Name: Shaping tomorrow's workforce: a conversation with Stuart Schonell & Jethro Hepton
Uploaded: 2023-08-31T02:56:42.545Z
Duration: 942.97
Description: Discover Advocacy WA's empowering philosophy in this illuminating video; Stuart Schonell and Jethro Hepton share how lived experience shapes their organization's core. Learn how Advocacy WA prioritizes understanding clients' needs, fosters self-advocacy, and promotes collaboration. Join us to explore their mission of empowerment and inclusion!

Sequence 01.mp4

Stuart Edited.vtt

Subtitles

{{00:00:05}}
But also it's a requirement of

{{00:00:08}}
our board that you have lived

{{00:00:10}}
experience of disability.

{{00:00:11}}
And that way our organization

{{00:00:14}}
has a focus, where we very

{{00:00:18}}
much understand what the

{{00:00:20}}
needs of our clients are.

{{00:00:21}}
And we a very deep

{{00:00:23}}
understanding from

{{00:00:24}}
personal experience.

{{00:00:26}}
And we also make sure that

{{00:00:29}}
we have the best interest

{{00:00:31}}
of people with disabilities

{{00:00:33}}
at the forefront, and we

{{00:00:35}}
give them the skills and

{{00:00:36}}
knowledge that they need,

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both as our employer, but

{{00:00:42}}
also as our community as well.

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So we always make sure

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that we can build upon a

{{00:00:50}}
person's skillset as well.

{{00:01:10}}
We advocate for people

{{00:01:12}}
with disabilities in

{{00:01:13}}
the southwest of Western

{{00:01:14}}
Australia, and we're an

{{00:01:17}}
agency that covers the whole

{{00:01:19}}
spectrum of disabilities

{{00:01:20}}
rather than specializing.

{{00:01:41}}
I also have an identical

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twin that has the same,

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same disability, but be

{{00:01:48}}
it that we have totally

{{00:01:50}}
different personalities

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and different interests and

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that's what sets us apart.

{{00:02:01}}
So, um, one of the things

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that advocacy WA does

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is, number one, we employ

{{00:02:07}}
people with disability.

{{00:02:08}}
So we have a really good

{{00:02:09}}
understanding of disability.

{{00:02:12}}
But also it's a requirement

{{00:02:14}}
of our board that you have

{{00:02:15}}
lived experience of disability

{{00:02:17}}
and that way our organization

{{00:02:21}}
has a focus where we very

{{00:02:25}}
much understand what the

{{00:02:26}}
needs of our clients are

{{00:02:28}}
and we very deep understanding

{{00:02:30}}
from personal experience.

{{00:02:33}}
And we also make sure that

{{00:02:35}}
we have the best interest

{{00:02:37}}
of people with disabilities

{{00:02:39}}
at the forefront, and we

{{00:02:41}}
give them the skills and

{{00:02:42}}
knowledge that they need,

{{00:02:45}}
both as our employer, but

{{00:02:48}}
also as our community as well.

{{00:02:52}}
So we always make sure

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that we can build upon a

{{00:02:56}}
person's skillset as well.

{{00:02:58}}
I think that's a key,

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isn't it, Jethro?

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The fact that we.

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One of our main focuses

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is capacity building,

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and we don't want

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to have to advocate.

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Not that we mind, but for for

{{00:03:10}}
a person, again and again and

{{00:03:11}}
again, what we really want

{{00:03:12}}
to do is be able to get them

{{00:03:14}}
to advocate for themselves.

{{00:03:16}}
Yes.

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Well, that's what the whole

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advocacy is all about.

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In my view.

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It's giving people that

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toolbox full of knowledge

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and skills so that they

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don't necessarily have to

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have somebody walk alongside

{{00:03:31}}
them, that they have the

{{00:03:32}}
confidence and the ability

{{00:03:34}}
to do it independently and

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don't need to have someone

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talk on their behalf.

{{00:03:41}}
We are there if we needed to

{{00:03:42}}
do that, but if we can promote

{{00:03:46}}
them to do that in their

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own right, in their own way.

{{00:03:50}}
Well, that's what our job

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should be, is to convey our

{{00:03:56}}
knowledge to them and give

{{00:03:58}}
them the skills and the

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knowledge to do it themselves

{{00:04:02}}
and to be able to live

{{00:04:04}}
the life that they want to

{{00:04:06}}
live, whatever that may be.

