Growing out of need

I feel that here at Allambi, we are good at responding to the needs of those we care for and adapting service to meet these needs. This has been our approach from day one, and we are still committed to growing and adapting to provide quality client-focused and strength-based service delivery.

At every stage of this journey, we have constantly endeavoured to get things right. As an organisation we have learnt much along the way, and one of the things we have come to understand is that it is very difficult to manage the battle between consolidation and growth.

Consolidation vs. growth is something that the Executive Group (Directors of all programs along with the Executive Officer Operations and myself) struggle with frequently. Do we focus solely on existing processes and systems or put effort into adaptation and the pursuit of new ventures? I often have my direct staff come to me expressing their struggle to keep up – “Simon I have so much going on that I just can’t get to”.

I know that this is not a struggle that is only felt at the Director level. All of you, from the frontline of youth and disability work to those who keep our back of house moving along, are constantly engaged in a struggle to fit everything in. It seems that the administrative and compliance burdens on every level of our organisation are significant and we are constantly facing pressure from external funding and accreditation bodies. We are always challenged to catch up. There always seems to be something new we must do – a new form, a new process, a new report – and important ‘non-urgent’ things get left behind. The time it takes to focus on consolidation is significant and we have been in constant discussion about whether we should be nailing things perfectly before we pursue any new ventures.

Part of this struggle is the difficulty that comes from having compliance bodies prescribe how we do our work. It used to be the case in the past that, if we followed the rules and reporting requirements, we were free to operate under our framework as we saw fit. With the last round of contracts this changed considerably and over the last few years we have worked hard to bend our practices to fit the rules of operation under the contract. This is a whole new level of compliance and one that takes much internal prioritisation.

Over 40 years we have grown and developed, and established efficient and mature systems to operate under what we consider to be best practice for those we care for. These systems have grown from need and we are constantly developing them to improve. However, we are also at the mercy of the bodies that fund our programs and services, that pay the wages for our staff and the payments for our carers. The bodies who, as they see fit, can change processes, expectations and reporting requirements at any stage. Our intentions can be interrupted at any time. There is a constant battle between what we see is right for the kids, adults, and families we serve, and compliance and reporting.

We must ensure that our systems allow for the ‘interruption’ factor. We need to think in a way that is flexible and nimble and fosters innovation. A lot of our compliance and reporting requirements take time away from caring for others and we constantly need to review and cull practices that do not have a direct and positive impact on those we serve. It is a fine balance as to what we can fit into each day.

Taking a flexible approach means there is always time to grow and adapt. We have taken this attitude along our 40-year journey, allowing us to respond to the needs of those we care for and develop our programs and ancillary support services. It has allowed us to respond to community need and venture into the Outreach space, where we have a suite of programs designed to help local families. Flexibility also allowed us to take the plunge and respond to national need and expand into Victoria, where we now have a solid and reputable residential care operation.

These successful programs and services help make us who we are today – a leading human services organisation that offers complementary programs and services to children, young people, families, and participants in need of quality, strength-based care, where they can build hope and work toward a positive future. An organisation that responds to need, rather than be defeated by limitations.

My priority lies in ensuring that we ‘walk the walk’ and maintain best practice for those we care for, whilst providing opportunities that help our staff and the human services sector grow. It is important that we allow ourselves the time to think outside the box as the field continues to learn and develop. If we are doing a great job, I am confident that we will maintain our eligibility for opportunities and new ventures well into the future.

Simon