government agencies you can link with through your myGov account if you choose to. myGov is convenient way to access and manage your information with those other agencies. Check them out!
Peta says that it hasn’t always been like that. In the past, she had no say in who would be assisting her, or when they would come. Often they were casual ‘fill ins’ that she didn’t know before they arrived, and they were often very late. ‘We had a talk after and we spoke about the support workers that we had just seen. I thought Pauly was very nice, and S, and L. No, not L.’ Choosing your own supportsPeople tell us that their support workers are often involved in very personal parts of their lives. They rely on them in very vulnerable times when they need assistance the most. They can be the difference between a bad day and an awesome day. Support workers are often key tools in assisting with achieving goals and getting on with living our best lives. We know that people often spend a lot of time with a support worker, so having the right person is important.
Perhaps you just want to be able to get out of bed in the morning. Do you want to be able to pursue your hobbies, play sports, try new things or learn something new? Do you need a hand to help keep things organised, like your appointments or your bills? Have a think about what your goals are; what do you want to achieve, what assistance you need and how a support worker might be able to help you to do that
Also think about what you will do in an emergency or if your support workers calls in sick. 3. Decide what skills and qualities you want in your support worker It is likely that you will spend quite some time with your support worker, so it’s important that they are the right fit for you and for your lifestyle.
If your Plan is NDIA Managed, you will need to choose your support workers from organisations that are registered with NDIA. If your Plan is Plan Managed or you are managing your Plan funds yourself, you have more choices about who you want to provide your support. You can also try to negotiate more easily. If your support worker is inexperienced, you might not want to pay maximum amounts; or if your worker has loads of experience you might want to pay more. Note, that for people who have their NDIS plan plan managed, there are upper limits that the NDIA will pay (and they might change over time). Remember that often there are different rates for different times of the day and week. Remember that there is also an industrial award that sets minimum pay rates for support workers. There are laws that set out responsibilities when engaging other people to do work. These laws outline obligations such as pay rates, tax, GST, insurances, what happens if someone is injured, superannuation etc. These responsibilities change depending on if the person is working as an employee for an organisation or individual or if they are working as self-employed contractor. It’s important to be clear about your legal obligations if you are engaging your support workers directly yourself rather than through an organisation. Where to find support workers? Traditionally support workers worked for disability support organisations and you can find workers by contacting those organisations. Now, lots of people prefer to find their support workers themselves. Some places you can look for support workers may also include:
6. Plan for meeting and interviewing Most people prefer to interview their potential support workers before agreeing to work with them. You can organise to meet someone by phone, online (through face time, Skype or Zoom), email or in person. This will give you the opportunity to ask them about:
Also be mindful of things that are not ok to ask in an interview, because they might be considered private or could be seen as being discriminatory. If you have decided to ask a disability support organisation to provide your support workers, ask the organisation about how you can meet and interview potential support workers before they commence working with you. Some more tips for meeting, interviewing and deciding on potential support workers
7. Know how to make an agreement Once you’ve decided on your new support worker/s, it’s a good idea to have a written agreement in place between you and your support worker or their organisation that you both agree to and sign. The agreement should set out things like:
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