Support coordination: Lessons from the trenches – Question 3

Lessons from the trenches - panel members

• Miranda Purchase (MP) – Support Coordinator, MP Coordination
• Veronica Santomingo (VS) – Support Coordinator, Richmond Fellowship Queensland
• Aylin Taylor (AT) – Support Coordinator, Tailored Options
• Sue Grier (SG) – Managing Director, Let’s Connect Support Services
• Elizabeth Hickey (EH) – Support Coordinator, AFA Support Coordination
• Hannah Redford (HR) - Support Coordinator, Tulip Coordination
• Sabine Hazlett (SH) – Support Coordinator, Lifestyle Mentor Services
• Zena Dyson (ZD) – Specialist Support Coordinator/Team Leader, Esteem Care Services
• Sera CrichtonAita (SC) – Support Coordinator, Australian Regional & Remote Community Services

What do you enjoy most about your role?

MP – Improving the quality of life for participants.

VS – I enjoy the interaction with clients and observing how the NDIS has changed their lives.

AT – Making a difference to people’s lives.

SG – Seeing great support and positive results and wins for participants.

EH – I love that I don’t have two days the same in a row. I can spend a day in the office with music in the background and then the next day meet with three or four different clients and spend time in the community.

I also enjoy the days where success just happens – it might be an amazing plan, the achievement of a goal, or something small like ensuring that a small tweak to services makes a huge difference for a participant and their supports.

HR – The participants are the best part of the role and what I enjoy most. There is nothing better than talking with a participant and them showing a sign of recognition or understanding of what I’ve been teaching them to understand about the NDIS.

SH – Seeing lives change for the better. My favourite of all time was with a participant with younger onset dementia, who never left his home due to his behaviours and anxiety. After 18 months of hard work and building a team of amazing allied health professionals, he was able to go away in the family caravan and I received a photo of him at the beach fishing – something he had not done in 10 years. He used to fish every weekend.

ZD – What I enjoy the most is being able to deliver fast and efficient support coordination services to my wonderful clients and seeing the big smile on their faces once they receive the services or supplies they need. Also, watching my clients grow more independent, directly related to the input I have made into their NDIS journey.

Seeing my clients happy and achieving greatness makes me happy.

SC – I love engaging with participants and helping them with their