2013-2014

Marrin Weejali Aboriginal

Corporation

79-81 Jersey Road Blackett NSW 2770 PO BOX 147 Emerton NSW 2770

ABN 93 250 708 726 ICN 2522

Tel 02 9628 3031

Fax 02 9628 8858

www.marrinweejali.org.au

Annual Report

Table of Contents

Contents

Chairperson’s message ________________________________________ 1

Manager’s message __________________________________________ 2

Our Centre __________________________________________________ 3

Our Community ______________________________________________ 4

Our Alcohol and Drug works ____________________________________ 5

Our Social and Emotional works _________________________________ 6

Partnerships ________________________________________________ 7

Our Health Programs - Waluwin _________________________________ 8

Outreach Programs ___________________________________________ 9

Community Development _____________________________________ 10

New Website _______________________________________________ 11

Client and Stakeholder Feedback _______________________________ 12

Good News Stories __________________________________________ 13

Database Capabilities ________________________________________ 15

Financial Summary __________________________________________ 16

Independent Auditor’s Report __________________________________ 17

Legislative Compliance _______________________________________ 18

Company Information ________________________________________ 19

Pg. 01

Chairperson’s message

Chairperson’s message On behalf of the Board of Management, I am pleased to present this report to the members

of the Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation.

We are now in our eighteenth year of service, and during the past twelve months Marrin

Weejali delivered over 7000 episodes of care to people in our community.

I would like to thank the Board and staff for their continuous support and the hard work they

are involved with, developing and providing the most suitable programs for our people who

are suffering from the harmful effects of substance misuse.

Marrin Weejali board members have met on eight occasions dealing with the organisation’s

core business with 95% of board members participation. The policies and procedures

manual and the compliance registers were tabled at all board meetings. Policies are

reviewed and revised when required to meet changes, whereas the compliance register is

tabled and reviewed to monitor business as required. Marrin Weejali is a low risk

organisation that routinely meets the government’s risk management program standards.

The Quality Assurance Program process continues, and has taught us some valuable

lessons about how best to record the good works we have been doing across our eighteen

years of operation. This has seen us sharpen our feedback to the community, and stay

mindful of the evidence record of our works whenever we make any changes to our

systems.

I would like to thank all the partnering agencies, Marrin Weejali’s members, the clients who

have provided feedback, our funding body, which has shifted this year from OATSIH to The

Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and acknowledge the valuable hard work the board

and staff has done this year.

Kind Regards

Nicole Robertson

Chairperson, Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation

Board Members:

Chairperson Ms Nicole Robertson

Secretary Ms Karen McNulty

Treasurer Ms Kristy Kendrigan

Board Member Mr. Joe Haroa

Board Member Mr. Stan Hart

“Fabulous

service - have

made a lot of

referrals in the

past. Clients

always very

pleased with the

professional

services offered.

Your staff are

very warm,

caring,

compassionate

people, all

experts in their

field”

Pg. 02

Manager’s message

Manager’s message

The 2013 – 2014 Annual Report reflects the constructive year we have had. This year has

seen us set serious groundwork for a push towards the development of a Residential

Rehabilitation Centre to service the members and clients of Marrin Weejali Aboriginal

Corporation, their community and families.

I would like to commence by acknowledging the enormous effort the staff and Board of

Management exerted this year. This year has seen us add two positions – a Chronic Care

health worker and an Alcohol and other Drugs Primary Prevention and Education

worker. These positions have allowed us to assist our clients to better manage chronic

health care conditions that become apparent once alcohol and other drugs are out of a

persons’ life. It also allows us now to extend our services through attending outreaches at

the fringes of our local area in Riverstone and Doonside, and also actively pursue the

service partnerships necessary to holistically respond to our clients’ needs.

It is a good feeling to be part of this most important Aboriginal organisation that is

continuing to respond to the needs in our community and providing services to our people

who are experiencing the harmful effects of substance misuse.

The change in funding bodies from OATSIH to Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet has

seen us review our Action Plan and reporting structures to ensure that we are ready for the

new tendering process which comes into effect in September 2014. Efforts have been

made already to establish good relations with personnel that will be managing our region.

