Annual Review 2022

THAT’S A WRAP ON 2022

All our work is guided by our values

We are careful

We are highly responsible in the work we do and in the way we work alongside people.

We discover and create

We invest our our resources innovative assist people.

discover create our time and resources to create innovative ways to people.

Cara is a leading disability service provider working alongside people with disability across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia.

We provide services for people with severe and multiple disability, including autism, cerebral palsy and intellectual disability.

Our Services

Supported Independent Living

Up to 24/7 support for people with disability to live independently or with housemates.

Short Term Accommodation

Short breaks in comfortable, family-style homes around South Australia.

Home and Community Services

Support for people with disability to live their everyday life in their own home or out and about in the community.

Specialist Services

Support from Cara’s team of Allied Health Professionals to help people with disability build independence, confidence and skills.

We make it personal

We assist people to live everyday lives. We listen and develop support arrangements that work for each individual.

We are persistent

We don’t walk away when the going gets tough.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

2021/22 has been a year of change at Cara

our customers and their families so that we can improve our customer housing stock, attract and retain the best staff. It is important to ensure as we recover from Covid restrictions, our financial sustainability improves through improved/ increased service provision.

Financial Performance

Whilst the pandemic has not left us yet, the hope of life returning to pre-Covid normality looms in the distance. Cara continues to expand our services, as we aim to return to pre-Covid service provision and deliver high quality services that are sought after and add value to our customers.

The effort in addressing these challenges have been significant and the values of Cara remain strong in seeking to provide support, care and empowering our customers to have fulfilling and enjoyable lives.

This was confirmed by the significant “Customer of the Future” survey which identified that our customers aspire to the same goals as everyone else in society, with nice, safe housing, good social lives and the ability to have choices and the best quality of life.

Strategic Plan

The Board released the 2022-25 strategic plan focussed on engagement with

The impacts of Covid, workforce availability, NDIS plan changes and broader inflationary impacts being felt around Australia, also impacted Cara. In the 2021/22 financial year Cara posted an operating loss of $2.526 million.

Just over half of this loss related directly to our operational performance whilst the remainder was impacted by investment revaluations as share markets retracted in light of inflation, interest rates and the war in Ukraine.

The board has worked closely with the executive team and consultants from KPMG over the last year to develop a strategy and implementation plan to return Cara to profit whilst continuing to provide high quality services.

Stephen Larkin

In February, Stephen Larkin, our longest serving board director of 12 years stepped down from the board for personal reasons and sadly passed away in September 2022. Stephen was closely associated with Cara through his brother who was a longterm Cara customer and will be sadly missed.

as we moved away from the heights of the Covid pandemic and its significant impacts on our customers, staff and their families.

New Board Appointments

The board continues to refresh and address skills areas in line with best practice governance.

Most recently the board has undertaken a recruitment for 2 new directors and has been fortunate to attract two very highquality directors, Michele Smith (Clinical Governance experience) and Peter Auhl (ICT) who will join the board at the AGM in November and provide additional skills and knowledge in areas of importance to Cara.

Thank You and Farewell

I advised the board in October that I would be stepping down as President from the board after 7 years as a director, to focus on other roles and spend more time with my family.

Cara as a service provider is only as good as our people. I would like to acknowledge all of the staff, executive team and my fellow directors for their effort over the last 12 months. I would particularly like to thank our customers for choosing Cara, to help live the life you would like.

Nick Smith President

WELCOME FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Welcome to our annual review – a time to reset while keeping customers at the centre of our decision-making.

Whether you’re interested in our services, are one of our valued customers, a member of our customer’s support network or one of our partners, we hope you enjoy reading through some of our achievements from the past year and what we have planned moving forward.

I am both proud and extremely privileged to have the opportunity to lead here at Cara. We have a passionate and dedicated Cara team providing support to enable our customers to live fulfilling lives, care for their well-being and meet their changing needs.

2022 has seen the commencement of a program of reset, as we continue to improve our customers’ experiences and deliver the high quality of support that Cara has become known for.

Covid

While outbreaks of Covid-19 community transmission in South Australia have been relatively few compared to other states and indeed across the world it has brought complex challenges for many in our Cara community.

We have been able to step up and meet these challenges, keeping our 381 customers and 1,108 staff safe. Thanks to our strong protocols and following advice from SA Health, we have been able to control exposures and outbreaks across our service locations.

