Menzies Support Services
Menzies Support Services (MSS) is a not-for-profit organisation providing support to people in the Murrindindi and Mansfield Shires in regional Victoria. MSS provides individualised, person-centred support to people and their families, supporting individuals to develop to their maximum potential in all areas of their lives, and be valued and included in the community.
MSS’s Committee of Management engaged INCITE information to assist their consideration of the opportunity to expand beyond their long-running and very successful core service of centre-based care for people with a disability into the delivery of home and community care services for older people and people with a disability.
The possible expansion of MSS’s service offering is in response to the opportunities and risks arising from the introduction of the NDIS and the Commonwealth Government’s Aged Care Reforms, particularly the introduction of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), which will fundamentally change the operating and funding environment for the aged and disability services sector.
INCITE information facilitated discussion between the Committee of Management, the CEO and key staff to identify a number of focus areas to guide decision-making, including financial sustainability, operational feasibility and strategic alignment with, and contribution to, Menzies’ vision, mission and purpose. It was particularly important to recognise the potential impact on clients and the community; and respecting the history of community involvement & commitment to Menzies and being sensitive to community perceptions regarding significant organisational change.
Like most important and complex decisions, our analysis of financial, operational and strategic issues indicated that there was no simple or obvious decision, with risks and opportunities apparent for both expanding and not expanding Menzies’ service offering. The Committee of Management’s decision had to be largely be determined by its future vision for the organisation: “Where do we want to be in 10 (or 20+) years?” To support Menzies decision-makers we provided information and facilitated discussion on critical questions in relation to:
Who are we here to support?
do we maintain a focus on adults with a disability OR should we support a broader range of the community?
should we maintain a local community focus OR should we pursue geographic growth?
What services should we provide?
should we be a niche / specialist service OR should we expand our service range?
Who else will be providing similar (or complementary) services?
should a particular service be directly delivered by Menzies OR by via a partnership arrangement?
We also identified a range of risk mitigation activities related to the changing operating environment and implementation activities for any agreed changes to Menzies operations.
Client Testimonial
“We engaged the services of INCITE information to assist us in providing a Cost Benefit Analysis of taking on an additional service type to grow our small not-for-profit disability organisation in rural Victoria.
Both Paul and Wendy provided important expert knowledge into the delivery of Aged and Disability services and the risks and benefits to becoming involved in an expanded model of service delivery.
The reports provided were easy to understand and provided a good platform for the Committee of Management to make a final decision.
I highly recommend INCITE Information to anyone seeking clear and concise results from an organisation that works alongside you in an engaging and professional manner.”
Melinda Burgess
CEO
Menzies Support Services