During this financial year, Marrin Weejali has had nine staff members, and we have felt a

little crowded as we reach capacity and start to have waiting lists for our services. We have

been creative in our efforts to get more efficient use out of this wonderful workspace as we

engage with more and more clients.

We remain an organisation with an open door to partnerships. We have formal and informal

agreements with 32 local agencies who share our aims to try and meet our people’s

complex needs. The 1996 Western Sydney Aboriginal Substance Misuse Regional Plan

mapped the needs of Western Sydney and called for a ramping up and coordination of

services. It is so important that we join forces with other agencies to help our clients

achieve healing across as many aspects of their lives as possible.

I can report that this year has been another seriously successful year, and we will continue

to do what we can to meet our people’s needs.

Tony Hunter

Manager - Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation

“We are

developing the

capacity of all our

staff to work

reflectively, to

analyze program

effectiveness and

assist their

clients to

prioritise and

achieve their

goals”

Pg. 03

Our Centre

Our Centre Marrin Weejali is a Cultural and Spiritual Healing Centre, a place to help our people recover

from substance abuse issues or improve their social and emotional wellbeing through

holistic servicing in a culturally safe environment. In line with our commitment to

Continuous Quality Improvement, we have improved the Centre, and ourselves.

Professionalism

Marrin Weejali commissioned Presentation folders and Banners to allow our staff to

represent our organisation at community events and information days with a clear

consistent message and brand. The presentation folders are an ideal way to contain the

information about the many different programs and activities running at Marrin Weejali.

Staff training

Two staff members have been attending a block release Certificate IV in Alcohol and other

Drug (AOD) and Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) at the Aboriginal Health and

Medical Research Council (AHMRC) in Little Bay. The staff members are set to graduate at

the end of 2014.

All staff attended a Senior First Aid refresher course in April 2014.

Amenities

The glass doors on our meeting rooms have recently had frosted panels applied to

enhance privacy and lower disturbance levels whilst groups are being held.

The Reception area had solid glass with a frosted panel installed, replacing the metal grill.

This has improved privacy for phone calls received at reception and made the foyer area

look less threatening. We have increased the seating capacity in the foyer as well,

introducing long wearing bench seats.

In our large meeting room, we replaced the tables with ergonomic folding and rolling tables

to eliminate manual handling hazards. We also invested in lightweight rolling screens to

provide a level of privacy for clients and other service providers when we host our regular

outreach days.

Outdoors, we have replaced the wooden tables in our undercover area with metal tables for

ease of cleaning.

We installed a small lockable garden shed to enable storage of the lawn mower and

cleaning equipment in a separate and safe manner.

“the most

respectful thing

we can do with

our clients is to

greet them with a

handshake and a

cuppa, and tell

how good it is to

see them back.”

Pg. 04

Our Community

Our Community

Closing the gap on Alcohol and other Drug (AOD) misuse

High rates of AOD consumption and related harm are both a consequence of, and contribute

to, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. There is a variety of

effective strategies available to address this problem. First, the underlying social

determinants, in particular education and employment, must be addressed. Second, there is

evidence of the effectiveness of a range of supply reduction (price controls, restrictions on

hours of sale, enforcement of existing laws and regulations), demand reduction (alternatives

to AOD use, health promotion, treatment, ongoing care), and harm reduction (community

patrols, sobering-up shelters, needle and syringe programs) strategies. Third, Indigenous

communities need to be provided with the full range of such services.

As harmful AOD use is a complex, multi-causal phenomenon, addressing it requires a

comprehensive approach, including strategies to:

• address the underlying social determinants

• prevent or minimise the uptake of harmful use

• provide safe acute care for those who are intoxicated

• provide treatment for those who are dependent

• support those whose harmful AOD use has left them disabled or cognitively impaired

• support those whose lives are affected by others’ harmful AOD use

The National Drug Strategy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Complementary

Action Plan made a commitment to the provision of ‘a range of holistic approaches from

prevention through to treatment and continuing care that is locally available and accessible’

(MCDS 2006)

While treatment is effective, AOD dependence is a chronic relapsing condition and it is not

realistic to expect that one program of treatment will result in long-term abstinence or

controlled use. For this reason, ongoing or follow-up care is essential and has been shown

to reduce the frequency of relapse (McLellan 2002).

