Local Area Coordination

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"To build individual, family and community self sufficiency so that individuals with a disability can achieve what they want to achieve, live how they want to live and are valued as full and equal members of the ACT community."

Local Area Coordination promotes:

Self management.
Personal advocacy.
Family support.
Community development.

Local area coordinators aim to make disability services and supports more:

Personal
Local
Accountable

and to support local people with disabilities and their families in their local communities. Therefore the shape of the service is deliberately kept flexible to respond to people’s changing needs.

Local Area Coordination will promote:

Focus on a meaningful life and family leadership
Emphasis on strengthening community capacity and less on funding
Greater emphasis on the principles of planning for the future, importance of personal networks, importance of community connections, complementary role of services and partnerships
Stronger emphasis for family leadership, work with communities to support inclusion and the valued contribution of people with disabilities

Eligibility for the program

An individual must have a physical, intellectual, cognitive and/or sensory disability and require sustained assistance.

Individuals must be under the age of 65 at the time they request support.

An individual must be a resident of Gunghalin or Woden Valley areas.

Individuals may access in the short-term for provision of information, advocacy, advice and/or options.

Individuals may access medium- to long-term support of Local Area Coordination to ensure that plans and goals are achieved.

Local Area Coordinators aim to:

Provide information to individuals and families that is accurate and timely, through a variety of means. This will allow people to make appropriate decisions and to gain control in their lives;
Build and maintain working relationships with individuals and families, staying in regular contact and giving an opportunity to communicate and honour their journey;
Support and provide practical assistance to identify and clarify needs, goals and strengths;
Encourage individuals and their families to drive and steer the direction of Local Area Coordination support;
Assist to plan for the future;
Promote positive change and benefits that are sustainable;
Build on individuals’ and families’ informal support structures;
Increase participation in the local community, then the boarder community;
Ensure that formal services, either government or community, complement and support the families, community and informal support structures;
Promote that people with disabilities advocate on their own behalf and provide advocacy support when required. Promote self management for people with disabilities and their families;
Assist linking to community – Local Area Coordination’s focus is on informal or natural supports/ relationships that occur in the community. Community supports for individuals and their families will not necessarily be traditional disability support services;
Support linking to community mentors in sports groups, community groups, local businesses and increase people’s participation in their local and the ACT community;
Develop and increase the community’s capacity to improve levels of inclusion through the provision of education/knowledge and raising awareness to the needs and goals of people with disabilities;
Assist to remove any barriers that may exist, whether they be physical/structural or community attitude;
Monitor the quality and quantity of formal services that individuals and their families receive;