Board of SA Group Enterprises

SA Group Enterprises is an incorporated association and under the Associations Incorporation Act 1985, its affairs are managed and controlled by a Board who are elected by the members at an Annual General Meeting each year.

Current Board Members

• Chris Sargent
• Darlene Voss
• Peter McInerney, Chairperson
• Hugh Kearns, Vice Chair
• Ian Harris, Treasurer
• Maree Hollard, Human Services Manager, (Employee)
• Martin Millane
• Phillip Sutherland
• Robert Hart, CEO, (Employee)

Membership of the Association is open to anyone who supports the aims of the association including interested organisation, individuals and staff or personnel employed within the organisation. There is no membership fee. Membership is for a three year period and may be renewed. A copy of the constitution is available on request.

Download - Application for membership of the association (PDF 30.71 KB).

Download - SA Group Enterprises Constitution (PDF 47.36 KB).

Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR)

Although SA Group Enterprises does not activiey fund-raise we are endorsed by the ATO as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and we will gratefully accept any donation to our organisation or its divisions.  To donate please visit http://www.givenow.com.au/sage

Disability Services Standards

SA Group Enterprises is an accredited employment service provider across all departments and divisions as outlined by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) Disability Services Standards.

These standards where independently audited by BSI Group Certificate No. DS521273.

Organisation Purpose, Mission and Vision

Organisation
SA Group Enterprises is governed by a Board, which may have up to 10 members. The skill base of the Board includes financial management, manufacturing, marketing and sales, advocacy, and training. The Board also includes the Chief Executive officer, and a staff Member. A Supported Employee representative may be asked to attend specific Board Meetings. Board Members are elected at the Annual General Meeting, which is held before the end of November each year.

Membership
The organisation has members and you can apply to become a member of the organization. This enables you to vote at the AGM and participate in the management of the service. There is no cost to becoming a member and Application Forms are available on request. All applications need to be approved by the Board.

Management
The management structure includes the Chief Executive Officer, Human Services Manager, Accountant, Business Managers and a number of Specialist Staff located throughout the organisation.

The organisation may employs a number of other staff in the areas of management, administration, sales and marketing, direct support, training, production and trades people.

Mission Statement
“Valued Employment for people with disability in professional commercial businesses”

Valued  employment is defined as work which:

• Is valued by the community
• Provides award based wages and conditions of employment
• Develops skills and abilities
• Promotes independence
• Provides opportunities for integration and social inclusion 
• Provides choice and opportunities with access to more challenging and varied work and
• Provides training designed to suit the individual’s needs and abilities

Professional Commercial Businesses are defined as:

• Businesses, which are established in skill based industries, which enhance the profile of those who work there.
• Businesses which are well managed, and fulfil all the requirements of a highly professional and commercial business venture through its;
• Products & Services
• Profitability & Accounting practices
• Costing & Production methods
• While recognizing and promoting the contribution of its human resources.

Our Aim
Is to provide long term employment opportunities for individuals with a disability, develop work skills, abilities and independence, through access to a variety of work, specialist training, modification of equipment and individual planning.

Our Vision
"Professional work places, real jobs, valued people"

Operating Principles
The operating Principles of the organisation are based on the principles and practices of Social Role Valorisation, (SRV) providing choice, opportunity and valued employment with award based wages and conditions of employment.

Individuals are valued for their skills and abilities and workplace modifications are designed to enhance competencies and independence, and to increase wages through improved productivity and multi-skilling.

Integration and social inclusion are also key components of any service provided by SA Group Enterprises.

Statement of Commitment

• The organisation is committed to providing valued work opportunities for all personnel
• Continuing to provide opportunities for adults with a range of disabilities some of whom require a significant level of support to access work
• Providing access to a range of work options for adults with a disability
• Ensuring that equipment modifications will benefit and enhance access to work for those with high support needs
• Positively discriminate on behalf of those who require a high level of support
• Operating businesses, which are sustainable, financially viable and provide the outcomes, which will be a measure of success
• The success of the organization will be measured by the outcomes achieved for those employees who have the most difficulties and are in need of the highest level of support.

This will be based on:

• Operating businesses, which achieve the values and beliefs encompassed in the Mission Statement
• Access to a variety of work for all personnel,
• Training opportunities targeted at improving and developing skills for those who most need it
• Equipment modification to promote access for those with the highest support needs while improving the production efficiency for all personnel
• Individual plans which are positive and identify opportunities for improvement, development of skills, and access to work.

Environment Policy
Based on the majority of scientific consensus, global warming is a reality and a direct result of human activity. It affects us all and will do so in more profound ways than the global economic crisis. If we are to mitigate some of the harm it will cause, organisations like ours must not only develop strategies to decrease our green house gas emissions, but also identify new business and employment opportunities to remain viable into the future.

