Promoting Dignity Grants 2015

Guide & Application Form


Promoting Dignity Grants - Guide

Promoting Dignity Grants Initiative

The aim of the Promoting Dignity Grant initiative is to provide opportunities for disability support workers to develop and implement creative, practical and alternative solutions for people with a disability who are subject to restrictive interventions.

This year the Office of Professional Practice (OPP), Senior Practitioner - Disability will make $20,000 (10 x $2,000 grants) available to disability support workers[1] working in services such as day placements or shared supported accommodation managed by either the Department of Health & Human Services or a community service organisation.

To be successful, an application must be:

  1. based around support for a person who is currently subject to a restrictive intervention (as defined in the Disability Act 2006),
  2. reported to the Senior Practitioner – Disability via the Restrictive Intervention Data System (RIDS)and
  3. incorporate the proposed replacement behavior within a behavior support plan (BSP) or Treatment Plan.

Our latest research evidence shows that the quality of behaviour support plans is directly related to reductions in restraint and seclusion, hence the application must:

  1. show an understanding of the function of behaviours of concern and focus upon a specified attempt to teach a replacement behavior for behaviours of concern,
  2. demonstrate positive outcomes for a person they support (as measured by decreases in the use of restraint and seclusion over time and improvement in quality of life) that can be reported as an outcome of the project.(All successful applicants will be provided with a summary of results from RIDS before they begin and after they have implemented their intervention for the specified person(s) with a disability who is the focus of this application. It is expected that this data will be used to measure changes based on the intervention),
  3. use an intervention or interventions that attempt to teach a replacement behaviour.

Top up funding and other support from the disability support workers’ organisation will also be viewed favourably.

An Example:

Luke is an 18-year-old man who showed behaviours of concern such as physical aggression towards others. The response from services in the past had been to physically restrain Luke when he showed this behaviour. But this response did not reduce his behaviours of concern. Although he had been involved for some time in anger management and self esteem programs, Luke’s behaviours of concern were not decreasing. Luke didn’t have a behaviour support plan, so the team set about to design one. A functional behaviour assessment revealed that Luke’s behaviours of concern were mostly behaviours of protest at not having choice to do what he wanted in his day. As a result, Luke was involved in planning his own support, his key worker asked him what he wanted to achieve and do, and he was given choice and control over participation in the program. His support team listened to him carefully and taught him if he needed a break he could ask for one and staff would assist him to relax using mindfulness and other relaxation techniques (like chilling out with his iPod). Over a period of 8 months, the results showed major reductions in both the use of physical restraint by staff (no physical restraint in the last 7 months) and behaviours of concern (a decrease in physical aggression to others from 4 in a month to none for the last 3 months). This provided evidence that the interventions put in place by the service made a real difference to Luke’s quality of life.

Selection criteria

Mandatory requirements

  1. The application must be based around support for a single person or a small group each of whom is a person who is currently subject to a restrictive intervention (as defined in the Disability Act 2006, and reported to the Senior Practitioner – Disability via the RIDS).
  2. The change proposed must be based on a functional assessment of the behaviours of concern specifically for that person or persons and attempts to support the person(s) to learn replacement behaviour for that behaviour of concern so as to reduce or eliminate the behaviour of concern.
  3. The change proposed must be part of, or incorporated in, the Behaviour Support Plan, or, if the person is on a supervised treatment order in the Treatment Plan.
  4. Applications must be from a disability support worker currently employed by a registered disability service provider. (Note that applications can be made by an individual or a team.)
  5. Applications must be approved by the DHHS –Area Director or Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) of the registered disability service provider.
  6. All applications must be on the enclosed application form (with all sections completed).
  7. All applications must be received by the Office of Professional Practice by 5pm on Thursday 30 April 2015. Late applications will not be considered.

All applications will be assessed against the following selection criteria:

  1. Evidence of how the project will improve the rights and dignity of people with a disability subject to restrictive interventions, and contribute or lead to a better quality of life for the person.
  2. The sustainability of the proposal, particularly in respect to shared learning across the disability service sector.
  3. Joint applications from services working together to create coordinated support for the client who is subjected to restrictive interventions will be viewed favourably. The Grant amount for joint projects will be negotiated with the applicants directly.

Conditions

The following conditions apply to the Promoting Dignity Grants:

  1. A progress report will be required by 31 October 2015 with afinal report on the project outcomes that must be completed and submitted to the OPP by31 January 2016, using the attached report template (final page of this form).
  2. All grant recipients will be required to present theproject outcomes at the OPP Senior Practitioner – Disability Promoting Dignity Grants Forum at a date to be advised.
  3. Information provided by applicants will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000, and the Department of Health & Human Services Privacy Policy.
  4. The Grant will be paid to the successful disability service provider in June2015.

Please note: The Promoting Dignity Grants initiative is not intended for functions provided by existing funding or the purchase of professional services such as assessment or consultancy.

Process of assessment for all applications

The Office of Professional Practice, Senior Practitioner – Disabilitywill consider the applications against the key selection criteria and decide on the successful grant applications.