In the case of alcohol, it is important to note that much of the short-term harm (accidents,

assaults, etc.) is a consequence of heavy episodic drinking, not of alcohol dependence per

se. For this reason, interventions which focus largely on dependent persons will be limited in

their impact.

Evidence suggests residential treatment is more effective than non-residential treatment for

particular groups of clients including those ‘… with more severe deterioration, less social

stability and a high risk of relapse’ (Shand et al. 2003). These are characteristics of many

Indigenous clients and for them residential treatment may be the only practical option.

Gray, Dennis; Wilkes, Edward [Canberra, A.C.T.: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse], 2010. Research report Alcohol abuse, Indigenous Australians, Prevention, Drug abuse, Intervention, Evaluation http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2010/ctgc-rs03.pdf

“The Regional

Substance

Misuse Plan,

Closing the Gap

Clearing House

research, and

our own data and

experience

coupled with the

recent closure of

two Regional

Rehabilitation

facilities adds

further to the

evidence of a

pressing need for

the development

of a Residential

Aboriginal Family

Rehabilitation

service within the

Sydney basin”

Pg. 05

Our Alcohol and Drug works

Our Alcohol and Drug works

Interventions

Marrin Weejali has continued to provide a strong and broad range of interventions to help

clients with problematic alcohol and other drug (AoD) use and related issues. A holistic

approach spanning the following main categories is proving to be effective: Counselling,

group therapy, advocacy, referrals and building bridges with detox’, rehabs and other

agencies. Foundational to any level of intervention has been Marrin Weejali’s commitment

to treating clients with courtesy, respect and dignity and without discrimination, to tailor

care plans to the needs of the client and with their involvement and to provide professional

and evidence based service.

Counselling interventions have been both educational and therapeutic in character. We

have seen clients as individuals, couples and families. Our highly trained counselling staff

use a wide range of modalities suited to the clients’ needs and their circumstances.

Group Therapy has continued to be a major intervention through the following groups:

Pathways to recovery – This group facilitates greater awareness of how

substance misuse causes problems at all levels of life.

Yarndi education and awareness - This group provides information to users of

cannabis on how to stop using, to support those who may have already quit and to

help those who may have quit and relapsed.

Koori NA and AA meetings – 12 step recovery programs for those whose lives

have been directly affected by alcohol and drug misuse.

Living with Addictions - This group is about choice and change. It takes a holistic

approach and builds on strengths and resilience of group members.

Smart recovery meetings - This group teaches practical skills to help deal with

problems and gain a more balanced life style.

Advocacy involvement of staff on behalf of clients has increased through telephone, letter

and face to face contact with Community Services, Housing, Centrelink, Health, Schools,

Probation and Parole, Courts and other institutions. This assists clients to better cope with

other stressors in their life that may otherwise trigger a relapse.

Referrals to other agencies have continued to reflect the collaborative and networking

nature of our work.

Building Bridges through contacting, visiting and interacting with detox’, rehabs and other

agencies, through our open day, M.O.U’s and public and training events to which we invited

other agencies has had an increased emphasis in our work this year. For more information

about this, also refer to the “Partnerships” section in this report.

“Our Alcohol and

other Drug

treatment model

includes high-

quality case

management to

address broader

social and health

issues”

“We have

incorporated a

K10 and

elements of the

IRIS tool into our

assessment

process to allow

us to better

identify levels of

addiction, levels

of emotional

disturbance and

demonstrate

improvement”

Pg. 06

Our Social and Emotional works

Our Social and Emotional works

Rationale

Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) interventions are a key part of the services we

provide at Marrin Weejali because alcohol and other drug problems never live in a vacuum.

The problematic use of alcohol and other drugs affects multiple areas of life for both the user

and for family members, friends, and the rest of the community. An effective approach to

addressing substance misuse issues must include strengthening and / or restoring the

resilience of individuals, families and communities through Social and Emotional Wellbeing

interventions. These are linked with mental health, but go much further in focusing on

restoring a holistic connectedness to spirit, mind, body, kinship, community, culture and

country. This approach, though rooted in Aboriginal culture, is effective for both Aboriginal

and main stream clients.

