the agm is tuesday 26 october
TRANSCRIPT
A message from
Tricia Murray Chief Executive Officer
The AGM is Tuesday 26 October Preparation for this year’s AGM are well underway. This year’s theme is:
Reflections of the past 20 years, and we’re excited to reminisce fond memories,
celebrate staff and share future plans. Nyungar musician Kobi Morrison will be
entertaining us. Kobi is an outstanding performer who sings in language, and
recently performed at the Jilya Institute’s World Suicide Prevention Day Concert.
The AGM should be a lovely evening, and I hope to see you there.
When: 26 October 2021 at 6pm
Where: Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre
The Auditorium Room
36 Dodd Street, Wembley
20 October 2021
20 October 2021
Yorgas Yannin Yirak: Women Walking Tall
Wanslea and Christine Ross Consultancy are hosting an unmissable sundowner
event to celebrate inspiring and resilient female Aboriginal entrepreneurs. If you
would like to attend, please RSVP by 27 October to [email protected]
20 October 2021
A message from
Stephanie Jackiewicz Early Years
Spring has sprung in Kalgoorlie What beautiful weather we have been
experiencing in the Goldfields lately. A perfect
excuse to get out and enjoy what Spring has to
offer. Debbie, our Family Day Care Facilitator,
along with Jillian from Inclusion Support attended
the local Spring Festival in Kalgoorlie last week. This
annual event initiates the beginning of Spring
where local businesses come along to showcase
their products and services.
Wanslea attended alongside the Goldfields
Women’s Health Care Centre. Community events
are a great opportunity for us to engage with the
local residents, so Debbie and Jillian organised
activities that enabled children to engage and be
creative. Debbie and Jillian were busy bees and
provided an abundance of playdough tubs for
the children to take home, to carry on their
creative flare. Participating in community events
like the festival allow us to promote and
personalise our programs to the public. It allows us
to talk to families about the services that Wanslea
offers and the possibilities they may present for
people. The festival was a great day.
20 October 2021
A message from
Jo Collins Moorditj Koorlangka Moort
Children’s Week 2021 Children’s Week is 23 – 31 October 2021. The week is a national celebration of
children’s rights, talents and citizenship. It is held on the fourth Wednesday of
October in Australia, to coincide with Universal Children’s Day.
Each year the theme of Children’s Week highlights a particular children’s right.
The theme for 2021 is Article 15:
Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organisations, as
long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.
Children’s Week 2021 is a wonderful opportunity to promote the rights of children
and young people, and to celebrate their capacity to actively contribute to the
world around them.
To find out more or get involved, visit the Children’s Week Council of Australia’s
website.
20 October 2021
A message from
Jo Collins Moorditj Koorlangka Moort and Kati Francis Regional Services
Christmas Gift Collection for Regional and Metropolitan
Children
20 October 2021
Little Dreamers By Catarina Chestworth, Mental Health COPMI Peer Support Worker
Little Dreamers is a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne. They support
young people that provide unpaid care for a family member or person with a
disability, illness, or addiction. Little Dreamers has many programs that aid in
supporting young people in various ways; A little more information can be found
here: https://www.littledreamers.org.au/about-us/
Back in May, I was approached by Young Carers WA about a program called
The Young Carer Advocacy Project run by Little Dreamers. I was encouraged to
apply, and even though I didn’t feel like I would bring very much to the table, I
applied anyway. I waited until the last minute to apply, only just getting my
application in minutes before the closing time. A couple of weeks later I received
a call from the CEO of the program to let me know I had been accepted as a
Young Carer Ambassador for the project and Little Dreamers.
The Young Carer Advocacy Project is an Australia-wide initiative designed to
give Young Carers a platform to influence their community and create policy
change across Australia. After conducting focus groups with over 300 young
carers across Australia, a smaller group of 16 Young Carer Ambassadors were
selected to develop a policy report that will guide the Australian Government to
better recognise and support young Australians with caring roles.
The program consists of many components: the first being numerous workshops
to collaborate and discuss what we would like to see in the report. There were
many ideas thrown around, however, we narrowed it down to five key areas that
we feel need focus:
1. Mental health of the young carer
2. Social isolation
3. Financial limitations
4. Education about young carers for schools and professionals (such as
teachers, police, social workers, etc.)
5. Lack of awareness of Young Carers
I was also meant to go to Melbourne in July for a three-day retreat to learn more
about advocacy, get social media training, media training and so much more,
but unfortunately due to COVID-19 this has been postponed to a later date.
20 October 2021
Ambassadors were also supposed to go to Canberra and deliver the report to
key parliament members, but this too has been postponed.
