You have taught me all I know about ethnic communities, their challenges, their fears, and why it is
I’m proud of every one of you and I will cherish our time together.
NEWSLETTER
With a background in nursing, a Master's Degree in Health Services
Management, and a Graduate Diploma in Health and Medical Law, Paula
brings a diverse set of skills and knowledge to her role. Her extensive
experience in community health, disability, and aged care sectors, as well as
her expertise in quality, compliance, and risk management, will undoubtedly
be instrumental in guiding ADEC towards future success.
Paula's previous executive positions in notable organizations like Benetas,
Lentara Uniting Care, RSL Life Care, and Newcastle Anglican, demonstrate her
strong leadership abilities and understanding of complex healthcare
environments. Her entrepreneurial spirit as the Founder of Adapt Management
Consulting shows her drive to make a difference and lead positive change.
Paula's alignment with ADEC's philosophy and values played a significant role
in her decision to join the organization, making her a great fit for the team.
With Paula taking the helm as Executive Director, ADEC can look forward to a
promising future. Her tenure, which commenced on 31st July, is sure to bring
new opportunities and accomplishments for the organization as it continues to
serve and make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable.
ADEC is excited
to announce the
appointment
it’s new
Executive
Director,
Paula Trood.
AUGUST
2023
Former Executive
A warm welcome to our new Board Members
ADEC would like to welcome two new Board Members.
Jenny Semple
has over 20 years of experience working in the multicultural
sector. She has worked in programs like settlement, aged care, youth,
families, employment, and social enterprise. She is a qualified auditor in QIC,
NDIS and ARVAS standards. Her other qualifications include a Bachelor’s
Degree in Social Sciences, and Graduate Diploma in Management.
Jenny's contributions to the community have been recognized and celebrated, as she received
the "meritorious service to the community" award from Victoria's Multicultural Awards for
Excellence in 2016. She believes she can contribute in a positive way at ADEC through her work
on the Board. Jenny's vision for ADEC is to maintain excellence in delivering services to local
communities with a strong focus on multicultural services. Her belief in ensuring equitable
access to relevant services aligns with the organization's mission, and her expertise will be a
valuable asset in advancing ADEC's goals.
Maiken Kofoed Hansen
is an accomplished professional with a Bachelor of Arts
and Laws, she specializes in Commercial Law, with a particular interest in
Renewable Energy and Human Rights. She currently serves as a Commercial
Manager at a company that develops renewable energy projects. Prior to this
role, she worked at a law firm, first in Australia and later transferred to
Copenhagen, Denmark, where she resided for four years before 2022.
With six years of experience in Law, Maiken has gained valuable expertise in her field and has
been able to travel to various countries to provide advice on renewable energy projects. Her
dedication and exceptional contributions were recognized by her previous employer in their
"Recognising Excellence" program, where she was acknowledged for her outstanding work on a
project.
Maiken is driven by her passion to make a positive impact on the world. Her belief in the
significance of helping underrepresented populations led her to join the Board at ADEC. She finds
ADEC to be a special organization due to its vision of assisting a portion of the population that is
severely underrepresented. She appreciates the multicultural and passionate nature of the
organization's workforce and hopes to witness its growth in reaching even more people in need of
its services.
www.adec.org.au
@ADECINC
@ADEC_AUSTRALIA
@ADEC
AGED
CARE
Home Care Packages
We are accepting new clients.
Our friendly Aged Care Case Managers help people aged
over 65 to organise services including:
Every day things around the house like
cleaning,
cooking, bathing, and gardening.
Health appointments like
physio, GP, podiatry,
occupational therapy or allied health assessments.
Getting out and about to do
shopping, see family and
friends, go to an exercise class or go to a cafe.
Procurement of aides and equipment.
If you or someone you know could use this kind of help
please contact our Aged Care team on
email:
hcp@adec.org.au or call (03) 9480 7000
@ADECnfp @adec-australia 175 Plenty road, (03) 9480 7000
Preston, VIC 3072
Funded Local
Transport* for
Seniors in the
South, East, and
West Melbourne
We are accepting new
clients.
Are you over 65 and need
to
get out and about
but
don’t like using public
transport?
You can
get taxis support
services
to travel within
your local area at a very
low cost
(or
fully funded
depending on the distance)
Where can I travel?
