Whittlesea Disability Network September Meeting

We had a wonderful turn out for the first WDN meeting since early 2022. More than 50 community members and organistions came together, representing carers of people with dementia, young carers and carers from CALD backgrounds, families supporting children with complex needs, people with mental illness and people with disabilities from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and CALD communities.

The meeting focused on creating a safe and accessible space for people to talk about the services, supports and activities they need in their communities. 

We introduced some new accessible communication practices, including the option to participate online, Auslan and language interpreters, table-based conversations with facilitators and easy to understand and big print documents.

We collected 231 comments in response to four questions.

1. What spaces and places do you need in your community?
2. What services and supports do you need?
3. What events and activities would you like in your community?
4. What else do you need help with?

The top themes from the feedback were:

Lack of information about disability services, community activities and council venues and programs and an over-reliance on communicating through the internet and email.

Need for more social participation and peer support groups for older carers, young people with disabilities and families supporting children with complex needs.

Lack of accessible and affordable transport and parking including community transport, more parking for buses and safer parking locations near services.

NDIS eligibility and 'falling through the cracks' is a common problem, especially for people with mental illness, neuro-diverse families and people with complex support needs, who cannot find services to support them.

Affordability is a barrier to accessing recreation and leisure facilities and programs and allied health services.

Lack of housing for people with disability including supported housing for people with complex needs, accessible social housing and housing services.

Retail areas are not accessible or safe including shops that do not provide wheelchair access and pedestrian areas with physical barriers and hazards.

Service and support gaps: There is a need across the community for more respite services, ongoing recreation and leisure activities, play spaces for neurodiverse families and programs that are tailored for older adults, people with complex needs, young people and people from different cultural backgrounds.

A big thank you to everyone who participated on the day! We now have an enormous database to share with teams across Council and our partners in the community about the needs of our residents with disability, their families and carers.

We will keep you posted on our progress, planning to address these needs, including updates and announcement in Access Point and on the WDN Online Hub.

You can find the Minutes of the September meeting at the end of this newsletter. 

WDN Upcoming Events

November Stakeholder Meeting

This meeting is open to community organisation's working with people with disability and carers in the City of Whittlesea.

We will discuss feedback from the WDN September meeting and potential actions. Please note: This is an in-person only event.

When: Thursday 30th November 2023
Where: Fountainview Room, Civic Centre, 25 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang.
Time:   1:15pm - 2:30pm

For more information:
Visit: the WDN Online Hub 

To register your attendance:  Whittlesea Disability Network Stakeholder Meeting Tickets or email us, or phone Cheryl Gallagher on 9217 2170.

WDN International Day of People with Disability Celebration

This FREE event is open to all WDN members, to celebrate International Day of People with Disability.  Come along to have fun and connect. Light refreshments will be provided.

When:   Thursday 30th November 2023
Where:  Fountain view Room, Civic Centre, 25 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang.
Time:     2:30pm - 3.30pm

For more information:
Visit: the WDN Online Hub 

To register your attendance, visit: WDN International Day of People with Disabilities Tickets, or email us, or phone Cheryl Gallagher on 9217 2170.

National Carers Week: Sunday 15 - Saturday 21 October 2023

Carer’s Week is a time to recognise, celebrate and raise awareness about the 2.65 million Australians who provide care and support to a family member or friend. Carers represent a diverse range of cultures, ages, experiences and responsibilities, but all of them balance of caring responsibilities with other responsibilities like work, study and their physical and mental health.

Carer’s Week morning tea in Whittlesea

A warm, friendly morning tea celebrating and supporting families caring for children with disability.  Come along for a cuppa, a chat and to find out about support services offered by the City of Whittlesea and Merri Health.  

Where:  Whittlesea Community Centre
When:   Wednesday 25 October
Time:     9:00am - 10:30am
Cost:      FREE

Make a beautiful spring garland

Take some time out and weave lovely spring garlands using natural materials. Join fellow carers in this welcoming and enriching workshop with local artist Gay Chatfield. Afternoon tea provided. 

Where:  Whittlesea Community Centre
When:   Thursday 26 October
Time:     3:00pm - 4:30pm
Cost:      FREE

Carers Week afternoon tea in Lalor

Calling all local Lalor carers!  You are warmly invited to afternoon tea in recognition and celebration of the amazing work you do. Meet fellow carers, have a little fun and find out more about joining your local support group - Lalor Carers Catch Up. 

Where:  Lalor Library, 2A May Road, Lalor
When:   Sunday 15 October
Time:     2:00pm - 4:00pm
Cost:      FREE

Carers Week afternoon Tea in Doreen

To celebrate Carers Week, local group, Connecting with Carers are taking afternoon tea at JoJayz Café.  The café is outside their usual meeting place Estia Health in South Morang.

