General WACOSS News

WACOSS Pre Budget Submission Launch 10th November

WACOSS invites you to the launch of its Pre-Budget Submission: Delivering the Social Dividend.
Please join us and our special guest Western Australian Under-Treasurer, Mr Tim Marney who will formally receive the submission.

Click here for further details

WACOSS AGM 10th November 2011

The AGM is a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate the many achievements of the community services sector over the past year. It's also a great event to network with your peers and colleagues from across the sector.
The Council's President, Chris Hall and CEO Irina Cattalini, will both provide reports on the past year and reflections on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Guest Speaker: The Honourable Robyn McSweeney MLC, Minister for Child Protection; Community Services; Seniors and Volunteering; Women's Interests; Youth

Event Details

Date: Thursday 10th November
Time: 10:45am-12:00pm
Venue: Cambridge Room
City West Function Centre
45 Plaistowe Mews
West Perth WA 6005

Light refreshments provided

Please RSVP to WACOSS by the 4th November 2011 by email to info@wacoss.org.au or by phone on 9420 7222

Live Streaming of Pre Budget Submission Launch and AGM

For the first time ever WACOSS is offering people in regional areas the opportunity to attend the Pre Budget Submission Launch and AGM through the internet. Please contact Carly Guise carlyguise@wacoss.org.au or 9420 7222 for further information

International Year of Rural Women – Morawa Family Festival

Families from Morawa, Perenjori and surrounding communities came together on 15 October, 2011 for a day of festivity and relaxation for the Morawa Family Festival.
Held at the Morawa Sports Ground, the event was hosted by North East Farming Futures and funded by the Social Support Services Grant through the State Government and Rural Business Development Corporation. The festival was held to enhance the wellbeing and resilience of families in areas that have had to deal with external pressures such as decreasing terms of trade, climatic change and drought on agricultural business. Click here to read more

WACOSS Workshops and Seminars

Advanced Facilitation Skills – 15 November 2011

Building on the earlier Facilitation Skills workshop, explore more about group dynamics and how your style & approach impacts on the group. So you've got some tools picked up in the first session and you understand how groups and facilitators work together…what next? This workshop takes the practical learning of part one (Facilitation Skills - 26 Sept), puts it into practise and then deepens the exploration of how YOU (as a facilitator) effect change and assist with achievement of goals within groups .
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

Oh My Goodness – I'm on a Board!! – 22 November 2011

This workshop will give you an introduction to being a board member, increasing your knowledge of legal requirements and core activities of a board to make you a confident and effective board member.
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

What Not-for-Profits Need to Know About Social Media – 28 November 2011

This is an introduction to using Social Media in the not-for-profit sector. Learn what Twitter and Facebook are, how they work, what the benefits are and more importantly what the risks can be. If your organisation is considering using Social Media or has recently started using Social Media then this workshop is vital in making sure it is being used appropriately and effectively.
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

Writing Great Reports – 29 November 2011

Your organisation does amazing things - so why isn't anyone reading the latest report? Your organisation's reports have the potential to educate the public about your work, motivate your staff and volunteers, and even inspire potential donors to give. Report writing is a skill that is mastered easily in this workshop. You will learn how to make your reports stand out from the crowd with the basics of great writing style so that your reports are not only read - they're enjoyed!
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

Writing Successful ICT Grant Applications – 6 December 2011

Does ICT seem like a foreign language to you? Successfully applying for Grants can make or break a not-for-profit organisation's budget. This workshop focuses on the Lotterywest ICT Grant Process and what you need to know to increase the chances of your next Grant being successful. Learn the secrets that will make this process quicker, easier and more effective.
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

Communicating and Connecting with Aboriginal Clients – 8 December 2011

A course in Aboriginal cultural awareness and cross-cultural communication. The very knowledgeable and engaging presenter, Tjupan woman Wanita Bartholomeusz, will take you on a special journey exploring the world through Aboriginal eyes. This training abandons the linear way of teaching and learning and instead demonstrates an Aboriginal approach to thinking and communicating through frank conversations totally led by participants' needs.
For all the details and to register online, please click here.

Sector News

Consultation Paper - A Definition of Charity

The Government has released a Consultation Paper on the definition of charity as part of a consultation process to provide interested parties with an opportunity to comment.

Click here to read more

Mary Reibey Grant of $50,000 for Australian women in our communities

There truly is something about Mary, Mary Reibey that is. Our colonial woman entrepreneur pictured on the Australian $20 note continues to bring prosperity though, in this millennium, to the businesswomen of Australia.

