By creating a culture where the team feel they belong, feel valued, listened to, acknowledged and most of all, valued. A culture where the human rights of our clients are at the forefront of everything we do. Anne and Vanessa make a great team. They are both so different.
Vanessa is a passionate animal lover, and Anne is passionate about financial figures. But being so different makes them a power team. They both bring different skills to the team and bring out the best in each other. They live by the same values. Rise values of Respect, Integrity, Welcoming and Optimism.
They are passionate about the people we support and acknowledge that for our clients to live with dignity, they must support their staff first. They present with a person-centred approach, both when working with staff and clients.
Vanessa comes from Aged Care and has previously worked as a support worker. She understands the challenges that staff face when supporting their clients. She is able to empathise with her team and brainstorm strategies to overcome any challenges they may be presented with. Vanessa works alongside her team to ensure that they have the skills and tools they need to provide the best care to the people we support.
Anne has an accounting background and has worked with NDIA for many years prior to coming to Rise. She brings an enormous wealth of NDIS knowledge to the role. Anne is fun, transparent, supportive, looks at problems from a different perspective, and gives constructive feedback that is always respectful. Anne is a strong advocate for professional development within her team.
It is difficult to describe how Vanessa and Anne support their team. It is not just one action, but ongoing mentoring and guidance that set them apart from others. At a service level they ensure delivery of high-quality service, ensuring appropriate support and advice is given, and staff are supported, going above and beyond when needed.
Although their role is mostly officed based, Wednesday is their favourite day of the week because they get the opportunity to go to Supported Accommodation and mingle with the support workers and clients. They both have the biggest smiles on their faces, take an interest in our people, and it is clear to see how genuinely they care about others. It is always refreshing to see them interacting with the clients.
Prior to Team Anne and Vanessa, there was a constant turnover of coordinators. Staff were not happy but were unable to voice how they were feeling. Due to the Anne and Vanessa leadership, there has been very little staff turnover which is a true reflection on how the team is being supported. As a team we have grown under their leadership and strive to perform to the best of our abilities. Coordinators are adopting this leadership style with their teams, to ensure that the staff working with our clients feel as supported as they do.
Anne and Vanessa not only work alongside their team to tackle challenges when they arise, but also celebrate the great achievements. And there have been many reasons to celebrate over the past two years.