Below are just some places you
can go:
Shopping
Hospital appointments
Doctor appointments
Exercise classes
Visiting family and friends
Cafes or restaurants
*To use this funded travel, you need
to be registered with
My Aged Care.
Contact us on
(03) 9480 7000 to get on
your way!
Meet the Aged Care
Team
Asma Hashmi
Lakhveer Gill
Mary Nwanko
Roshani Santharajah
Samantha
Cumming
NDIS
Appeals and Review
We are accepting new clients.
ADEC's NDIS Appeals team is committed to upholding
the rights of people with disability from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds. We support
Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) applicants
appealing the NDIS decision related to access and
planning.
2023 has been particularly exciting time for NDIS
Appeals team. To reduce the backlog of AAT matters
relating to appealing NDIS decisions, a new pilot
initiative of Independent Expert Review (IER) was
introduced by NDIA in late 2022.
ADEC is supporting the AAT applicants appealing
NDIA decisions, as well as the participants who have
been invited to join the IER.
We can help by:
-
explaining the review process, including what is
involved in appealing to the AAT.
-
providing information and advice so you can better
represent yourself.
-
helping to prepare documents and attending AAT
conferences together to help you put your case to the
AAT.
-
providing information on the IER process and helping
you to decide on whether to participate in IER.
For more information, please contact
info@adec.org.au
"Great acts are made up of small deeds."
—
Lao Tzu
Client Feedback
Plan Management
“I
would
like
to
let
you
know
that Megan always assists
me well. Very professional.
She goes above & beyond to
help me.
She even helped me with my
guide dog Zabrina &
outstanding
bills
that
needed
to be dealt with on her day
off yesterday.
I really do appreciate all that
she does for me. She’s a
great plan manager”.
Appeals and
Review
“Hi Mina, Thank you very
much for fighting so hard
for me. It still hasn't really
sunk in that it's over and I
won”.
Plan
Managment
We are accepting new
clients.
Why should you choose
ADEC?
Experienced - providing
disability services for
over 40 years.
Culturally appropriate
-
our skilled and culturally
sensitive plan managers
are experienced with
culturally diverse
participants, servicing
people from
over 20
different CALD
backgrounds.
Regular updates
- we
provide
monthly
statements.
Personal, prompt and
priority service.
Free Interpreters.
Our NDIS team would love to
help you!
Contact:
info@adec.org.au or call
9480 7000
COMMUNITY
SERVICES
Our Capacity Building Projects can be tailored to a
particular CALD group. Our projects are
FREE
to attend.
Come together and share stories and connect.
We are accepting New Referrals for NDIS Transition
Support and Flexible Support Services.
If you or anyone you know would benefit from participating
in projects/workshops, or if you would like to make a
referral to our welcoming Team please contact us on (03)
9480 7000 ( Extension 3) or email: werribee@adec.org.au
Project Highlights
Social Support Groups client photos
Client Testimonials - Capacity building clients
“Thanks Chuye for all your fantastic work with Majida. I am
definitely grateful for such a great outcome after 2 years of
trying!”
“If ADEC didn’t do this program I would not go anywhere.”
“ After attending ADEC program I have been inspired to teach
children Yoga.”
“Goodness is the only investment that never fails..”
— Henry David Thoreau
Social Support
Groups
Over the last few months,
the Social Support Groups
program has been offering
clients with activities filled
with fun laughter,
celebration and new
learning experiences.
Williamstown Camp with
Turkish Group
The clients enjoyed the
activities and the camp and
made the most of the
experience. They are looking
forward to more camps in
the future.
Day Trips to Several
Locations
Many groups went on day
trips this month to several
locations, including Hot
Springs, Geelong,
Daylesford, Lorne and Phillip
Island. The cost of the trips
was covered by ECCV
(Ethnic Communities Council
of Victoria) and AMCS
(Australian Multicultural
Community Services). The
clients had a wonderful time
during these trips and are
very happy with the
activities ADEC is running.
For more information,
please contact us on (03)
9480 7000 or email
werribee@adec.org.au.
Capacity Building
Project Updates
Projects Completed:
Women of Colour
–
24
programs delivered
supporting 302
participants.
NDIS Transition
Support
–
3 workshops
delivered to 38 people.
Healthy Relationships
–
60 participants.
NDIS Education
–
1
workshop delivered to
8 participants.
Sustainable Living
–
40 participants.
