THE SUPPORTS COLLECTIVE AUSTRALIA TEAM

Supports Collective Australia is the vision of Richard and Kirsten.  Their vision was to create a unique company that is person-centered and which puts Participants in control and at the forefront of their own support needs. 

CEO

Kirsten Norris

Kirsten holds a Master of Social Work, Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), Mental Health First Aid and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), to name just a few. Kirsten has gained invaluable experience in suicide and crisis support whilst volunteering as a Lifeline Crisis Telephone Support Worker.  She has worked within the Community and Disability Sector since 2012 in various face-to-face grassroots roles, including Support Work.  Kirsten held a Social Worker within an Early Intervention Outreach Families Program in a local community that included crisis counselling, practical support and advocacy to vulnerable families with children in Brisbane North.  Kirsten has been working the NDIS space since 2019 and began as a Care Coordinator for an NDIS Service Provider.  Kirsten continues to be inspired by a close member of her family who has lived with a disability for most of his life and she continues to support this individual to lead a fulfilling life. Kirsten understands the importance of engagement, empathy and reliability in supports to build independence and resilience in participants.  Education and self-learning is important to Kirsten and, no doubt, she will continue with formal education well into the future.

Professional training and development

Over the past 12 years, Kirsten has completed various professional development and training including:  

Master of Social Work (Qualifying) 

Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) 

Working collaboratively to address the mental health of people experiencing chronic pain

Establishing Recovery-Oriented (Mental Health) Relationships 

Introduction to the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019 

Understanding & Responding to Controlling & Escalating Behaviours 

Suicide & Grief: Enduring Complex Grief 

E-Safety Women 

The Forgotten Known - Attachment Theory in Practice 

Suicide training workshop 

ADHD/ASD: The Game  

Confidentiality and Disclosure Legislation and Law 

Financial Resilience workshop 

The Resilient Brain  

Safeguarding Yourself – Recognizing and Responding to Vicarious Trauma 

Australian Indigenous Cultural Awareness & Competency Training 

On Alert Emergency Procedures Training  

Mental Health First Aid 

Assist (Suicide Prevention Workshop)  

Lifeline Telephone Crisis Support Worker  

The Accidental Counsellor  

DIRECTOR

Richard Borwick

Richard holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and a BA in Business Management. He has 25 years of experience as a Manager and 13 years as a Support Worker. Richard has lived and worked in a number of countries, giving him a broad experience with people and cultures and an appreciation of the worth of the individual. It was Richard's experience working in a wide variety of support positions that convinced him that the Participants deserved more. 

Richard's leadership draws on the experience of the best practice that he has seen within the care industry.  He also sees similarities with his previous career managing and owning restaurants:  for him, the Participants is always king/queen.  This philosophy, in combination with Social Work practices, are at the core of Supports Collective Australia.

SUPPORT WORKERS

Our experienced Support Workers come from a wide range of backgrounds and all share one commonality = passion.  We are selective in our recruitment process to ensure we choose individuals who demonstrate humanity and who possess genuine caring natures. They are participant-focused and have a "can-do" attitude.  In addition, most have lived experience of disability, either through their own lives or through supporting family or friends.    

Here at Supports Collective Australia, we are happy to arrange a complimentary Meet & Greet so that our Participants choose who they would like to support them on an ongoing basis:  Participants are truly in control!  If at any time a Participant feels like they would prefer a change of Support Worker, or if they feel things are not going as well as they should, please talk to us: we actually listen!

Our Support Workers all possess the standard requirements for support work (Working with Children, Police Check, NDIS Worker Orientation Module, First Aid and CPR Certificate etc) and continue to keep updated with industry requirements.  

As the Supports Collective Directors have formal qualifications, we understand the importance of continued learning and encourage and support our staff if they wish to pursue further studies within the industry.