Celebrating Our WA Disability Support Award Nominees
Congratulations Janine Brazil!
I am going to stay a little while longer – Janine Brazil, Most days!
Team Leader, Janine Brazil puts people in the centre of everything she does. She cares deeply about her customers and their needs, but her own team never falls short either. Her team and the people they support are all quick to acknowledge the immense value Janine’s leadership skills bring to the neighbourhood. She’s their rock, or, as support worker, Linda Oliver puts it, their anchor.
A team is only as strong as their leader and with the recent changes in our sector Janine has been our anchor in choppy waters.’ – Linda Oliver, Support Worker Interchange WA
Janine has been in a leadership role with Interchange for the past 4 years and shares a deep connection with her team and the people she supports. Janine sees people’s strengths and nurtures them. This is why she was a great support worker for many years, but it is also what makes her an excellent Team Leader. She will not leave a stone unturned to fulfil the needs of her staff, so they can deliver exceptional services to the people we support within our Osborne Park Neighbourhood.
Janine is an excellent listener and has a strong sense of empathy. She is patient and treats everyone with respect and dignity. This has enabled a culture of trust and a safe environment for staff and customers to be honest, open and to feel confident to approach her with any issues. – Ryan Burge, People and Culture Coach Interchange WA
Janine has been supporting people living with disabilities for over 20 years and knows the struggles they are facing inside and out. She strongly believes in the power of building relationships. She takes the time to truly get to know the person, their goals and strengths, as well as their past experiences, family life and other support networks. By building a rock-solid foundation of trust and understanding, Janine ensures needs are met by the best-equipped support worker in her team.
The Nominators
Fallan and her sister Caris are both supported by Janine and her team. Previously, Fallan’s experiences with other service providers had been very negative. Consequently, the 30-year-old, had become very socially isolated, refusing to leave the house or speak to anyone outside of the family. Although more comfortable interacting with others, Fallan’s sister, Caris, was also struggling to connect with her community and partake in any activities. With 20 years of experience and a determination to help the sisters, Janine set out to change all this and turn their lives around.
I have had some bad experiences with other support workers and have been often put down. Janine has helped me to trust again. She always listens to me and she follows through. – Fallan, Customer Interchange WA
The family was also going through a very tough time. The girls’ father had been diagnosed with cancer and both Fallan and Caris needed a lot of emotional support to help them to navigate through turbulent times. Janine took it upon herself to be the first contact of support for the sisters and provided a much-needed safety net for the young women. Trusting Janine and her tireless efforts, her staff eagerly followed her lead. Together, they ensured consistent and safe support for both girls in a time where they truly needed it.
Janine and her team are very good people. I feel safe with them and that helped me to not be scared. Now I enjoy being active and going to different places. – Caris, Customer Interchange WA
Janine’s consistency, determination and kindness has paid off and the sisters are proud of what they have achieved with her help. Both women have now found their way back into the community. They take part in cookery classes, art classes and even attend the gym. Knowing Janine and her team have got their best interests at heart, the sisters’ confidence and communication skills have increased significantly and they are both now looking into finding work. Well done, Fallan and Caris. And well done, Janine!
Through people like Janine, her outstanding work and excellent leadership skills, Interchange thrives as an organisation and can proudly say that our staff goes the extra mile to make a real difference in the life of people living with disabilities.
The WA Disability Awards
Unfortunately the National Disability Services had to make the decision to cancel the 2020 WA Disability Support Awards Gala Dinner due to the unforeseeable impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The WA Award finalists and winners will instead be announced on the Disability Support Awards Facebook page from 22 until 28 June.