For nearly two years now Ruby has been on the path of accelerating the potential of women executives through awarding Mary Reibey Scholarships in partnership with the Australian Graduate School of Management Executive Programs. Click here to read more

No home at the end of the Road? women & housing affordability

No home at the end of the Road?

This research was commissioned by The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory in response to the growing number of women entering the welfare system late in life due to insufficient capital resources and income to provide for their retirement. Click here to read more

National Homelessness Services Achievement Awards nominations now open

The National Homelessness Services Achievement Awards recognise the outstanding achievements and contributions that community organisations make to supporting people who are homeless in our communities. The Awards celebrate excellence and innovation by organisations, services and programs responding to the needs of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

If your service or organisation, or one you know, has made a significant contribution to addressing homelessness issues—either at a local, regional, state or national level—tell us about it by nominating for a National Homelessness Services Achievement Award.

To nominate, you can download the guidelines and nomination forms from www.fahcsia.gov.au or call 1800 702 866 to order a hard copy.

Nominations close at 5pm EDT Friday 25 November 2011.

Space Wanted

Western Australia’s Individualised Services Inc (WAIS Inc) are looking for office space for approximately 4 people in the short to mid term (approximately 40-50 sqm). If anyone has anything that may be suitable, we would welcome hearing from you. Please contact Su-Hsien Lee, Executive Officer, 9420 7203

Western Australian Consumer Protection Awards 2012

Are you or someone you know a champion for consumer rights?

The Awards aim to reward and recognise consumer advocates in our community. We are seeking nominees who are working to promote or protect consumer rights, such as: assisting consumers with money management, educating the community about scams, striving for a better deal for consumers in the marketplace or creating safer products.

Click here for more details

Invitation to Participate in Research

You are invited to participate in a study of court users’ views on the comfort and safety of court facilities. We are interested in finding out how easy courts are to get around, whether they are comfortable public buildings, and whether people feel safe when visiting them. We are particularly interested in your views as a community advocate.

Click here for more information

Drs John and Julie Gottman present Gottman Couples Therapy: Bridging the Couple Chasm Conference

What makes a relationship work? Drs John and Julie Gottman have spent over 35 years researching over 3000 couples. Now after watching a couple for only 5 minutes, John Gottman can predict with 91% accuracy whether they will happily stay together.

John Gottman, Ph.D. is world-renowned for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction, including the study of emotions, physiology, and communication. He was recently voted as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Therapists in the past quarter-century by Psychotherapy Networker magazine. He is the author of 190 published academic articles and author and co-author of 40 books, including his New York Times best seller, Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Click here for more information

Overseas Qualified Social Workers – Call for Research Participants

Are you an AASW accredited overseas qualified social worker?

Would you like to participate in a research project exploring your experiences in the transition from your country of education to practice in Australia?

Do you have an hour and a half to discuss these issues at a location of your choice?

If you would like to participate please contact Trudi Marchant on 0415 732 768 or by email at trudimarchant@westnet.com.au to make a time to meet.

‘Recognition: A cornerstone of the reconciliation journey’

Click here to view a copy of a Submission from Reconciliation Australia to the Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Do you have items that could be donated to a refuge?

The City of Stirling operates a Women’s Centre that provides crisis accommodation for families escaping domestic violence. This service is extremely valuable and has operated for over 32 years.

One of the services we provide is to assist families to find new homes and we also assist with the provision of furniture for these families. Each year we receive many donations, but at present we are low on a few items.

If you or anyone you know is disposing of the following items:

Lounges,
Dining Tables and Chairs,
Bed and Mattresses (in reasonable condition) or
Pots and Pans

Please consider donating these to the Stirling Women’s Centre. These would be greatly appreciated and used for families with high need.

If you have any items like this please contact Marianne McCabe either by email at Marianne.McCabe@stirling.wa.gov.au or at the Women’s Centre 9344 2370 and she will assist with any arrangements.

