Informed Care and Community Services takes a Trauma Informed approach to support services for people in the Yarra Valley and has a steadily growing base across Eastern Victoria. Geoffrey Lawrence is the senior practitioner and co-owner of Informed Care in co-partnership with life partner Naomi Ween, a Senior Social Worker. After working in the human services industry for many years in different organisations and settings, Geoffrey and Naomi decided to establish their own offer with the mission of providing Community Services in the wider community with the best delivery possible. Human services are about social services – individual and social development through a variety of customer bases including disability, community services and more. The team work with individuals, families and communities. “We started our business prior to Covid when changes to the NDIS created a framework for our business model. The timing felt right to start our own offering,” says Geoffrey. “We want to create a caring organisation that is as good as it can be. We want to provide the very best care to our clients and to our rapidly growing team of people. Service excellence is at the heart of what we do.” As their client base grew so too did the need to find premises that allowed them important delineation between home and work and the necessary privacy and confidentially that is essential to good care. YREC provided such a base. Geoffrey had been a tenant at YREC more than eight years ago when he set up a signwriting business in one of the studios as an alternative income stream to balance the demands of working with critical needs people. “I can’t believe it took me so long to realise YREC would be the perfect location for our new services business!” “The level of support an incubator provides is important as we value the camaraderie and people around us. Affordability was another consideration, as was the business hub and the practical support that offers.” “We are a people focused organisation and having a safe place in a community setting that clients can come to is consistent with our values in building a general sense of community for them. The open environment, access to the river and other services enrich what we offer and how we offer it.” “I wanted to create an organisation that was one I wanted to work for! YREC is an integral part of that goal.”