Last week (10 – 16 October) was Carers Week. During the week Little Dreamers
ran many events. I participated in three events, which I feel very warmly about.
On Tuesday 12 October I participated in a discussion called Cuppa with Carers.
The CEO and I sat down and touched on topics such as who I care for, what
being a young carer means to me and if I think more can be done for young
carers. This was live-streamed to Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/littledreamersaustralia/videos/267408191913958
A blog I wrote on my perspective of being Young Carer was published:
https://www.littledreamers.org.au/millions-of-reasons-to-care-my-story-as-a-
young-carer/
I also participated as a judge in a Young Carer talent show. I sat alongside the
CEO, Sarah Harris from Studio 10, Dena Kaplan, most well known for her role in
Dance Academy, and Heidi, a fellow Young Carer Ambassador. It was a very
heart-warming experience and I loved seeing all the young people perform.
There was a lot of talent amongst the children and I was very proud to be a part
of it. I was also lucky enough to be a special guest and read out a poem I wrote
about being a Young Carer. I was nervous, but I am so glad I got to experience
it. You can view the talent show here:
https://www.facebook.com/littledreamersaustralia/videos/4389895627794901
I feel very thankful that I was able to be a part of something like this. I also feel
very humbled that I was given a platform to be able to share my story. Many
young people in similar situations are not given a voice, so I feel incredibly lucky
to share mine. No two young carers are the same; we all look after people in
different ways. It is wonderful news that young people are getting the
recognition they deserve. Hopefully there will be some changes made for the
support available to Young Carers. That’s what I am most excited to see;
change.
20 October 2021
Young Carers Poem By Catarina Chestworth, Mental Health COPMI Peer Support Worker
The world seems like it is spinning by on its axis, spinning and never stopping.
Whilst my world is at a constant standstill. Constant worrying always seems to
cross my mind “is Mum okay”, “if I go to this party, will Mum eat?”, “is Mum going
to take her medication?”, “will Mum remember to sleep?”, will she, won't she,
should she, could she. These are just some of the many thoughts that cross my
mind.
My life is on autopilot, every day feels the same.
Yes, things change, life constantly rearranges.
But every day is the same.
Check if she is okay.
Make sure she is up.
Check-in with her, did she sleep?
No? well, make sure she at least eats.
How does she seem today?
Will she be okay if I go do… my life?
After I’ve done worrying about Mum, it’s time to worry about me.
Eat some food.
Take your medication.
Put on your AFOs.
Do your hair, do your makeup.
Do I have time to study?
Stop procrastinating.
Once I am ready, I head on out.
Keep your phone close just in case she needs you.
“Oh, she’s not good today? Alright call in, tell them you’re sick”.
My whole life, all I do is constantly worry about everyone.
Everyone but me.
They tell you to practise self-care, but when you do, you are perceived as selfish.
“You should look after your Mum more.”
But then in the other corner, I have people telling me I look after her too much.
Make up your mind, which one is it?
But, if I don’t look after her, who will?
Will you? No, I didn’t think so.
20 October 2021
Sometimes it’s draining, far too much for one to bear.
But on other days, it’s helpful because I can focus on something other than
myself.
On the great days, when everything is going well, I feel like I can breathe.
But on those bad days, I cannot breathe at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my Mum.
She’s one of the greatest people I know.
She loves, though, she loves too much.
She gives a lot of herself to others, but hardly any to herself.
She’s funny.
She’s probably one of my best friends.
I think I get a lot of myself from her.
You know, learnt behaviours and all?
It’s a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing.
Mum and I have grown close.
We do everything together.
I think my becoming her carer brought us closer.
I understand her on levels people don’t understand.
I can tell just by looking at her if she’s sad, mad or in pain.
This… this can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse.
But here we go again.
The world seems like it is spinning by on its axis, spinning and never stopping.
Whilst my world is at a constant standstill.
My life is on autopilot…
Every day is the same.
20 October 2021
A message from Corporate Services
Cultural Awareness Training The next Cultural Awareness training session is fast approaching. If you would like
to attend, please contact Sabrina Soffian to register. Details of the next session
are:
When: 5 November 2021
9am to 4pm
Where: The Wetlands Centre
184 Hope Road
Bibra Lake 6163
RSVP: By 3 November 2021
20 October 2021
Work Health and Safety Representatives By Linda Elezovich, Workplace Health and Safety Advisor
It makes sense for us to talk to each other about safety at work. Over the last few
months you might have heard that each building or area has a Work Health and
Safety (WHS) Representative, but do you know what they do?