New Certificate IV Relationship Education (Chc42408)

Relationships Australia WA has traditionally offered a five-day course in Group Facilitation Skills, focusing on how to run groups, in particular psycho-education groups. From 2011 the course will now be delivered as part of the new Certificate IV in Relationship Education (CHC42408), a nationally recognised qualification. Module 1 of the Certificate IV in Relationship Education builds on the original course and will be delivered in 9 days, over a 6 week period. Four Modules make up the Certificate IV in Relationship Education and will be delivered over a 12 month period, at Relationships Australia, West Leederville, Perth WA. Relationships Australia WA has traditionally offered a five-day course in Group Facilitation Skills, focusing on how to run groups, in particular psycho-education groups. From 2011 the course will now be delivered as part of the new Certificate IV in Relationship Education (CHC42408), a nationally recognised qualification. Module 1 of the Certificate IV in Relationship Education builds on the original course and will be delivered in 9 days, over a 6 week period. Four Modules make up the Certificate IV in Relationship Education and will be delivered over a 12 month period, at Relationships Australia, West Leederville, Perth WA. Click here to learn more

Sector Events

Vocational Graduate Diploma Of Family Dispute Resolution

Anglicare WA Training Services is a Registered Training Organisation and is offering a Vocational Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution. The qualification can be obtained through face to face delivery, recognition of prior learning (RPL) or a combination of these methods.

Click here for further details of the Vocational Graduate Diploma.

Upcoming Workshops at Anglicare

Assessment and Intervention for Perpetrators of Family and Domestic Violence (30th Nov and 1st Dec 2011)

Case Management for Community Workers (13th December)

Vocational Graduate Diploma Of Family Dispute Resolution

Click here for further information

MAP Time-in Presented by Dr Rebecca Coleman

MAP Time-in is a relationship (attachment) based approach for parenting, teaching and working therapeutically with children, adolescents and their families. It is a new approach, supported by 50 years of attachment research, 30 years of mindful awareness (or mindfulness) research, 10 years of developmental psychology/ interpersonal neuroscience and self-compassion research & evaluation.

Click here to download the flyer.

Click here to download a registration form.

Friends of Samaritans Sundowner 10th November

Launched in March this year Friends of Samaritans is a group of public supporters of the Samaritans Crisis Line.

Bi-annual events raise much needed funds for the Samaritans Crisis Line as they work towards their vision of a society in which fewer people die by suicide.

The next Friends of Samaritans event will be held on the 10th of November at Sayers Food in Leederville.

Click here to read more

Accreditation Choices Information Session 2nd November

Quality Management Services – Improving Quality Management for Health and Community Services
QMS will present a ½ day FREE Information Session covering on the 2nd of November. Click here for full details

QIC Review Training 4th November

Quality Management Services – Improving Quality Management for Health and Community Services

QMS will present a 2 day training session starting on the 4th of November. Click here for full details.

Root Cause Analysis Workshop 4th November

An integrated approach to complaints management

Who should attend?

Ideal for complaints managers, customer service managers, consumer affairs professionals, and anyone spending valuable time trying to resolve or respond to recurring complaints. Click here for more information

The Vibrant Workplace Workshop 7th November

This workshop is a must for CEO's, managers, HR staff, team leaders and anyone who is wanting to bring out the best in themselves and others. It is a single tool that can be used at all levels and in a broad range of leadership tasks. Click here for more information

Youth Health 2011: It's totally important!

The 8th Australian & New Zealand Adolescent Health Conference will be held in Sydny on the 9th -11th of November

Youth Health 2011 is an exciting and important opportunity for a diverse group of people interested in young people’s health and wellbeing to come together

Click here for more information

2011 Clare Burton Memorial Lecture – 11th November, 2011

Stamping out gender inequality: the battle against negative neuroscience

In her fascinating and occasionally humorous lecture entitled How the New Neurosexism Helps Sustain the Status Quo, Dr Cordelia Fine will show how stereotypes created in the name of science have influenced attitudes and behaviour in the workplace in self-fulfilling ways and how they still interfere with our trajectory towards real equality. Do not miss this revealing and intriguing examination of yet another subtle barrier to women’s rightful equality. Dr Fine is currently an Associate Professor in the Centre for Ethical Leadership at the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. The lectures commemorate and honour the significant contribution Dr Clare Burton made to gender equity and organisational change. Proceeds from this event are donated to the Clare Burton Memorial Scholarship Fund.

For more information, and registration form please click here.

How our tax system affects housing affordability Forum

A non-technical FREE presentation for the affordable housing sector

Shelter WA and the Community Housing Coalition of WA invite you to a forum examining taxation and affordable housing in WA.

When: 14th November 10am - 11.30am

Where: Claisebrook Lotteries House, 33 Moore Street, East Perth

Click here for further details

Upcoming Workshops at Disability Services Commission

Engaging Adult Siblings

A Workshop with Libby Ellis

8.30am – 4.30pm, Friday 18th November

The Positive Contributions of Sisters and Brothers

A workshop to develop strategies for the future of young adults over 17 years, who have a sibling with a disability.

