SYDNEY COMMUNITY SERVICES - HELPING YOU TO ENJOY AN INDEPENDENT, COMFORTABLE LIFE AT HOME ANNUAL REPORT 2020 LANE COVE (HEAD OFFICE), 1 POTTERY LANE, LANE COVE HUNTERS HILL 46 GLADESVILLE ROAD, HUNTERS HILL www.sydneycs.org Chairman’s and Chief Executive’s View Message from John Devine Chair of Sydney Community Services I start this reflection on the past year with a note and life experience. All are members of the local HOME of great sadness. Our highly regarded Board community and undertake to keep abreast of the DELIVERED MEALS Director Deborah Hutchens passed away at the burning issues in the local area. beginning of November 2020. Deborah had been Volunteers are the lifeblood of Sydney Community a Board Member of Lane Cove and North Side Services. Without local people giving up their 21,772 Community Services and then Sydney Community time and local knowledge the organisation would Services for over six years. Deborah was a not exist. Over 300 volunteers work closely with conscientious member of the Board bringing our dedicated staff meaning that we can deliver considered input to the discussions. She always had the benefit of the community in her thoughts services and support to residents who need our and advice. We will miss her insight and good help to remain active, independent and happy in humour very much. their own homes. Deborah was one of ten Board Directors of This year has been a very challenging one for Sydney Community Services. Our role is to set Sydney Community Services. The Board has the strategy of the organisation and oversee the asked me to publically acknowledge and thank direction, governance and fiscal decisions of the all the staff, led by our CEO Gillian Batt, for the 735 organisation as a whole. Directors are appointed way they have proved to be adaptable, dedicated by members of the organisation and each year and industrious and ensured that all our clients GARDENS present the financial statements and an overview have received the services and support they have AND HOMES of the past twelve months to the members for needed to stay safely in their own homes. MAINTAINED approval. Board Directors of Sydney Community Services Directors are volunteers who give up their time are John Devine (Chair), Warren Bell (Vice Chair), willingly to attend monthly Board meetings, Deborah Hill, Rod Cooke, Ian Longbottom, Peter committee meetings and workshops around Fay, James Shevlin and David Brooks-Horn. strategy and specific subjects like marketing. They Alexandra Meldrum and Dr Carl Wong joined The bring their own expertise from their past careers Sydney Community Services Board in August 2020. Message from Gillian Batt CEO of Sydney Community Services 2019/2020 has been a year like no other. The opportunity to assess the client’s health at the 274 latter half of 2019 was a normal time with clients same time. receiving their services at home and the Park Our linen service provided clean sheets and HOME View Room bursting every day with people having MODIFICATIONS towels to those unable to make their beds alone, conversations, playing games, sharing lunches despite the limitations of physical distancing. We and afternoon teas and watching movies. There checked in with all our clients and fortunately were regular bus trips to places of interest and many had friends or relatives who could make delicious meals in cafes and restaurants. Little their beds for them. Where that was not possible did we know that life as we knew it would change our nurses and personal care assistants took the completely. place of the regular volunteers and made their In the first six months of 2020, COVID-19 made beds for them. its presence known and changed the way we Throughout the pandemic we kept in touch with did everything. We continued to provide all our all our clients, offering emotional support and essential services, but with various modifications. practical support such as shopping, either in People concerned about leaving their homes person or online. We also offered advice and LINEN called on us to provide home delivered meals emotional support as well as financial counselling and many new clients have been surprised by and emergency food parcels. With the support of the quality and range we offer. But we remained Harris Farms and the charity Touched By Olivia we 838 completely reliant on our committed team of were able to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to BEDS CHANGED volunteers who continued to turn up despite the families in need, including women and children limitations posed by the pandemic. We provided staying at Delvena Women’s Refuge. full PPE training, face masks and hand sanitiser and asked clients to put a table outside their front We have had some additional financial support door so physical contact could be minimised. for meals and nursing, but all other services have Volunteers also kept their distance upon been funded through our own resources and arrival to ensure the client was able to kind donations. receive the meal in person, while using that Services Breakdown – 2019-2020 The number of SCS services delivered Social Support for Individuals (which dipped 16% from 36,367 in the previous includes the Shopping Service and Phone year to 30,526 in 2019-2020. This dip was Shopping) registered 4,278 hours of service anticipated, given the enormous impact of this year, only a slight decline on the PODIATRY the pandemic. previous year (4,563). 