A huge thank you to all of our Cara Team for your resilience and continued support in keeping everyone safe.

Housing

Having a house that both meets your changing needs and feels like home is something we all want.

We have commenced a process of engagement with our customers and housing providers to better understand housing options available to our customers now and into the future.

This will mean that some of our customers may have the opportunity to move to a new property in the future. Over the coming years, we will be looking to partner with a select group of housing providers to assist our customers to live in appropriate accommodation.

We will work with customers throughout this process and ensure they will have control over this important decision.

We are looking forward to going on this journey together with our customers to ensure everyone is happy in their home.

Customers at the Centre

Our commitment to service excellence underpins everything we do and we strive to provide a high quality standard of support and care to our customers.

As part of this commitment, we will be talking with our stakeholders to gain honest feedback about our service delivery. From this feedback, we will define opportunities to improve, as well as identify areas of best practice that can be translated across the organisation.

We have one clear promise at Cara, and that is we put our customers at the centre of everything we do.

A key part of this is listening and connecting with our customers to ensure we understand their wants, needs and that they receive the right information.

We are in the process of reviewing how we communicate to ensure our partnerships are open, meaningful and that we continue to build on the trust we have been given.

NDIS Provider of Choice

The continually evolving world of the NDIS can be daunting and at times challenging to understand, but we’re here to help.

We strive to be your partner for all things NDIS and will work with you, your network and other stakeholders to ensure you receive the support you need.

Despite recent pricing increases, the financial viability of some NDIS services remains a challenge. Reductions in overall plan funding has meant that unfunded costs of required services are being carried by Cara. However, with this challenge comes the opportunity to think differently and innovate.

Innovation requires investment and we are fully committed to ensuring we continue to be a leading provider for best practice in the sector.

Our People

We provide support to empower people for greater independence. It’s why we exist and to achieve this we rely on our passionate and dedicated Cara Team.

As one of South Australia’s leading disability providers, we are lucky to have access to an unparalleled depth of skills and knowledge, with the best and brightest providing support to our customers.

To support them on their journey of development, we assisted our staff to complete 7,449 mandatory and voluntary training courses. What a great achievement - thank you to all of our employees here at Cara for the outstanding work you do.

I would also like to thank our many customers and supporters for your ongoing support, because without you, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

And finally, I would like to thank our Cara Board. A group of skilled, experienced and knowledgeable individuals who contribute well to bring about good governance at Cara. I congratulate Matthew Nicholls who, with lived experience in disability, has been elected as our President from November 2022 and warmly welcome Michele Smith and Peter Auhl to our Board. Board member individual profiles can be found on our website.

I look forward to engaging with many of you to hear about your needs, priorities and experiences and join us on our journey of continuous improvement.

Sonya Furey Chief Executive

OUR 2022 IMPACT

Delivered 1,031,495 hours of support

We employed

828 support workers

7,449 mandatory and voluntary training courses completed by staff.

We supported

381 customers

There were

187 houses for our customers to call home

Over 6,000 incidents reported and managed meeting the NDIS and State Government’s mandatory reporting requirements

5+ yrs

32% of our staff have been with us for more than 5 years

1,108 staff in total

Our longest serving employee has been with us for over 37 years

Karaoke and KindnessAt home with Karyn

One of the first things that strikes you about Karyn is her kind and welcoming nature. A visit to Karyn’s home could see her invite you to play a game of Uno, or sing a few tunes on her karaoke machine.

Karyn lives with support from Cara in Supported Independent Living in Murray Bridge. She has many hobbies and enjoys an active social life, living her life the way that she chooses. Karyn attends day options where she catches up with friends, takes part in swimming lessons and recently joined a community choir.

Karyn lives with two housemates, Lee-Ann and Heather, and the trio recently celebrated 20 years of living together and 20 years since they joined Cara.

When asked how she feels about Lee-Ann and Heather, Karyn beams and breaks out into a wide smile. Her answer says everything. “Family.”

Karyn says one of the trio’s favourite things to do together is to “go to the hotel” for lunch, especially the local Swanport Hotel, which they affectionately call “Swannies”.

“They like visiting restaurants, going out for coffee and cake, and bowling together,” says Cara Quality Service Manager (QSM) Emma,

who works with Karyn and her housemates. Family connections are important to Karyn too. Sadly, her parents have both passed away, but her staff support and encourage her to visit their gravesites when she wants to, particularly on their birthdays and important occasions such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

While she’s out and about a lot, Karyn also relishes spending time at home, and can often be found taking part in a craft activity or cooking.

