prisms report

The prisms report is a new section we'll be bringing you bi-annually. In each report, we'll highlight useful information to help you rebuild a specific area of your life after your separation - we'll be covering everything from childcare to finance, from personal fitness to budgeting after separation.

One of the first issues many women have to address in the early stages after separation is how the changes will impact on their careers and working lives. For some women, separation means an unplanned return to work, while for others it can mean an increase in working hours. In our first prisms report (available online in early December) we'll be looking at  returning to work as a single mother. Look out for the next issue of the prisms report soon. It will examine childcare issues and how you can find the right care for your children.

prisms December report – Returning to Work as a Single Mother

 We are pleased to bring you the first of our reports on special issues affecting single mothers – how becoming a single parent affects your return to paid work.

One of the most important decisions you have to make as a single parent is when, where and how much you will work outside the home. It’s not just a matter of picking the perfect job and launching yourself into a new, successful, highly paid career. Some of the factors you will need to consider are:

• How much money do you need to live on?
• How old are your children?
• How many hours a week can you work realistically?
• Is child care available and is it affordable?
• Do you want to continue in your current career or would you like to change careers?
• Do you want to return to work yet or would it be better to wait until your children are older?
• Where can you get help if you want to talk about your options?
• How will returning to work affect your Centrelink payments? 

In the report, prisms will be talking to Coleen Rivas of www.worksavvyparents.com.au about how you can find a fantastic, fulfilling career and still spend time with your kids. We’ll also hear from Brigitte Calvert of www.createunlimited.com.au. Brigitte is a life coach who helps people identify their passions and goals and then shows them ways to achieve their best. Both Coleen and Brigitte are single mothers and businesswomen whose working lives are dedicated to helping other people enjoy their work and their family life. We also help you find our way through the maze of Centrelink information by showing you where to find the right information online about how returning to work affects your family assistance payments.

Interview with Coleen Rivas of Work Savvy Parents

Brigitte Calvert of Create Unlimited

Returning to Work – Centrelink Information

Further Information

Interview with Coleen Rivas of Work Savvy Parents

prisms: Could you please describe what your organisation does?
Coleen Rivas: Work Savvy Parents runs a series of training programs and other career services to assist parents who are returning to work. We generally contract to Job Network Services and provide their job seekers with parent focused ‘return to work’ programs and other complementary services including career coaching, job seeker marketing and Intensive Case Management. We also provide staff training to Job Network services to help ensure their staff are ‘parent savvy’ and are able to meet the unique needs of parent job seekers

p: How did Work Savvy Parents come into being?
Coleen: When I became a single parent, I needed to return to work so I could continue to make mortgage payments and provide for my family. At the time my kids where aged 1 and 3. I went back to my “pre-kids’ career as a Job Network Service Manager. After six months and a near breakdown, I decided I just could not manage a young family and a management career. Out of necessity, I decided to use my skills and experience as a contractor, and put together a list of programs I could provide to the Job Network – then marketed myself. After twelve months as a part-time contractor (earning more than I was as a full-time manager!) I found a niche in servicing return to work parents. This was really my passion, and with the Welfare to Work changes, it was a niche that would obviously become a great need within the Job Network. In September 2006, I re-branded my business to “Work Savvy Parents” and now focus on working with parents (mainly single parents) who are looking to return to work. 

p: How does WSP complement existing return-to-work services? How is WSP different? Do you work in conjunction with government services or is WSP an alternative?
Coleen: Work Savvy Parents aim is to complement the work of Job Network services. We provide practical workshops that ‘equip’ parents with relevant information that helps them through their return to work journey. Our programs explain details like how employment income will effect Centrelink benefits (FTB, PPS etc), how to access free childcare (JETCCFA), explanations of participation requirements etc, how to manage work and home commitments, strategies for dealing with sick kids while working, self esteem after being out of the workforce for a long time etc etc

p: What special issues do single parents face when returning to work?
Coleen: Single parents face all the challenges that any parent returning to work after an extended break faces – however the issues are magnified because of lack of support and sharing of home responsibilities. One of the biggest issues is that single parents cannot work outside of child care availability – a partnered parent may be able to do a weekend or evening shift because their partner can help with caring for children – single parents often don’t have that type of back up. Often this means that many single parents are limited in their employment choices. 

Single parents also have to take on two roles alone. There is no-one else to give them a break. Going back to work wont reduce household responsibilities or the demands of children. Simple things like going to the shops for a loaf of bread are made more difficult because children need to be packed into the car for a family expedition to the shops. A partnered parent is more likely to benefit from some degree of shared parenting and household responsibilities.

I also think there is a bias against single parents by some employers who assume that a single parent will take off more time than a partnered parent. There may be some truth in this, as many single parents have little or no support to help them manage a sick child.

