Here at the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL), we provide opportunities for people with disability, children with developmental delays and disability, their families, and carers to:

  • connect with others in their community
  • address barriers to true inclusion and accessibility in communities
  • use their skills and knowledge to achieve shared goals.

Our Team

We have a team dedicated to working with local communities to improve access and inclusion and provide opportunities for people with a disability.

From left, Jennifer Lumsden, Kath Struthers, Leah Robertson, Kelly Bolton, Hang Nguyen.

Our Stories

We have been partnering with local communities, organisations and others who are passionate about supporting people with disability, children with developmental delay, their families, and carers. Together, we find solutions that make things easier for everyone to participate. Here are some examples of our team’s past work.

In 2019, BSL’s Early Childhood team collaborated with HIPPY Frankston North to deliver a pilot training program for HIPPY tutors to support their knowledge of services and referral pathways available to parents and families.  After gathering insights from tutors and families in the Frankston area, the team developed a tailored training session for HIPPY tutors to increase awareness of the program and pathways to support families and children.

The training was later rolled out to other HIPPY program sites managed by BSL and later, rolled out to the 100 HIPPY sites across Australia.

This pilot training lay the foundation for ongoing collaboration between HIPPY Australia and BSL Disability Services.

BSL Disability Services representatives have formed a collaborative partnership with Darebin Best Start and have been active members of the Aboriginal Reference Group since 2019.

The Aboriginal Reference Group found that whilst there is an abundance of information in the early years space for professionals there is a gap in resources for Aboriginal families and carers of Aboriginal children.

The Darebin Best Start – Aboriginal Reference Group worked with Little Rocket, an Indigenous owned marketing and communications company, to develop and create the three short video clips focusing on the early years, bringing information to families with children aged 0-5.

The “Nugal Murrup Buladu – belong, spirit, grow” video series  highlights the lived experience of families overcoming barriers to their children starting kinder and school, and aims to support and empower families through the early years journey.

In the 12 months since the launch of the series, there has been an 85% increase in Early Start Kindergarten registrations for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children in the City of Darebin. The videos have now been shared in communities state-wide and are working to close the gap on education disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.  The “Nugal Murrup Buladu – belong, spirit, grow” video series   was awarded the Creating Collaborative Community Partnerships award at the Victorian Early Years Awards in 2023.

You can learn more and watch the video series here on our website.

“When given the opportunity and space to work collaboratively with other organisations and create such informative and supportive tools for Mob, that’s rewarding in itself, but to go on and win the Creating Collaborative Partnerships award for the Victorian Early Years awards, is truly so fulfilling and speaks volumes about the collaborative project we were able to create.”

Tori Brooks, Early Years Team Leader, VACCA

Carers living in the Frankston area expressed a need for increased recognition and support for the work of carers living in the local area. One local carer approached BSL and Frankston City Council to address this gap in support and discuss a new initiative, Pathways for Carers.

Pathways for Carers is a monthly nature walk program that offers carers the opportunity to build connections and receive peer-based support while getting active and connecting with nature. This carer led the establishment of the walking program with the support of BSL and Council and has since built a strong network of carers who continue to meet monthly with the support of Orwil Street Community house.

“We are connected to other carers who are experiencing similar life experiences. It can sometimes be very isolating. I have met people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.” Pathway for Carers participant.

Our current projects

People with lived experience (people with disability, children with developmental delay, families, and carers) are always central to our work. Below is a snapshot of our current areas of work in the community. If you are interested in sharing your lived experience and ideas to help in building inclusive communities, contact our team to discuss further.

Be as involved as you would like and be reimbursed for your time.

BSL is working with local community organisations to establish a carers wellbeing group to increase accessibility and inclusion in local communities by providing activities and support for local carers.

Carers are those who support a family member or friend who has a disability, a medical condition, mental illness, or medical condition or who is frail due to age. They can be family members or friends, they can be parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or neighbours.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Kylie Clark
Email: kylie.clark@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 153 927

Hang Nguyen
Email: hang.nguyen@bsl.org.au
Call 0490 940 820

BSL is working with locals and services in Hastings to improve community access and inclusion for children under 6 years and their families.

As experts in your local community, we want to hear from you about your ideas, experiences and what is important to you. Together we will explore ideas, test, and trial solutions.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Kath Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Stephanie Bryce
Email: Stephanie.Bryce@bsl.org.au

Imagine going to a local café or shop where everyone is welcome. The facilities are easily accessible for people with mobility issues, the attitudes of staff and community members are welcoming and communications like signage, menus, and verbal communication are inclusive of everyone.

We are working with people with lived experience, local trader associations, and local governments to find solutions to improving inclusion and accessibility at local shopping strips. We are currently involved in projects in Merri-bek and Kingston.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Kelly Bolton
Email: kelly.bolton@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 050 034

Faith communities are a meeting place for people with different abilities, needs and interests, who want to belong and take part in their faith life. However, barriers including dated buildings, limited budgets, and a limited awareness of disability, access, and inclusion can make it challenging. We want to see faith communities with easy access, a strong sense of belonging and inclusion of people living with a disability.

This project is working with the Melbourne Anglican Diocese and a working group of people lived experience of disability to improve the culture of inclusion across their 200 parishes.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Community festivals and events are open to all, though sometimes uncertainty over access and inclusion can create barriers to people attending.  We are working with community houses to ensure people have the information they need before an event and during to feel welcomed and included.

We will use co-design principles with people with lived experience to understand opportunities and find solutions to improve inclusion and accessibility at community events.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Katherine Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Kelly Bolton
Email: kelly.bolton@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 050 034

We aim to work with young people with disability to improve opportunities and access to part-time jobs while attending school.

This project will be working with young people, their family and carers and key stakeholders to listen, find solutions to increase opportunities for young people with disability to get a part time job.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Kylie Clark
Email: kylie.clark@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 153 927

Partnering with Volunteer West – Australian Multicultural Community Services, BSL is working with people with disability, carers, and volunteer managers to gather their ideas to improve volunteer opportunities in Melbourne’s west in 2024.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Katherine Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Hang Nguyen
Email: hang.nguyen@bsl.org.au
Call 0490 940 820