Interventions

As with alcohol and other drug (AoD) interventions, a holistic approach including counselling,

group therapy, outreach services, advocacy, referrals and building bridges has been found

to be effective. The considerations mentioned in the AoD section equally apply for SEWB

interventions.

Marrin Weejali has run three types of SEWB groups this year:

Anger management – This group provides understanding, knowledge & skills for

managing anger and resolving problem issues that trigger anger.

Pangari Aboriginal women’s support group – This group runs in partnership with

Junaya, Mt Druitt Police, and the Intense Family Based Service (Waru Mudyin).

Pangari is a specific Aboriginal family Violence Support Group, which is both

culturally appropriate and innovative.

Men’s cultural and spiritual healing group – This group offers Aboriginal men the

tools & encouragement to become stronger role models for their children, their

families & their community and also explores the impact of health.

Outreach services offered by other agencies at Marrin Weejali and our involvement in

community development have been an important element of our integrated model of SEWB

service provision. For more information about this, also refer to the “Our Health programs”,

“Outreach programs” and “Community development” sections in this report.

For part of the year Relationships Australia also provided specialist relationship counselling

services to couples.

“Marrin Weejali

uses a key

worker for

assessment of

clients and

creating their

care plans. Case

workers make

contact with

Aboriginal and

other agencies

who are currently

involved with the

client (with their

agreement)

formulating the

case

management

processes in

partnership with

the client.”

Pg. 07

Partnerships

Partnerships Marrin Weejali seeks to partner with organisations that can bring other services to our clients

to help lift their burdens, and heal their shattered spirit. Marrin Weejali has an active

memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the following organisations. The MOU is an

agreement to work together to help mutual clients, and sets up good communication between

the organisations.

FORMAL – MOU’s

Housing NSW

Mission Australia Housing

Centrelink

Wentworth Community Housing

Women’s Legal Service

Muru Mittigar – Indigenous Money Mentor

Pathway Fair Loans

Aboriginal Sexual Health (Health Outreach)

NCAP – Boystown

AES – Aboriginal Employment Strategy

APM – Advance Personnel Management

Marist Youth Care – Yanna Jannawee Indigenous Community Links

INFORMAL Partnerships

Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre – “Koori Cuppa” Outreach

Doonside Koori Outreach

University of Sydney Gambling Treatment Clinic, School of Psychology

WentWest – Medicare Local – Close the Gap Team : Podiatrist, Dietician (Health

Outreach)

Western Sydney Local Health District – Aboriginal Health Unit, Aboriginal Chronic

Care Nurse, Blacktown Mental Health (Health Outreach)

Australian Diabetes Council (Health Outreach Hub)

Asthma Foundation NSW (Health Outreach Hub)

Partners In Recovery (Health Outreach)

Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District – Mootang Tarimi Living Longer Health

Bus (Health Outreach)

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT (Health Outreach)

Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Family Law, Care & Protection Law

Legal Aid NSW

Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAMS) – Mt Druitt (co facilitating Yarndi Group)

Junaya Family Development Services (Pangari)

Relationships Australia

Mt Druitt Police (Pangari)

Waru Mudyin IFBS (Pangari)

Vision Care Vincent Ang (Optometrist)

Marrin Weejali is also a member of the following Peak bodies which assist us to remain up to date in providing evidence based services:

National Indigenous Drug & Alcohol Committee (NIDAC), Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AHMRC) Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Network (ADAN)

“Partnering with

30 great services

in our local

community to

address other

issues in our

clients lives helps

our clients feel

they are fixing

some of the big

problems that

have weighed

them down and

kept them from

seeing a way out

of addiction”

Pg. 08

Our Health Programs - Waluwin

Our Health Programs - Waluwin

Statistical Highlights

Chronic Care Client stats (6 months 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014)

Partnering Health services with active MOU’s 10 Health organisations

Referrals to partnering organisations 48

Number of Health screenings 428

Referrals to specialists after screening 180

Number of GP and Specialist follow-up appointments 93

Episodes of medical advocacy to support clients 123

Medical brokerage assistance to pay specialist fees 38 occurrences

Transport of clients to appointments 90

Monthly Health Outreach Hub

Since March 2014, on the first Monday of each month, Marrin Weejali holds a Health

screening day in partnership with Wentwest and supported by: Western Sydney Local Health

District; Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District; Aboriginal Health Unit—Mt Druitt; Mt

Druitt Community Health; Blacktown Mental Health; Australian Diabetes Council; Western

Sydney Sexual Health Centre; Care Connect Partners in Recovery.

