When James arrived in Western Australia as a refugee, it was Catholic agencies, Identitywa and Centacare Employment and Training who offered him access to the education and training which will enable him to gain employment. Photos: Supplied.
When James arrived in Western Australia as a refugee, it was Catholic agencies, Identitywa and Centacare Employment and Training who offered him access to the education and training which will enable him to gain employment.
James is currently studying a Certificate lll in Individual Support and is undertaking experience supporting individuals in one of Identitywa’s shared accommodation homes.
“My placement with Identitywa has given me real life experiences to support individuals with disability.
“The staff have been very supportive of me and this has assisted me greatly. I have had the chance to interact with individuals, learning how to support their needs.
“The first week was a bit challenging as my English isn’t perfect but as days went by I got a better understanding of the people I was assisting,” James shared.
“I feel lucky and grateful to have had a chance to do the course and I look to building on my knowledge and skills.”
A shared vision for encouraging staff to achieve the ‘best life’ for people with disability and their families has resulted in the collaboration of Identitywa and Centacare which offers accreditation for students through Centacare’s Individual Support course.
Having highly skilled staff is critical to the delivery of Identitywa’s services which can assist people throughout their lives.
Identitywa’s Manager of Services Lee-Anne Brensell explains how Individual – Person-Centred Active Support is at the heart of their services and the opportunity to experience placements in our shared accommodation homes is so valuable for students.
“Our goal is that students will graduate the course with a range of factual, technical and procedural knowledge, as well as some theoretical knowledge of the concepts and practices required to provide this type of support,” Ms Brensell said.
“James says he is gaining vital practical experience about how he can contribute to wellbeing of the people he is supporting in his placement,” she said.
Identitywa, one of WA’s largest agencies supporting people with disability and their families.
For more information about our range of services, please call 9474 3304 or email reception@identitywa.com.au