We sat down to chat with Martin Dicker about his work at Baptcare in Tasmania, including his unofficial position as office comedian and social club organiser extraordinaire!
What is your current role and what does it involve day to day?
I am a Family Services Practitioner in the Foster and Kinship Care Program in Tasmania. This role sees me travelling all around the north of the state, providing support to carers of children in out of home care.
How long have you been working within the Family Services team at Baptcare and what drew you to working in this space?
I have been in the Family Services team for just over a year. I used to work in the Horizons program in the Mindset team. I have always loved the culture of Baptcare, so I was drawn back after a while out of the organisation. I love working with families. It can be a complex space to work in at times, but it can also be highly rewarding.
What do you like about working with Baptcare and in the family services space?
I really love our team and the culture and the growth you can see in families we work with. It’s amazing to see the changes a family can make to help it function better, meet the needs of the children or the parents/carers.
Can you share a particularly special work day you’ve had recently?
A particularly special day I had with a family recently was when a young person in care was elected to their school’s Student Leader Board for 2024. The happiness, excitement and pride they had made me shed a tear of joy!
Did you always want to work within the family services space and what are some other jobs you’ve performed in your career?
I have worked in a number of different areas since graduating as a social worker, including mental health, housing and family services. I have found there is so much you can learn from every area you work in that can be transferred into work in other spaces.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a firefighter and a pilot!
You’ve got a reputation as being the office comedian! What or who makes you laugh?
Haha… Lots of things make me laugh. When working with such complex situations, you learn to find the silver-lining. I really love sitting down and consuming a wide range of stand-up comedy, TV shows and podcasts. Some of my favourites include comedians Geraldine Hickey, Rhys Nicholson and Jimmy Carr, TV shows Utopia, Schitt’s Creek and Archer, and podcasts No Such Thing as a Fish and Simply the Jest.
You’ve also got a great wrap for being active in the social club. What made you get involved?
I love getting involved building the culture in organisations I work for. The Social Club in the Mowbray Hub holds a special place in my heart. We’ve had a lot of success hosting lunches, arranging Christmas parties and activities such as corn-hole (an indoor game) and drumming.
Can you tell us two surprising things about yourself?
I am a bird nerd and I love mountain-bike riding.
Please complete this question: my favourite weekend would include…
Time outside, on the couch and at Bunnings.
What are two things on your bucket list?
Bungee jumping and flying a plane.
Do you have a mentor or idol?
I don’t really have a specific person. I just enjoy talking with people and hearing about their lives. I find that everyone I meet has something interesting that I can learn from and connect with.
Community news
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Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
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