Lastly, many single parents who will enter the Job Network process (particularly after July 2007) will do so at a time when they are dealing with a relationship breakup. This often also means they will also be dealing with custody issues, property settlement, divorce proceedings, and sometimes resettling kids into a new home or school.

p: How can you help single mothers who wish to make a career change after the end of a relationship?
Coleen: Our “Balancing Family and Career” workshops are all about providing parents with practical information about finances, childcare, work/life balance and job seeking. We also provide specialized Career Coaching and other one-on-one services that focus on the unique needs of ‘return-to-work’ parents. At present, we can only offer services to parents who access Job Network Organizations that contract our services, although we do hope to expand our services to the general public over the next 12 months. If parents are interested in our services, they should speak to their local Job Network service, who can then refer to them to our business (they can pick up the costs of our services through the Job Seeker Account)

p: Are there any issues specific to mothers who are required to return to work or who deem it necessary as a result of separation or divorce?
Coleen: As mentioned above, there are a number of stressful factors that separating parents are working through, and these will all have an impact on their job search journey. We are attempting to educate Job Network services on the special needs of separating parents, and help ensure that they are able to direct parents to appropriate services to help them work through these issues. 

I personally believe that a return to work can benefit many separating parents, both financially and personally. I do think, however, that parents in this situation need to have time to deal with the major issues of a separation and divorce, and that they should be exempted from job search until they have worked through the most important aspects of a family breakdown.

p: What advice would you give single parents about finding a work-life balance?
Coleen: Look after yourself! Make sure you have time to meet your own needs, or you will burn out quickly. Work-life balance is impossible if parents (especially single parents) don’t make sure that their own needs are met. A burnt-out, tired and frustrated parent is not what kids need.

p: For single mothers who are finding it difficult to find employment, how can WSP help?
Coleen: We provide job seeker marketing services for participants of our programs. What this means is that we actually go knocking on doors and marketing the job seeker directly to employers to line up job interviews on their behalf. We often make use of Wage Subsidies that Job Network Services offer to employers to promote our clients and create new positions.

Our Career Coaching services include career planning, customized resumes and assistance with job applications.

p: Is there any additional advice you would give single mothers about returning to work or changing career?
Coleen: Be sure what you want – write down all of your employment needs – ideal hours, location, career path etc. Don’t take the “I’ll do anything” approach! Every job seeker who has told me that has later rejected job offers because, on consideration, they generally do have some limitations. If you have concrete ideas about what kind of work you want (that are realistic), you will be able to narrow down your job search and focus on a specific industry or occupation. 

From July 2007, thousands of parents (mostly single parents) will enter the job market, and they will all be looking for between school hours work in their local area. Don’t wait until you ‘have’ to look for work, or you could end up being ‘compelled’ to take a job you don’t want or face loss of benefits. Centrelink should give you a choice of Job Network providers. Don’t just let them refer you to any agency! Do your research. Find out what services provide parent focused programs. Don’t rely on a glossy brochure – some of the services with the best looking brochures (that promise the world) end up offering nothing of substance. Visit the services in your area and ask them what exactly they can offer you. There are some fabulous services out there, but sadly, there are some that just don’t even attempt to meet the unique needs of parent returning to work.

p: Can you provide any case studies of single mothers who have accessed your services, to inspire and inform prisms single mums?
Coleen: I recently worked with a fabulous single mum who had three kids aged between 4-9yo. She had escaped an abusive relationship, and after some recovery time, made a decision to return to work. Initially, this lady had said she would ‘do anything’, but after some coaching it turned out that she had completed 2 years of a Teaching Degree, and prior to having children, had had a dream of working with special needs kids. 

Firstly, I encouraged her to return to her teaching degree on a part-time basis – she would complete her qualification in eighteen months, and be able to get a job in the school system which would provide ideal working hours for her and her family. We enrolled her into Uni for the following year. In the mean time, she really wanted to get some work experience, so we considered options that would benefit her long term goal of working with children with a disability. We were successful in marketing her to a disability service where she now works part-time as a personal carer for young people with a disability. In February next year she will go back to university to complete her degree, and the organisation she works for will support her with tuition assistance and time off for studies. For this lady, having a goal and being encouraged to pursue her dream, was all she needed to move into a more positive phase of her life. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing (it never is!) but she is now excited about her future and is setting even greater goals for her and her family.

 Brigitte Calvert – Create Unlimited

My name is Brigitte Calvert, I am a single mother with two beautiful boys, six and four, and I run a Life Coaching business, CREATE.Unlimited Coaching. I am a qualified Life Coach and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner. I work with individuals and groups to create change – improve lifestyles, health, fitness and wellbeing, relationships – and achieve desired outcomes in any area of life where a gap is identified. I love what I do and I love supporting people in creating the lives they want for themselves.

