Indigenous voices send vital message on intergenerational trauma

A collaboration of Indigenous voices gathered in Perth to discuss solutions on the impacts of intergenerational trauma stemming from forced removal policies.

There are currently 20,421 indigenous children in out of home care, representing 37.3 per cent of the out of home care population. Since Kevin Rudd’s apology to Stolen Generation survivors, the rate of forcible children has increased massively.

Whilst there are concerns that children being placed in out of home care may experience the same loss of identity and connection to family, country and culture, this should not be cited as a second Stolen Generation.

“Healing is part of life and continues through death and into life again. It occurs throughout a person’s life journey as well as across generations”, said Helen Milroy, Professor at the University of Western Australia and Commissioner for the National Mental Health Commission, when speaking at the National Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Forum in Perth.

“Healing is not just about recovering what has been lost or repairing what has been broken. It is about embracing our life force to create a new and vibrant fabric that keeps us grounded and connected, wraps us in warmth and love and gives us the joy of seeing what we have created,” said Helen.

The four-day conference, run by Akolade in partnership with Yokai and Two Point Co, focuses on the wider issues relating to social and emotional wellbeing and mental health in Indigenous communities. Tuesday 29 October, kicked off with a pre-conference focused on supporting Stolen Generations survivors.

Indigenous Elders and community leaders from different walks of life and different parts of Australia shared the message that something needs to be done. The impact of previous forced removal policies are impacting today’s younger generations, and Australia’s seeing higher child removal rates than ever as a result.

The impact of intergenerational trauma is profound and growing, and if nothing is done it will continue to tear families and communities apart.

Maisie Austin, Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation, highlighted the ongoing impacts of forcible removals on Stolen Generations survivors. In order to help survivors of Stolen Generations and their families heal, and stop ongoing cycles of negativity, intergenerational trauma needs to be effectively addressed. It is important that the impacts of forcible removal on families and communities are fully understood in order to find ways forward.

“It’s important to address the impacts that past forcible removal policies are having on today’s younger generations, and to ensure history isn’t forgotten or repeated,” Austin said. Governments, communities and organisations need to collaborate and share knowledge and resources to address these issues. Intergenerational trauma is a growing problem, which can sometimes lead to different issues, such as family breakdowns, resulting in children being placed in out-of-home care.

The remaining days of the conference will see further discussions on breaking down the stigma and shame attached to mental illness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, vital to opening the conversation and enabling better access to services. With cases of Indigenous suicide increasing at an alarming rate, Australia urgently needs to rethink the services currently being offered and implement strategies to increase Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

If individuals and communities can work together and better understand the different constructs of mental health, then a holistic approach to social and emotional wellbeing with culturally inclusive services may be better accessed. It’s important that everyone works together to build trust in services and start the conversation on mental health, because mental health is everyone’s business.

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Written by: Mimmie Wilhelmson

Mimmie grew up in Sweden and first came to Australia as a backpacker after high school. After travelling around the country for two years she returned to Europe and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in London. But the longing for Australia and the sun became too strong. After having worked for some time in the media industry, Mimmie decided to make a change and swap the news for conferences. She now gets to do what she loves the most, meeting new people and keep learning about cultures and issues while producing conferences on current topics.

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It takes a village to support people living with dementia

A dementia-friendly community is a place where people living with dementia are supported to live a high quality of life with meaning, purpose and value.  - Dementia Australia

In Australia there are currently 430,000 people living with dementia. 70% of people with dementia are living in the community. This number is going to continue to rise, so what can be done beyond simply providing services?

In the Northern Beaches of Sydney we have established the Northern Beaches Dementia Alliance and wider working group who will govern and facilitate the local dementia friendly community project. Although our goals are inclusiveness and social change in the community for people living with dementia, we have designed the project as a collaborative education opportunity for providers as well as the community.

Our Alliance and working party includes a variety of local organisations, businesses, community services and groups. We have also recruited local aged care service providers, people living dementia and their carers. As a result of the project, there is a number of benefits to various stakeholders including people living with dementia and their carers, local community members, services providers.

By educating the community and creating social and physical environments that are inclusive, safe and supportive for people living with dementia; we aim to improve quality of life. Physical environments that are dementia friendly have the potential to reduce preventable falls and unnecessary hospitalisations. Supportive and dementia friendly social environments will potentially reduce the impact of caring for someone living with dementia and decrease early admissions into residential aged care facilities. By improving the social and physical environments, we will also see a reduction in the costs associated with dementia care and unnecessary services.

