NDIS Social and Community Participation

Extensive and varied activities

Day programs or Social and Community Participation is the support of people with a disability to access and engage in their community. Enjoying activities with friends in safe and supported environments is vital to our health and wellbeing.

At Sunnysights, we place a huge emphasis on helping our participants meet their goals, socialise, and benefit from a wide variety of activities aimed at improving skills, confidence, and personal development.

Our Activities

Sunnysights has developed a comprehensive activity program that can be tailored to your needs. Choose between our various types of activities that are built around your goals and abilities.

From day trips, picnics in the park, cooking classes, and fitness or self-care days, we can tailor an activity program to suit your interests, abilities, and goals.

If you would like to learn more about our day programs, please get in touch today.

Activity Programs

Why is Social and Community Participation Important?

These programs are all about bringing people with disabilities together to explore shared interests and participate in activities they enjoy, alongside others. It's about going to the same places everyone else does, doing things people typically do, but with the added benefit of meeting like-minded people.

The beauty is, social and community participation is unique for everyone. It could involve grabbing coffee at your favourite cafe, joining a local sports team, hitting the trails with a friend, getting creative in a craft class, trying out work experience, or even giving back through volunteering.

Social and community participation is important because it can:

Helps you feel included and connected to others:

Feeling connected to others is fundamental to mental and emotional well-being. Participating in social and community activities creates opportunities for individuals to forge connections, share experiences, and feel valued within their community. This sense of belonging reduces loneliness and isolation, contributing to overall happiness and life satisfaction.

Gives you opportunities to build relationships with friends:

Forming friendships is an essential aspect of social development and overall happiness. By engaging in social activities, individuals with disabilities can establish and nurture meaningful relationships with peers who share similar interests and experiences. These friendships provide emotional support, companionship, and a sense of camaraderie, enriching their lives and fostering a sense of belonging.

Grows your social networks and helps you feel more included:

Social networks play a vital role in providing support, resources, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Participating in community activities expands social networks, allowing individuals to connect with a diverse range of people, including peers, mentors, and community members. These connections not only provide emotional support but also open doors to new experiences, activities, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Increases your confidence and builds your ability to participate with your peers:

Success in social interactions and community activities boosts self-confidence and self-esteem. As individuals with disabilities engage in various activities and interact with others, they develop social skills, communication abilities, and problem-solving techniques. This increased confidence empowers them to navigate social situations with greater ease, assertiveness, and independence, leading to improved quality of life and enhanced social integration.

Helps you develop skills to be more independent and feel safe in your community:

Social and community participation provides individuals with disabilities with opportunities to develop practical life skills and enhance their independence. Engaging in activities such as navigating public spaces, managing finances, and communicating with others fosters self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Additionally, participating in community activities promotes community integration, helping individuals feel more comfortable and secure in their surroundings.

Builds skills and relationships that help with getting a job:

Participation in social and community activities not only enhances social skills but also cultivates valuable employability skills. Through volunteering, work experience, or involvement in community projects, individuals with disabilities can develop transferable skills such as teamwork, time management, and problem-solving. Furthermore, forming connections with community members, businesses, and organizations may lead to job opportunities and career development pathways.

Helps you find activities you enjoy doing:

Exploring a variety of social and community activities allows individuals with disabilities to discover their interests, passions, and talents. Whether it's sports, arts and crafts, music, or volunteering, engaging in activities that bring joy and fulfillment enhances overall well-being and quality of life. By encouraging exploration and participation in diverse activities, individuals can lead more fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Ready to connect and embrace life to the fullest?

Sunnysights isn't just a Social and Community Access Provider – we're your partner in possibility and believe that social interaction and community involvement are essential. By providing expert support and tailored opportunities, we help individuals build meaningful connections, contribute to their communities, and achieve their unique goals.

Sunnysights offers a large variety of activities and programming to help you meet your own goals and independence. Our participants enjoy visiting the beach, swimming, nature walks, and BBQs with friends to name just a few.

If you would like to learn more about our day programs, please get in touch today.

Learn More

FAQ's

What makes Sunnysights different from other NDIS providers?

Sunnysights is a social enterprise - that means we have a for-profit business model and a not-for-profit heart, with a percentage of profits going back into improvements in the disability sector.
The founders have backgrounds in NDIS, Allied Health, Education, Aged Care, HR, and Legal. We strive each and every day to be exemplary leaders in our field and encourage the same from everyone we encounter along the way. We want to see people be the best versions of themselves in happy and nurturing environments.

What makes Sunnysights support workers better?

Sunnysights has built its foundations on the Buutzorg Model. This is a model of care founded in the Netherlands, and starts from the participants perspective and works outwards to assemble solutions that bring independence and improved quality of life.

Our support workers undergo extensive and comprehensive training on the participants they will be supporting. As well as detailed information on the NDIS practice standards, quality assurances and continuous improvements policies.

What furniture should be brought into the home?

This is generally up to the participant and differs, once again, from person to person, however, most participants bring their own bedroom furnishings.
For single occupancy homes, often other pieces for the home are brought along, however, if this is unavailable Sunnysights are happy to supply these.
In shared living homes, the common areas are usually provided by Sunnysights, although we are happy to accommodate individual pieces where we can, to ensure everyone feels as nurtured and at home as possible.

Do you have support workers ready to go?