Meet our new Capacity
Building staff
Kerry Maher-Musarra
Mu Da George
Kadijatu Kailey
CARE COORDINATION
A big welcome to our new Care
Coordination Officer, Alison Pernek.
Alison comes from a customer service
background, ranging from hospitality
to sales, as well as experience in the
trades industry. She brings with her
many skills in administration and a
wealth of knowledge in many different
aspects of an office environment.
ADEC’s Disability Support Program currently has
availability to take more clients
Calling all Support Workers!
We are actively seeking and recruiting support staff from
several cultural backgrounds to tailor the needs of our
Disability and My Aged Care participants.
ADEC offers a supportive environment, competitive salary,
and a culture that celebrates diversity and empowers all
individuals. Diversity, equal rights, and access for all is at the
heart of what ADEC does. We do this by building the capacity
of people through programs, projects, and planned activities
that promote inclusion, independence, and empowerment.
If you or someone you know are looking for a fulfilling career
and wanting to make a real difference to someone’s life,
please reach out to us on
0490 535 760 or at rikky@adec.org.au
ADEC offers
placement opportunities for students
looking
for a career in the sector and are currently studying either a
Certificate III or IV in:
•
Aged Care
•
Disability
•
Individual Support
•
Community Services
If you are needing a placement organisation, we have places
available to complete your hours!
“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. ”
— Theodore Roosevelt
Advocacy
We proudly supported
more than 300 clients to
help them access the most
vital support services they
needed.
ADEC Advocates not only
supported them to resolve
their presenting issue, but
also utilised Strength
Based Approach to build
their clients’ skills and
knowledge in order to
improve their capacity
which will allow them to
identify their own future
needs, set up their goals,
and to resolve it with the
very minimum external
support.
We provide support for:
Individual/ Family
Advocacy
Systemic Advocacy
We are taking on new
clients.
If you know of anyone who
needs our support, please
contact ADEC on:
03 9480 7000 (ext 3) and
ask to speak with the
advocacy intake team, or
email:
werribee@adec.org.au
Employee of the month ADEC
EVENTS
Below are just some of our superstar
staff who've won the star of the
month this year. It is always a really
hard choice to make!
Multicultural Lunches
Our Multicultural lunches were a hit when they first started. Our staff
hail from 38 different countries so to say we've had a few feasts is an
understatement!
It has been a delicious way to get to know each other better!
Celebrating Shaima's
20 years of service
The staff threw a surprise party
for Shaima Shahbaz on completing
20 years of service. The look of
sheer delight on her face when she
opened the door was priceless!
Shaima was the Afghan Facilitator
for 20 years and now will be
joining the group as a participant.
We wish Shaima Happy
Retirement and all the best for the
new chapter in her life.
Team Building Event - Game Show Infusion
ADEC organised a game show designed to foster team
spirit, collaboration, and friendly competition among
the staff members. The staff thoroughly enjoyed the
event as it allowed them to step away from their usual
work routines. The laughter and cheers echoed through
the venue as teams competed and supported each
other throughout the day.
The winning team,
'Karen from Finance,'
received not
only the coveted title but also some exciting prizes and
recognition from the management. Well done 'Karen
from Finance'.
Our Head Office is moving
ADEC is moving its head office to South Morang, into a newly
constructed office building. From September, our head office will be
located at
855 Plenty Road, South Morang.
In the interim we are still here providing the best services for you and
your loved ones. We are looking forward to moving to a brand new office
that is more accessibility friendly.
ADEC organized a farewell lunch to honor Melissa for her 16 years of service.
The event brought together staff members from all offices to bid her farewell
and wish her well for her future endeavors.
Eligibility:
Volunteers needed for hearing research
Untreated hearing loss affects communication, quality of life, and
well-being. Help people from culturally and linguistically diverse
communities access hearing services.
We need your help. We are looking for people to take part in an
interview about their experiences with hearing services. Interviews
can be done online or at a place convenient to you. Interviews will
take approximately 1 hour). You will receive a $ 25 voucher for
participating in the interview.
You are a permanent resident or citizen in Australia,
AND
You or your parents were born in a county other than Australia,
AND
You speak one of the below languages at home OR
belong to these communities:
Mandarin
Arabic
Vietnamese
Cantonese
Punjabi
Greek
Dari
Somali
And you have hearing difficulties, or you have a family member with hearing
difficulties,
Register your interest here:
https://uniofqueensland.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VkFcEBjJtXBk5o