Create A Sense of Place

24/12/2025

📅 Office Closure Notice

Our office will be closed from Wednesday 24 December to Friday 2 January 2026.

We will reopen on Monday 5 January 2026.

If you require any urgent medical or mental health assistance during our closure please contact one of the services for support:

- Call Triple Zero 000 (for immediate assistance if your life is in danger)
- Su***de Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
- Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
- Lifeline: 13 11 14

If you would like to send an email to advise of any changes, please email: welcome@createasenseofplace.com.au

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23/12/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas from Create A Sense of Place 🎄

As the year winds down, we want to pause and say thank you. To our participants, families and partners. Your trust, courage, and commitment are what give meaning to everything we do.

Christmas is a time for connection, reflection, and hope. We hope this season brings you moments of rest, warmth, and joy, whether that looks like quiet time, shared laughter, or simply feeling safe and supported.

As we head into the new year, we remain committed to participants ensuring that you feel valued, heard, and empowered to live full lives with purpose and belonging.

From all of us at Create A Sense of Place, we wish you a safe, peaceful, and joyful Christmas ✨

05/12/2025

It’s not always easy to get every superstar in one place, and today we’re missing our wonderful Emma and Cody at the Newcastle Team Christmas Lunch. But their spirit is here, and the celebration rolls on!

To our Newcastle team: thank you for the heart, grit and passion you’ve poured into supporting participants this year. Your dedication has changed lives. You turn challenges into momentum and care into real impact.

Here’s to an incredible year and an even brighter one ahead. Absolute champions.❤💜🎄

03/12/2025

📍IDPWD Theme: Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress.

For me, this years theme brings hope. In 2024 I embarked on a Masters in Disability Practise and Leadership and Developmental Education. My aim was to continue learning and incorporating how we can do better at CASoP, to support people with disability be be active citizens in their community. In the last two years I have learnt a lot, and have been fortunate enough to be guided by amazing lecturers, many with lived experience of disability.

What has been one of the best part of my studies, apart from the amazing content which really is all about this year’s theme, is realising that there are actually many people out there who are fighting the good fight, to help make Australia an inclusive country. I know that often I feel like my team and I are in a bubble, and we have unfortunately experienced some really awful stuff in our time, so it is hard not to feel like every person out there providing support is doing it for the wrong reasons. I get at least 20 marketing emails a day from providers around the country, and I find it truly difficult to know who is legit and who is not, so I tend to put everything in the too hard basket.

But my studies have helped me to remember that there are awesome people everywhere, who really want to do better, and to support others to do better.

So in unity, lets work together to bring down the barriers people with disability face and foster truly disability inclusive societies

- Brigette Kirkpatrick (CVO)

19/11/2025

📣Did you know that CASoP also provide supports as an Approved Service Provider for Aged Care?

Our wonderful Practice Leader is taking the lead on our Aged Care projects for CASoP. Jaimee is attending a two-day Planning for Diversity workshop facilitated by OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network). The workshop will deepen our understanding of our reporting requirements under the new Aged Care Act. It will also guide how we plan and deliver inclusive supports, and strengthen how we report the practical changes we’re making to create a more diverse, welcoming environment for older people and our team.

07/11/2025

Last Friday I was able to attend the Brisbane Disability Expo. Sometimes you can walk into these expo's and feel overwhelmed immediately by the number of information stalls and the number of people visiting. This expo was quite the opposite, they didn't fill the exhibition hall to the brim with providers, you could sit and listen to the speakers they had on stage or the dance group that performed - that was a highlight for me! The people I met while visiting stalls were generous with their time, knowledgeable and were interested in collaborating - it's not always about competing with one another. Since it was Halloween and since the face painter that was there didn't have anyone waiting.......well, I got ready for Halloween!!! 🎃👻🎃 Thanks to Elaine Fantasy Metamorfaces

15/10/2025

✨Celebrating 9 Years of CASoP ✨
Founder & CVO - Brigette Kirkpatrick

As we celebrate 9 incredible years, I can’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come.
When CASoP first began, we were one of the very first independent organisations in the Hunter region of NSW — right as the NDIS was unfolding around us. From the start, our aim was simple: to do better, to be different, and to create positive change wherever we could.

Our motto has always been to be the best at what we do, not the biggest — and that still holds true today. We’ve stayed focused on what we do well, and we’ve done it with integrity, transparency, and heart. We will never offer every service under the sun, but the ones we do provide are always guided by ethics, quality, and genuine care.

Over the years, we’ve watched empires rise around us, some built on shaky ground, others doing amazing things. Through it all, CASoP has stayed grounded in our values and commitment to people. And while we’re still proudly based in the Hunter, we’ve since welcomed incredible team members from Queensland and across Australia — extending our reach to support even more people.
I’ll be honest, after years of navigating NDIA changes and the constant challenges, we were feeling a little weary. But they say change is as good as a holiday, and our fresh new look and brand-new website have brought a renewed sense of energy and purpose.

This milestone wouldn’t be possible without our amazing team. Many of our team members have been with us for 5, 6, even 7+ years. Each person brings their own strengths and expertise, but what unites us is our shared values and commitment to doing what’s right. I’m endlessly grateful for each of you.

And to the people we serve — thank you. Thank you for trusting us with your stories, your goals, and your challenges. Thank you for letting us walk beside you. We’ll continue to listen, to do better, and to ensure our services always respect your autonomy, uphold your dignity, and amplify your voice.

Without our team — and without you — there would be no CASoP.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you 💜💜💜

🎉Here’s to the next chapter — refreshed, re-energised, and ready to keep creating a sense of place for all.

02/10/2025

‼️Ishv joined our team back in June this year and hit the ground running in her role as Support Coordinator. Ishv has a wide range of experience and knowledge of the Community Sector in various management roles and serving previously as a NDIS Support Coordinator. Ishv is passionate about the people she serves and we are very fortunate to have her on our team 💜

02/10/2025

💛 October is Mental Health Month 💛

🌿 Look after you: rest, move, connect.
🌿 Look after others: listen, notice, support.

A small act—like a text, a chat, or just listening—can make a huge difference.

If you or someone you know needs help:
📞 Lifeline 13 11 14
📞 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
📞 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Let’s normalise the conversation. 🗣️✨

25/09/2025

We always love to hear and share stories about participants and their achievements. This share is about a young man who has been going to Men's Shed with support, he has learned how to make chopping boards. He enjoys it so much that he has found a new hobby to do at home 🤩 Should this be a side hustle?

11/09/2025

A simple question can change a life. 💛

Take a moment today to check in with someone you care about. Ask genuinely. Listen deeply. Remind them they’re not alone.

It’s not about having the perfect words or fixing everything—it’s about starting a conversation that shows you care.

✨ Let’s break the silence, open our hearts, and create a world where no one struggles alone.

So… R U OK?

09/09/2025

Motivated by this article today to be of service to others. This is also what I was taught growing up and its comforting to know that at CASoP, we also work to serve others 💜 Read the article by Simon Sinek.

'Why lead if no one ever knows your name? Because leadership isn’t about you. It’s about the people you serve. It’s about the legacy you leave, not in headlines or awards, but in the lives you touch.

The best leaders I know are students of leadership. They’re always learning, always growing, always looking for ways to help others rise.

The more you focus on serving others, the more your influence grows. Not because people know your name, but because they trust you. They follow you. They become leaders themselves'. - Simon Sinek

Leadership isn’t about the spotlight—it’s about trust, service, and impact. Discover why the most influential leaders remain invisible.