Parent Pathways, a new service that provides personalised pre-employment support to eligible parents and carers of young children, has been launched by the Federal Government.
This expanded service replaces the ParentsNext program and will see UnitingSA deliver additional services in the Murray, South East and Mid North regions of South Australia.
Parent Pathways supports parents with young children (aged under six years) who are receiving the Parenting Payment to achieve their education, employment and career goals, while keeping their family front and centre.
“Balancing the demands of a young family while looking for work or starting studies can be incredibly challenging,” explains Steve Urbank, Program Manager.
“We match parents with a qualified mentor who works one-on-one with them to identify personal, study and work goals.
“That person will continue to meet with them regularly to work on a plan to achieve those goals.
We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, so our aim is to be flexible and offer a service that is tailored to the needs of the individual.”
A mentor can help parents to:
- Identify education and employment goals
- Access financial support to achieve goals (for example, training, textbooks, transport or assistance with purchasing a computer)
- Overcome barriers to education and employment
- Connect with local services and networks
- Access language or literacy programs
- Access childcare and meet childcare costs
- Complete further education or training
- Obtain and maintain employment.
For more information about Parent Pathways and to view our locations, view our Employment and Training services page.