It’s official. Disability service providers House with No Steps (HWNS) and The Tipping Foundation (TTF) have become one organisation.
It’s a huge milestone for House with No Steps and The Tipping Foundation, CEO Andrew Richardson said. “We’ve joined forces to support more people with a disability in more places in new and better ways and are now one united organisation, committed to the human rights and wellbeing of all people with a disability.”
The merger, that was announced in November 2017 and received approval from members before Christmas, has a strong presence throughout Eastern Australia, with about 5000 employees and around the same number of customers.
It has a new board and an executive leadership team led by Richardson and each will continue to operate under its own name for the foreseeable future. The same staff will continue to support customers in the same way.
Richardson said the merged organisation would leverage its diverse expertise to help more people with a disability in more places. “With our combined experience, we will help our customers flourish under the NDIS, by providing consistent, high-quality services throughout eastern Australia, investing in our workforce so we attract, develop and retain great staff and by implementing new technologies that make us easier to engage with and the NDIS easier to navigate. Any changes will be well-considered and there will not be change for change’s sake.”
However one change he flagged as particularly exciting was the new chief customer officer role, intended to solidify its commitment to “keeping customers at the heart of all we do”.
Scott Sheppard is stepping into this role, responsible for leading customer experience and overseeing improvements for customers and their families. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in the disability sector to the role, previously serving on the NDS State Committee and National Board, and the Victorian Government NDIS Implementation Taskforce.
For more information visit hwns.com.au or tipping.org.au