Chief Executive Officer update - July 2024

Image: Terry Symonds Yooralla CEO

Hello,

I was so pleased to join the celebrations at our Morwell office this month, for the 8-year anniversary of the Victorian Inclusion Agency’s (VIA) Inclusion Support program.

Yooralla has been part of a consortium with Community Child Care and KU Children’s Services, who work together as the VIA, to deliver the Inclusion Support program in eligible early and middle childhood settings. Eligible settings have children with disability or developmental delay or behaviours that might indicate emerging disability, but also support the education of children and families from First Nations backgrounds, refugee and Culturally and Linguistic Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

It's a very busy program. Over the last 5 years alone, they have conducted almost 22,000 visits to early childhood centres, with over 2000 visits in the last six months. Thousands of children have benefitted from the program, and it is a great example of support that Yooralla offers outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Some may not be aware that children remain, by far, the largest group that Yooralla serves, either directly, through the NDIS, or indirectly, for example through support to early childhood centres. Children in the NDIS access speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, as well as support coordination. Indirect clients and beneficiaries include several thousand educators, families and 3–4-year-old children accessing supports into early childhood settings.

There’s a lot going on in our employment program so it’s an opportune time to give an update. It’s exciting to be welcoming another Employment Coach to the Customised Employment team who will be working with clients in the Metro Melbourne region. They join our two other experienced, qualified job coaches who work with our clients to personalise their experience of considering employment and exploring pathways towards finding a job that would suit them best.

We’re also surveying our current clients to understand their employment goals better, and how we can achieve them through Yooralla’s employment programs. We have clients setting up micro-enterprises like MY Kaleidoscope, while others are working in our gardening business, the Seymour’s Gardening and Maintenance crew. Participants in our Impact program are undertaking work experience at Ben & Jerry’s and the Carlton Football Club. If you have employment goals of our own, please get in touch to find out how we may be able to support you.


Stay safe and well.

Terry Symonds
Chief Executive officer

IMAGE: A young person who uses a wheelchair is sitting outside in the sun looking to camera with their phone in their hand

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