Page 54 - MDS final deliverable

3. START A WEEKEND / HOLIDAY RESPITE PROGRAM
Socialising opportunities for participants and providing respite for families
THE SOLUTION
Weekend respite is currently available for some NDIS funded participants. MDS has the opportunity to start their own respite services which included weekend / overnight stays (e.g. weekend camps) and mini holidays. These services can be extended to non-NDIS eligible participants for a service fee. The respite services can also be combined with the social enterprise concept to provide employment opportunities for MDS participants.
Resources required: MDS project team, MDS participants | Existing resources: Current MDS weekend/holiday programs for NDIS funded participants Scalability: If the program is successful for MDS participants, it can be rolled out to the wider community.
Variety of weekend and holiday activities such as camping, fishing, sports, pottery, travel outside Sydney etc.
WHY IT WILL WORK
Providing time, space and peace of mind for participant’s families
• Families feel they would greatly benefit from respite services, but not all of them have funding for the same level of services. Having MDS start a weekend/holiday service would open up some time and space for themselves by allowing for a short affordable break.
• Participants would like more opportunities to socialise outside of the program and build meaningful relationships.
• Participants and their families ultimately wish for independence, but this effort is hampered by the lack of meaningful opportunities to work. A social enterprise will be able to provide participants with the opportunity to work in a meaningful way, aiding them on their journey to independence.
• MDS is also looking for new revenue streams as NDIS makes it difficult to grow the business – the social enterprise is an opportunity to increase revenue in a way that doesn’t replace the core business, but instead compliments it. The social enterprise can also be scaled if it is successful.
Socialising opportunity for participants