The health screenings conducted help identify people who have a health condition which

requires follow-up appointments with doctors, specialists and health support services, who

can then be assisted to book and attend by our Chronic Care worker.

Aboriginal Eye Clinic

The Aboriginal Eye Clinic runs at Marrin Weejali twice a month, between 11am-3pm.

Clients must be Aboriginal to access this service. There have been some changes in

accessing the clinic:

People who are receiving a Centrelink payment can still receive 2 pairs of glasses for free,

and need to bring their health care card and Medicare card.

Aboriginal workers can still access the Eye Clinic and have their eye test bulk billed, however,

with the new changes, full-time workers can purchase prescription glasses from the clinic at

a reduced cost.

“The Health

screening service

has seen our

clients get

medical attention

that they would

not have looked

for as they were

unaware of their

health problems.”

“When people

put down the

Alcohol and

drugs that have

been in their lives

a long time, they

discover the

aches and pains

they have been

hiding, and the

damage those

addictions have

done.”

Pg. 09

Outreach Programs

Outreach Programs

Services helping our community at Marrin Weejali

One of the strengths of Marrin Weejali’s approach of service delivery is to bring services to

where the people are. We do this in two ways. We invite other agencies to come to Marrin

Weejali and we provide our services elsewhere on a regular basis. Awareness and

accessibility of services is greatly enhanced this way. Our clients and those at other services

benefit greatly from this “one stop shop” approach.

Marrin Weejali runs a fortnightly outreach service on its premises inviting workers from

Housing NSW, Mission Australia Housing, Centrelink, Women's Legal Service, Legal Aid

NSW, Muru Mittigar Indigenous Money Mentors, Pathway Fair Loans, Wentworth Community

Housing, Marist Youth Care, NCAP Boystown, Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) &

Advance Personal Management (APM) employment services to join us to provide services

to our clients and others in the community.

Muru Mittigar comes to Marrin Weejali twice weekly for N.I.L.S. loans and Financial

Counselling.

We organize a free sausage sizzle fortnightly to give the outreach extra promotion. Because

of this more people in the community hear about us and as a consequence become more

connected.

Legal Aid provides weekly services at Marrin Weejali for Civil law, and the Aboriginal Legal

Service (ALS) helps with Family law issues fortnightly.

Our Monthly Health Outreach Hub has already been mentioned on the previous page.

Marrin Weejali in other places.

Marrin Weejali workers attend fortnightly at the Koori Cuppa & Brekkie @ Riverstone,

together with workers of Riverstone Neighourhood Centre, Wentworth Community Housing,

and Merana.

Our workers also attend monthly at the Doonside Koori Outreach Program, together with

workers from Housing NSW, Centrelink, Wentworth Community Housing, Ngallu Wal:

Aboriginal Child and Family Centre, Community Corrections Blacktown, Employment

services, Blacktown Mental Health, and others.

More information about our outreach programs is available on our website,

www.marrinweejali.org.au.

“Outreach assists

to break down

the barriers of

distance and

shame. Many

people feel that

asking for help

can be a sign of

weakness –

having workers

on-the-spot to

offer help,

removes that

shame”

Pg. 10

Community Development

Community Development

“Marrin Weejali

continues to

participate on

consultative

panels to assist

through sharing

what we learn

whilst working in

community”

Marrin Weejali adds value

to our community through

giving a ‘hand up’ to other

community organisations.

Senior staff at Marrin

Weejali participate as

board members, assist

with steering committees

for the following

organisations:

• Member - Housing

NSW Aboriginal

Advisory Committee

• Member - HAYS

Aboriginal Reference

Group

• Member - Aboriginal

Community Justice

Group

• Host and participants

– Aboriginal Family

Worker Support

Group

• Participant - Koori

Interagency

• Member – Regional

Homelessness

Committee

• Member – Waru

Mudyin Intensive

Family Based

Services Community

Enhancement

Committee

• Member – Blacktown

Mental Health:

Mental Health

Traineeship

selection panel

Marrin Weejali and Fair Trading

entered into a Partnership at a

signing ceremony held at Marrin

Weejali in April 2014. The

Minister for Fair Trading, Stuart

Ayres attended to sign on behalf

of Fair Trading, and Our Chair-

person, Nicole Robertson

signed for Marrin Weejali. The

Partnership makes available a

range of services dealing with

debt, tenancy, contracts and

consumer credit. Aunty Jenny

Ebsworth welcomed everyone

on the day.

