Attention all Gig Buddies Sydney volunteers, we have an important update to share.
You may have recently heard that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has now introduced the Worker Screening Check.
A Worker Screening Check is an assessment of whether a person who works or volunteers (or seeks to work or volunteer) with people with disability poses a risk. The assessment will determine whether a person is cleared or excluded from working in certain roles with people with disability.
As Gig Buddies Sydney is an NDIS registered service provider, all Gig Buddies staff and volunteers will now have to obtain a valid Worker Screening Check. This will replace our current requirement for volunteers to have a current and valid police check.
We’ve supplied a step-by-step process on how existing and newly signed up volunteers can apply for a Workers Screening Check - please click here for more information.
What does this mean for me?
If you’re a volunteer who’s completed training and has a valid police check (issued within the past three years) we can introduce you to your buddy. However, if you’re a newly trained volunteer who has no police check, you’ll be required to apply for the new Worker Screening Check.
If you’re an existing volunteer, continue as you are. However, once your current police check has expired you will be required to apply for a Worker Screening Check (should you wish to continue on your Gig Buddies Sydney journey).
Please note, all non-Australian citizens applying for the Worker Screening Check will require a Statutory Declaration - potentially increasing the waiting time. We are hand to support volunteers who require this option: please get in touch if you would like more information (see contact details below).
Please bear in mind that if you're a buddy who's waiting on a volunteer to receive their Worker Screening Check, you may have to wait a little longer while it’s being processed. We’ll do our best to keep you updated.
As volunteers, the new Worker Screening Check is free to obtain and is valid for five years.
In addition to our step-by-step guide, we’ve also created the following visual:
We are on hand to provide support for volunteers. If you have any questions about the Worker Screening Check, please feel free to send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org, get in touch on Facebook Messenger or contact us via text or on the phone on 0422 061 990.
Camera’s ready, prepare to flash 📸
Do you have an interest in photography? Do you have access to your own camera?
Lachlan from our user-led advisory team, Soul Fly Band, has come up with a brilliant idea to start a monthly photography club!
The club would be open to buddies and volunteers. Each month the group would catch up, either in person or via Zoom, to discuss images and different themes or ideas.
We’re currently accepting expressions of interest from our community. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? If so, shoot us an email info@gigbuddiessydney.org, get in touch on Facebook Messenger or contact us via text or on the phone on 0422 061 990.
Brunch with us
Talking of photos, here’s some we prepared yesterday - taken at our first brunch event for 2021.
Thanks to all the buddies who joined us in Gunnamatta Bay, Cronulla. To see more images from yesterday’s meetup, click here.
February frolicking
As for the here and now, limited places are still available to our remaining February social events.
If you’d like to join us at The Argyle this Wednesday for movie and pizza, in Campbelltown for lunch at The Bavarian on Sunday 21st or at Narrabeen’s Jamieson Park for our second brunch event on the 28th, click here to sign up.
Judge for yourself
This week we invite buddies to join us on Zoom for Jukebox Jury.
Here’s how our jukebox jury works: we’ll host a Zoom session where we invite buddies to share a YouTube clip of their favourite song. After the music we’ll have a Q&A where buddies can inform attendees of why that song is special to them.
In honour of Sunday’s Valentine’s Day, we invite buddies to share their favourite love song. To register for Jukebox Jury, click on the link listed below:
Thursday 18/2
All online games will take place via Zoom. For information on how to use Zoom, load up the following easy read guide written by Learning Disability Wales. Alternatively, click here to check out our 'how to use Zoom' video.
If you have any questions or would like more information, send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org, get in touch on Facebook Messenger or contact us via text or on the phone on either 0422 061 990 or 0412 145 819.
Say hello to……. 👋
This week’s new matches come courtesy of Brigitte and Ava (top, L - R), Harry and Mark (middle, L - R) and Mietta and Katrina (bottom, L - R).
Welcome to the family - we’re delighted to have you on board.
A quintet of newbies
And this week we also welcomed five newly trained volunteers to the team.
Thanks to Jana (top) and Anushka, Erin, Natalie and Sarah (bottom, L - R) for coming in.
Happy birthday to us
In case you missed the news, last Saturday (13/2) we turned six!
While Covid restrictions prevented us from catching up as a group, we instead ‘took over’ Stay Up Late’s Instagram page.
Last week we shared in excess of 50 images, informing new audiences of how we came to be, in addition to offering first-hand accounts from some of our buddies - while we also made a splash on their website.
If you’re late to our Instagram ‘takeover’, click here to see what we posted. And, if you would like to see what we had to say on the Stay Up Late webpage, click here.
Radio ga ga 📻🎶
And on the subject of our birthday, project CEO Carol took to the airwaves last week (10/2), informing Marlene Even from 2SER’S Wednesday Daily Show all about the past six years.
To those wondering, we are going to hold a birthday knees up - once restrictions are relaxed and we can meet up en masse. In the meantime, check out Carol’s interview by clicking here.
Matthew, Carol, Tony, Bec and Chelsea
Would you like more information about Gig BuddiesSydney? You’re only a click away. Connect with us via the links below.
Fancy revelling in legendary status? If so, please support us in our cause to get more people out to live events in Sydney.
Donations over $2 are tax deductible and all are gratefully received.
The Gig Buddies Sydney project is an initiative of ACL Disability Services.
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