Support is at the heart of My Goal Australia
Published on 13 September 2021
For Dean and Belinda Kidd, life during a pandemic is busy. Their disability support provider, My Goal Australia, has adapted to continue working with their clients. In addition, the couple has just welcomed a third child.
Speaking from their headquarters at shared workspace Dashworks in Charlestown, Dean and Belinda are proud of their balancing act.
“I wouldn’t say our life has slowed down,” Dean laughs.
Garnering 10 years of experience with different NDIS providers, Dean established My Goal Australia in 2016, shaping the business with the goal of offering specialised care.
That ideal has since expanded into a company with over 50 staff, working with clients who have severe and complex needs.
For Dean, it is essential that people with disabilities are given a choice in how they want live.
“Supported independent living is the core focus of our business. Our participants live in 24-hour care, provided onsite by our staff. We create environments that feel like home so that participants feel empowered.”
“We work with people with complex needs. It’s challenging, regulated and involved but it’s exactly where we want to be.”
Theirs is one of many businesses in Lake Mac that have evolved in order to function in a COVID-19 world.
“My Goal Australia has grown inside COVID-19. The pandemic has made us realise how essential our support is and how involved we are with our clients.”
“We reviewed our rostering policy and instead of sending staff across multiple sites we had them working in just one location. We are managing infection control to a high standard,” Belinda says.
“At the beginning of every shift we check staff for symptoms and take temperatures before they come into contact with participants.”
The strong foundation of their business allowed for a swift response to government regulations.
Continuing to work from their shared office space, Dean and Belinda are inspired by the collaborative nature of Dashworks and appreciate being able to see how other local businesses in Lake Mac are working during COVID-19.
Basing their business in Lake Mac was an obvious choice.
“I grew up in Belmont North,” Belinda says.
“When Dean and I got married we bought a house in Speers Point, we are raising our children in Lake Mac because it has such a strong sense of community and we love living by the lake.”
The decision also suited their business strategy.
“Lake Macquarie was in need of NDIS services, so from a business point of view it made sense to make a space for ourselves,” Dean says.
As well as supported independent living, My Goal Australia works to help its participants access the community.
“Our community programs help our clients to visit local parks, markets and libraries in Lake Macquarie,” Belinda says.
“Our participants face many challenges but our goal is to help them enjoy their life.”
Growing their business (and their family) is an ongoing challenge, but both Dean and Belinda are confident they are on the right track.
“A lot of our participants came from hospital or have been moved around between different providers,” Dean says.
“We are so grateful to provide some stability and a strong team of support so that we can improve lives.”
Video created for Dashworks by Maker Moments.
Related Stories