Sutherland Shire Community Care Network (SSCCN) Inc. is a community-based organisation that works towards improving co-ordination and quality of care for frail older people, people with disabilities and their carers. It is managed by representatives of various community groups, including agencies funded by State and Commonwealth government and members of the HACC Forum and Sutherland Shire Carers and Consumers Forum.

SSCCN was established in 1998 as a result of the Building Bridges Community Care Demonstration Project. The Project aimed to build bridges of co-operation between the individual agencies providing community care services and to involve frail older people, people with disabilities and their carers in decision making, in order to improve outcomes for people using the services. To achieve these aims, SSCCN manages several community development projects funded through the Home and Community Care (HACC) Program.

These include:

• Sutherland Shire HACC Development Project
• Sutherland Shire Carer Support Project
• Sutherland Shire Carers and Consumers Forum

We can also provide information about a range of community care services:

• Advocacy
• Assessments and Case Management
• Day Care
• Dementia Services
• Food Services
• Home Help
• Household Maintenance
• Neighbour Aid Services
• Respite for Carers
• Community Health
• Transport
• Social and Recreation

Building Bridges Project

Building Bridges was one of eight Community Care Demonstration Projects funded by NSW Ageing and Disability Department and NSW Health between 1994 and 1998. The demonstration projects aimed to trial innovative ways of organising and delivering an integrated system of community support services for older people and people with disabilities through localised strategies of reform and collaborative approaches between services in the project areas.

In Sutherland, the Building Bridges Project represented a vital step in the development, expansion and strengthening of community service networks in the Sutherland Shire. It did this under the direction of a project worker, the HACC Development Officer and members of the HACC Forum, who constituted the Building Bridges Steering Committee and five working parties to address the aspects of community care:

• Participation
• Care Co-ordination
• Information
• Assessment and Referral
• Consumer Rights and Participation
• Quality Improvement

Building Bridges produced a range of outcomes, including Sutherland Shire Community Care Network Inc, Sutherland Shire Carers and Consumers Forum and Care Co-ordination Policy and Protocols.