A large focus of the project is education with the goal to improve awareness and reduce the stigma associated with dementia. Dementia-friendly education will be aimed at students, local community members, local businesses and aged care services providers and will cover principles to guide individuals and organisations. Through participation in this project education or consultations, the Northern Beaches Community has the opportunity to experience community cohesion in support of people living with dementia. In addition organisations will work collaboratively alongside people living with dementia and their carers to improve their business practice and be publicly recognised as dementia-friendly.

Throughout the process of design, implementation and evaluation of the project activities, service providers will be immersed in and engaged with the local community, people living with dementia and their carers. As a result , provider knowledge of dementia will be enhanced. Additionally provider understanding of holistic needs and wants of someone living with dementia (outside of the clinical context) will be enhanced and inspire new and creative models of care. As providers engage with the community in a meaningful and collaborative context, their ability to anticipate the needs and wants of future generations will be enhanced. Resultantly we hope to see improvements in strategic planning and innovation to meet these needs and wants.

This represents a drop in the ocean, ripple to start the wave of social action. As more communities stand with their members who are living with dementia we will see greater benefits for the wider society.

For more information, contact Ilsa Bird, Northern Beaches Dementia Friendly Community Project Manager, Your Side

Still interested? Stay tuned for information on upcoming conferences and summits by following us on Facebook @ Akolade Aust 

Written by: Ilsa Bird

Ilsa is an advocate for person-centred care, wellness and reablement in community care. Ilsa initiated the Dementia Friendly Communities project in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. The goal of this project is to improve community awareness of dementia through education and increase opportunities for social inclusion for people living with dementia in the community.

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Dementia Care Matters unique approach centres around idea that “Feelings Matter Most”

Dementia Care Matters is a leading international dementia care culture change organisation based in the UK, Canada and Australia. We provide consultancy, learning development, training resources and practice based research. We believe a new culture of care comes from focussing on a model of emotional intelligence.

The heart of care is all about emotional care. This requires a shift in care services from only providing task based care. The shift from ‘doing’ it to achieving real emotional connection is at the heart of ‘being’ person centred.

Dementia Care Matters has a “Feelings Matter Most” approach. Life is an emotional journey; we all crave real human connection. This applies even more to people living with dementia. People learn to trust emotions and rely more on themselves as feeling beings rather than thinking beings.

This philosophy comes from the knowledge that people experiencing dementia live with a condition that affects their ability to process facts, logic and thinking.  However, feelings and a persons’ spirit remain.  In the absence of being able to rely on facts, logic and thinking along with this experience of dementia, feelings become more important.  As dementia progresses, the expression of feelings becomes more vital in how people living with dementia communicate and experience the world around them.

The training we offer is about exploring the ideas personally that underpin these approaches; examine how they fit with their own experience of working in dementia care, in supporting people living with dementia and to think how you can improve the daily lived experience of people with dementia by being a part of this whole philosophy.

The phrase ‘person centred care’ is used in this model of care as it is in many other dementia care learning programmes.  However, we offer this perspective:

From our experience care settings do not change and become ‘person centred’ as a result of just having training, standards and competencies. Care settings change because the people leading it have faced the truth about the experience of people with dementia living in aged care homes.  The truth is that many care settings are consumed with getting ‘tasks’ done whilst people with dementia sit bored and lonely in lounges.

Dementia Care Matters has conducted over 750 audits in aged care homes and we find that on average people living with dementia are not living but instead experiencing ‘neutral care’ (boredom, tasks being ‘done’ to them in silence, being asleep) for 70% of the time we audit. 

Therefore this model of care aims to challenge beliefs and attitudes that underpin much of current dementia care practices. It also aims to support, inspire and reinforce beliefs that many committed staff already have about person centred dementia care.

At Dementia Care Matters we encounter managers, nurses and care staff supporting people living with dementia for whom the ‘Feelings Matter Most’ approach fits exactly with who they are and why they came to work with people living with dementia in the first place. We believe that person centred care begins with ourselves. How can people be expected to implement a person-centred approach if they themselves are not treated in a person-centred way at work or in their personal lives? It’s about getting back to basics.

Step inside a Butterfly Dementia Care Home in the UK, Australia & Canada where like a butterfly, the people working there are transforming their family members’ lives with gentle flitting, colour, movement, touch and stillness.