All applicants will be advised of the OPP decision in June 2015.
Timelines
Action / Date due
Formal call by the OPP, Senior Practitioner - Disability for grant applications
/
24 March 2015
Information session to assist application completion
/
2-4pm, 14 April 2015
Closing date for applications
/
30 April 2015
Advice on success of applications to all applicants
/
by 30 May 2015
Grant provided to disability support provider
/
June 2015
Grant progress report outlining progress submitted to the OPP Senior Practitioner – Disability
/
31 October 2015
  • Grant final report outlining the findings submitted to the OPP Senior Practitioner – Disability
/
31 January 2016
Presentation of findings at the OPP Senior Practitioner –Disability Promoting Dignity Grants Forum
/
TBA

Submission of applications

Applications must be received by the OPP by 5pm on 30 April 2015, with endorsement by the DHHS Area Director or Chief Executive Officerof the registered disability service provider and sent by email, post or courier to:

Mail: Office Professional Practice

Senior Practitioner – Disability Grants Initiative

Department of Health & Human Services

GPO Box 4057

Melbourne Victoria 3001

Email:

Privacy clause:

1.All applications to the Promoting Dignity Grants initiative are confidential. Documentation pertaining to unsuccessful grant applications will be destroyed at the conclusion of the selection process.

2.Personal details will not be disclosed.

3.Successful grant applicants will be required to complete a final report – these are to be used at a forum run by the OPPSenior Practitioner -Disability to present project findings and outcomes. Consent will be sought from applicants prior to the Forum to share the findings, an invitation will be sent to all applicants to attend and/or present at this forum.

Enquiries

For general enquiries about the OPP Senior Practitioner Disability Grants Initiative, please contact the Office of Professional Practice on:

Telephone: (03) 9096 8427 orEmail:

Promoting Dignity Grants - Application Form

Section 1: Contact details of you and your organisation
Name of applicant
This is the person that will be responsible for the management of the proposed project.
Role or position within the disability service provider
Contact telephone number(s)
Email address
Name of disability service provider (organisation) and type of service (e.g. accommodation, day program etc.)
Disability service provider address
Address of where the proposed grant project will be conducted.
Names & positions of core team members who will work together to implement the proposed project
Name & contact details of any other person providing additional support, who will assist with the implementation of the proposed project
For example, a BIS practitioner, a Case Manager, a lecturer from a university or other external consultant.
Section 2. Details of the proposed grant project (no more than 4 pages)
Project Title
  1. What is the Project?
  • What will the team teach the person to do that will replace their need to use a behaviour of concern?
  • What is the goal of the project?

  1. Why is this project important?
  • How will the project benefit the person(s) with a disability?
  • What other benefits may be anticipated from this project?
  • List the restrictive interventions being used which will be targeted for reduction (e.g., chemical, physical, mechanical, seclusion and any other practices which restrict people’s freedom and dignity).
/ Mechanical?______
Chemical? ______
Physical? ______
Seclusion? ______
  1. How are you going to do it?
a)What will each of the team members do?
b)How will you keep a record of the changes over time and the facilitating and limiting factors associated with the project
  1. How are you going to share what you have learned through doing this project?
  • How will this project be used to support shared learning of good practice within your organisation?
  • How might this project be used to support shared learning of good practice to the benefit of clients in other agencies?
For example: exchange of information between services supporting the same clients, presentation of a paper at a disability worker conference, writing an article for a service provider magazine, placing the information about the project on your service provider’s website.

Section 3: Declaration

In making this application I confirm that;

  • <DSP Name> is a disability service provider in accordance with the Disability Act 2006; and
  • I am duly authorised by <DSP Name> as a disability support worker to make this application; and
  • I will immediately notify the OPP in the event of any information or circumstances changing with regard to this application that could result in the outcomes of the project not being realised; and
  • The information provided in this application and attachment(s) is to the best of my knowledge true and accurate.

Applicant

Signed:______/ Date:___/___/___
Print name:______
Title:______

Disability Service Provider

Approved by (Director or Chief Executive Officer)

Signed:______/ Date:___/___/___
Print name:______
Title:______
OPP – DISABILITY PROMOTING DIGNITY GRANTS
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Section 1. Contact Details section: Tick Completed
√
Name of applicant
Role or position within the disability service provider
Contact telephone number(s)
Email address
Name of disability service provider (organisation)
Service site address ie where the proposed grant project will be conducted.
Names & positions of core team members who will work together to implement the proposed project
Section 2. Proposed grant project details section:
Including what project is about and how will replacement behaviour be established
Why is the project important inc. benefits for the individual and list of Restricted Interventions being used
How will project be implemented inc. who will do what and how will changes be measured over time
How will project learnings be shared inc. with other service providers
Section 3. Declaration section
Read and complete declaration
Applicant sign off (staff member responsible for the project)
Manager or CEO approval

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[1]Disability support workers include direct support workers, practitioners, clinicians, case managers etc. who are employed by the Department of Health & Human Servicesor a community services’ organisations funded by DHHS under the Disability Act 2006.