WHS Representatives
WHS representatives raise and discuss safety issues and concerns with
management. There is no reason why you cannot still do this directly, but if you
have a concern or any positive feedback your WHS Representative can raise this
on your behalf to the WHS Committee. The WHS Committee meets every two
months.
A WHS Representative’s role is:
• To complete or coordinate monthly workplace inspections
• To be actively involved in an incident investigation
• To keep up to date with WHS information
• To report hazards
• To consult and cooperate with their employer and liaise with workers
• To issue a Provisional Improvement Notice for any high risks to workers that
could cause serious injury.
In new Workplace Health and Safety Act 2020 there is an additional function,
being:
• To direct work to stop if they feel that it could cause serious harm.
This legislation is not new to Western Australia. We can all do this as it is part of our
Duty of Care. There is a process to follow, which involves communication and
consultation. It is all about starting the conversation and working together.
20 October 2021
Who is your WHS Representative?
Please take some time to say hi to your representatives. They are:
• Armadale, Bibra Lake and Murdoch: Susana Machado
• Cloverdale and Belmont Hub: Lorraine Maxwell
• Kalgoorlie: David Grubb
• Midland, Northam and Northam Keedac: Lorretta McNamara
• Bunbury and Mandurah: Minoli Senadheera
• Scarborough, Stirling and Subiaco: Anne Ranson
• Clarkson, Currambine, Wanneroo and Joondanna: Elisha Smith
• Albany, Albany CPC, Katanning and Plantagenet: Debbie Durack
20 October 2021
A message from
Frances Eaton Acting Manager People and Culture Manager
Weekly EBA Update
This week the Wanslea EBA employee representatives attended their first
bargaining meeting, facilitated by Julian Keys. The meeting identified the
enterprise bargaining topics, and discussed:
1. Are these topics an enterprise agreement issue, a policy issue, or an
operational issue?
2. Does it comply with regulations – Fair Work Act, NES, Modern Award and
other regulations (e.g. superannuation and long service leave)?
3. What is the cost to the employer and the value to the employee?
4. Is it a high priority?
5. Please make sure you reach out to your representative to raise any topics
you would like to see discussed.
EBA Representatives are:
• Laura Halpin, Corporate
• Sophie Grobler, Early Years
• Michelle Berryman, Early Years
• Kelly Tenni, Early Years
• Oksana Steele, Moorditj Koorlangka Moort
20 October 2021
• Sabina Gichuru, Moorditj Koorlangka Moort
• David Grubb, Regional Services
• Lorretta McNamara, Regional Services
• Zoe Lim, Early Learning and Development Centres Metropolitan
• Elise Smith, Early Learning and Development Centres Metropolitan
• Shauna McCarthy, Early Learning and Development Centres Metropolitan
• Kristy Roberts, Early Learning and Development Centres Regional
• Karen Allen, Outside School Hours Centres
The next meeting will be held on Monday 25 October.
20 October 2021
The Importance of HR Expiry Compliance Reminders By Frances Eaton, Acting Manager People and Culture Manager
As we work with vulnerable people, compliance is a key area for us to ensure we
always remain up to date with legislative and our contractual requirements. We
are fortunate to have a Human Resources (HR) database that helps us facilitate
this process.
Part of our compliance involves obtaining and recording various employment
checks for our staff, including, but not limited to: police clearances, working with
children checks, first aid training records, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
training records and driver licences.
As your check reaches its expiry date, you will get an email reminder from our HR
database (three months prior to expiration). This reminder is sent to you and your
manager. It is important to start the renewal process at this point to allow you
enough time to apply for the check and have it returned in time.
As many of these checks are legal requirements, in some instances staff are
unable to work without a current licence or training, which will mean that if your
check is not renewed in time, you will be unable to work.
The HR team is always here to help you should you have any questions regarding
the process. Additionally, if you have not been receiving the email reminders,
please reach out to us on [email protected] to update your details.
20 October 2021
Communication: Make your voice heard By Frances Eaton, Acting Manager People and Culture Manager
As many of you know, we are currently rolling out the revised Code of Conduct,
we have started the EBA process and we are about to initiate the culture survey
– all initiatives for Wanslea to listen to you and to make sure your voice is heard in
our workplace.
In my meetings with each of our teams, we discuss ways and strategies to
communicate effectively, however, most employees still find it difficult to
communicate their thoughts and ideas to others, especially when there is
conflict or confrontation.
We are all unique individuals who think and behave differently, and this plays an
important role in our team dynamics. By better understanding one another and
accepting our differences, we can work more efficiently as a team and
communicate better with our colleagues.