Gone are the uniforms, drug trolleys, staff toilets, large dining rooms, and features of an institution. People are no longer seen as ' residents ' but as family - the old culture of ‘them and us ' swept away. Task orientation, standing around watching people eat, ‘doing to’ people and having staff notices ' put up ‘in peoples’ own home have no place in this model of care. Detached management styles and an over focus on processes belong to the malignant social psychology of the past.

Instead people living and working together come alive sharing their histories, eating, laughing, and supporting each other to recall who they were. Living in the moment is key - helping people to be reached and connected to whoever they now need to ' be '.

The driving force behind this movement in dementia care Dr David Sheard, Founder of Dementia Care Matters left his employment in 1995, after 15 years in the UK National Health Service, with the words “I won't run factories in dementia care anymore.”

Dementia Care Matters offers Care Home Development, Learning Products and Resources, Tailored Consultancy and Training, Mattering in Hospital and University Recognised Learning in person centred care, leadership and training skills.

The Dementia Care Matters Australian Team is available to help transform your organisations culture! Please contact us info@dementiacarematters.com or visit our website www.dementiacarematters.com.

Written by: Helen Blayden, National Director of Dementia Care Matters

Helen Blayden is an experienced Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Skilled in Dementia Care, Nursing Education, Coaching, Medical-Surgical, and Medication Administration. Strong professional with a Diploma in Frontline Management focused in Aged Care from Positive outcomes.

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The Revolution in Aged Care has begun

 

The Productivity Commission forecasts that the number of people accessing aged care services in Australia will jump from 1 million to 3.5 million by 2040.

But the numbers are not telling the full story. The profile of aged care consumers has to be taken into account too.  In 2040 the bulk of baby boomers will pass age 85 years, and will have different expectations from service providers.  They will have lived an affluent life and will bring their highly consumerist values and demands into the aged care space. Providers will have to rise to new levels of choice, convenience and service excellence or they will lose out to competitors.

When consumer directed care was first established in the UK and New Zealand, there was a significant shift of services from the NFP sector to commercial providers and new entrants, as NFPs were not able to adapt and change their operating models to be consumer-focused enough to retain clients.

Providers must understand that even now, but definitely by 2040, the consumer is king, unencumbered by brand with greater choice. New loyalties will be developed based on needs, convenience and price and the system will support people to stay at home, and part of their communities, for as long as possible.

It will be critical for providers to build their brands and enhance loyalty by understanding the people they serve, meeting all their needs and maintaining excellent client relationships.  Aged care providers must become acutely customer focused or go out of business.

Providers will also need to be open to using new technologies available in the future to serve their clients’ needs better.  Genius new technologies like robotics and sensors will help providers monitor their clients’ well being in their own homes.  Nestle is developing a device that designs meals around individuals' nutrient needs which would make it easy for older Australians to make healthful food without doing groceries.  Self-driving cars that pick up clients and take them shopping, to medical appointments and to visit friends and family at low cost could reduce the social isolation experienced by older people now.

In order to lead the revolution in aged care, providers must innovate and change their operating models, build agility and adaptability into their systems and understand that free-market forces will reshape the way that aged care is provided by creating competition, fostering innovation and driving down cost. 

Attend the 3rd Australian Future of Aged Care Summit from the 27 - 29 of November 2018. More information here.

Still interested? Stay tuned for information on upcoming conferences and summits by following us on Facebook @ Akolade Aust 

Written by: Káti Jahromi Gapaillard, Executive Director, Social Impact, Government, Healthcare, Education

Káti Jahromi Gapaillard has worked for major multinationals such as American Express, Vivendi, Philips, Xerox, Kimberley Clark in Marketing and Communications, in Government for the Department of Education, DFAT and Austrade, and non-governmental organisations such as The National Heart Foundation, Life Without Barriers, Your Side in Growth, Strategy and Engagement and Tour de Cure as CEO.

She is passionate about social impact which can be brought about through the intersection of all three sectors.

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My Health Record to be rolled out by the end of 2018

Healthcare providers across Australia are preparing for the complete rollout of the My Health Record to every citizen by the end of this year- unless they have opted out.

Over 5.5 million Australians, 20% of the population currently have a My Health Record with the goal of reaching 100% before 2019.

The system is an integral component of the digital transformation which is revolutionising the healthcare sector, enabling busy departments to access real time information, reduce wait times and deliver a higher quality of care.