Everyone can benefit from Life Coaching! It is a process of self-discovery, self-awareness, learning new ways of doing, learning new ways of being – it allows the individual to experience fresh perspectives on ideas and life, inspiring amazing possibilities!

If one feels there is a lack – something missing – something vague or something specific – one can work on creating change for the better through life coaching.

I remember it was March, 2003, when my husband came home and told me “we’re not happy – that’s it”. That was a Saturday night. My house was put on the market on the Monday and the house was sold in 4 weeks. I had a 2 year old and a 5 month old, and had to find somewhere to live. My head was spinning and I was frightened. My 2 year old suffered from Febrile Convulsions over a 15 month period from 12 months of age, every couple of weeks. I remember, so clearly, the first one he suffered when I was on my own, in the middle of the night..

I needed to work on creating something else… something better… some kind of direction.. I needed some kind of guidance…I remember reading an article on life coaching, that looked interesting, that I had stashed away to address “one day”.. One day had arrived..

I took part in twelve weeks personal life coaching myself and absolutely loved it. The journey I took was incredible – and it changed my life. I found something that made a difference to my life and in the world and I wanted to be a part of it, helping others to feel the same. I undertook training myself, becoming an authorized McIntyre System Coach and then completed a Certificate IV in Life Coaching. CREATE.Unlimited was formed and I began my business at the end of 2004. So essentially, I have been in practice for two years.

For those women who are newly separated and/or single mothers facing life/work/family/career challenges, there is light at the end of the tunnel, there are ways of improving areas of your life that need addressing.

An important way of understanding what’s going on for you currently, what you are truly feeling, is to sit with yourself for 15 minutes DAILY.. just sit, breathe and BE.. Allow whatever is in there to surface and acknowledge it.. Give yourself this gift. It’s quite amazing what you can discover about YOU when you listen to YOU..

Creating fresh passion for life and purpose in life can be absolutely achievable, when you start to become aware of your own personal values – what’s truly important to YOU?, and your personal vision for what YOU really want in your life. Looking at certain areas of your life where there are gaps and creating a clear understanding of what you want in those areas is the first step to creating the change you desire.

Life Coaching is one of the tools that can help you get there. If you would like more information about life coaching, please don't hesitate to contact me at brigitte@createunlimited.com.au or visit my website at www.createunlimited.com.au

Brigitte can be contacted by phone at Ph: 03 9836 0895 M: 0412 180 369

 Centrelink Information (www.centrelink.gov.au)

Welfare to Work

The Welfare to Work package is a $3.6 billion Australian Government initiative, designed to support and assist, those people that can, move off welfare and into work.

With a balance of support through improved services, increased financial incentives and some new obligation requirements, the Welfare to Work package includes new eligibility rules for income support payments, more places in employment services, changes to participation rules and a new compliance system.

When do the changes commence and what is changing?

The changes will be introduced from 1 July 2006 and will focus particularly on:

• people with disabilities - From 1 July 2006, people who are assessed as capable of working 15–29 hours per week will have to look for work to their level of capacity. Depending on their individual needs, people will have access to specialist disability services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Australian Apprenticeships, job search and placement help, and ongoing workplace support. No-one will be expected to participate or work beyond their capacity. The changes will not affect people who were on Disability Support Pension before 10 May 2005.
• parents/principal carers - From 1 July 2006, people granted income support who are principal carers of a child or children will generally have to seek part-time work if their youngest child is aged between 6-15 years. These customers will have to register with an employment service provider and look for paid work of at least 15 hours per week. Job Network’s new Employment Preparation service will help parents prepare for work and they will have access to other support services such as subsidised child care. Some exemptions will apply to parents with special family circumstances. People who are already on Parenting Payment will have to seek part-time work from 1 July 2007 or when their youngest child turns seven, whichever is later.
• people who have been unemployed for a long time - From 1 July 2006, long-term unemployed job seekers will have access to more help to find employment. They will face increased obligations if they fail to participate in activities and services that are designed to help them find a job. New and expanded services will better meet their needs, including (depending on their circumstances) Job Capacity Assessments, Wage Assist, Full-time Work for the Dole and access to other employment support services.
• mature age job seekers - From 1 July 2006, people aged 50 to 64 will have the same obligation to look for work as other job seekers. However, job seekers aged 55 and over will be able to meet their obligations by undertaking part-time work or volunteering for 30 hours or more per fortnight. New support services including Job Network’s new Employment Preparation service will improve opportunities for all these groups of older job seekers.
  

For more information and links about how returning to work will affect your Centrelink payments and to find out when you are required to return to work if you are receiving Parenting Payment (Single), visit Centrelink's special webapge for more information.  

For Further Information

There are lots of great articles available online to help you get information about returning to work. One example is Tips for Mothers Returning To Work by Kate Southham, which tells mothers how to prepare a resume, for example, and how to find out about refresher courses.