Message from the Chairman

Jeff McCarthy

Chairman

Over the past year, Sylvanvale continued to be presented with challenges on many fronts.

COVID-19 remained an ongoing disruption for our organisation. The Sylvanvale team did a remarkable job adapting to the ever-changing circumstances, closely following the advice of NSW Health at all times. Our 2020 Voice Survey of the people we support and their carers showed an overwhelmingly positive response to the way we managed and communicated the changes.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) presented us with other challenges. In July 2020, concerning changes were introduced to the funding and provision of Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports, which put NDIS participants’ quality of care at risk. Sylvanvale is continuing to advocate and lobby for the 200 plus people we provide SIL supports for. We strongly believe that decisions about access and supports need to be made based on human need in Australia.

Throughout this unsettled period, Sylvanvale staff showed remarkable resilience; rising to the task and delivering high quality care – guided each day by the organisation’s values and strategic goals.

Testament to the team’s tenacity, the organisation achieved many operational successes. We made significant inroads in the implementation of our Technology Roadmap, receiving much positive feedback, as well as successfully passing our Quality Assurance Audit. In the SIL space, we completed largescale renovations and landscaping improvements across many of our sites.

For the first time in many years we successfully turned the first sod on our first  Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) project in Bangor, where we will build new high standard accommodation for eight (8) people to enable them to live independently.

I would like to thank all our staff for their hard work and dedication that has seen us achieve so much in yet another challenging year. This includes the Executive Team, led by Leanne Fretten as Chief Executive Officer.

To my fellow Directors, thank you for your commitment and diligence throughout this year. I would also like to express my appreciation to Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC, Governor of New South Wales, as Vice Regal Patron of Sylvanvale.

Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge and thank all the people we support and their families for entrusting us with the critical role of supporting them to live the life they choose. We are very grateful for your ongoing support as we navigate through these testing times.

Message from the CEO

Leanne Fretten

Chief Executive Officer

It’s remarkable to think that over the past year our organisation has been operating in the midst of a pandemic.

I have been continually impressed by the resilience shown by staff, the people we support and families throughout this time as they adapted to the frequently changing circumstances.

COVID-19 placed the organisation under financial pressure, with the JobKeeper subsidy ensuring the sustainability of the organisation this year.

Adding to financial demands has been the reduction of funded Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This has resulted in a decrease in hours and level of service for many of the people we support. We have been working hard to persuade decision-makers of the importance of this funding in the lives of people with disability and for the continuity of providers such as Sylvanvale.

Our long-term sustainability is key to us continuing to support people with disability to live the life they choose well into the future. Our forthcoming company separation will help support our future success, as well as preserve and protect our heritage.

Continuous improvement is also critical to our longevity, and we are always looking at ways to do things even better. To this end, in August 2020, we instructed an external auditor to review how we implement Behaviour Support Plans that contain restrictive practices. We also carried out a Speech and Dietitian’s Project across all our SIL sites, improving nutrition and identifying swallowing risks. For staff, we launched new communication tools, including the LifeWorks Wellbeing App and the Keep Connected virtual video Series.

I would like to thank our Chairman, Jeff McCarthy, and the Board of Directors, for their ongoing support. To the Executive Team and staff thank you for your outstanding efforts over the past twelve months.

Finally to you, the people we support, families and carers, thank you for your ongoing support, which is integral to the future success of our organisation.