{{00:04:09}}
That's right.

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And often it's

{{00:04:11}}
enough for them to know

{{00:04:12}}
that we are there, isn't it?

{{00:04:13}}
Right?

{{00:04:14}}
We don't need to turn up

{{00:04:15}}
to their meetings, but

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it's enough for them to

{{00:04:17}}
know that we're there.

{{00:04:18}}
It's enough for them to

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know we're there to know

{{00:04:21}}
we're being objective, and

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to know there's no judgment

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whatsoever in whatever

{{00:04:27}}
decision making they make.

{{00:04:30}}
It's their decision,

{{00:04:31}}
it's their life, and

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they should be able to

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live that life without.

{{00:04:36}}
Fear of judgment or

{{00:04:38}}
somebody saying, well,

{{00:04:39}}
I think you should do it

{{00:04:40}}
this way, or I think you

{{00:04:42}}
should do it that way.

{{00:04:43}}
It's not our life to lead.

{{00:04:46}}
It is their life to lead,

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and that's what we've proud

{{00:04:49}}
ourselves on advocacy WA,

{{00:04:53}}
is making sure the clients

{{00:04:55}}
are also at the forefront

{{00:04:58}}
of our agency and making

{{00:05:01}}
sure our workers' needs

{{00:05:03}}
are also being met as well.

{{00:05:05}}
Yep.

{{00:05:05}}
Yeah, that's right.

{{00:05:06}}
And not only, and, and not

{{00:05:08}}
only does our board have lived

{{00:05:09}}
experience and our staff have

{{00:05:11}}
lived experience, but we also

{{00:05:13}}
work on a number of different

{{00:05:14}}
projects where we support

{{00:05:16}}
people with disability in the

{{00:05:17}}
workplace and look at ways

{{00:05:20}}
where they can be upskilled

{{00:05:22}}
and actually have meaningful

{{00:05:24}}
careers rather than, staying

{{00:05:27}}
at home or being on the

{{00:05:29}}
disability support pension.

{{00:05:31}}
Yeah, it's all about

{{00:05:32}}
people being valued in our

{{00:05:34}}
organization, whether they

{{00:05:36}}
be a worker or a client.

{{00:05:38}}
We want them to feel like

{{00:05:40}}
they're valued and that we

{{00:05:42}}
can build upon their skillset

{{00:05:44}}
to give them new skills that

{{00:05:46}}
they might be able to take

{{00:05:47}}
into other aspects of life.

{{00:05:49}}
Also,

{{00:05:55}}
Uh, so I think that

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collaboration is really

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important and we, we partner

{{00:05:59}}
with organizations in Victoria

{{00:06:01}}
other organizations in Western

{{00:06:03}}
Australia, and that's really

{{00:06:05}}
important also to collaborate,

{{00:06:06}}
I think with government.

{{00:06:08}}
And one of our roles,

{{00:06:09}}
Jethro, isn't that it's

{{00:06:11}}
around systemic advocacy and

{{00:06:13}}
making sure that we lobby

{{00:06:14}}
governments and we speak

{{00:06:17}}
to ministers and we get the

{{00:06:19}}
word out there 'cause we

{{00:06:20}}
wanna see policy change.

{{00:06:21}}
Yeah.

{{00:06:22}}
It's basically about the

{{00:06:23}}
policy change basically.

{{00:06:25}}
And making sure we speak

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for as many people with

{{00:06:30}}
disabilities as possible,

{{00:06:32}}
not just indicate one or

{{00:06:34}}
two disabilities that we're

{{00:06:36}}
speaking for the whole

{{00:06:37}}
disability community, and

{{00:06:40}}
that we are seeing change

{{00:06:42}}
for everybody, not just

{{00:06:44}}
a select group of people.

{{00:06:46}}
Yep.

{{00:06:46}}
And to make sure that those

{{00:06:49}}
collaborative partnerships

{{00:06:51}}
are effective and they work

{{00:06:53}}
for both partners that are

{{00:06:56}}
in the partnership together.

{{00:06:58}}
Yep.

{{00:06:59}}
And I think when you

{{00:07:01}}
collaborate, when, when you

{{00:07:02}}
have those collaborative

{{00:07:03}}
partnerships, your voice

{{00:07:04}}
become, goes from a small

{{00:07:06}}
voice to a big voice and

{{00:07:07}}
big voices are listened to.