In April 2014

Marrin Weejali

held an

information day

for workers about

the effects of

speed and ice on

their clients

Christmas 2013 Family Fun

day at Nurragingy in

Doonside

Pg. 11

New Website

New Website

Self-Serve Website

Our new website went live June 18 2014, after several staff consultation meetings with

Snap Printing to design the layout and categories. We launched our new website at our

Annual Agency Morning Tea 30 June 2014

“Our staff have

received training

to enable us to

upload new

content as soon

as we generate

it”

“We now have

the tools to better

understand what

is working on our

website, and how

many people are

viewing it”

Pg. 12

Client and Stakeholder Feedback

Client and Stakeholder Feedback Marrin Weejali attended 5 NAIDOC days: Penrith; Lalor Park; Riverstone; Doonside;

and Blacktown. We conducted surveys with people who attended our information

table.

361 people completed surveys about our service whilst at our table.

63% of those people had not been to our service before, and they were all

provided with information packs about our service.

80% of the survey respondents were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

68% of the survey respondents were aged 36 and older.

Our Annual Agency Morning Tea was attended by 49 stakeholders from 24

agencies. Marrin Weejali launched our new web site, and shared information about

our Chronic Care program, Waluwin.

All stakeholders who completed surveys represented agencies that have

existing formal or informal partnerships with Marrin Weejali.

40% stakeholders from Government agencies, 60% stakeholders from Non-

Government agencies.

All agreed that Marrin Weejali delivers a quality service.

All agreed that Marrin Weejali provides adequate information about services

and outreaches.

All agreed that they receive updates and info from Marrin Weejali.

In rating their experiences with Marrin Weejali, 33% stakeholders responded very good, 66% stakeholders responded excellent.

8%

20%

5%

15%21%

11%

11%

9%

Services used

Transport

AOD and Group therapy

Funeral assistance

Computer & Phone use

Advocacy

Outreach services

Health hub & Eye clinic

EAPA & NILS

Quote from

survey comment

at our Annual

Agency Morning

Tea - “Partnering

with Marrin

Weejali helps us

connect closely

with the

Aboriginal

community.

Keeping it real”

Pg. 13

Good News Stories

Good News Stories

Jimmy is an older Aboriginal man who originally came to Marrin Weejali to address his

substance misuse issues after a family member told him about Marrin Weejali. Jim was

couch-surfing, but managed to get himself to our centre several times a week. It came to the

attention of his counsellor that Jim had several health issues that were making life very

difficult for him. He was referred internally to Marrin Weejali’s Chronic Care Worker who

booked him into see the local GP and completed an Aboriginal Health Assessment. This

uncovered that there were a number of Health issues that needed to be addressed.

What we worked on together:

1. Unmanaged Diabetes - Jim often forgot to use his insulin on a regular basis. GP

gave referral for us to book Jim into see a Physician. Jim was assisted to attend the

appointment.

2. Significant hearing loss - We booked Jim into see Hearing Australia, assisted with

transport to attend all appointments, Hearing Aids free of charge.

3. Toe amputations - Due to his Diabetes. Jim was complaining of lack of feeling in

his foot. We obtained a GP referral for a podiatrist, then booked podiatrist

appointment on behalf of Jim. We applied for funding through Wentwest for the

appointment for the fee of $65

4. Dental issues - Jim had only two teeth left in his mouth, and they were rotten and

giving Jim trouble. GP advised that he had to get them removed ASAP, as they may

lead to an infection in his blood. We booked him into the local AMS to get both teeth

removed. We transported Jim to appointments.

