Through residential and respite services, in home care, and social and community participation, we aim to provide opportunities for growth and development in line with the individuals long term goals.
We value our clients and are committed to treating them with respect and dignity. Our support workers receive the highest quality training to ensure we are upholding our values in every interaction.
We have a strong reputation for our ability to work with children and adults with complex needs who often present more of a service challenge, including high risk behaviors and behaviors of concern.
We are dedicated to providing the best service possible and are continuously expanding and improving. Our popular day program, hosted at our Tullamarine space, began in 2011, and our residential services offering was added in 2015, at the request of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). We welcomed the rollout of the NDIS in Victoria in 2016 and are thrilled to now be able to assist even more people.
We also offer Child and Youth Services in partnership with DHHS, through the provision of Out of Home Care and Targeted Care Packages.
Ability Assist was founded in 1994, as a small organisation with big goals. So small, in fact, the team of 5 worked out of the shed in Janet’s backyard for the first few years!
A physiotherapist by profession, Janet had a wealth of experience in the disability sector, working in hospitals, government and, most notably, at Kew Cottages (previously the largest institution for people with intellectual disabilities in Melbourne) from 1975 until 1990, beginning as a volunteer and advancing to eventually become CEO for a short period.
Through her experiences, Janet saw a need for an organisation that was more in line with what clients and carers really wanted. At the time there were very few services that assisted people with a disability to live independent lives, participate in activities and be a part of the community.
Janet had a bright vision for the future she wanted to help create - one in which people with a disability were given the same opportunities as everyone else, and were valued, accepted and recognized as a person first, and their disability second. With this in mind, Ability Assist was born.
Janet has continually maintained the determined attitude and hands-on approach she began with over 25 years ago and is passionate about ensuring she is always aware of both the client and staff experience, to understand what can be done better. An expert in her field, she continues to conduct training for our staff as well as other disability service providers.
We have a team of over 160, comprising our head office staff, and our qualified support workers in disability and child and youth services.