{{00:07:10}}
What I also think

{{00:07:11}}
is to, it's great to

{{00:07:13}}
learn from each other.

{{00:07:15}}
Because what happens in our

{{00:07:17}}
service area might be vastly

{{00:07:19}}
different to what happens

{{00:07:21}}
on the other side of the

{{00:07:22}}
country here in Victoria.

{{00:07:24}}
And it's good to

{{00:07:25}}
learn from each other.

{{00:07:27}}
And why reinvent that

{{00:07:29}}
wheel if it's already been

{{00:07:31}}
done and we've already got

{{00:07:32}}
lessons to learn from it?

{{00:07:34}}
So I think there's

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a great need for

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collaborations to continue.

{{00:07:43}}
So this is a big part of

{{00:07:44}}
our employment strategy.

{{00:07:46}}
So we you know,

{{00:07:48}}
we have training

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available to our staff.

{{00:07:51}}
Our staff get to choose

{{00:07:53}}
the, their own personal

{{00:07:54}}
development and particularly

{{00:07:56}}
those with disability.

{{00:07:58}}
So, you know, we ask

{{00:07:59}}
them, what are your needs?

{{00:08:00}}
How, how, how can we develop

{{00:08:03}}
your skills so that you

{{00:08:04}}
are better able to meet

{{00:08:05}}
the needs of clients?

{{00:08:07}}
And we listen to them.

{{00:08:08}}
So rather than dictate,

{{00:08:10}}
this is what you'll do, we

{{00:08:11}}
say you set your own goals.

{{00:08:13}}
Where, what do you want to

{{00:08:14}}
achieve in the next 12 months?

{{00:08:16}}
What training do, do

{{00:08:17}}
you need to be able to

{{00:08:18}}
achieve those goals?

{{00:08:20}}
And as long as.

{{00:08:21}}
That's gonna support our

{{00:08:22}}
clients with disability,

{{00:08:24}}
then we're happy to

{{00:08:25}}
go down that path.

{{00:08:26}}
And we all always make sure

{{00:08:28}}
that our employees know that

{{00:08:31}}
there's no harm in coming to

{{00:08:33}}
us asking for help or asking

{{00:08:36}}
to do a particular training

{{00:08:39}}
course that they might feel

{{00:08:41}}
will better enable them to

{{00:08:43}}
help our clients as well

{{00:08:45}}
and provide that work life

{{00:08:47}}
balance around If they need

{{00:08:51}}
to take personal time off

{{00:08:53}}
or to work from home, we're

{{00:08:55}}
flexible with those kind

{{00:08:57}}
of approaches as long as

{{00:08:59}}
our client and our workload

{{00:09:02}}
are still being achieved.

{{00:09:03}}
Yeah, yeah, that's true.

{{00:09:05}}
Yeah, absolutely and we meet

{{00:09:07}}
with our staff regularly.

{{00:09:09}}
The board meets once a month

{{00:09:11}}
you know, we talk about

{{00:09:13}}
operational issues with the

{{00:09:14}}
board and what's going on

{{00:09:15}}
with staff, and then we have

{{00:09:17}}
a weekly staff meeting where.

{{00:09:19}}
Staff are encouraged

{{00:09:20}}
to talk about any

{{00:09:22}}
issues they might have

{{00:09:23}}
'cause we also recognize how

{{00:09:25}}
stressful the industry is

{{00:09:27}}
and when you're dealing with

{{00:09:28}}
people with complex issues and

{{00:09:30}}
sometimes, you know, we are

{{00:09:31}}
the last resort, aren't we?

{{00:09:33}}
We're the last resort for

{{00:09:34}}
people that they're at

{{00:09:35}}
the end of their tether.

{{00:09:36}}
And sometimes also too

{{00:09:39}}
people, haven't been heard.

{{00:09:42}}
So by the time they get to

{{00:09:44}}
us, they're very much irate

{{00:09:47}}
about their experience.

{{00:09:49}}
They're not happy with things,

{{00:09:51}}
and we have to let them know

{{00:09:53}}
that we are not affiliated

{{00:09:55}}
with the service provider.

{{00:09:57}}
We don't have a viewpoint.