Where:  JoJayz Café, 1/25 Hazel Glen Drive, Doreen 
When:   Thursday 19 October
Time:     1.30pm - 3.00pm
Numbers are limited: RSVP to Erika - 0401 673 842 or erikaciccone56@gmail.com  

Young Carers Festival

Young Carers, family members, and friends are all invited!

GoClimb’s epic venue features Clip ‘n Climb climbing walls, an 18-hole state of the art mini golf course, an exciting, sky high, 5-level play zone and a safe and interactive toddler soft play area. Plus, we’ve got face painting, balloon twisting, a magician, caricaturist, sensory zone, and more!

The Young Carers Festival is proudly supported by Inner North Community Foundation and the Barr Family Foundation.

Little Dreamers happily caters to all of our guests’ accessibility requirements, including interpreter services, sensory rooms, and more. If you have any special requests, please note them down when purchasing your ticket and we will work with you to accommodate your needs.

Where:  GoClimb , 64 - 74 Gaffney Street Coburg
When:    Friday 20 October 
Time:      6:00pm - 9:00pm
Cost:       Young Carers attend for free, family and friend ticket $10
To book: Young Carers Festival 2023.

For more information on local events visit: City of Whittlesea Carers Weeks events.

For more information about Carers Week:
Visit: National Carers Week
Phone: Carers Australia on (02) 6122 9900.
Email: communications@carersaustralia.com.au

Free Fitness Classes for Carers

As part of Carers Week, 15 – 21 October 2023, Mill Park Leisure and Thomastown Recreation Aquatic Centre (TRAC) are offering carers one free group fitness class of their choice.

To receive your free pass, you will need to show a Companion Card or Carer Card at the service desk or be given entry at the venue manager’s discretion.

To book your Group Fitness class phone your preferred Centre:
Mill Park Leisure Centre:  8432 7600.
Thomastown Recreation & Aquatic Centre:  9463 0700.

For further information visit the Mill Park Leisure website or the TRAC website.

Carers Catch Up @ Whittlesea Library

This friendly group meet on Wednesday's fortnightly from 9:00am - 10:30am. 
Carers of children with special needs have the opportunity to support each other, share stories and find out about support services available.

For more information:  phone 9716 3028.

Lalor Carers Support Group

This group welcomes all carers, people with additional support needs and disability support staff. They meet fortnightly on Wednesdays from 10:30am - 12:pm at Lalor Library to enjoy a range of activities including catch ups, yoga and information sessions with guest speakers. 

For more information: email: amberxu8@gmail.com or phone 0433 186 140.

South Morang Connecting with Carers Group

This casual support group for carers meets fortnightly on Wednesdays from 2:30pm - 3:30pm in the Old Bluestone Schoolhouse at 879 Plenty Road. South Morang.
Take time out for yourself with other carers who understand and share stories and ideas over a cuppa.

For more information: phone Erika - 0401 673 842.

Free services available for informal supports/carers

All carers can get support through Carer Gateway - regardless of whether they are receiving a government carer payment.  It is also not limited to one primary carer, other members of the family and friends may also be eligible to register, including young carers under 25 years of age.

Carer Gateway is also available for carers who hold a visa or have refugee status.

For more information, visit:  Carer Gateway.

Is your child changing schools, starting Prep, or moving to secondary school next year?

For advice on how schools can make reasonable adjustments to support your child's transition, call the Assocation for Children with Disability (ACD) Support Line today.  It's a free telephone advocacy service for all Victorian families raising children with developmental delay and disability from birth to 18. 

ACD can help you to understand:

• Your child’s rights at school
•  School-based funding
• Reasonable adjustments
• How to work together with the school

For more information phone:  9880 7000.
 

Respect, Empower and Celebrate Women: Wellbeing Day

Women in the City of Whittlesea are invited to a day of care, celebration and wellbeing activities hosted by Women’s Health in the North, the City of Whittlesea and DPV Health.

Save the date and keep an eye on the Hub for further details. Children and carers welcome. Free entry and morning tea and lunch provided.

When:   Monday 27 November 2023. 
Time:     10:00am - 2:00pm
Where:  Plenty Ranges Arts & Convention Centre, 35 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang.
 

Try Before You Ride

You may have read on the WDN Hub about the Try Before You Ride event scheduled for Thursday 19 October 2023.  Unfortunately, due to roadworks occurring around the vicinity of Southern Cross Station at this time it has been determined to not proceed with the event and reschedule for 2024.

As part of CFA's Smoke Alarm Installation Program, Epping CFA have received funding to roll out smoke alarm installation and/or testing for people who cannot obtain, install or maintain smoke alarms themselves.

The program is currently open to people living in Epping, who are aged 55 years and over, who have a disability or come from a diverse cultural background.

For more information or to book a visit:
Phone: 0499 416 941
Email: nwr-commeng@cfa.vic.gov.au

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

We recognise the rich Aboriginal heritage of this country and acknowledge the Wurundjeri Willum Clan and Taungurung People as the Traditional Owners of lands within the City of Whittlesea.