According to ADHA, “hospital staff can use My Health Record via connected systems every day including to provide input into discharge summaries documenting a patient’s encounter in the hospital. To date, more than 1.5 million discharge summaries have been uploaded to the My Health Record system.”

Recently published research from ADHA found that the quality of data captured and the method of information management varied across hospitals. This highlighted the need for uniform and accessible summaries to be standardised for information to be transferred seamlessly and correctly across organisations.

In corporation with the agency’s delivery partners, some of the engagement activities include:

·        Jurisdictions have commenced front-line awareness through education of clinical staff to ensure readiness for the opt out period

·       Thirty-one PHNs in partnership with ADHA have been engaged to provide awareness and have reached out to over 4,000 GP practices and 2,800 community pharmacies

·       The Agency’s Provider Readiness Education team has so far provided over 700 education sessions across the country to a wide range of clinical stakeholders

·       The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Agency will work together to help raise awareness and support for GPs and their patients to effectively use the My Health Record

Bringing together 20+ digital hospital leaders from around Australia and internationally, the 2^nd Digital Hospitals Summit is returning to the Swissotel Sydney this June 18-20.

With a practical focus on implementing digital processes in your hospital, the summit will equip attendees with the ability to leverage real time data for enhanced decision making and ensure complete interoperability with your IT infrastructure.

Still interested? Stay tuned for information on the upcoming 2^nd Digital Hospitals Summit by following us on Facebook @ Akolade Aust 

Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire is the manager of Akolade’s government and digital portfolio. She’s passionate about emerging digital trends, particularly in the public sector. In her spare time she enjoys picking up heavy things and putting them back down again and animals are her favourite kind of people. 

Follow me on LinkedIn for information regarding future Akolade events as well as future blogs posts @ Claire Dowler

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The changing face of retirement living

As the population ages and Australia’s baby-boomers reach retirement, the demand for affordable retirement living options is higher than ever.

Retirement villages are specifically designed to meet the accommodation, social and recreational needs of over 55s – for many, they offer the perfect solution for a restful and enjoyable senior lifestyle, boasting state-of-the-art facilities, inviting communities and *seemingly* affordable pricing plans.

However, as part of its four-point plan to improve retirement village living, the NSW Government commissioned an inquiry into the NSW retirement village sector in late 2017, in an effort to review the protections offered to residents and monitor whether villages are operating in compliance with the law.

Championing the list of compliance concerns is the lack of transparency in village contracts and fee agreements.

One of the less understood considerations for prospective residents when buying into a retirement village is the Deferred Management Fee, or ‘DMF’.

Most retirees don’t realise just how much departure fees can cost them, and get a nasty shock when they find out. Contracts are lengthy and difficult to understand, and many residents suffer a great deal of stress when they are ready to sell and find out that a large chunk of their profits are not theirs after all. They are often unaware as to the implications of this condition when signing contracts, and suffer a huge financial sting for residents and their families in the long run.

However, property giant Stockland is bringing change to the retirement village horizon.

Aspire by Stockland defines itself as a “new kind of living for the over 55s”.

Rather than typical retirement village contracts which see residents pay entry fees of between 65-70 per cent of a typical property price in the area, followed by an exit fee on departure after a lifetime lease, Aspire in Sydney’s Marsden Park will see residents pay for and own 100% of their property.

It’s a step in the right direction, however Stockland CEO Stephen Bull admits a national rollout will incur legislative friction.

“Because this product doesn’t fall under the Retirement Living Act, we need to get planning support,” he said.

Nevertheless, this hopefully signifies positive change in the face of retirement living.

Written by: Beth Hampton 

I came to Australia in late 2016, having spent some time travelling through Southeast Asia and briefly living in Singapore – I was ready to embrace the lifestyle of a working Sydneysider!

I grew up in London, and completed my degree in Psychology at the University of York. I always dreamed of landing a job in the police, but figured it was worth swapping the handcuffs and late shifts for an exciting new city and a job full of fun and opportunity in a fantastic company like Akolade!

Love cooking, playing the piano, terrible British soap operas, an ice-cold G&T and exploring new places.

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Can technology put the elderly at the centre of their care?

Technology and the elderly may seem like a coupling comparable to water and electricity, but new initiatives in the sector are seeing innovation with the consumer in mind.

In a world-first, Silver Chain is piloting ‘holoportation’ to deliver remote consultations. Doctors will be able to appear in real-time as holograms via a holographic computer which is worn as a headset.

