14th - 17th October 2023

Our annual Retreat takes place in October. We’ll be heading back to Oscar’s for our seventh Retreat to advance Customised Employment and Discovery in Australia. The serenity of the mountains and the flow of the Yarra River lend themselves to open, honest conversations and the sharing of ideas to advance practice with fidelity to the evidence base.

In 2024, our agenda focuses on practice standards and how we can adapt the US standards to meet our conditions, with the aim of establishing recognised benchmarks for Australian practitioners. We’ll explore the application of Discovery in remote communities and within the DES system to ensure that the standards respect those operating environments. It’s not just about the NDIS but about the application and delivery of Discovery to the broader community.

Our agenda is set by the conversation—not the usual 20-minute conference stuff, but an in-depth open conversation that shifts the dial further. We’ll look at new and promising research, resources to improve outcomes and innovative practices that maintain the integrity of practice while meeting their community needs and expectations.

This year, we’ll push the community of practice further and heighten its role in managing practice benchmarks. At a time when the DRC and NDIS Review have made what we do the flavour of the month, we want to ensure that the community receives genuine Discovery and CE that meets recognised standards. You need to be part of this conversation!

How Does the Retreat Work?

If you haven’t attended before, it works like this: We meet on Monday evening at Oscar’s for a meal and informal meet-and-greet. The vibe of the Retreat is casual and relaxed, and if the sun is out, we’ll spend the days working by the river. Bring a hat and beach chair if you have one.

If you would like, you can take the opportunity to lead a session; we do plenty of workshopping of ideas collectively and in small groups.

On Wednesday night, we have a night out, or maybe we’ll bring the restaurant to us. We like to finish that evening or most evenings by the riverside firepit. There’s plenty of time to go for a run; drop a line in the Yarra or lilo it. Bring your camera; the valley is a photographic bonanza.