MOUNT Gambier carers and service providers have gathered to bid an emotional farewell to Carers SA staff who have lost their jobs due to a major overhaul in service delivery.
With the Carers SA office closing on Christmas Eve, carers were filled with mixed emotions and some apprehension regarding the new model.
Carers SA – which is moving to a new integrated services model – provides critical services to hundreds of unpaid carers across the Limestone Coast.
The changes also result in the closure of the 20-plus year office, which accommodated two staff and was a community hub for carers.
The Integrated Carer Support Service Model will be rolled out across Australia from April 2020.
Carers SA will have one staff member – which has a 0.8 full time equivalent – to cover the entire Limestone Coast.
Carers SA chief executive David Militz – who was in Mount Gambier this week – said the event was a celebration and a farewell to the staff who were leaving the organisation.
“It was a thanks for their commitment to Carers SA over their time – one of the staff has been with us for 19 years,” Mr Militz said.
“There was mixed emotions, absolutely for me, but more so for the staff who will not be with us. They are sad, but some are excited about what is next.”
He said service providers – who supplied respite services or group activities – were also represented at the event.
Asked if he believed the new system would be effective, Mr Militz said he had “great hopes” for the new model.
He said the centralised assessment tool was achieving better results than the previous model given the organisation now “understood carers needs better”.
“Therefore, this allows us to connect them with services that better suit them,” Mr Militz said.
“Counselling has always been brokered to our partners and we will do all the face-to-face work with our staff.”
He said the administration component would be centralised in Adelaide, which covered the assessment process.
“The services in the region will now be purely focused on face-to-face work.”
He said the new staff member would be responsible for delivering peer support groups and individualised coaching.
“The staff member should easily cover our support groups that we run once a month at Naracoorte, Mount Gambier, Bordertown and Millicent,” the Carers SA executive said.
Other specialised support groups, such as mental health, would be provided by the organisation’s partners.
“Our 0.8 full time equivalent will also not be responsible for counselling, that is separate service,” Mr Militz said.
“We will broker a counselling service across the state.”
According to Mr Militz, tailored supports and services will focus on access to early-intervention, preventative and skill-building supports to improve well-being and long-term outcomes to help carers manage their daily challenges, reduce stress and plan for the future.
He said the new model would deliver flexibility in terms of funding for services, which meant it was “demand driven”.