If we don’t address the communication gap that is caused by our different
perspectives, it will cause misunderstanding, frustration and reduce productivity –
just look at the time wasted if an action is not communicated properly. The well-
known water cooler conversation can often result in a whole workplace being
part of a problem that could have been resolved with effective communication.
Let’s have a look at what causes the communication gap. Today, we know that
our personality forms the core of who we are as an individual. By the way, did
you do the personality test yet?... Interesting, right? If you haven’t, find it here:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
The basis of the personality type theory was put forward by Carl G. Jung who
wrote that what appears to be random behaviour is the result of differences in
the way people prefer to use their mental capacities. He observed that people
produce different patterns through a focus on either external experience or
internal awareness (extraversion vs. introversion), the type of information they
prefer to focus on (details vs. big picture) and the way they make decisions
based on the collected information (logic vs. values).
20 October 2021
The key to improving your ability to communicate is knowing your preferences,
how they impact your choices and the way you communicate with others. At
the same time, part of communicating effectively is recognising the different
personality types of others and speaking their language. Here are some easy tips
you can apply to close the communication gap and move from irritation with
differences, to acceptance:
Know your Personality Type
We have different preferences in the way we tackle problems, the type of
information we focus on and the way we make decisions. Knowing your
preferences, how they impact your choices and the way you communicate with
others, can help you manage yourself and your daily routines more efficiently.
Self-awareness is the first step towards self-management.
How do you gain your energy? (extraversion vs. introversion)
Do you tend to focus on external experiences or internal awareness? If you are
an extravert, you are energised by your external world and actions. You are
expressive, and speak to think. Whereas Introverts are pushed away from the
external world, preferring to focus on their inner thoughts and ideas. If you are an
introvert, you are energised by reflection and spending time alone. You think to
speak.
What type of information do you prefer to focus on? (details vs. big picture)
All life begins when we notice something and take in data. There are two kinds of
information you rely on and tend to utilise: sensing and intuition. If you sense, then
you prefer to focus on details and concrete information, whereas if you’re
intuitive you are attracted to big picture concepts and ideas.
What strategy do you use to make decisions? (logic vs. values)
Once we take in data, we then decide what action to take. There are two
typical strategies you rely on in making decisions to act: thinking and feeling. If
you are a thinker, you decide by organising information in logical ways, with a
focus on results and outcomes. Whereas feelers decide by organising information
around values, ideals with a focus on alignment and relationships.
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So, what is your type and how does this impact the way you communicate with
others? Share some of your experiences and anecdotes with me – we can learn
from each other ([email protected]).
Next week’s newsletter will include part two of this article, where we will look at
how personality plays a part in communication and how you can adapt your
style.
Just as a footnote related to communication, my sincere apologies about
getting my facts mixed up in the previous article about my favourite words.
Christine and Kajsa highlighted that the beautiful word Fredagsmys is actually a
Swedish word, raising the importance of being accurate. Even though
Scandinavian countries share many things, there are differences in their culture,
language, nationality and flags. My sincere apologies Christine and Kajsa, and
thank you for having the courage to email me so I can put things straight. It is all
about having positive conversations and being able to apologise… We do not
always have it right, and that’s okay.
20 October 2021
My story By Frances Eaton, Acting Manager People and Culture Manager
As part of building our Wanslea community, we are going to add a new weekly
segment to our newsletter about you and your story, called: My Story (haha, sorry
I couldn’t resist!), and we would love to hear from you!
Tell us about something that is important to you, your work, a personal
achievement or a colleague you would like recognised for something special
they did.
We start this new segment with Lantania’s story and amazing achievement.
20 October 2021
My story: Lantania Lomax By Lantania Lomax, In Home Coordinator
As many of you know, October is
Mental Health Month and that
there is also a particular focus on
Youth Mental Health Week, which
is 9 - 16 October. To
commemorate, I joined a
fundraising group where
participants engage in virtual
walks, to walk their chosen
distance within the week. I
decided to walk my chosen 49km
in one day, to add to the
challenge. My participation in the
group was because I have many
friends and family who struggle
with their mental health every sing day, in particular my eldest daughter, and I
wanted to help raise vital funds for Youth Focus.
I chose to walk from Bakers Hill to Swan View, as I have previously walked or
cycled this particular section of the Kep and Railway Heritage Track, an am
familiar with it. I also have friends in those areas, who I knew would be able to
support me on the day. I set out from Bakers Hill at 5.58am (it was even too early
for the bakery there to be open!). It was a crisp five degrees as I stepped out of
the car, but at least it wasn't raining! The sun had already started to rise, and all I
could hear were magpies singing their morning song and roosters crowing from
the rural lots.