8428 Home Nursing visits took place Home Modificationsfell from 319 in the 2395 across 2019-2020 – a figure that cannot be previous year to 274 in 2019-2020, owing HOME VISITS compared with the year previous owing to to the fact that lockdown prevented changes in the reporting structure. Despite Occupational Therapists from conducting in- referrals only being accepted based on home assessments. capacity, we continued to see an overall increase in the service towards the end of The Carers Support service witnessed only this financial year. a small drop in hours on the previous year from 1807 hours to 1734 hours this year, Home Delivered Meals experienced 13.3% despite the effect of the pandemic. dip from 25,116 in the previous year to Hours dedicated to Disability Support fell 21,772 in 2019-2020. However, food runs DOMESTIC boomed during the pandemic lockdown, 25% from 15,349 in the previous year to increasing by 30% and prompting SCS to 11,504 in 2019-2020. Despite the drop ASSISTANCE borrow two freezers from Lane Cove Council. caused by the pandemic, from late March Home delivered meals also rebounded onwards disability groups resumed their in May (2109 delivered) and June (2094 Social Club, Different Degrees Drama 708 delivered). and Creative Movement classes via SERVICES The end-of-year figures for Social Support Zoom, and operating under COVID-19 PROVIDED Groups tell an interesting story. In 2018- safety recommendations, the social and 2019, 25,746 hours were delivered. In recreational group, walking groups and 184A 2019-2020, that number fell 25% to 19,150 Art Group. hours. However, social support group The Reach Higher Program, which aims to numbers have been hit hard by the impact support and empower young people and of the pandemic, with most groups forced to their families who have difficulty accessing remain ‘in hibernation’ since late January/ basic supports due to extenuating factors early February. Had this not been the case, a such as isolation and financial disadvantage, strong upwards trajectory for these services continued. SCS continued to implement looked highly likely. material aid-based supports prior to the 8428 Despite the constraints of lockdown, the occurrence of crisis points. HOME NURSING Linen Service saw an increase in uptakes, During the pandemic, there was a 10-fold from 797 beds changed in 2018-2019 to 838 VISITS increase in the number of families in need this year. This figure was reached with the of crisis supports. SCS worked in partnership help of the Nurses who were able to step with local grocers, churches and community in for volunteers who unable to help having members to source and deliver food and been deemed “vulnerable” during lockdown. necessities such as toiletries. The Pandemic Similarly, despite the pandemic, Podiatry Support Program was quickly overhauled so Visits increased from 2144 in 2018-2019 to that it functioned in a COVID-19 safe manner, 2395 this year. which included mandatory social distancing The Advisory Service remained comparable and sanitisation. Due to the exemplary with the previous year with some 500 hours efforts of staff, all families in need received delivered in 2019-20 versus 546 in 2018-19. support in a safe and helpful manner. 500 HOURS OF During the pandemic,there was a ADVISORY 10-fold increase in the number of families in need of crisis supports Thank you to our Funders and Supporters On behalf of our consumers, Sydney Community Services wholeheartedly thanks our generous funders, especially SOCIAL Commonwealth and State bodies and councils. SUPPORT GROUPS Your support is vital to our essential local services. 19,150 HOURS FUNDERS Australian Government DoH 57.49% NDIA 11.03% NSW Government DCJ 1.10% Australian Government ATO 0.96% SOCIAL North Sydney Local Health 4.86% SUPPORT Councils 5.46% INDIVIDUAL Clubs 0.42% 4278 Fundraising 0.29% HOURS (PHONE Lane Cove Community Aid SHOPPING, ONLINE Foundation 1.85% SHOPPING) Fees 14.52% Miscellaneous 2.01% DISABILITY SUPPORTERS SUPPORT GROUPS • Australian Government • Raine & Horne Department of Health • Rotary Club of Lane Cove • Australian