Manager's Report

by Elizabeth Riley

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

At the time of writing my report it is well in advance of Xmas but by the time you receive this copy of Polare, Xmas may well be a dim memory. Nonetheless I would like to take the opportunity on behalf of all staff and management committee to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful festive season with joy and good fortune for the year ahead.

2005 was an eventful year for the Gender Centre in many ways. I don't wish to dwell any further on the debacle of the exemption granted to Mission Australia. That is now a fait accompli and all that could be done to reverse the decision has been tried without success. In the meantime a committee has been set up to address the problems caused by the exclusion of our clients from A Woman's Place and Lou's Place and we can only hope that alternatives will be found to meet the needs of those transgender women affected. On a more positive note the agitations of groups like the Gender Centre and SAGE did bear some fruit when the A.D.B. chose to reject an application to renew a similar exemption for Edward Eager Lodge.

Centre Restructure

A decision was made early in the year to review how the Centre was structured to provide services and what steps could be taken to improve the delivery of those services. After much discussion and planning a new model was developed that aimed to address identified problem areas in service provision. In particular it was agreed that a greater emphasis be placed on targeting positive outcomes for clients. By focusing on outcomes the centre has been able to develop a system of pathways that provide clients with structured access to programs and services within the Centre, and through external referral, that optimise the likelihood of success. Since positive outcomes differ from one client to another the system is driven by the needs and goals identified by each client.

Part of this process has also involved a redesign of workers' job descriptions to accommodate a more flexible approach to services and to provide each client with access to a cross section of staff expertise and continuity of service delivery. This will ensure that there will always be a back-up worker to assist a client where the original worker is absent or on leave. We are optimistic that the restructure will provide positive benefits for clients and we will be encouraging feedback along the way to assist us in monitoring and reviewing our service provision practices.

Accreditation

As I have previously mentioned, the Gender Centre has been undergoing an accreditation process with Quality Management Services (Q.M.S.) over much of 2005 and this is due for completion early in 2006. I am pleased to say that we have nearly completed our responses to the seventeen Core Standards and the five Community Service Module Standards and these are now being reviewed before submission. The standards measure performance across all aspects of agency operations and have built into them a process for ensuring continuous quality improvement (C.Q.I.). Once submitted the centre will receive a report from Q.M.S. with recommendations for action. With the availability of both our accreditation responses and the Q.M.S. report as guides we will be well placed to ensure that service provision complies with Best Practice.

The accreditation process has been complementary to the restructure process and we are confident that we are well placed to meet all future challenges in agency practice and service provision.

Staff

There have been a number of staffing changes over the past year and I would like to thank all the staff, past and present, for their commitment to the Centre during their terms of employment. I would like to welcome the new staff members who have recently come on board. They are Dan McKinley, Chantel Martin, and returning to the Centre after a five year absence, Sean Taylor. All three are highly skilled and committed to our community and I look forward to the impact of their talent on the work of the centre.

Paula Hartigan, who has been synonymous with the Centre for more years than she probably cares to remember, has moved into semi-retirement. She is still working part-time at the Centre for three days per fortnight so her vast experience is not lost to us. No doubt she will be spending a lot more of her time on a variety of golf courses trouncing the opposition whenever she can. We will be watching keenly to see how much her handicap comes down.

I am sad to report that Elizabeth Anne, our wonderfully expert counsellor for the past seven years, has seized the opportunity to move into private practice and will spend her last day at the centre on December 23, 2005. While I am sad at her departure I am delighted for her to be taking this next step in her career path. It is never an easy task to replace an experienced staff member and in the case of someone like Elizabeth, with such a great understanding of our community and excellent counselling skills, the task is even more daunting. However, we have managed to secure the services of Gaye Stubbs, who is also a highly experienced counsellor, and to assist her in settling into the role she will spend a few weeks under Elizabeth's guidance before Elizabeth departs. I am sure counselling clients will be quick to recognise Gay's talent and empathy and I take this opportunity to welcome her to the team.

A Tribute to David Toolan

David will not be familiar to many of you but I have been privileged to know and work with him for many years. In his latest role David was a senior policy officer with N.S.W. Police and worked closely with the Gender Centre on several committees and consultations designed to advance the rights of the G.L.B.T.I. communities. David was a qualified lawyer and a man with an amazing capacity to bring joy and laughter into any situation. David passed away in late November at the untimely age of thirty-two.

David will be sadly missed by the many people who knew and loved him. Whatever afterlife David has entered into I am sure its inhabitants will be having a drink and a good laugh with plans underway for a heck of a party. Cheers David!

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.