Disability Services Commission Annual Report

1.1 Executive Summary
1.1.1 Chairperson’s Report
The 2007–08 year has been a significant time for the
Commission and the Board. It has been a period of
consolidation after several changes including the
departure of the former Board Chairperson, Barry
MacKinnon. In August 2007, we officially farewelled
Barry, a passionate advocate for people with disabilities,
after a 13-year career at the helm of the Board. I am
pleased to say that through his outstanding leadership
and professionalism he left us well-placed to respond to
the challenges we face in this sector.
I took on the role of Chairperson after six years as a
Board Member, and with direct experience of the
disability sector through my daughter Ashleigh. One of
my priorities in this new role has been to take an
approach of inclusiveness and more direct engagement
with the Commission and the sector. As part of this, I have encouraged Board
Members to link with the various directorates within the Commission. This has given
them a greater understanding of the many facets of the Commission’s work.
I am pleased to be part of several key projects currently being undertaken by the
Commission, such as the development of the Quality Management Framework, the
continuing implementation of the Sector Health Check report recommendations and
the review of the Disability Services Act 1993. As the Chair of the Steering
Committee for the review of the Act, I am keen to see as many people as possible
have their say. By reviewing the Act every five years, we get the chance to make
sure that the laws governing disability services are kept up-to-date with modern
trends.
At an operational level, we’ve had our regular Board meetings plus three special
meetings over the past year. One special Board meeting was held in July 2007 at
the City of Mandurah’s offices to hear firsthand the access initiatives being
undertaken in the area. The second was held in October 2007 and involved a Board
‘think tank’ which focused on strategic and operational planning for the Board for the
coming year. As part of our new strategy to take Board meetings to service
providers, we conducted a special meeting at Therapy Focus in May 2008. We plan
to continue these meetings at outside venues.
Our Chairs’ breakfasts have continued to be well-attended throughout the year.
Former Board Chairperson Barry MacKinnon hosted the first for the financial year in
July 2007 on the Sector Health Check report. I facilitated my first Chairs’ breakfast
(renamed to Chairs’ forum) in November. A forum on risk management was held in
March 2008 and focused on how boards can best manage issues and crisis
situations, while the May forum discussed monitoring the quality of services and
governance. These informal gatherings of the chairs of non-government
organisations have all received positive feedback from participants.
4 Disability Services Commission Annual Report 2007–2008