Organisation: Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Job Title: National Client Services Vocational Stream
Word Limit: 2000 maximum characters per criterion
Location: Perth
- Contributes to Strategic Thinking
Describe a situation which demonstrates your ability to use good judgement when interpreting legislation or guidelines in order to make a decision
As an OHS Officer in a previous role at Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Centre I ensured the workers and clients performed their work in a safe and healthy environment. I updated the manual under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984. Additionally, I created an induction package for the students and new employees did a presentation and guided the OHS procedure. I developed the emergency exit plan for the organisation, policy and procedure manual and insurance information, making sure the updated manual was accurately influenced by the insurance guidelines and the Act. In relation to the emergency exit plan, I ensured all were aware of the established meeting point. In the event of an emergency, I ensured that all staff immediately exited the building)emphasised to all that staff that would need to immediately exit the building, I would then take a head count to make certain all where safe, and impressed upon them that they were to return to their offices only when safe. This was reviewed by the CEO of the organisation and the program managers, and was approved by the City of Stirling, the proprietor of the building.
On one occasion a client of Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Centre, while walking through the front door to attend a doctor appointment, hit her head on the door. Because she was a client she believed that she needed to make the accident claim through us. According to the Occupational Safety and Health manual, I determined that we were not the responsible party for building construction and maintenance, since we were purely tenants. However, I immediately assisted her, providing first aid, before referring her to the owner of the property, for further medical treatment and any incurred costs. Additionally, I pointed out to her that although she is our client she was injured in a different department. She understood, and was happy that I stayed with her and performed the first aid assistance. As a result of this accident, the department responsible acknowledged that the door was faulty and required rectification and it was subsequently repaired.
Achieves Results
Give an example of a time when you have drawn on the expertise of others in order to achieve a work outcome
During my tenure at Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Centre, I was a project manager. At the time, there was a Diversity and Social Cohesion Program funded by the Department of Social Services. My goal was to increase community harmony, reduce cultural stereotyping, to increase an awareness of the commonalities amongst cultures, to involve families rather than particular age groups and to empower and encourage women to aspire to and achieve improved lifestyle goals.
This project focused on “Past, Present & Future” and explored the pre-migration experiences, current situations, and future expectations of the female participants. In weekly workshops, other women were drawn upon, and encouraged to share their stories of the past and present and then explore the possibilities for their future as Australians. With the help of a facilitator and the other group members, we developed the stories into a dramatic verbal presentation that will be staged at a local venue as well as built into a written documentary for local publication. My determination and passion for the subject ensures that I utilise all resources and expertise to achieve success for the project.
Among my achievements, one was the success of the formation of new inter-cultural friendships between individuals and cultural groups at a community and family level. This initiative encouraged younger family members to have pride and appreciation for their cultural heritage, and their parents to improve their understanding of the environment in which their children were being raised. Further on a personal level, individuals were inspired and empowered to achieve improved relationships, which in turn reduced family conflict. Additionally, I co-authored a book, entitled ‘Women under Blue Skies.’ published in 2014 by Big Picture Factory in Perth. Of note, is the fact that the Honourable Elizabeth Behjat acknowledged, in State Parliament, ‘the great work done by Ishar, a Multicultural Women’s Health Centre in Perth.’ In the same speech she personally acknowledged my exceptional work in developing this book.
- Supports Productive Working Relationships
Tell us about a specific situation where you have demonstrated your ability to create productive relationships with people or groups outside your work area or organisation (including clients)
In August 2010, a meeting was convened, and peak women’s groups were invited to attend to discuss the 100-year celebration of International Woman’s Day, an important milestone. In 2011, the resultant event was the establishment of the WA Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2012 the Roll of Honour was created. In 2013, it was decided that the celebrations and funding applications should continue to be managed under the auspicious UN Women Australia Perth Chapter. The 2013 event continued with the same management structure and many of the same committee members. However due to UN Women losing their office space in Perth they reluctantly decided to end this Celebration.
This opened up an excellent opportunity for my organisation to become a leading agency and continue with this Celebration and become more recognised. I then undertook the responsibilities of managing the annual event communicating with stakeholders, committee members, funding bodies and event participants. I prepared and lodged submission with the Lottery West to cover the cost of the event and liaised with the Government House management to secure the venue by establishing a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and professionalism. The result was the Hall of fame event was a great success with positive feedback from participants, government officials and venue management and Ishar continues to be the recognised leading agency to this day, providing ongoing support to International Women’s Day.
- Displays Personal Drive and Integrity
Describe a situation in which you were able to remain calm and motivated when facing a challenging work issue
As a project manager at Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Centre, I had opportunities to manage special projects. One project was called: Women Searching for New Beginnings, providing women from humanitarian refugee and migrant backgrounds with the skills and information to move into further training, leading to employment with all of the financial, social and personal benefits associated with workforce participation. Women were encouraged to participate in training programs and support groups aimed at developing economic empowerment, self-esteem and personal strength. These training programs focused on small business development and working from home options.
A situation arose in which one of my staff was not meeting her Key Performance Indicators. Her behaviour was erratic and out of character, and the program began to suffer as a result. I organised a one-on-one session with her to find out the issue, since it was detrimentally affecting the program. I broached the subject during the meeting and the employee became very emotional, extremely agitated and very critical of me and the department. I realised that she was not in the best state of emotional health, and in this challenging situation, I remained calm and collected while working to give her support. We determined that she was extremely stressed and In view of her erratic behaviour though, I realised that I was not going to get the performance required of her if she continued in this manner. The solution was to remove her temporarily from the program and insist she take some leave despite this possibly affecting the program. As there was insufficient time to train new staff to work on the coordination of the program, I simply re-distributed some of her work among other staff members and myself and as a consequence the program was completed very successfully. Being thoroughly knowledgeable and understanding the work involved, I was able to re coordinate the program and completed the project successfully.
