Company: Total Support Services, Eastwood, South Australia
Company Description: Total Support Services was founded in 2010 by partners Sandy Liddell and Matt Henderson, before the beginning of the NDIS. It is now one of the largest disability support service providers in the country, and with over 500 staff across South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland, Total Support Services continues to grow and meet the needs of Australians all around the country.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Social Change Maker of the Year - Disability
 Nomination Title: Sandy Liddell, Founder and Co-Director
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2022 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below:
Sandy Liddell is founder and co-director of Total Support Services, and an advocate and driving force for supporting people who live with disabilities.
Originally from New Zealand, Sandy permanently moved to Australia in her early 20s and has travelled around the country, working in the disability support sector for more than three decades while gaining a wealth of experience in supporting people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
With two children of her own who live with disabilities, Sandy has a personal connection to the subject. She has a passion to make a positive difference, not only her family but also for her clients and knows from first-hand experience what life with a disability is like which motivates her to go above and beyond for those who need support.
In 2010, Sandy Liddell was case manager for a client living with disability in rural outback Australia who was at risk of losing access to his disability support due to his remote location. Determined not to let him down, Sandy established Total Support Services with her partner Matt, in order to provide a service that would be there for her clients no matter what.
14 years later that client remains in the care of Total Support Services, and Sandy now oversees a company that has grown to employ more than 300 staff and provides support for more than 500 clients around Australia. Under Sandy's leadership, Total Support Services is now one of the largest and most trusted disability support service providers in Australia.
Through her leadership of Total Support Services, Sandy has achieved several professional and personal goals including launching a business, growing it to expand into 3 states, and earning personal recognition for her achievements. In 2021 Sandy was selected as a finalist in the CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards, in the Corporate Responsibility category. The following year in 2022, she won a bronze Stevie Award in the Social Change Maker of the Year category for her work in supporting people living with disabilities.
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Since launching in 2010, Sandy’s vision for Total Support Services has always been an organisation that is there for its clients. The growing disability support industry resulting from the NDIS which launched in 2013 has brought thousands of new organisations that are financially driven, but Sandy has continued to put clients’ needs ahead of financial revenue – occasionally even providing services at a financial loss to continue supporting clients in desperate situations who would otherwise lose access to vital support workers and housing.
From just a handful of employees operating out of a house in 2010, the company has grown significantly and now employs over 300 staff to provide services to over 500 clients across three states around Australia in 2024.
Sandy uses her experience and passion to drive the company toward a long-term vision of helping Australians living with disability by providing a high-quality service that is consistent, reliable, and which meets the highest standards laid out by the Australian Government and peak national bodies.
Under Sandy and Matt’s leadership, Total Support Services aims to remain a family owned and operated, customer focused organisation that consistently delivers tailored services to people who require support due to disability and ageing.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 230 words used.
Notable achievements since 2022 include completing development of a robust Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing cluster, the renovation of our office building, doubling of office staff numbers, and achieving full voluntary accreditation under the NDIS.
People living with serious disability are often disadvantaged by design standards of regular housing and require housing that conforms to Specialist Disability Accommodation standards to achieve a similar quality of living. Since 2022, Sandy has invested in supporting this high-needs demographic with the development of purpose-built Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing units to accommodate 5 full time residents and 5 short term respite clients. With one completed, plans are already underway to construct another – the first in a series of houses that will follow a standardised design layout.
During 2022 and 2023, Total Support Services also bought out and renovated the building it was leasing. Office staff numbers have now doubled, and the organisation offers a wider range of services for clients, including Allied Health and Lifestyle and Recreation, which provides activities and events for NDIS participants to develop skills and engage with the community.
During early 2024, Sandy successfully advocated for a client under the care of Total Support Services by voluntarily providing compassionate and legal support. With Sandy’s assistance, the client was able to get through a difficult patch in their life and gain greater autonomy and freedom to live their life.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 105 words used.
Respite housing vacancy flyer attached.
Images of cluster housing attached (as a .PPT file for convenience).
Images of office renovation (before, during, and after) attached (as a .PPT file for convenience).
Total Support Services timeline reference at:
Note: The website is currently experiencing issues and being redeveloped, so some elements and information may not display correctly or be entirely up to date.
Sources for Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) can be referenced from the following websites:
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Most NDIS service providers only provide one or two specific services (e.g. Occupational Therapy, Plan Management, or Support Coordination) and need to refer their own clients to external service providers for the rest. Total Support Services is registered and accredited to provide every service accessible through the NDIS and does not need to outsource work to third parties to ensure clients’ needs are being met.
It's also quite uncommon for many NDIS service providers to own their own office space. Most businesses, particularly in the disability support industry, lease office space. Total Support Services has purchased and designed an office to suit its needs that is accessible for people with disability.
Furthermore, most NDIS participants who access Supported Independent Living services in Australia live in standard housing that isn’t very suitable for people living with severe disability, due to accessibility issues and increased risks. To address this, Total Support Services constructed a dedicated robust Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) to serve clients with higher complexity needs.
This kind of housing is rare, particularly for an organisation that does not specialise in disability housing. Robust SDA housing conforms to specific mandatory construction rules and regulations around accessibility and safety, including the use of wheelchair accessible design elements, extra durable construction elements, and minimal use of dangerous sharp edges and corners.
Of just over 8,000 SDA properties enrolled Australia-wide only slightly over 800 (or 10%) are designed to a robust standard, and in South Australia that number drops to just 5%.
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
