October Leadership Group Minutes Posted by Posted by Linda Skates on 11 October 2017 Posted on: 11 October 2017

Confirmed record of the meeting held on the 4th October 2017 in

Palmerston North

• Representing persons with disabilities: Martin Sullivan, Pete Allen, Antz Burgess, Rose Boddy, Rachael Kenny (People First) and Rachael Burt

• Representing families: Selwyn Bennett, Zandra Vaccarino and Helen Johnstone

• Representing providers: Carol Searle, Janice Gordon and Marshall Te Tau

• Representing Mana Whenua: Robyn Richardson, Lovey Hodgekinson and Wairemana Campbell

     

In attendance

• Sacha O’Dea from the Transformation Team at the Ministry of Health

• Katie Brosnahan (MSD), Julie Hook (Education) and Jen Wilson (Oranga Tamariki) 

• Mark Benjamin (Facilitator for the group), Jade Farrar and Tina Lincoln (Co-facilitators)

Apologies: Pip Brunn (family representative), Janice Gray (ACC), Scott Ambridge (Enable), Gabrielle Scott (DHB) and Pati Umaga (representing Pasifika)

1. Welcome, karakia and introductions

To make sure everyone can be fully involved in the meeting, people were encouraged to:

1. Use everyday (plain) language

2. Speak slowly

3. Keep contributions brief and focused 

    

1. Confirmation of decisions from Core Group discussions

    

1. It was agreed that this was a large group.  For the group to be safe, do its job well and be enjoyable the size of the group may be an issue.  Three options were briefly considered:

1. Stay with the bigger group and see how it goes

2. Invite officials to the second half of the meeting only

3. For a smaller group, from the Regional Leadership Group, to meet with officials separately after the meeting (e.g. the next day)

Decision: It was generally agreed to continue with the larger group and check how well it is working regularly.

1. It is important that everyone knows what is discussed and decisions made and this is open (public) information i.e. (transparency).  The group/s talked about whether to make the full record of the group publicly available or a summary.

Decision: It was generally agreed, when the full minutes had been confirmed as being fair and accurate, they would be put on the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) website.  Regional Leadership Group members would have five working days to comment on the draft record of the meeting.

1. It is important that people have a chance to think about things/issues before a Regional Leadership Group meeting.

Decision: Officials (and others) will be requested to provide any questions or papers at least two weeks before a meeting

1. Progress Up-date from Sacha O’Dea (Programme Lead, System Transformation, Ministry of Health)

    

• There have been many responses to a request for people to register an interest in being involved in ‘working groups’.  These are the groups that are doing more detailed work on the main things identified in the high level co-design.

• It is intended that one third of all group members will be disabled people

• Half of the groups have started work.  The rest will begin shortly.

• There was a description of the oversight / governance of this work.  This includes:

• People involved in working groups can have disability related costs met.

• MSD offered to make local video conferencing facilities available

• It is important to be clear that no decisions about who will be doing what in the new system have been made (organisational form has not been determined)

• The December 2017 Cabinet paper will focus on a process for decision-making and the main elements of change

• There will be monthly up-dates about system transformation on the EGL website

• If people have questions, they can ask directly through the website

• Most information in this group (MidCentral Regional Leadership Group) and the system transformation work can be made public.  Confidential information will be clearly identified.  Most confidential information is likely to be related to organisational structure and budget sensitive decisions

1. What we need to do to work well together

Feedback included:

• Build trusting relationships

• Everyone’s view is valid and valued

• Be open

• Recognise we all bring different views and skills

• Don’t take things personally

• Be open with what happens (transparency)

• Build mutual relationships

• Keep focused on the issues

• Honour what is needed for a good process – enough time to think about things and consult with others (things circulated at least two weeks prior to meetings)

• Be responsive and creative (be brave and positive)

• Be clear about how we make decisions

• Make sure people with lived experience have the loudest voice

• Make sure any financial arrangements do not disadvantage people with a disability

• Take care to set up a safe, clear, respectful and open environment (kawa and tikanga)

• Translate things spoken in Te Reo Māori

• Engage all

• Keep things referenced and grounded in the principles

• There may be the need to create a clearing and healing space alongside the group

• Keep reviewing what we do (what is working well and what do we need to change?)

• Clear communication (everyday language)

• Number pages

• Work in small groups

• Keep a glossary of jargon (if it is used!)

• Clear agenda

Action: Mark will circulate a draft “Terms of Reference”, including the information above, for the group to consider, work on and confirm

1. Enabling disabled people to participate in working groups

• Make sure working groups are not scheduled to start before 10am
• Investigate technology options if face to face is not possible

Action: Katie Brosnahan Regional Commissioner has offered MSD video conferencing in Palmerston North if that would help

• Some issues have been raised about the possible impact on Supported Living Payments from workshop payments.

