Empowered Community Choices
At Empowered Community Choices, we provide tailored Allied Health Services for people with disabilities. Our goal is to empower individuals with new skills and opportunities. We aim to bridge the gap between what clients are able to do and what they would like to do. Empowered Community Choices promotes inclusivity to enhance well-being and autonomy through our quality of support and services.
Services
What we offer you
We work with a variety of disabilities, such as Autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. The supports provided are as unique as the individual and aim to equip the person to live their best life and also reach their NDIS goals.
How we can assist in the home
- Daily Living skills such as building and teaching independent life-skills
- Basic cooking, nutrition, diet and food coaching
- Money matters and budgeting support
- Mentoring
- Behaviour support
- Family coaching
Personal Development
- PEERS® Social Skills Program
- Social skills training for friendship skills of making and keeping friends
- Facilitating social skills training groups
- Mentoring
- Assistance with education access and modifications
- Transition Support
- Advocating and empowering individuals to advocate for one self
How we can assist at school
- Behaviour support
- Support with education and modifications
- Transition support
Other Services
- Assessments and Complementary therapy approaches including diet and food coaching
- Pet Assisted Therapy
- Acupuncture
- Aquatic therapy for sensory regulation, recreation and fitness
General Info about the PEERS Program:
The PEERS Program is an evidence-based program the program is run separately for teens aged between 13-17 years and adults between the age of 18-36 years old. Both groups meet on Telehealth and/or in person on either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 pm. During each group session, teens are taught important social skills step-by-step and they are given the opportunity to practice these skills in sessions during fun socialisation activities. Parents attend separate sessions at different times and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by helping expand their teen's social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialisation with homework assignments designed to build and develop skills between sessions. Teens and Adults are given the skills and an opportunity to practice these skills in session during fun socialisation activities. The cost of the PEERS Program is $333.00 per week (cost is inclusive of two 90 minute sessions per week and all materials needed for the program).
The benefits of the PEERS Program:
The PEERS® program improves social functioning by enhancing empathy due to improving cognitive skills. PEERS® has a positive effect on social responsiveness by improving reciprocal and expressive social communication skills. The program focuses on cooperative social behaviour, self-control, and social assertiveness. This leads to greater social acceptance, which decreases loneliness. These benefits are not only for people with autism but for others with social or psychosocial challenges. The PEERS® program consists of two 90-minute sessions weekly, one for the clients and the other for their parents/coaches, and the program runs for up to 16 weeks. This program requires a parent or coach's participation.
Teens will learn in the PEERS Program:
They will learn conversational skills, how to enter and exit conversations, how to be a good host during get-togethers and about appropriate humour. Further, they learn about online safety and electronic communication and how to be a good sport. The PEERS Program will also equip teens with the tools to handle arguments and disagreements, changing a bad reputation, handling rumours, gossip and rejection, and how to deal with teasing and bullying.
Young Adults will learn in the PEERS Program:
They will learn all the social skills covered in the teens group plus for those who are interested they will learn about dating etiquette.
Developmental Educator Services:
The qualification of a developmental educator represents the evolution of the inclusive social model which has moved away from the medical model that once was. A developmental educator qualification represents a neuroaffirming practice approach by accepting and embracing the diversity and uniqueness of an individual and by providing access, equity and justice for that person. Developmental educators have a holistic approach when working with individuals and provide person-centred planning to individuals, their families, carers, and other stakeholders. Developmental Educators support people with disabilities to succeed in reaching their aspirations and goals.
Developmental Educators can provide family coaching/education so that the family can better connect with and understand their family members with a disability, therefore, being more supportive of them. This also includes assisting families and family members with a disability in practising new skills and routines. Developmental Educators may also assist people with disabilities by advocating on their behalf and providing community education. Community education aims to improve the person's environment in which they work, study or play by changing the attitudes towards people with disabilities and encouraging acceptance of people's diversity.
Services
we offer to
- Support social skills development and strategies to make friends and handle social challenges while managing the growing educational demands.
- Assess your child’s current developmental level and needs.
- Collaborate with you and your family; and all the stakeholders to formulate a unique transition plan that will enable your child to adjust to each new grade.
- Identify and eliminate environmental barriers that are hindering a successful transition.
- Support and modifications to therapy when needed to ensure the child continues to progress.
Services
we offer to
- Support and strategies for the development of life skills, confidence, handling peer pressure and advocating for one's self.
- Support with daily tasks.
