About Gippsland Carers Association Inc
Our Vision. Our primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for all caring family members who give unpaid care and support to people with dependent disabilities, handicap or aged frailty. We aim to obtain improved disability and mental health accommodation choices, better respite care and increased support services for all those who have unmet needs.
GCA challenges narrow views about caring in order to create innovative new services and we seek to influence an increased volume of services which will assist all Carers of people with a dependent disability to achieve the freedom to be participants in community.
We believe that people with disabilities have the same rights to free choices in supported accommodations options as those available to every other Australian. This choice is not available in the current restricted supported accommodation system and our aim is to work to remedy this.
We believe that supporting people with disabilities, mental illness and aged frailty is the responsibility of every Australian. Anyone anytime may find they have a disability as a result of an accident of birth, aquired through trauma or disease or as a result of frail ageing.
Our History The Gippsland Carers Association was formed in 1997 in response to a felt need by families to receive assistance and support as the unpaid Carers of people with dependent disabilities, handicap or frailty.
There is an estimated population of some 26,000 caring families in Gippsland. Over 12,000 are Primary Carers, that is, a family member who works for more than 40 hours per week as an unpaid worker providing accommodation, personal care and support to a child, adult or aged person with a dependent disability.
We provide peer support, education, information and advocacy to Carers across Gippsland and beyond. Committee members give freely of their time, expertise and personal resources firstly as the unpaid Carers of people with dependent disabilities and secondly as a powerful force to draw communities together in a common cause.
Our work is wholly voluntary and self-funded. We are managed by a 12 member Committee of Management. We are Incorporated and registered as an exempt charity, we are non-profit, non-sectarian and non-party political.
We aim to represent all Carer families irrespective of ethnic identity, religion, age, economic and other circumstances and to encourage their participation in the Association.
Activities include regular regional Forums with Carers, Disability/Aged Care services, policy makers, politicians and prominent citizens, engaging all sectors as guest speakers. Our newsletter, The Gippsland Carer, is published quarterly and distributed widely to all stakeholders.
We educate the broader community, professionals, service providers and the media on the specific support needs of Carers, including an ongoing campaign to advise and lobby policy makers and legislators on the value of supporting caring families.
Gippsland Carers Association have broken new ground as the first (only) regionally-based (self funded) disability families peak body.
We are a registered Charity and Donations of $2.00 or more are Tax Deductible Read More
