After 13 years working in retail, Jenny had an operation that prompted her to move into home care, a career she had often considered but hadn’t had the opportunity to explore.
Planning her career change, Jenny discovered the Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP), an SSI-supported program aimed to support, skill and empower home care workers to deliver safe, high-quality care for seniors in Australia.
Having always enjoyed spending time with her mother and her mother’s friends, Jenny decided to register onto the program after seeing an ad online. Within a month, SSI had supported Jenny in securing three potential roles in home care – she chose the one closest to her and joined aged care service provider Our Lady of Consolation.
Eleven months into role, Jenny wished she had made the switch years earlier.
“What I enjoy about my role is putting a smile on the faces of my clients,” Jenny said.
“Just knowing I’m helping my clients continue to live at home, where they feel most comfortable, is very rewarding to me.”
Jenny added, “I was surprised how lonely older people are in the community. Some seniors have never been married. Some have no children. Some have lost their partner, so they have no one to help them.”
Home care is not an accessible option for many seniors, as Australia grapples with talent shortages affecting the home care sector. Reports estimate the nation will need 110,000 more home care workers in the next 10 years – a trend influenced, in part, by seniors’ growing preference to stay at home.
“You don’t realise how much seniors need our support until you go out and work with them,” Jenny said.
“There is this lady I take shopping. She just loves to get out, and although her movement is very slow, just going to the shops and having a coffee and a lemon tart makes her day.”
For Jenny, her role as a home care worker is never the same. Sometimes it can involve doing light housework, taking seniors to doctor’s appointments, preparing a meal or just making a cuppa and having a chat.
“For some clients, we are the only people they see, so sitting to talk to them brightens their day.”
Jenny is interested in building a career in home care, so she’s taken on one of the development initiatives offered by the Home Care Workforce Support Program and is currently completing a Certificate III in Individual Support.
“I’m doing my Certificate III by correspondence, which suits me perfectly because I can study and work at the same time,” Jenny explained.
“SSI has been such a great support for me. Not only did they help me to secure a job in the first place but also, they continue to provide ongoing upskilling and growth support through my studies.”
SSI aims to boost the care workforce with 4,400 new support workers in NSW and the ACT by mid-2024 through its delivery of the Home Care Workforce Support Program.
The program is free and open to people with an empathetic nature who seek a rewarding, long-term and meaningful career caring for Australia’s seniors.
Seven multi-talented female music professionals representing seven cultural backgrounds recently came together as part of SSI’s delegation at Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) culminating in a glamorous ceremony at the heart of Meanjin/Brisbane.
Over the past two weeks, there has been an unprecedented scale of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and a rapid intensification of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and surrounding areas.
History is calling. This Saturday, we will face a decision that holds great significance for all of us and the future of our nation – the proposed establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
For Jennifer Cameron, the idea of becoming a counsellor, let alone running her own business, felt unattainable until she found the support of Ignite® Small Business Start-ups, an SSI social enterprise.
SSI Gambling Harm Prevention Program Coordinator, Marziyah Razi shares her journey arriving in Australia as a refugee and how her past experiences have influenced and motivated her efforts at SSI. As a dedicated volunteer, Marziyah also shares how she builds strong connections within the Afghan-Australian community in Melbourne.
“I have a strong desire to contribute to the community and extend the same support to others that I had received when I first arrived in Australia.”
Tell us about your resettlement journey?
My family and I had to leave our home country, Afghanistan, due to war when I was less than a year old. We moved to various countries until we finally got the chance to come to Australia, accompanied by only two of my siblings, in 2015.
The opportunity to resettle in Australia is one of my life’s most significant events. This country has provided me with safety, security, and, most importantly, the opportunity to grow. Indeed, the journey hasn’t been easy, but the path refugees treads strengthens them and equips them to confront any obstacles.
Since I arrived in Australia, I’ve dedicated myself to creating a better life and future. I take great pride in my resilience and determination throughout this journey.
Not having a secure country to live in is a significant hardship for any refugee. What was even more challenging for me was never having my father with us and being split from my mother when I was just 14 years old. Since then, I have had to be strong and independent, make my own decisions, start a new life, work, and study without taking a break, even if I was exhausted.
All you can do when you have no one to turn to or to go back to is to look and move forward, and there are times when being strong is not a choice but the only option you have.
Nevertheless, I have always been grateful for my path since, without the events that have occurred, I would not be who I am now.
How does your personal resettlement experience inspire your daily work at SSI?
Sharing the same vision and values genuinely inspires me to work at SSI. As someone who has had the experience, I know how difficult it can be to settle in a new country. SSI substantially assists those from refugee backgrounds and those with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds with their resettlement and offers assistance to Australians in several areas. I received service with various resettlement-related issues when I first came to Australia, and now I want to lend a helping hand to others.
SSI is one of the best organisations I have ever seen for welcoming and helping those with refugee backgrounds. Unfortunately, refugees were not only not accepted in some of the nations where I’ve previously lived but were also severely discriminated against. So, I am happy to see refugees being supported and embraced by organisations like SSI in Australia.
Can you tell us about how you engage with community?
The aspect of Australia that I genuinely appreciate, and love is its multiculturalism. I enjoy connecting with various multicultural groups to establish connections and gain insights from their backgrounds. I participate in cultural gatherings and events whenever possible to socialise and expand my network. Moreover, I dedicate my time to volunteering with an Afghan-Australian community organisation based in Victoria.
Can you explain your volunteering and why you do it?