{{00:09:59}}
Our, our main job is to make

{{00:10:01}}
sure we advocate for what

{{00:10:03}}
you need us to advocate for.

{{00:10:06}}
Give us what you think

{{00:10:08}}
your priorities are and

{{00:10:10}}
we'll work through that.

{{00:10:12}}
So sometimes, people's

{{00:10:15}}
emotions can get a bit much

{{00:10:17}}
for people to work with,

{{00:10:19}}
and that's why we promote

{{00:10:21}}
the use of coming to us as

{{00:10:25}}
an organization and working

{{00:10:27}}
through those problems, should

{{00:10:29}}
they arise and going to get

{{00:10:32}}
professional development

{{00:10:34}}
and training if needed.

{{00:10:36}}
And of course, on top of

{{00:10:37}}
that, understanding the,

{{00:10:39}}
the stress that our staff

{{00:10:40}}
go through because of some

{{00:10:41}}
of these issues and that you

{{00:10:43}}
know, we, we provide employee

{{00:10:45}}
assistance for our staff

{{00:10:47}}
as, yeah, that's so true.

{{00:10:49}}
At monthly external

{{00:10:50}}
supervision.

{{00:10:51}}
So we're very focused

{{00:10:53}}
on our staff being

{{00:10:54}}
happy and their needs.

{{00:11:02}}
Jeff and I spoken a

{{00:11:03}}
bit about this before.

{{00:11:05}}
I mean, the, on the one

{{00:11:06}}
hand, I mean the sector

{{00:11:07}}
doesn't have enough staff.

{{00:11:08}}
How do we get more, more

{{00:11:10}}
people into the sector?

{{00:11:11}}
How do we get more support

{{00:11:12}}
workers in the sector?

{{00:11:14}}
I think that's really tough.

{{00:11:15}}
When you think about some of

{{00:11:16}}
the pay rates that providers

{{00:11:18}}
are offering and also the

{{00:11:21}}
skill shortages that, and,

{{00:11:22}}
and Jethro and I have both

{{00:11:24}}
talked about the skill

{{00:11:25}}
shortage issue before and

{{00:11:26}}
the balance between getting,

{{00:11:30}}
staff that are skilled.

{{00:11:32}}
Or you know, and a lot of

{{00:11:33}}
people with disabilities

{{00:11:34}}
actually want unskilled

{{00:11:35}}
staff that they can

{{00:11:36}}
train themselves.

{{00:11:37}}
And you might be able to

{{00:11:38}}
talk a bit about that Jethro.

{{00:11:40}}
Yeah, I prefer to use

{{00:11:42}}
unskilled staff because then

{{00:11:44}}
I can train them up in the

{{00:11:46}}
way and the skillset that

{{00:11:47}}
I need them to particularly

{{00:11:49}}
have to support me and

{{00:11:52}}
my twin brother as well.

{{00:11:54}}
And I think staff development,

{{00:11:58}}
and again, what Stuart just

{{00:12:00}}
mentioned before about the

{{00:12:02}}
pay rates and stuff like

{{00:12:03}}
that, when you are working

{{00:12:06}}
with such a casualization

{{00:12:08}}
of a workforce, it's very

{{00:12:10}}
hard to compete with that

{{00:12:12}}
sometimes and to keep the

{{00:12:15}}
job opportunities fresh

{{00:12:17}}
and to keep the training

{{00:12:18}}
opportunities going

{{00:12:20}}
because it, it eventually

{{00:12:22}}
has to come out of

{{00:12:24}}
our plan to train

{{00:12:26}}
those people up.

{{00:12:27}}
So, I think that's always

{{00:12:30}}
gonna be an issue that

{{00:12:31}}
we'll forever face.

{{00:12:33}}
I think we just have to

{{00:12:35}}
realize that, you know,

{{00:12:38}}
sometimes we can only do

{{00:12:40}}
what we can do given the

{{00:12:42}}
plans and the budgets that

{{00:12:44}}
we have, and sometimes it's

{{00:12:46}}
always gonna be a problem.

{{00:12:49}}
In our sector, but I think

{{00:12:50}}
it's important that we

{{00:12:52}}
also look after the staff

{{00:12:55}}
and foster their talent

{{00:12:57}}
and make sure that they

{{00:12:59}}
have flexibility within

{{00:13:02}}
their work as well.