5. Eyesight issues - Clinic Appointment help at Marrin Weejali. Diabetes was making

his eyes worse over the years. Jim attended and received two pairs of glasses then

received a referral from the optometrist asking him to see an Ophthalmologist due to

cataracts. We booked the Ophthalmologist appointment and applied for brokerage

funding through Wentwest to the value of $1800, also assisted with transport to

appointments.

6. Accommodation Issues - As Jim had so many Health appointments and was still

attending Marrin Weejali up to 4 times per week. He ended up moving in with family

closer to Mt Druitt. As time went on conflict became an issue and Jim needed his

own place. We assisted Jim to complete Housing NSW paperwork, assisted him to

collect the support letters he needed, transporting him to his GP to complete medical

section of Housing paperwork, then lodging it at Housing NSW.

David was referred by local Probation and Parole due to a number of matters of violence.

David had been using Alcohol, Cannabis since his early teens and more recently started

using Ice heavily. David was standing over his family for money to feed his habit, and Police

were having to respond to calls for domestic violence to help his young partner and children.

Pg. 14

Good News Stories

What we worked on together:

1. Substance – We assisted David to get into a Detox and Rehabilitation facility, where

he has successfully completed the program. David has, since completion, started

attending maintenance programs at Marrin Weejali.

2. Domestic violence - We provided Counselling and Anger Management group

therapy to assist with new ways of communicating and problem solving. David’s

family report a complete change in behaviour and credit that with being clean and

sober.

3. Justice/Corrections Advocacy and support – because of the support of Marrin

Weejali, the Courts allowed David to attempt to address his criminal behaviour

through AOD rehabilitation instead of incarcerating him.

David’s fresh new look when he returned from Rehabilitation at The Glen has allowed David,

his family and wider community to see him as a changed person, worthy of respect. The

change has happened both physically and spiritually, as David now feels a sense of pride in

himself, and his achievement.

Sarah presented as a young Aboriginal woman, orphaned very early herself, who had 4

children removed because of domestic violence. Sarah was using Ice, Cannabis, Alcohol

and Tobacco to cope with the pain of her life full of loss. After we met Sarah, she became

pregnant.

What we worked on together:

1. Substance: - We assisted her to enter a Detox facility to withdraw safely, then

provided her with day programs for self-help and counselling to address triggers,

grief and trauma.

2. New pregnancy – We worked with Sarah to self-report the pregnancy early to FACS

and request Strengthening Families referral to help her keep new baby. Sarah is now

able to attempt to reunite with her other children.

3. Accommodation – We assisted Sarah to complete a Start Safely Referral to enable

her to get housing for herself and her new baby.

4. Domestic Violence – We provided Counselling and Anger Management group

therapy to assist with new ways of communicating and problem solving

Pg. 15

Database Capabilities

Database Capabilities

Database up-grades

This year Marrin Weejali has developed features in our unique database which include:

Staff reminders when care plans need to be reviewed

Staff reminders when consent to share arrangements need to be renewed (annually)

Automated day sheets to track activity

Chronological session reports by client

Document attachment – Marrin Weejali no longer has paper filing.

Reporting Highlights

The increased capabilities of our database mean we are now able to measure needs in our community, and develop an evidence base to determine how to best meet those needs within our own culturally appropriate model.

CLIENT TYPE AOD – 29% Comorbid – 22% Social and Emotional – 49%

REFERRED BY Family, self –

61%

Justice, Corrections – 20%

Family Services –5%

Health Services –

4%

AGE MEN 14-18 – 2% 19-25 – 21% 26-39 – 35% 40 and over – 42%

AGE WOMEN 14-18 – 5% 19-25 – 13% 26-39 – 32% 40 and over – 50%

REFERRED TO Rehab/Detox –

73 referrals

Poverty relief -

71 referrals

Housing providers – 30 referrals

Health Services – 240 referrals

BACKGROUND Indigenous – 85% Non-Indigenous – 15%

LOCALITY Live local – 67% From further away – 33%

INCOME Welfare or no income – 89% Work – 11%

SUBSTANCE Male as %

Male no.

Female as %

Female no.