Karyn and her housemates work together as a team when it comes to making decisions around their home and their weekly routines.

“They work with each other and their staff to plan the household grocery shopping and make choices around their meals,” QSM Emma explains.

“Karyn, and her housemates are happy and always laughing, they enjoy singing and having a dance. They really do see the lighter side of life.”

If you’re interested in our Supported Independent Living service contact us via phone on 08 8347 4588, email welcome@cara.org.au or using our online form - cara.org.au.

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE

Edna Redman Award

Sponsored by YNA

Congratulations to support worker Lauren. The judges said Lauren builds on ideas, solicits opinions and works with team members to promote new ideas. She shows initiative, creating or updating schedules to maximise the customer’s support. She implements excellent customer care, continuous improvement, builds positive relationships, openly shares experiences with the team and supports new staff. Lauren is now a Quality Service Leader and her leadership has been an asset to the team.

Outstanding Team Award

Sponsored by CMI Toyota

The winners are Cara’s Rostering and Workforce Planning team. The judges said the team has an immense task of ensuring more than 1,000 staff, including Cara’s support workers and Quality Service Leaders, as well as agency staff, are rostered on to work alongside Cara’s customers. They need to match staff with the right training and qualifications with the right customers, all across the state and are able to work together as a truly outstanding team.

Leadership Award

Sponsored by SG Fleet

Congratulations to Operations Manager Anthony. Our judges said Anthony has a strong focus on coaching and guiding his teams for continuous improvement. He shares his vision for best practice and then guides his teams to achieve this. Many of Anthony’s team members have themselves been promoted into leadership positions (including winner of the Edna Redman Service Excellence Award for support workers, Lauren, who is now a Quality Service Leader).

Safety Award

Sponsored by VJ’s Automax

The Safety Award went to Cara’s Health Support Practice Leaders, registered nurses Tracy and Shelley. The judges said the Health Support Practice Leaders undertake safe work practices within their own team and their work, as well as promoting safe work to the wider Cara Community. In fact, Tracy is also a Head Office representative on Cara’s own Health & Safety Committee.

This year we celebrated our most talented Possible People with the Cara Recognition of Excellence Awards. There were some outstanding nominations and our judges Board Member Michael Hutchison and Executive Manager Marcus Gehrig found it quite challenging to decide on the eventual winners. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to our event sponsors.

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Innovation Award

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Sponsored by Eagers Automative Fleet

The winner is the One Cara, One System team. The judges said the team, known as OCOS, has transformed Cara’s business as we cement our commitment to using Open Source technology. They have developed a customer portal and a staff app, streamlining our work and allowing our staff to get on with the most important work of all, alongside our customers.

Quality Award

Sponsored by Adelaide Building

The Quality Award also went to Cara’s Health Support Practice Leaders (who you may remember from a previous win, the Safety Award!). The Health Support Practice Leaders are registered nurses Tracy and Shelley. The judges said Tracy and Shelley have significantly advanced the quality of Cara’s health support and our management of risk.

Quality Service Leader Award

Sponsored by Cowell Clarke Lawyers

The winner of the Quality Service Leader award is Michael Glover! The judges said “Michael is a remarkable person”. In addition to being a Quality Service Leader in Murray Bridge, he has backfilled shifts in other areas, held acting Quality Service Manager roles and mentored staff. Michael empowers customers to get the supports they need, follows up to changes on supports and provides written evidence to get it done. Michael’s team in Murray Bridge has grown in strength, confidence and effectiveness and Michael recognises each team member for their success.

Corporate Service Award

Sponsored by BankSA

The Corporate Services Award was won by Caron from Cara’s Finance team. The judges said Caron works sensitively, with empathy and lives the Cara value, “we make it personal”. She works closely with customers to resolve outstanding debt issues and she is known for her positive attitude and her work ethic. Her input has led to improvements in processes.

FINANCIALS AT A

GLANCE

Cara continues to prioritise high quality service delivery, which has been reflected in the investment in our people. During the 2022 financial year our employee expenses equated to 92% of our total revenue.

While both our revenue and net assets decreased, Cara is still in a strong financial position.