{{00:13:03}}
So they have work life

{{00:13:05}}
balance, so they're not

{{00:13:06}}
feeling like they're going to

{{00:13:08}}
reach that burnout stage where

{{00:13:11}}
they can't return to work

{{00:13:13}}
because they just feel like

{{00:13:15}}
they're not being heard or.

{{00:13:17}}
Or aren't able to offer the

{{00:13:19}}
same outlook as what they

{{00:13:21}}
did when they first entered

{{00:13:23}}
disability support work.

{{00:13:25}}
And I think we need, our

{{00:13:27}}
sector, you know, we need

{{00:13:29}}
government policy around

{{00:13:31}}
valuing workers in the sector.

{{00:13:33}}
We need governments to,

{{00:13:36}}
you know, promote the work

{{00:13:38}}
satisfaction you get from

{{00:13:39}}
working in the sector.

{{00:13:40}}
So, And, and this is

{{00:13:42}}
particularly important in

{{00:13:43}}
Western Australia where so

{{00:13:44}}
many people in, in our area

{{00:13:46}}
particularly end up in fly

{{00:13:48}}
in, fly out work because

{{00:13:49}}
they can get the big dollars.

{{00:13:51}}
But you know, often

{{00:13:52}}
that's at the detriment

{{00:13:53}}
to families and at the

{{00:13:54}}
detriment to personal health.

{{00:13:56}}
Whereas, you know, if we

{{00:13:58}}
could get government to

{{00:13:59}}
really promote, you know,

{{00:14:01}}
the value of work in the

{{00:14:02}}
disability sector and the,

{{00:14:03}}
the feeling of contentment

{{00:14:05}}
people might get from, you

{{00:14:07}}
know, supporting others.

{{00:14:09}}
And also too, that it's not

{{00:14:11}}
just that nursing approach

{{00:14:13}}
and medical approach anymore,

{{00:14:15}}
it's the whole life approach

{{00:14:17}}
of a person with a disability.

{{00:14:19}}
So it is all about inclusion.

{{00:14:22}}
It's all about working

{{00:14:23}}
on each other's skills.

{{00:14:25}}
Development, not just

{{00:14:26}}
working on, the worker

{{00:14:29}}
skill development, but

{{00:14:30}}
also coming along on a

{{00:14:32}}
journey with the person you

{{00:14:34}}
are supporting and being

{{00:14:36}}
part of their experiences

{{00:14:37}}
and their knowledge and

{{00:14:39}}
everything like that.

{{00:14:40}}
And being able to show them

{{00:14:43}}
that it's not just an adult

{{00:14:45}}
babysitting role, it's a role

{{00:14:48}}
where you can actually give

{{00:14:50}}
back to to your client

{{00:14:53}}
and they can work in a

{{00:14:54}}
positive way with you as

{{00:14:56}}
a partnership, as well as

{{00:14:58}}
a professional partnership

{{00:15:00}}
and achieving goals.

{{00:15:02}}
So it's not only giving back,

{{00:15:03}}
it's also what, how much

{{00:15:04}}
you get from it, isn't it?

{{00:15:06}}
It's how much you get from

{{00:15:07}}
it, how much compatibility

{{00:15:10}}
you get from each other,

{{00:15:12}}
because there's no point

{{00:15:13}}
working with somebody that

{{00:15:15}}
you're not compatible with

{{00:15:17}}
and it doesn't mean because

{{00:15:19}}
you going into your first

{{00:15:20}}
role, and it may not work

{{00:15:22}}
out that you're not built to

{{00:15:24}}
be a support worker, it may

{{00:15:26}}
mean that you just haven't

{{00:15:28}}
been matched up with the

{{00:15:29}}
right person, to work with.

{{00:15:32}}
That's so true.

Expert Insight

Discover Advocacy WA's empowering philosophy in this illuminating video; Stuart Schonell and Jethro Hepton share how lived experience shapes their organization's core. 

Learn how Advocacy WA prioritizes understanding clients' needs, fosters self-advocacy, and promotes collaboration. 

Join us to explore their mission of empowerment and inclusion!


Disability

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Stuart Schonell

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Jethro Hepton

Chair 

Innovative workforce strategies

Collaborative workforce solutions

Talent attraction and diversity

Policy reform for future readiness

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Shaping tomorrow's workforce: a conversation with Stuart Schonell & Jethro Hepton