SpeakOut_Oct2015_FINAL_lo res

board nominations

Speech Pathology Australia’s Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic development, implementation and evaluation of the Association's policies and procedures within the rules of the Constitution. Three Directors are elected to the Office Bearer positions of President, Vice President Operations (VPO) and Vice President Communication (VPC), which forms the Board Executive Subcommittee (BES). Under the revised Constitution Board nominations are currently being sought for four positions. Directors hold major responsibility within the Association and as such, many Directors have never previously undertaken a role with similar legal, financial and strategic management responsibilities. Every possible support and assistance is provided by experienced Directors, especially members of the Board Executive Subcommittee, the Chief Executive Officer and National Office staff. This key leadership role offers a wonderful opportunity to develop new skills and contribute significantly to the strategic direction of the Association and the speech pathology profession. Directors are required to attend four Board meetings each year. Board nomination forms and an information package are available on our website. Each nomination must address key selection criteria and completed nomination forms must be received at National Office by Friday 30 January 2015. The appointments will be effective from the 2016 Annual General Meeting in May for a period of two years. Any voting member is encouraged to nominate, while retiring Directors are eligible to renominate. Elections will be held if more than four nominations are received. For further information, please see the Director Position Description, contained within the Policy and Procedures Manual, available on the Speech Pathology Australia website or contact a current Director, or Gail Mulcair (Chief Executive Officer). Call for Board nominations NDIS Allied Health Professionals Workshops available in all trial sites Expressions of interest are now open for SPA members to participate in a workshop designed to assist Allied Health Professionals working with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). These workshops have been developed and delivered by Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) including SPA, and the Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF), and supported by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

as speech pathology. Super Speechie decides that she needs to revisit the information from the Marketing workshop that she attended, and have another look at the website for the practice, so that it provides the sort of information that NDIS participants may need to know. Those professional networks are also going to be important, and she may need some up-to-date information to allied colleagues and others who may recommend her. It has happened! Super Speechie has received the call from her first potential NDIS participant. How is it all going to work from here? The next steps may vary a little, depending on which support item Super Speechie will be offering. If the participant’s plan is being agency managed, Super Speechie will need to get the participant’s NDIS number, and their date of birth. With these in hand, she can go onto the Provider Portal via the NDIS website, and ‘connect to the participant’ and then make a claim for payment. It is relatively simple to claim for supports through the NDIS portal, and the NDIS pays promptly, usually within two to three days of the claim being submitted. Super Speechie requests a copy of the NDIS plan from the participant, so that she knows their goals and can talk through with them what type of speech pathology interventions she will provide, what the outcomes may be, how these may be measured and how often, and when it may be appropriate to review the plan. In the next edition of Speak Out , we will follow Super Speechie in her further engagement with the NDIS, as she grapples with her responsibilities as a provider of Trans-disciplinary support, developing a Service Plan, and acting as a Lead Agency! cathy olsson Project Consultant, Disability Members may view the recently posted NDIS Terminology FAQ on the SPA website. To be continued...

This full day workshop will be held in the following trial sites:

• Mon 19 October – Geelong • Wed 4 November – Canberra • Fri 6 November – Newcastle • Wed 18 November – Adelaide

• Tue 24 November – Midland Trial Site Office • Thu 26 November – Hobart.

Numbers are strictly limited , so to attend a workshop, book NOW! To register your interest, visit pief.com.au/index.php/events or for further information email info_pief@pief.com.au

Speak Out October 2015

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www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au