Upon my arrival in Australia, I received assistance from various agencies and organisations that helped me in my resettlement. This experience instilled in me a strong desire to contribute to the community and extend the same support to others I had received.
My volunteering journey commenced in August 2021, following the sad events in Afghanistan. Witnessing the fall of Afghanistan, I, like many Afghans, experienced profound sorrow. I was desperate to help Afghans in any way possible, but I was still determining how to go about it until I learned about the Bakhtar community organisation I am currently volunteering with. Recognising their efforts in assisting new arrivals, I realised that the least I could do for fellow Afghans was to extend my help to them here in Australia. I decided to reach out to Bakhtar after thorough research on the organisation. To assist new arrivals, the first thing that came to my mind was collecting new or gently used clothing and delivering them to the community for new arrivals. And it all started from there.
What would you say to your colleagues looking to get involved in volunteering/engaging with community?
I encourage anyone to get involved in volunteering. Volunteering and helping others are what brings satisfaction and happiness. If you are busy, do as little as possible because every little help counts. Sometimes life is unfair, and not everyone is as fortunate as others to be born in a safe country, have a roof over their head, or even have a meal to share with their families. As humans, we are responsible for holding other people’s hands and helping one another if we can.
We have a very famous poem in Farsi that says:
Human beings are members of a whole,
In the creation of one essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of a human you cannot retain.
– Saadi
Almost 100 people, including young people, gathered to learn about the unique challenges and opportunities facing young migrants and refugees at a dedicated Youth Symposium last month.
Peter’s life took a turn in 2022 after being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment.
As his condition progressed, the 39-year-old realised he could no longer maintain his employment or drive his car. He became withdrawn from regular activities and spent most of his time alone.
“Peter used to work full-time, drove everywhere, enjoyed cycling and surfing and lived a pretty good life,” said Beverley Sutton (Bev), Peter’s Local Area Coordinator from SSI.
Bev has been working alongside Peter to support him in achieving his NDIS goals. The new diagnosis meant that Peter, who was already an NDIS participant since 2020, had to reassess his NDIS plan to meet his new support needs. Peter and Bev also had to consider new ways for Peter to navigate and participate in his community and explore new social activities.
“Bev has encouraged me to try so many things like being proactive and visiting Vision Australia, helping me know what questions to ask and the support I need; I now have some great glasses and my cane,” said Peter.
“Using public transport with my cane was a huge step, and it took a while.”
“Using my phone more with different apps.”
Peter’s meeting with Bev at the SSI LAC Liverpool office was a significant accomplishment. This was the longest distance Peter had ever travelled since his diagnosis.
“Peter caught a bus from his home, which dropped him off about a hundred meters from the office. Peter then used this phone to navigate to the SSI Office, the app on his phone would tell him the numbers of addresses until he reached the right one,” said Bev.
Bev and Peter have focused on more than just his immediate support needs. The two have used a whole-person approach to identify additional support needs and seek these supports within the community.
“[Bev has] connected me with a local psychologist that is easy to get to,” Peter said.
“Bev has a knack for getting so much out of me from a phone call; I think I’m masking my depression, but she sees through it; she reads my tone.”
“[Bev] let me know of activities in my local area, including bingo at my local club where I could meet new people; This is part of my life now”.
Through his resilience and support from Bev, Peter is now an active participant in the community. He has more confidence in expressing his choice and control, whether it is at a café or when arranging his NDIS services.
“More on Bingo, I go every Monday; I have a budget and have built my confidence to get a drink and a small meal at the café in the club. Bev encouraged me to ask more of the staff as they are there to help me – it has made a big difference; I could probably be called a regular now; I am very shy, but I have three people I say ‘Hi’ to and talk to briefly at Bingo; Their smiles help me when I am feeling down”.
As part of the support Peter receives from the SSI LAC Program, he contacts Bev once a month, and Bev does regular check-ins at other times.
Peter said, “I sometimes Pester Bev for advice, and she is the only one I can rely on and get support.
“Bev can be blunt and to the point when I need a push. She talks to me with respect and a caring nature”.
Peter’s NDIS plan includes support to assist him when completing his daily tasks can be more difficult. Expressing his needs is a crucial part of getting the proper support. With time and support, Peter gains confidence and understanding of his rights, choice, and control.
“Some providers haven’t been reliable in the past, and Bev has encouraged me to contact others to support me; I have a little more confidence in asking for what I need and want, not accepting bad service”.
When asked what’s next for him, Peter said, “I am more confident in walking to my local shops and have a timetable of activities on my fridge; I enjoy bus and train trips.”
“[Bev] is encouraging me to travel to Macarthur Square in Campbelltown – after I learnt how to get to Casula Mall; One step at a time”.
The SSI LAC Program is designed to support you along your NDIS Journey, giving you the knowledge and confidence to access services that potentially have positive life-changing impacts.
SSI is partnered with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to deliver LAC services in NSW. The services provide a person-centred approach to support people with disability, their families, and their carers to pursue their goals, exercise choice and control, and connect with the community.
For more information, visit our webpageor call 1800 960 975 to speak with the SSI LAC Intake Team.
When Jok-Babott sought refuge in Australia over 20 years ago, she confronted the daunting task of learning a new language and navigating unfamiliar systems and cultures. Today, Jok leverages her own experiences and skills to provide the support she wishes she’d had as a newcomer.
Most of the programs at SSI include children and young people, so it is critical that we take active steps to create a safe environment. As we enter National Child Protection Week, here’s a recap of the steps we’ve taken to create a culture of child safety at SSI over the past 12 months.