Action: Katie – MSD - is going to provide a contact to work with Regional Leadership Group member)

7.         Timing of questions/papers/focus areas for Regional Leadership Group

People need time to think about issues and talk with other prior to providing input or making decisions. 

Action: Officials (and others) requested to send papers two weeks in advance (four weeks to maximise input from networks) and to be clear about what actions they want from the group

1. Disability Information Front end - Describe the experience you want people to have when they first connect with the 'disability system'? How could this be achieved?

• Welcoming, listened to, in an accessible environment
• Seamless - one contact for the system
• Strengths based approach
• A focus on positive outcomes
• People explain/help navigate journey
• Open to all possibilities
• User friendly
• People with 'I can do'/ 'you can do' attitude
• Ease of contribution e.g. Whānau ora plan
• Culture change - mana enhancing (respectful, first contact is more listening than talking, listening to hear/understand - not to respond)
• Unconditional acceptance
• People dealing with people (human services!)
• Compassion - not rushed
• Person centered/not system centered - listening to the experience
• Spending time to understand what makes the person who they are
• Culturally safe (e.g. respectful of same sex relationships)
• Assumption everyone has mana, Tapu (sacredness), uniqueness/ right to be who they are and Mauri (lifeforce)
• Exploring really creative ideas about what the future might look like
• Barrier free
• Recognising ages and stages
• Ongoing relationships with family
• Information to people in residential services
• System knowing what's in the system - this is the person who can walk journey with you
• Open and quality questions to understand who the person is
• Experience and training
• Proactive people to enable people to make decisions
• Parents connected and welcomed, linked to peers, promotes peer support
• Non-judgmental, honoring reflection
• Personalised letters easy read translations
• Space for conversation about past trauma, clearing the space
• Non-judgmental healing system alongside to assist with historical trauma
• Need to meet families where they are - may be challenging, may not fit the box
• Phased as people are able to take it in – initiating contact - going back month after month if they are not ready
• Follow up on mental health (holistic approach)

Feedback more relevant to pathways and processes question

• Enabling people to live their aspirations with a plan in place
• Achieved through paradigm shifting
• Ongoing contact/follow up to acknowledge needs change through lifetime
• De-institutionalise the sector - removing timetables. Not telling people in services when to do things (e.g. go to sleep)
• Follow through as people grow up - support as they move through the life cycle

1. EGL connectors - what are the key characteristics?

• Connector first - then funding
• Right fit/ good match/diverse pool to choose from – ‘get you’ as an individual (e.g. age, ethnicity shared life experience)
• Well connected to the local community (bring in allies, peers, values community, knows community networks)
• Lived experience
• Broker solutions, creative problem solving
• Challenge status quo - do not see the limits
• Connectors with experience in mental health/trauma to respond to layers of need and provide intensive wrap around support
• have authority to make decisions on spot
• Outcomes focused (results focused - based on what the person wants)
• Flexible (e.g. able to change plan)
• Small caseloads
• Well paid
• Person directed - people can be open and honest, like a friend on your side, advocate
• Valued and honored voice/advocacy for person
• Supported decision making
• Discussion re length of time versus age related connectors
• Specialisms around impairments or connections
• Flexibility to change connectors if does not work
• Parents also feel connectors are on their side
• Recognise disabled people's lived experience and build competencies on the job (do not rely on/ limit by qualifications)
• Resilience
• Stickability – there for the journey
• Good communication skills - listen/empathise
• Endless levels of positivity
• Support for connectors - supervision
• Sub-contracting
• Separate from funder

1. Capability building funding mechanism

• Board with disabled people and whānau, seek applications, allocate and monitor. Accountability reports relevant to amount of funding for group
• Disabled people, Regional Group, Core groups make decisions
• Value grass roots when allocating funds
• Need to ensure we get message out beyond our existing networks (potential bias towards existing people we work with)

11. Funding - what needs to be considered

• CDA, Supported living payments, Targeted health interventions, Mainstream from MSD
• EMS
• Housing modifications
• Special Education
• Health/ intellectual disability funding in DHBs
• Occupational Therapists/ Physios
• Carer support
• Prison
• Interim funding pool (Supportlinks, CMI, DIAS)
• Workbridge Support Funds
• Community Participation
• Supported Employment
• Cochlear implants
• Residential Care Subsidies (MSD)
• Orthotics (DHB)
• School Transport
• Assistance dogs
• Social Housing
• Income Related Rents
• Total Mobility
• Talklink
• Tertiary Education
• Physical disability, Assistive technology, intensive wrap around - Education
• Incontinence
• NASC
• Vision/hearing
• Blenz
• Residential special schools
• MOT
• DIAS
• Blind Foundation
• Residential services (MoH)
• Intensive wraparound

12.  Concluding word

13.  The meeting closed with karakia at 3.55pm

Attached are the minutes from the October MidCentral Leadership Group meeting

MCRLG-Oct-Confirmed.docx