Our Support Worker teams are carefully selected and supported as they are what makes Sunnysights successful. We are fortunate to have some amazing talents on our team that can be tapped into and we balance this off with consistently finding new talent to add to our teams as well. Once we identify the exact needs and preferences of a new Participant coming on board, we can start to bring this together straight away. Sunnysights drives to be an employer of choice and we often have Support Workers reaching out to us. We aim to bring together, nurture and develop the best of the industry.

What information do you need to get started?

We will ask for a basic set of details in the Enquiry Form to send out information and policies.
Once you have received and read the Participant Booklet & Privacy Policy, we will need a privacy form signed by the Participant or Guardian so we can legally peruse private information pertaining to the Participant.
From here, we will require an Occupational Therapy (OT) Report, NDIS Plan, and any previous Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Roster of Care (ROC) documents.
After this, so we can match the right home, Sunnysights will require any further information regarding the property and co-tenancy preferences.

Why do you need a copy of the OT Report and NDIS Plan?

There are three main reasons why Sunnysights requests copies of the OT Reports and NDIS Plans for assisting Participants;

1. Safety, Quality and Consistency:

The OT report is the documentation that sets the recommendation for SIL to the NDIS and care providers and is a key assessment report on which the NDIS Plan is based. This document stipulates the types of care and intensity of supports required through evidence-based methods that provide clinical assessment for the required care to keep Participants safe. We use this report as a fundamental document to ensure quality care is practised daily and consistently.

2. Sustainability and Responsibility:

The NDIS Plan is another keystone document that confirms with the Participants input what has been accepted as necessary and reasonable by the NDIS. The plan confirms the NDIS approved scope of SIL support delivery, including hours and levels of support, as well as Participant goals that the plan sets out to achieve, and the funding allocated to resource this.

With the OT Report and NDIS Plan documents, we can then populate the NDIS SIL templates and Sunnysights can create a SIL quote and Roster of Care (ROC) on behalf of the Participant for their review and feedback.

The NDIS templates require the information set out in the OT Report and confirmed in the NDIS Plan. Some of the information they require relates to the approved hours and levels of the different supports to be provided during different shifts that need to be aligned with the development plans.

Through this further consideration of the viability of support for round-the-clock shifts and specific support types are determined so that 'Price Controlled' estimates can be provided under the NDIS price guide. Once complete, the service model is checked by Sunnysights quality and assurance to ensure that the tailored support can be reasonably delivered by Sunnysights and within the scope of care.

Furthermore, it is our responsibility under our registration and throughout the duration of the service delivery that the SIL scope, Roster of Care and the NDIS Plan are aligned and sufficient for the Participants' ongoing and continuous care provision. Should the supports, shift planning, or funding not match a Participants needs, they may end up with incorrect supports or planning that have negative outcomes and funding that is insufficient in their plan that the Participant themselves become liable for.

3. Compliance

As a provider of essential SIL supports, we are obliged under registration, our duty of care, and the NDIS code of conduct to avoid engaging in 'sharp practices'.

"People with a disability expect that NDIS providers will not participate in or promote sharp practices".

This includes not:

Providing services or expending funds contrary to a person with a disability's approved plan.
asking for or accepting any additional fees for providing the service.
Offering inducements to encourage people to take up or continue with your organisation or a particular service option.
Engaging in high-pressure sales.

For further information please see: NDIS Code of Conduct (Part 2: Elements 3, 4 & 5)

As a registered provider we are also required during audits, to produce the OT Reports and NDIS Plans of each Participant in our care to ensure our service delivery has been created on the basis of these keystone documents.

How are invoices received and paid?

Participants usually have 2 areas of funding:

NDIS Plan allocated funds - used for Core Supports, Capital & Capacity Building.
Private Funds - used for Board and Lodgings and additional expenses outside of the NDIS Plan, i.e. Mobility Allowance.

Sunnysights encourages the plan Management of funds and the Self-Management of funds, wherever possible.

All SIL invoices are prepared upon service delivery in the form of system-generated line items and breaking down the levels, dates and times of support with the NDIS Price Arrangements and Price Limit codes to the nominated funds manager.

All board and Lodgings invoices are sent to the Participants nominated manager, prepared fortnightly and are timed to accommodate the majority of our Participants who receive the Disability Support Pension.

All invoiced items will have had prior approval as per the NDIS guidelines, this will be required in writing prior to a service or item delivery.

Sunny's Values

Leading Change

Person-Centred

Our focus is on what a person can do, not on their condition or disability. We tailor to your needs, unique circumstances and aspirations.

We focus on people and their rights, safety, choices, and freedoms in everything we do ensuring all environments in which we operate are fair, just and equitable.

Innovative

We strive for new methods to tackle original thinking, create modern ideas, and solve complex problems.

We look for new and progressive ways to solve problems and shape a bright future for our industry, contributors, participants, and communities.

Community

We focus on building and nurturing one social and inclusive community.

We value our community, team, and environments and continually contribute and strive to improve quality, safety and sustainability whilst providing opportunity for access and inclusion.

Celebration

We aspire to express gratitude and humility in all that we do, and this helps us to recognise every positive impact and kindness we give and receive.

We face challenges together and celebrate, acknowledge, and appreciate our development and wins along the way.

Leadership

Our goal is to set the example for the industry.

We are continually aware of ethical conduct and exemplify leadership through best practice, continual improvement and being accountable to ourselves, each other, and our communities.