This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with one of Maple’s longest standing staff members, Brandi Chaker, to chat through her experience within the Disability Industry and how it has had a profound impact on her and her carer to date.
Ok – a quick wrap up of me in 1 sentence: my name is Brandi, born and raised in Western Sydney, a former Disability Support Worker and I am currently the SIL Intake Coordinator at Maple Community Services.
I have been fortunate enough to hold a couple of positions here at Maple Community Services – a testament to the company’s development initiatives. Each position has seen me become more exposed to the intricacies of the NDIS landscape – and boy there are just a few right? But it is these experiences, broadening of horizons and resulting problem-solving skills that have set me up to excel in my current role. My key learnings to date would be:
- Knowing what makes an accommodation placement so successful,
- Understanding just how important building strong relationships are – lucky I love talking to people right.
- And lastly, just how much of a mammoth the NDIS Scheme actually is. I am still learning new corners of it every day, particularly as adjustments are ever-changing.
I feel blessed to have found a company that has the same drive and motivation as I do – a genuine strive for individual success and welfare. Yes, I know this sounds sales’y, but when you look at the foundational ethos of Maple, and even the reason why the business was established 4 years by Samira and Abdul, then you’ll understand that this is something the business actually lives and breathes – and boy is it refreshing to see and experience.
In the role I am currently in, I am responsible for the onboarding of new clients into the Maple Family. The most exciting part is that it is, most of the time, the individual’s first contact with Maple, the brand, the people, our culture – and I get to be the one to introduce them to that. It’s like being the person that introduced Elon Musk to a computer or The Wiggle to Australian Television. You know you are helping this person unlock their future potential.
So, when I am looking to place a new Maple Client within one of our properties, I take this very seriously. The property that they choose becomes their home, their place of comfort, safety, security, and inclusion – and so we must make sure the fit is perfect, and overall, the client is happy. And this is what gives me the drive to show up every day.
In regards to the onboarding process itself, it is also a delicate operation. I make sure I am available and with the client, their family, and stakeholders, throughout the whole journey – ensuring they have a stable touchpoint to talk to no matter what time of day or night it is. I am a strong believer in building up trust, and ensuring we build a robust environment where everyone is happy to speak their mind – otherwise, this process does not work. I treat everyone as if they are my own family members straight off the bat – and they definitely feel like this at the end of the onboarding process.
People always ask me what the most rewarding part of this job this. And it is never a straightforward answer. But if I had to put a one-liner together which summarised, at this point of my career journey in the NDIS, what puts the biggest smile on my face each day, it would be – seeing a client blossom in their new home when I check in on them, seeing their families and support networks put a little trust in me, and it paying off. Overall, it is the ‘Thank You’s’ I receive from the people I interact with, that keeps me going day in and out.