Social Work

At Novita, we're committed to families and recognise that they are central to the wellbeing of their kids. Family support services play a vital part in ensuring that the social work and support coordination needs of families are met.

Who may need Social Work or Support Coordination?

Kids, young people and adults living with disability who have complex needs with multiple services involved, especially in relation to:

  • complex medical and high health supports
  • behaviours of concern
  • family complexities
  • financial hardship
  • relationship breakdown

 

What is Social Work?

Social work empowers individuals to achieve their life goals while helping to provide safety and stability during times of hardship or vulnerability.

It does this by providing services and supports that family members need to provide care for a person living with disability.

The service is provided in person, by telephone, in the community, at a Novita site, or at your home.

All Social Workers at Novita are accredited members of the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW).

 

Things your social worker can help with include:

Together, you and your social worker will determine the best way to address your needs by:

  • Understanding and adjusting to a diagnosis of disability
  • Assessment (e.g. living skills, behaviour, environment, social abilities, etc.)
  • Building the skills and capacity of family members
  • Increasing independence
  • Enabling a client to enjoy social and community activities
  • Assisting a client (and family) with a transition (to school, to adulthood, work, etc.)
  • Assisting families to explore stressors and innovative coping strategies
  • Assisting clients and families to make the most of their social and emotional strengths
  • Supporting a family to sustain their caring arrangements (e.g. with respite, personal care support or domestic assistance)
  • Support to understand your service plan and how to access and prioritise resources to meet its goals
  • Providing or connecting you to support and counselling
  • Providing key information about Government benefits and other community resources
  • Connecting you to support groups or other families
  • Developing strategies to assist with behaviours of concern or mental health issues
  • Providing information and education about relationships, friendships and sexuality

Your social worker can also provide support and connect you to appropriate expert help during difficult situations such as:

  • Death of a family member or friend
  • Financial difficulties
  • Domestic violence
  • Post-traumatic events
  • Grief and loss
  • Parenting

 

What is Service Coordination?

Service coordination supports families to understand and connect with the complex array of regular and specialist services and resources that are available in the community.

Coordination of Supports (low level)

Assistance to strengthen a family’s ability to connect to and coordinate informal, mainstream and funded supports in a complex service delivery environment. This includes resolving points of crisis, developing capacity and resilience in a family’s network and coordinating supports from a range of sources.

Specialist Support Coordination (high level)

Coordination of supports that are necessitated by specific high-level risks in the client’s situation. This service focuses on addressing barriers and reducing complexity in the support environment while assisting the family to build capacity and resilience and to connect with other supports. It may also involve the development of an intervention plan which will be put in place by disability support workers.

 

Access to Service

Talk with one of Novita’s client services staff about accessing support from a social worker.

 

Further information

If you would like information or free advice, speak to someone in our friendly team on 1300 668 482 or visit our Contact Us page for more ways to get in touch.

 

Related external links

Centrelink – Australia

Centrelink is the Federal Government agency responsible for delivering services, programs and payments for Australian government departments. Use of the Centrelink website can make it easier to explore choices and to know what questions to ask about ways to get assistance.

NDIS – National Disability Insurance Scheme

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent statutory agency. Their role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will support a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers.

SA Government crisis helplines

A list of important phone numbers and emergency contact details provided by the SA Government.

Lifeline

Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.