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.)

Accreditation

I am pleased to be able to report that after several months of engagement with the Gender Centre's accreditation process, and a great deal of time and effort from staff and Management Committee, the centre has received its Accreditation Report from Quality Management Services (Q.M.S.). The report has been extremely favourable with the Centre achieving a resounding endorsement from the auditor. The report examines in detail the Centre's responses and achievements in all of the twenty-two Quality Improvement Council Standards that were addressed. Seventeen of these standards were "core" standards and five were additional standards drawn from the "Community Services" module. Where relevant the reports on each of the standards are accompanied by recommendations on actions that the Centre can undertake to further improve the quality of our operations. In all, only nine of the twenty-two standards are accompanied by recommendations and most of these are relatively straightforward and have either already been implemented or are in the process of development.

Each of the standards was judged against a rating of either being "Met", "Met in part", or "Not met". Of the twenty-two standards addressed by the Centre, twenty achieved a rating of "Met" and the remaining two a rating of "Met in part". Using our responses to the standards along with the report and its recommendations as a guide, staff and management of the centre look forward to acting on all recommendations to ensure that a system of Continuous Quality Improvement remains at the core of the Centre's service delivery. Since the report is lengthy it is not feasible to reproduce it in Polare, however, I would like to include the following which is an extract from the auditor's Overall Summary:

The service has adopted principles of continuous quality improvement (C.Q.I.) and actively implemented changes to enhance this perspective for some time. There are several good examples of C.Q.I. provided, such as the review of the magazine and the input into strategic planning by people connected with all aspects of the service.

Areas for improvement have largely been identified by the service and are supported in the recommendations provided. All standards are met except for the knowledge management standard and the standard about coordinating services and programs, both of which are met in part.

Within the limits of a desktop audit it is not possible to verify the depth of quality that a service claims. For this reason, although the service has identified some examples of leading practice, it is not possible to award this unless an on-site external review is carried out. What is clear is that the service works extremely hard to promote the needs of its very marginalised population and to educate the wider community, and its role in advocacy in particular seems most impressive".

While it is gratifying to all concerned that the centre has achieved such a positive outcome we are well aware that the "proof of the pudding" lies in the day-to-day work that we do at the Centre on behalf of our clients and not in the pages of a report. I would, therefore, like to assure you all of the dedication and commitment of the staff and Management Committee to ensure that we strive to provide the best service possible to the transgender community.

Primogyn Depot

A brief note to inform users of Primogyn Depot (oestrogen injections) that this product has been removed from the P.B.S. free list. Most users would probably be aware of this by now and should consult with their medical practitioners to determine what alternatives may be available to them.

W.A.G.E.C.

The Women's and Girls' Emergency Centre (W.A.G.E.C.) is working with transgender women in crisis in the Surry Hills / Darlinghurst / Kings Cross areas. The project has been funded by DoCS for an initial period of three years to assist these women with housing options following their recent exclusion from some of the traditional services in the inner city area. An advisory committee has been established involving representatives from a variety of agencies including the Anti-Discrimination Board and N.S.W. Health and W.A.G.E.C. is investigating housing options to meet the needs of women concerned.

The Gender Centre will work in partnership with Kate and W.A.G.E.C. to overcome the disadvantage that transgender women in crisis in the inner city are faced with. W.A.G.E.C. can be contacted on 9360 5388 or visit the Women's And Girls' Emergency Centre website.

On a Personal Note

I will be taking a period of accrued annual leave and long service leave from the beginning of July.

I was keen to complete the accreditation before going on leave and now that is done I will make the most of the opportunity to do a bit of travelling to some of the more amazing parts of this country.

In my absence Phinn will act in the manager's role at the centre. He has been working closely with me for some time and I am confident that he will do a sterling job in the role. For my part, despite the travelling, I will be in and out of the Centre on occasion to lend a hand with reports and funding agreements as well as continuing to provide training to outside agencies when required.

On that note I would like to wish you all the very best in the coming months and to convey how privileged I feel to have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderfully courageous and committed community over the past ten years.

Much love to you all and bon voyage!

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.