A program for carers wanting to re-enter the workforce

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Did you know there are 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia which roughly equates to 1 in 11 people?¹

Carers are a vital part of the community that provide unpaid support or assistance to family members or friends with disability, mental illness, chronic conditions or who are frail aged.

According to the Australian Government, the economic value of the contribution of informal carers to the Australian economy has been estimated at over $40 billion a year, if all the care was to be replaced by formal services².

Transitioning into paid work can feel very difficult, especially if you have dedicated years or decades to looking after a person

This is where the Your Caring Way program comes in.

The program assists carers in Queensland, Tasmania, and South Australia to begin a new future through free employment services, subsidised training options, and volunteering, complemented with personalised vocational coaching.

Your Caring Way Placement Officer, Andrea Cooper said the program launched in April 2020, and provides accredited and non-accredited training to carers, coaching and placement support to assist carers to meet their goals

"Carers give so much of themselves in looking after their loved ones, that they don’t always get enough time to think about what is important to them and their future.”

If a carer wants to return to the workforce or start a new career they may need to upskill and adapt to changes in the market. They may need to grow their experience or build their confidence. Everyone’s journey is completely different

That’s why Your Caring Way is structured into three components:

Planning

A coach works closely with the carer and talks about their goals. They will assess their capacity, ability, barriers to paid work and any other needs (caring-related or not) to maximise their participation in vocational activities.

An initial assessment will help the coach assess if the carer needs upskilling, experience or training, based on what they want to do. A personalised plan is then created

Grow

Once the carer has a plan, Your Caring Way will help them gain the skills they may need to fulfil their goals through study, training or on the job opportunities.

“We partner with a lot of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to put carers through the right training. We also offer a free two-day accredited course called ‘Skills for Success’ where we focus on things like how to create a resume, how to write an elevator pitch, components of a cover letter, interview tips and building confidence”, said Andrea.

A lot of carers want to take the skills they’ve honed in their caring life into the workforce.

The NDIS rollout in Queensland has created a huge shortage of people to work in this industry, whether it’s support coordination, support work, or administration.

“If a carer is undertaking a community sector role, where they will support a client who may need help going to the shops or appointments, they wouldn't necessarily need qualifications," said Andrea.

“For carers who want to re-enter the workforce in personal care or support coordination, there are certifications available that we can facilitate.”

Andrea said that not everybody wants to use their caring skills and experiences and that's completely fine.

“We've had carers that wanted to drive trucks or work with children. We are here to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.”

Achieve

Finally, Your Caring Way will help place Carers into paid work, volunteering or higher education to develop their skills.

The team works with different organisations to match candidates with employers in their local area.

They’ve helped place carers into roles like admin, childcare, aged care disability, working in schools, cleaning, and self-employment.

"A lot of carers love the idea of running a business and have the skills to be able to offer services," said Andrea.

“We coached a carer that started a business decluttering pantries. We have carers that want to set up a business doing counselling or support coordination and we coach them to do that."

Your Caring Way is a two and a half year pilot program funded by the Department of Social Services.

It has already helped 158 carers step into paid work, volunteering or higher education, a number it wants to double in the next 15 months.

"We’re here to help carers and the great thing about our program is that it's quite structured," said Andrea.

“We take it step by step at the pace of the carer and there's no pressure from our side to apply for say, 10 jobs before we meet again. It's completely at the carer’s pace. If a carer decides they want to work in a certain area, attends a few interviews then realises it’s not right for them, we’ll pivot and try something else. It’s not necessarily a straight line and we know that.”

Andrea’s words of advice to a carer that wants to re-enter the workforce is that their input is valuable and the journey is worth it.

“Even though it can feel stressful, once a carer starts thinking about their future it can be an exciting time of growth. Even though it might seem overwhelming at first, with the support of a coach, great things can happen.”

For more information visit Your Caring Way.

Are you a carer? Jump onto the Kinora community to chat with other people in a similar position. We’d love to hear about your own goals, or your journey into employment!

¹Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2018", 2021

²Access Economics, 2010