 This will eliminate the time-consuming and often exhausting experience for elderly residents of being physically taken to a healthcare facility.

The development of a smart robotic companion, capable of assisting the elderly with everyday tasks, has received a $1 million grant from NSFA. Brown University and American toy manufacturer Hasbro have formed a collaborative partnership to add artificial intelligence capabilities to Hasbro’s Joy for All Companion Pets.

Whilst the robotic cats and dogs provide companionship, they will also be able to help senior citizens with tasks such as finding lost objects, medication reminders or let them know that it’s time to do something.

In another world first, Australian aged care provider IRT Group has partnered with UK Company RDM Autonomous to bring driverless cars to aged care. Testing will take place at the Canberra-based facility this year before moving up to Brisbane.

Pod Zero will be able to safely navigate private roads within IRT and residents will be able to hail the vehicle to travel independently to appointments or social activities.

We can expect to see further innovation in the space given the release of the Technology Roadmap for Aged Care which provides guidance and a framework for integrating technology in aged care which will ensure independence, choice and control for consumers. 

Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire Dowler is a Senior Conference Producer with Akolade. She recently graduated with a double degree: a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Media and Communications Studies majoring in International Communication. Claire minored in sarcasm and puns.

A ballroom-dancer who collects salt and pepper shakers and volunteers for animal rescue, you might say Claire has eclectic interests.

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The gruesome reality inside NSW mental health units

 Photo: ABC News

A recent review into the conditions inside NSW mental health units has revealed the shocking reality for mental health patients.

The report, led by NSW chief psychiatrist Dr Murray Wright, was commissioned by the State Government earlier this year following shocking revelations of the death of Miriam Merten in 2014 at a NSW hospital.

CCTV footage showed how Merten had been locked into a dark room without any food or water, naked and chemically restrained. She fell and hit her head more than 20 times and was later found dead.

The inquiry told of how “consumers and carers described services that traumatise and show a lack of compassion and humanity.”

“Many reported feeling dehumanised and stripped of their sense of autonomy, agency, dignity and human rights,” the report stated.

According to Dr Wright’s review, patients were placed in seclusion units almost 3,700 times in NSW during the last financial year.  The average lock-up length was five and a half hours and rooms were often deemed as unhygienic and patients were left without access to bathroom.

“Some consumers and carers reported that seclusion and restraint were used as a threat or a punishment; as a means of enforcing compliance and obedience,” the report stated.

“This form of coercive compliance has more in common with custodial correction systems than it does with a therapeutic setting .”

The report made the recommendation that there’s a great need to address the cultural problems within NSW emergency. Patients were often met by discriminating and unprofessional attitudes from staff.

The review identified seven key themes for improvement:

• Culture and leadership
• Patient safety
• Accountability and governance
• Workforce
• Consumer and carer participation
• Data
• The built and therapeutic environment

Written by: Mimmie Wilhemson

Mimmie grew up in Sweden and first came to Australia as a backpacker after high school. After travelling around the country for two years she returned to Europe and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in London. But the longing for Australia and the sun became too strong. After having worked for some time in the media industry, Mimmie decided to make a change and swap the news for conferences. She now gets to do what she loves the most, meeting new people and keep learning about cultures and issues while producing conferences on current topics.

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Improving NDIS Service Delivery Outcomes: one speaker’s thoughts on unlocking innovation for providers

For providers operating in a NDIS environment the way one deals with an age of consumer choice and control is an innovation opportunity.

1. Selecting the lane for your innovation ambition

To survive and thrive you need to develop and adopt a clear and conscious strategy. In some parts of your organisation and operations you may select to be in a certain lane:

•    fast lane: being a leader of change
•    middle lane: being a fast follower that adopts innovation from others; or
•    slow lane: choose incremental continuous improvements and drive safe reliable services

The recommendation from research is to be clear on your innovation ambition.

2. Managing an innovation portfolio

Find a way to get a good grasp of all the dispersed initiatives - by managing an “innovation portfolio

Image source: Harvard Business Review, “Managing your Innovation Portfolio”

So, what does this looks like?

• In the band of activity at the lower left of the matrix are core innovation initiatives - efforts to make incremental changes to existing services and incremental in roads into new markets.
• This could be improvements to current programs for current beneficiaries.
• At the opposite corner of the matrix are transformational initiatives, designed to create new offers—if not whole new businesses—to serve new customer needs. For organisations operating or considering operating in the disability sector – this is a key area of focus
• In the middle are adjacent innovations, which can share characteristics with core and transformational innovations.

