Three WA organisations have taken out all the finalist places in the 2022 HESTA Excellence Awards for outstanding community services.
Three WA organisations have taken out all the finalist places in the 2022 HESTA Excellence Awards for outstanding community services.
In total, 24 organisations and teams from around Australia were named finalists for their work in the categories of disability, allied health, aged care and community services.
In the category of community services, St Patrick’s Community Support Centre in Fremantle was recognised for its programs and services supporting families and individuals facing complex challenges. Library Connect, the first of its kind in WA, places a support worker within the welcoming environment of the public library, improving access to support for families and individuals and reducing stigma.
During COVID, St Pat’s delivered 35,000 meals as part of the Doorstop Diners program, ensuring people experiencing disadvantage or isolation had access to nutritious daily meals and support services. Their ‘20 Lives 20 Homes’ Fremantle pilot program had a 76% success rate in supporting people to not only secure but maintain permanent housing.
The second finalist in the category was Women’s Health & Family Services in Northbridge, recognised for its commitment in providing connected health care for women. Until 2021, there was no single client information record that could be shared between their primary care providers, counsellors and family and domestic violence advocates.
The team addressed this issue by implementing a cloud-based primary software, so all practitioners could access case notes. Now clients do not have to retell their story or history as they move between programs within the organisation, which helps provide a more holistic service.
WHFS plan to deploy a client portal, embedded into the organisation’s website, where clients can self-refer and book appointments with the team.
The third finalist, Zonta House Refuge Association, was recognised for its work providing support and opportunities for victims and survivors of family and domestic violence, from prevention to crisis response to recovery, redress and rebuilding.
In the category of team excellence in aged care, Brightwater Care Group’s Falls Improvement Program Team was a finalist, recognised for identifying and implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce fall rates, better support aged care residents and improve overall knowledge gaps. The program provides professional development and educational sessions for staff to minimise risks and hazards.
The team also introduced weekly exercise sessions for residents to help prevent falls and hosted zoom chair yoga sessions in 2022. The program saw a 28% decline in fall rates within six months.
A WA finalist in the category of team excellence in allied health was the Baby Play Academy Team at Western Kids Health, which was recognised for going above and beyond to empower parents to support baby development.
When COVID hit, Western Kids Health was inundated with messages from anxious parents concerned about their baby’s growth. To address the lack of accessible and affordable support and information for parents, the team developed the Baby Play Academy.
The academy is an online education and support pathway for parents and caregivers, combining digital resources, community forums, telehealth consultations and referrals. The team spent a year creating video and written content covering infant motor, language, social and cognitive skills development.
The academy has since grown to support over 2000 members, improving parent knowledge, skills and confidence. The team also uses Instagram to support parents all over the world, with over 130,000 followers.