Alcohol 68% 203 53% 61

Amphetamine (Speed, gas, goey) 10% 31 8% 9

Cannabis (Yarndi) 53% 158 44% 50

Methamphetamines (Ice) 21% 63 25% 29

Combined opiates and synthetic opiates (Morphine, Codeine, Heroin, Oxycodone Endone, Methadone, street-done)

10% 30 25% 28

Tobacco 27% 81 33% 38

Tranquilizers: e.g. Benzodiazapines Serepax, Mogodon, Temazepam Rohypnol Rivotril Valium Xanax

1% 4 5% 6

Ecstasy 1% 3 2% 2

Poly-substance numbers: 46% 138 39% 45

Episodes of care 7235

Attendance in group therapy programmes 1702

Care Plans, Care Plan reviews 232

Comprehensive assessments 206

“Marrin Weejali

has improved the

database to

incorporate

privacy principles

and to assist our

workers to

provide support

to a consistent

high quality

service”

“Our process of

assessment and

care plan

development

prompts holistic

service delivery

from staff and

helps clients

determine their

own goals”

Pg. 16

Financial Summary

Financial Summary

Funding Arrangements

Our previous 3 year funding tranche through the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Health (OATSIH) ceased on 30 June 2014. The Australian Government has

introduced their Indigenous Advancement Strategy, and implementation of the strategy

started on 1 July 2014. All SEWB, BTH, mental health, Link-Up and AOD workers previously

funded by OATSIH are now funded by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

(PM&C). Funding falls under the 'Safety and Wellbeing' program of the Indigenous

Advancement Strategy, and interim funding has been extended to 30 June 2015. The PM&C

will be moving to a regional model, with our organization coming under the NSW State Office

in Sydney.

We still currently have 2 special project workers funded under the Department of Health for

the Chronic Care Worker Project and Healthy Minds, Healthy Spirits program, which

continues up to 30 June 2015.

Staffing costs69%

IT and Phones5%

Transport costs9%

Insurance costs2%

Repairs and maintenance

8%

Utilities1%

Cleaning0%

Program costs5%

Audit1%

Centre Expenditure

“Marrin Weejali

will be

endeavouring to

move to bi-

annual funding

agreements

under the new

arrangements”

“Our organization

has moved this

year towards

starting a

donations

campaign to

better utilize our

charity status”

Pg. 17

Independent Auditor’s Report

Independent Auditor’s Report

Pg. 18

Legislative Compliance

Legislative Compliance

Insurances

All insurance is brokered through Marsh Insurance Pty Ltd, a business insurance broker

who has dealt with Marrin Weejali’s insurance needs since our inception. They have a

thorough understanding of our operations and our risks.

Workers Compensation: Valid to June 2015

Professional Indemnity: Coverage value $20,000,000 valid to Sept 2014

Building and Contents: Coverage value $1,750,000 valid to Nov 2014

Public liability: Coverage value $20,000,000 valid to Nov 2014

Work Health and Safety

This is the third year for tracking these measurements in the Annual Report, which will be

monitored for trends from this point on.

2013-2014 lost time injuries – Nil

2013-2014 reported hazards and incidents – Nil

Senior First Aid current for all permanent staff – Refresher training delivered in April 2014

Fire Inspection conducted August 2013

Electrical testing conducted November 2013

Privacy

From 12 March 2014, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) replaced the National

Privacy Principles and Information Privacy Principles and apply to organisations, and

Australian Government Agencies. We have reviewed and incorporated changes where

necessary, in order to comply with legislation.

Compulsory Superannuation

Compulsory Employer Superannuation contributions rose from 9% to 9.25% from 1 July

2013, then rose again from 9.25% to 9.5% on 1 July 2014. This has been included into

bookkeeping process, and payroll in accordance with legislation. From 1 July 2013, there is

no longer a super guarantee upper age limit. This means there is no maximum age for

super guarantee eligibility.

QIC Accreditation

Marrin Weejali submitted a Quality Work Plan progress report in December 2013. Our

commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement has become embedded in our weekly

meetings and work evaluations. Our next Audit will be early in the next financial year.

"Drugs and Alcohol tears our families apart".

Pg. 19

Company Information

Company Information Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation

79-81 Jersey Road Blackett NSW 2770 PO BOX 147 Emerton NSW 2770 ABN 93 250 708 726 ICN 2522

Tel 02 9628 3031

Fax 02 9628 8858

www.marrinweejali.org.au