To view our full financial statement visit the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)website acnc.gov.au

$86 million FY22 revenue

STA is music to the ears of Amila and Christine

For over 30 years, Christine has supported her son Amila in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. Amila lives with cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability and a vision impairment.

Christine has a physical disability herself which is characterised by progressive weakness and stiffness in her legs. Constantly impacted by pain and discomfort, Christine battles through to stay on her feet, doing what she can to support her son.

On the occasion when Amila or Christine need some time away, he visits Cara’s Short Term Accommodation (STA) service in Morphett Vale.

The break that STA (also known as Respite) provides has multiple benefits, not only for someone with disability but also for their regular carers.

Christine explains, “it’s a full-time job for me caring for Amila, and I’m on my own, which is why extra support is so important for both of us.”

At home, Amila fills his days with a love of music, animals and sensory toys, something which has been followed through to his STA support.

The Morphett Vale STA property where Amila stays comes fully equipped with private bedrooms, accessible spaces and sensory experiences, all with a support plan tailored to Amila’s likes, wants and needs.

Amila’s beaming smile can light up any room and he also has an infectious laugh, which you can’t help but copy when you’re with him.

As a real social butterfly, Amila loves meeting new people, which he has plenty of opportunities to do when he stays at the STA property.

“He loves his ukulele and keyboard at home, enjoys being read story books and just loves interacting and socialising with people,” Christine says.

“The support we get from Cara is invaluable. Having the option for Amila to stay in respite gives me a change of routine. I can catch up on things around the house, see family and friends and spend time with my youngest son.”

If you’re interested in our Short Term Accommodation service contact us via phone on 08 8347 4588, email welcome@cara.org.au or use our online form - cara.org.au.

CARA CONNECT ALONGSIDE YOU ALL THE WAY

The Cara Connect Team plays an important role as ‘The Connector’ between the Cara head office, our support staff, customers and

decision-makers.

This knowledgeable team owns a collection of responsibilities, ranging from managing customer funding and billing to handling service agreements and bookings. Check out what our Cara Connect team do for you:

Regularly check in with you and your support network to hear your thoughts and feedback on our service.

Assist you or your Support Coordinator to have your plan reassessed.

Help you to access supports within your budget. Schedule your services.

Be the single point of contact at Cara for you, your support network, Support Coordinators and decision makers.

Stay up to date with the latest NDIS changes.

KICK START YOUR SERVICES AT CARA

Cara’s Customer Intake and Growth team (CIGT) exists to ensure that everyone who comes to Cara looking for services has the best possible experience with our organisation.

This friendly team are responsible for overseeing all new enquiries for Cara services, and are focused on providing a welcoming and professional entry point to Cara.

“We treat everyone that we come across as an individual, and we really take the time to ensure that we can best meet the needs of our customers and match them to the services that are right for them so that they can have a long-term relationship with us,” CIGT Manager Clare McMullan, who leads the team, says.

“After an initial inquiry is made, we will find out more about the customer’s goals and what they’re hoping to achieve, and gather the key details that we need to make an assessment and match them to the Cara services that are right for them.”

The CIGT also work with current Cara customers looking to explore new services. This includes providing insights into vacancies for Supported Independent Living.

Whether you’re looking for services for you or someone in your family, or you’re a guardian, delegate or Support Coordinator, the CIGT are ready to talk to you. The team can be contacted on 8347 4588 or welcome@cara.org.au.

HERE’S WHAT TO DO...

1. Contact the CIGT via phone on 08 8347 4588, via email welcome@cara.org.au or using the online form

2. Complete the ‘Registration of Interest’ form

3. We will evaluate your needs and identify if Cara is the best provider for you.

4. If we’re the right provider, we will ask you to complete an intake form (this is different to the registration of interest form).

5. We will assess your funding, and start matching you with the right service.

6. If you’re not eligible for parts of our service, we will connect you with specialists to get the right documentation.

7. Once we’ve found the right match, we will provide you and/or your guardian/ support coordinator with a Service Agreement or Roster of Care to review.

8. When you have returned your signed service agreement and NDIS has given approval, we can start planning and completing your transition to our service.

Address Unit 1, 2-4 Adam Street, Hindmarsh 5007

Postal Address PO Box 237, Woodville SA 5011

Email contact@cara.org.au

Web cara.org.au

Telephone 08 8347 4588

Facsimile 08 8347 4508