Message from the CEO
It has been another busy and productive month at estara, and I would like to share some important updates with our clients, stakeholders, and broader community.
As part of our strategic review, we have undertaken a deep dive into our service delivery model to ensure we continue to meet client needs while adapting to the evolving NDIS landscape and strengthening long-term sustainability.
A key priority throughout this work has been to ensure that there is no change to the day-to-day supports our clients rely on. Instead, our efforts have focused on streamlining how we operate behind the scenes, allowing us to direct more of our resources where they matter most.
Part of this work includes evolving our service delivery model in regional South Australia. While we are closing some smaller regional offices, estara remains committed to providing services across the state, with no change to the supports our clients receive. These changes reflect broader sector shifts and are essential to ensuring our ongoing sustainability in the evolving NDIS landscape.
The changes include:
Closing some regional office locations to more flexible ways of working by 19 June. Importantly, our staff will continue to work within their local communities to ensure personalised support for our clients.
The closure of our retail shop in Mt Gambier on 30 June.
Adjustments to some internal roles, enabling us to reduce overheads and invest more directly in service delivery.
You can read more about these changes on the link below:
I’ve valued the opportunity to connect directly with our team, including support workers who joined recent online Town Halls. These conversations reinforced the importance of strengthening how we listen and engage, so we can better understand the needs of both our people and our clients. I also want to sincerely thank those directly impacted by these changes for their professionalism and for continuing to work with us as we transition to our new way of working.
We recently marked National Volunteer Week with a special morning tea a great opportunity to recognise the incredible impact our volunteers have across estara. Hearing their stories was both inspiring and what struck me was their reflections on how meaningful they find their roles in addition to the impact their work has for our clients. My sincere thanks to all our volunteers, your contributions are appreciated.
As we approach the end of the financial year, we will be launching our next donation campaign in June.
As a registered not-for-profit, the support we receive from our community is critical. Every dollar raised stays here in South Australia and directly supports programs that empower people living with spinal cord injury, neurological conditions, and related disabilities.
With 30 June approaching, I encourage those who can consider donating, which can also be claimed as a tax deduction.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of estara and the work we do together.
Nicole Sykes
CEO, estara