Coffs Coast Innovation Farm

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LATEST NEWS: The Innovation Farm now accepts enrollments at anytime of the year. - (18 Jan 2011)

The Coffs Coast Innovation Farm is a horticultural training and employment support service funded by Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The Farm is auspiced by CHESS Employment and Support Services but programs are open to jobseekers from all Job Service Australia and Disability Employment Service providers across the entire Coffs Coast area.

CHESS was successful in securing funding in the first round of Innovation Funding and the Innovation Farm itself was established in mid 2009 when CHESS commenced leasing 5 acres of prime agricultural land in Bonville, on a property nearly 30 years organic.

The goal of the farm is to support highly disadvantaged jobseekers into employment and further education by addressing long term barriers - challenging them to look forward and question longheld preconceptions about their abilities and coping mechanisms.

These barriers may include mental health diagnosis, addiction, lack of education, long term unemployment, lack of family or community support and many others.

CHESS as a Disability Employment Service provider has a history of farming and horticulture and an understanding of the positive effects, both mental and physical, of working on the land.  The Innovation Farm is an open acknowledgement of these effects and attempts to go one step further in capturing information about clients and supporting them actively and holistically to achieve identified goals.
The core program is the fee for service Intensive Support Program but several others have emerged around this core in an attempt to be a truly community owned venture.

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