Social Role Valorisation (SRV)

A core value of SA Group Enterprises is the adoption of internationally recognised Social Role Valorisation (SRV) principles which have been incorporated into our business, employment and human service practice. These principles not only underlie the types of businesses developed but also the training and support offered to create meaningful employment opportunities and environments for people with disability.

As part of this process SA Group Enterprise offer access to students involved in passing workshops run by Peter Millier Training and Evaluation for Change (TEC). This provides valuable feedback on ways our organisation and staff can improve SRV practice in our organisation.

Social Role Valorization (SRV) is the name given by Dr Wolf Wolfensberger, PhD (1934-2011) who defines SRV as "The application of what science can tell us about the enablement, establishment, enhancement, maintenance, and/or defense of valued social roles for people" In an overview of Social Role Valorisation theory. Joe Osburn quotes “The major goal of SRV is to create or support socially valued roles for people in their society, because if a person holds valued social roles, that person is highly likely to receive from society those good things in life that are available to that society, and that can be conveyed by it, or at least the opportunities for obtaining these.”

Some simple guidelines for creating value

To help a person gain a valued social role, one task is to change the way the community sees the person. Being devalued is not something inherent in the person; it is the view that the community has, and it can be changed.

The community’s view of a person can be changed by applying several guidelines. These guidelines have been summarised from the core themes of SRV theory.

Expectations Most people live up or down to the expectations others have of them. People who care about people at risk of being devalued must have high expectations.

Growth Regardless of disability or disadvantage all people can learn, change and grow. To do this often means taking some risks.

Imitation Imitation is a powerful way to learn. People at risk of being devalued need good role models and need to be able to identify closely with them.

Extra Effort People who care about people at risk of being devalued must bend over backwards to make up for the past hurt.

Community Life People best learn to do anything by doing it in the place where it really happens and with the people who usually do it. For prejudices against people who are being devalued to fade, the broader community need to have positive experiences with those people.

Good Images Images of people at risk of being devalued must be positive. Especially avoiding images that do not match the person’s age and images that show people grouped together and set apart from the broader community.

Concepts of SRV

Social Role Valorisation (SRV) is the enablement, establishment, enhancement, maintenance and defence of valued social roles for people (particularly for those at value risk) by using as much as possible culturally valued means.

Social Role Valorisation concepts are an important tool to both understand why people and communities devalue others, and offers practical ways to reverse these.

Less Value Unfortunately people with a disability are often seen as being different in a negative way; consequently thought of as having less value. They become devalued people. We often deny this because it happens unconsciously, but it is real. We need to move this into the conscious, deal with it and strive to change these ideas in ourselves and others.

Low Status A devalued person is likely to be considered by other people as having a low status. Again this happens unconsciously.

Fewer Opportunities As a result of low status, devalued people are more likely to be denied opportunities and gain respected roles. They may even be rejected or persecuted.

Respected Role Helping a devalued person to find and keep a valued role is therefore the most important goal of SRV and for anyone who cares about changing this. For more information about theory of Social Role Valorisation (SRV) visit socialrolevalorization.com

What is a Social Enterprise?

The text books call a Social Enterprise "a profit-making venture set-up to tackle a social need". Many commercial businesses might consider themselves to have a social objective, but a Social Enterprise is unique because their social purpose is central to what they are. Rather than maximising shareholder value, their aim is to generate profit to further their social purpose.

Some commentators describe this as "not-for-profit" as their profits are not distributed to financial investors, this is a little misleading as it implies they are unbusiness-like. It is better said that profits of the business is used to support its social aim or that the business itself accomplishes the social aim through its operation.

However, there are some misleading interpretations of the term "Social Enterprise" particularly new businesses who try to ride a wave of popular support for Social Enterprises in the community. However, despite the owners best motives and goals to establish a business based on meeting social outcome they can't truly be called a Social Enterprises as there is no binding or legal structures to ensure their profits continue to support that social purpose long-term and so it is best to discriminate between what is a "socially responsible business" and a Social Enterprise.

Consequently, Social Enterprises must have a legal structure that ensures the long-term support of its social purpose. For example an "Incorporated Association" or "Limited by guarantee" company where the social purpose is enshrined in their constitution disallowing profits to be syphoned away for other purposes.

SA Group Enterprises establish businesses in order to provide employment where the businesses generate a major proportion of operating revenue from the sale of products and services. Funding received from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) are not a business subsidies and are strictly linked to training and support costs. In reality such funding could also be called a "fee-for-service" like any other, as they are open to anyone to apply regardless of structure private, public or non-government provided they meet the requirements for tender and comply with regular quality and reporting audits.