Community Development Program

From MDS

Community Development aims to ensure that:

• People with disabilities, frail aged or elderly, their carers/families have contact with the services and support they need.
• There are quality services in the community that are relevant to the needs of the people who use them.
• The community is accessible to people with disabilities.

Community Development focuses on consulting with people in the community, including people with a disability, carers and other service providers.

This involves:

• Researching and identifying community needs.
• Development of programs and services to meet these needs.
• Raising public awareness.
• Training
• Consultation
• Providing information to members of the community and workers.
• Assisting people with disabilities to have their concerns listened to through short term advocacy or support.
• Working with other services to improve their access to people who have a disability.

This work is done by MDS and a Community Development Officer.

Short Term Advocacy and Support

Short term advocacy and support is given to people who:

• Want to make a complaint and need help to do this.
• Need to write a letter of concern about something that they are not happy about.
• Contact another service for assistance.

The Worker will listen to the person who has a concern and talk about options.   If the Worker can not help, a referral to another service will be offered. The worker will help the person to contact the service.

Guest Speaking and Training

Guest speaking and training is a way of raising public awareness of the organisation, other services available in the community and the needs of people with disabilities.

The Community Development Program operates from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.  There are no fees associated with the Community Development Program

For further information contact our head office on 02 4621 8400

For other relevant information, also see our Leadership Program, the Macarthur Disability Network and Autism Spectrum Family Support Group