I set off at a good pace - my intention was to try and cover at least 5km per
hour. I did not see a single person on the track for the first three hours, and when I
did see someone, it was a trail bike rider, not a walker. Luckily, I had my iPod
loaded with songs and no-one could hear my singing!
There were still many wildflowers blooming and the colours were amazingly
contrasted against the orange gravel. Unfortunately, my phone camera does
not do the colour justice! But I did find myself slowing down to admire them
often. There were very narrow parts of the track where I had to duck my head to
get under the overhanging trees, and then other parts of the track ran parallel to
20 October 2021
main roads, so I was able to glimpse traffic occasionally. Sometimes all I could
see in front and behind me was track.
I managed to get to my first official stop, which was Chidlow, some 30kms from
my original starting point. It was here that my friend supplied lunch and a water
top-up, and I changed my socks and checked for any blisters. A quick check
showed that I needed to apply more tape (I had taped all of my toes that
morning, to stop blisters forming) and band-aids. I also stretched my legs that
were starting to become weary. But I knew that from this point on it was all
downhill. I was over half-way already!
I set off from Childlow a little slow at first, as my feet were actually starting to hurt.
I managed to gain momentum though because I knew that it was only a few
more hours to go. There were more people starting to appear on the track,
mainly mountain bike riders, so it was nice knowing that people were around.
As I got further down the track near Mt Helena, I seemed to be climbing uphill,
again - when I knew I should be going downhill. I noticed that the checkpoints
that I should have been heading to showed on the markers that they were
getting further away, not closer… It was at this point I realised that I had taken a
wrong turn at Mt Helena (the track splits in two different directions). I was actually
heading towards Mundaring Weir instead of John Forrest National Park. Luckily
my support buddy checked in with me at this point, who confirmed that I was
indeed on the wrong track and pointed me in the right direction to get where I
should be.
Almost 6kms later, I was back to
where I should have been. I was
very fatigued at this point, as well as
mad and disappointed with myself
for taking a wrong turn, adding
unnecessary distance! Only sheer
determination, stubbornness and
the help of my friends got me
through this stage. My lovely friend
Chan had been on the track earlier
that day, and hung signs of
encouragement on trees and signs
to help me get through. Another
friend also walked with me the last
8kms to for encouragement. I was well and truly ready to finish by this stage.
20 October 2021
After 11 hours on the track, 56km and 68,300 steps, I made it to the end! I have
never been so relieved to see a tunnel in my life! I managed to stumble through
the tunnel to my car, and I can assure you that I enjoyed my very long soak in
the bath when I got home. So far, I have managed to raise $634.00 for Youth
Focus, with a couple of cash donations that need to be added. I would definitely
do the event again, but maybe over two days, not one! I think I'm getting too old
to try and do it all in one day, haha!
20 October 2021
Current Positions Vacant Check out the latest vacant positions at Wanslea
EARLY YEARS Early Childhood Early Intervention Early Childhood Practitioners Armadale / Belmont / Bunbury / Busselton / Murdoch Midland / Bibra Lake Full time Workplace Trainers Belmont / Wanneroo Full time MOORDITJ KOORLANGKA MOORT Out of Home Care Social Worker Great Southern Fixed term - part time REGIONAL SERVICES Manager – Great Southern Great Southern Full time WELD Early Childhood Educator Murdoch / Joondanna Full time / Casual Outside School Hours Care Outside School Hours Care Educators Fremantle / Karratha East Fremantle / Beaconsfield East Hamilton Hill Part time
For full advertisement details, visit the Wanslea Job Board at wanslea.bigredsky.com
20 October 2021
For ‘Internal Only’ vacancies:
Before submitting an application, please email [email protected] to request the job description and employment conditions for the position that interests you.
Your internal application can then be submitted through the Wanslea Job Board wanslea.bigredsky.com via the Expression of Interest vacancy, shown below.
Please ensure your application states the position title of the role you are applying for along with
your resume and cover letter addressing the selection criteria.
This week we welcome the following staff
Bette Davies – Quality Support Officer – Strategy and Business Development
Amy Linsley – Coordinator – Moorditj Koorlangka Moort
Matthew Brown – Early Childhood Practitioner – ECEI
Christy Manuel – Early Childhood Practitioner – ECEI
Sonny Randall – Early Childhood Practitioner – ECEI
Rachel Sharman – Senior Early Childhood Practitioner – ECEI
Pooja Aren – Early Childhood Teacher – WELD