- Assessing the individual's strengths and abilities.
- Collaboration with the individual's support network to design a plan that will focus and build the person's skills, abilities and independence.
- Strategies to support and improve social skills and maintain friendships.
- Create supports to develop skills for achieving the person's goals in education and employment by coaching.
- Identify and eliminate environmental barriers that are hindering the individual's progress and development.
Services
we offer to
- Support for young adults transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.
- Support to develop and refine life skills.
- Comprehensive assessments of strengths and areas that require development.
- Build capacity of self-care and health literacy to enable independance.
- Identify and eliminate environmental barriers that are hindering the individual's progress and development.
- Create supports to develop skills for achieving the person's goals in education and employment by coaching.
How to register for the PEERS Program or book an appointment
Step 1: Fill in the referral form
You can fill out a referral form through the button when first enter the website. We focus on keeping the service agreement short and uncomplicated, however, we also understand if you need help filling out the form so you can call us on 0419 810 784 or email [email protected]
Step 2: Wait until you are contacted
You will be contacted sometime in the next 48 business hours.
Ready!
All people are welcome to the organisation regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability and culture.
So feel free to fill out the referral form:
Referral Form
Aquatic Therapy
Empowered Community Choices provides a aquatic therapy program which is 1:1 with the client and a therapy assistant. The program is for children and young people who seek to improve their movement skills, bolster their fitness, manage sensory behaviours, and develop swimming and water safety skills. Each session is for 45 minutes. If you are interested in joining feel free to fill out a referral form.
Our Fees
All our service fees are charged in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Additional Travel Fees will be included, these are lower than the standard rate and are charged based on your location. Please enquire if you wish to know what your travel fees will be.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Developmental Educator (DE)?
A qualified allied health professional who specialises in working with people with disabilities using the human rights framework to achieve full inclusion and participation within society. DE's are represented by the professional body the DEAI (Developmental Educators Australia Incorporated). The Developmental Educator profession is also recognised by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and is listed within the pricing arrangement under Capacity Building Supports. Developmental educators assess the person with a disability and their environment and collaborate with the person and their support network to plan and set goals. They teach skills through instructional strategies to build capacity and support life transitions; developmental educators facilitate these supports through the monitoring and evaluation of the person.
What is the difference between and Occupational Therapist and a Developmental Educator?
Occupational therapists support people with complex equipment needs such as prescriptions for wheelchairs or home modifications. Occupational Therapists tend to focus on fine and gross motor skills. Occupational Therapists are trained in medical and therapeutic interventions and have a tendency to work with promoting functional independence. Developmental Educators are trained to provide support for those with developmental delays, disabilities, or learning difficulties across multiple domains and teach skills in a variety of life domains. Developmental Educators support clients with life transitions, programming, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, community education and capacity building.
Can I see Occupational Therapist and a Developmental Educator at the same time?
Yes, many people receiving NDIS support have been supported by a Developmental Educator and Occupational Therapist at the same time. However, it is essential that both therapists do not duplicate or overlap their services by working on the same goal. Therefore, you need to let your therapist know so that you can discuss what goals you wish them to support you with and which will be supported by the other practitioner. It may be that your Occupational therapist might focus their therapy on fine and motor skills or the use of assistive technology while your developmental educator focuses on goals in obtaining skills related to emotional regulation, social skills or sensory regulation. This will ensure that your funding is not exhausted and that your therapy support is complementary to one another.
Can l get Developmental Educator (DE) Services or particpate in the PEERS Program without the NDIS?
Yes you can. The cost is the same as it is for a NDIS client for both services.
What Category of NDIS funding can l use for the PEERS Social Skills Program?
As this program is run by a fully qualified developmental educator, you are able to use capacity building funding or daily living funding.
Is the PEERS Program neuroaffirming?
Yes. The PEERS Program is neuroaffirming. We pledge the following:
- We value neurodiversity, acceptance, and authenticity
- We honour the diverse ways people experience the world
- We respect each person's unique perspectives and communication styles
- We recognise there is no one right way to connect with others
- If using the strategies taught in PEERS feels like camouflaging or masking, and/or don't align with your goals, then you do not have to use them
- Learning and using the skills taught in PEERS is a PERSONAL CHOICE
We would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of this land where we live, work, learn and grow.
We wish to acknowledge and show our respect for their Elders, past and present, for their continuing culture
and the contributions they make to the life of our community, both now and in the past.