Bansi Nagji and Geoff Tuff of Deloitte make the argument that organisations require a balanced innovation portfolio

Organisations with a clear innovation ambition - strike the ideal balance of core, adjacent, and transformational initiatives across the enterprise, and have put in place the tools and capabilities to manage those various initiatives as parts of an integrated whole.

Best practice suggests that outperforming organisations typically allocate about 70% of their innovation resources to core offerings, 20% to adjacent efforts, and 10% to transformational initiatives.

In contrast, cumulative returns on innovation investments tend to follow an inverse ratio, with 70% coming from the transformational initiatives, 20% from adjacent, and 10% from core.

 The ideal balance differs depending on industry and organisation.

One thing is common: Organisations should consider executing at all three levels of ambition and managing their innovation system deliberately. 

3. Maintain a culture for innovation

One of the most important things is to maintain an open mind. A sense of inquiry, of curiosity is essential for innovation. Indeed – curiosity - could be an elevated to an organisational value.

Disruptive innovation, requires a culture of experimentation, a model that allows for testing and learning.

The challenge to acknowledge is around creating a culture of innovation in well-run, well-established risk averse organisations.

The antidote, is having skilled and able innovation managers across all functions of your organisation. So, what should you look for when you seek out these change makers:

• They are good at bringing the creative ideas of others to market
• Demonstrate sound judgement about what creative ideas will work
• Can manage a creative process from ideation to fruition
• Can estimate and articulate how potential ideas will work in the marketplace.

Failing fast requires a paradigm shift.

A question for your board and management team (and even funders) to consider: “Is failure an option?” Failing fast tends to be cited as a key element for start-ups. So the question for consideration by organisations: are the board, team, and funders ready to accept the “failing fast” paradigm? If not, maybe an alternative more palatable option is to “think big, start small, act fast”

4. Partnerships may provide strength

In unity there is strength, according to the moral of the fable from Aesop, “The Bundle of Sticks”. Just like Aesop’s fable unity and innovation arises from successful partnerships between organisations, their people, and collaborators with other leaders be they from the same sector or from outside.

So, what should you consider before collaborating with others?

• Know yourself: Understand your organisation’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Recognise your partner’ strengths: Understand what each collaborating partner contributes to the design and delivery of services.
• Shared Values: A commitment to improve social, cultural and economic outcomes for the community that the organisations represent.
• Shared culture: Mutual trust, respect with openness in all activities.
• Structure: A collaborative approach to decision‐making and working together recognising the interdependence between the organisations.

5. Understanding the vectors of innovation

Collaboration within your organisation and outside your organisation are just 2 vectors for innovation. Other required for an organisation to be innovative, were identified in the Innovation Index for the Not for Profit Sector, delivered through a partnership between Westpac, Give Easy and Australia Post.

The Index is a diagnostic assessment tool to measure the depth and breadth of innovation capabilities across all sectors.

The list of vectors are:

• Internal Collaboration: the ability for individuals and groups to connect and work together 
• External Collaboration: building and maintaining diverse networks and partnerships with outside suppliers, service providers, organisations and thought leaders.  
• Innovation Focus: innovation needs a strategy in its own right, including a vision, goals and metrics.  
• Openness of Culture/Vision: creating an environment where separate ideas and perspectives can collide regularly, with a culture of openness, sharing and generosity.  
• Organisational Velocity: achieving exceptional levels of performance, relentless focus on improvement, quick to respond and adaptable to change.  
• Rewards/Recognition: encouraging innovative behaviour through an active program of acknowledgement, including peer recognition, promotion or financial reward.  
• Stakeholder Centricity: deep engagement and empathy with donors and beneficiaries so we can engage with them in the most relevant ways  

Today’s world is one of constant change.

Every day there are new challenges; new problems that need new solutions; new solutions that may come from innovation.

Guest blog written by: Lali Wiratunga, Board Director, TAD Disability Services NSW 

The opinions expressed here represent Lali’s own opinion and and are intended as general information.

Lali Wiratunga is a Board Director at TAD Disability Services and the National Manager of Westpac's Davidson Institute . He is an active mentor for emerging leaders in the community and cares deeply about helping people and organisations realise their potential. In 2016, Lali was recognised in Pro Bono Australia's Impact 25, an award that recognises leaders in the social economy.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laliwiratunga/

Twitter: @laliwiratunga

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