12.45pm - 5pm, Saturday 19th November

Click here for more details

2011 Thinker in Residence - Unlocking Creativity 18th November

The Commissioner for Children and Young People invites you to:

A Conversation with 2011 Thinker in Residence Paul Collard Unlocking Creativity

For further details click here

For further information on the Thinker program visit the Commissioner's website

Social Inclusion Week 19th - 27th November

This year Social Inclusion Week will be celebrated between 19 - 27 November 2011.

Planning for a range of Social Inclusion Week events is already underway and we hope that all of Australia will work together to create events which bring people together in their community to share knowledge, experience and resources for the benefit of those who may be isolated, vulnerable or disadvantaged. Click here to read more

Family Forum 19th November 2011

Perspectives of trauma, culture and community wellbeing.

A free forum for all people interested in exploring culture, mental health and alcohol and other drugs

When: Saturday 19th November 9am - 4pm

Where: Herb Graham Recreation Centre, Chesterfield Road, Mirrabooka

Click here for more details

21st Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March

Join the Women's Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services for the 21st Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March

When: Wednesday 23rd November 2011
Where: Stirling Gardens, St Georges Tce, Perth
Rally with speakers commences 10.30am, March begins at 12.00noon

The Silent Memorial march is held each year to commemorate and honour people who have died in the past 12 months from family and domestic violence related incidents. The WCDFVS would like to invite all community members to participate in the Silent March.
Please feel free to pass this info/flyer on to anyone that you know would like to attend the march.

WA Equal Opportunity Commission Consultation 24th November

WA Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson together with Public Sector Commissioner Mal Wauchope invites you to the event: Consultation with Aboriginal & Ethnic Minority Communities: An equal opportunity seminar on substantive equality

Date: 24 November 2011
Time: 7.30am - 12.30pm
Venue: Parmelia Hilton Argyle Room

Click here for further information

ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)

Lifeline WA is running a 2-day ASIST course on Wednesday 30th November and Thursday 1 December 2011.

ASIST is part of the LivingWorks suite or programs and is considered the international benchmark in suicide prevention training. It has been delivered to more than 100 million people world-wide and is the most researched, developed and evaluated suicide intervention program in the world. Click here to read more

Strictly Hypothetical City Farm Fundraiser 9th of December

In the spirit of Geoffrey Robertson, Strictly Hypothetical is a truly different night out!

Help raise funds for City Farm's inagural Food Film Festival in 2012, as we sink our teeth into some of today's juiceist food issues!

When: 9th December from 5.30pm, show @ 7.15pm
Where: City Farm, East Perth

Click here for more details

Western Australian Multicultural Community Service Awards 2012

Nominations are now open for the Western Australian Multicultural Community Service Awards 2012.

The awards recognise Western Australian individuals, organisations and businesses who have achieved excellence and innovation in advancing a multicultural society through participation, equity and promotion.

Click here to read more

Blooming Minds at Work Symposium

Blooming Minds is hosting: Blooming Minds at Work Symposium in early 2012, and are seeking abstracts and presentations related to the area.
Papers presented may have been previously presented or published. This is a burgeoning area of research, and given that the increase in mental health services for those at risk of psychological injury at work is increasing at an alarming rate, it is also timely.

Click here for more information on the symposium. Click here for more information on the call for abstracts

6th Australasian Housing Researchers' Conference 2012

The Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning at The University of Adelaide are proudly hosting the 6th Australasian Housing Researchers’ Conference 2012 (AHRC12).

The AHRC12 is the premier conference for housing researchers across Australasia, allowing delegates to share their research findings with their colleagues and peers on a range of themes including homelessness, housing policy and vulnerable groups and housing. The AHRC12 includes a dynamic and thought provoking series of keynote addresses, researchers presentations and social events. The conference will be held at the University of Adelaide’s beautiful north terrace campus from February 8-10 2012.

Click here to download the flyer for more information.

WACOSS Jobs

WACOSS is seeking a dynamic social policy professional to join our team. For more information on this full time position click here

Community Sector Jobs

The following position are currently advertised on the WACOSS/ANSON Community Jobs page. Click here to view the vacancies in full.

If you would like to advertised your vacancies on the WACOSS/ANSON Community Jobs page please contact John Broweleit at ANSON at jbroweleit@anson.com.au