“I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when Open Minds suggested I take part in the recruitment of my own Support Worker. No other service provider has gone to the extent that Open Minds did.” Reace Reed, Client of Open Minds
Reace, aged 27, was over the moon when Open Minds encouraged him to have deeper control over the selection of his Support Worker in Ipswich.
Reace has always wanted more opportunity to be involved in choosing the right person to support him as he lives with autism, complex PTSD, borderline personality disorder, depression and other complexities that means he’s struggled to find a supportive service provider to meet his needs.
When Reace approached Open Minds in January 2018, the team offered him the opportunity to join interviews that were taking place to hire his Level 3 Support Worker.
Reace asked his own questions during the interviews to help decide which candidate he’d prefer. When he met Theresa Le Kim, he knew she was the right person straight away, and Open Minds proceeded to offer her the role.
“I need to know that my support workers are there for me. I knew Theresa was the right fit because she had a great sense of humour, a gentle approach, and a caring nature. I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement because no other service provider has gone to the extent that Open Minds did. Being able to pick my Support Worker instead of just being handed one made me feel special and gave me a sense of control.”
Open Minds is now also supporting Reace towards achieving his life-goal of becoming a qualified truck driver. The team work closely with Reace to ensure his days are filled with fun activities, laughter, and truck driving lessons to work towards his goal.
If you or someone you care for would like to find out more about the NDIS, and the choice and control that we can provide, visit our NDIS page.