Meet Therese - Individual Support Graduate

Born and bred in hospitality and tourism it is hardly surprising that Mossman local, Therese Maloney, has worked in both sectors throughout most of her life.

“My parents bought their first motel when I was five and it’s turned out that I’ve spent a lot of time working in tourism. My upbringing has probably played a big part in who I am today: I’m a natural people person.”

It was Christmas of 2018, when Therese and husband Shane took their three sons to the Gold Coast to visit family, that the topic of working in another sector was raised with her.

“I was talking to Shane’s 89-year-old grandmother and she had just started receiving community health support and she said to me, ‘Therese, you’d be really good at something like that’.”

“It’s funny how things happen at a certain time in your life because I’d just been thinking about what my next move would be,” explained Therese.

While raising three boys is arguably a full-time job, Therese often finds herself holding down several part-time jobs at any one time.

“My eldest is 16 so in between having children and trying to manage multiple jobs around family commitments, I probably burnt myself out. I’ve always juggled too many things but I’m also not good at sitting still.”

After returning home from their Christmas trip, Therese was scrolling through her social media feed when a post from Far North Community College about its Caring in the Region course popped up. According to Therese, the timing couldn’t have been better. She sent a message and was encouraged to come into the office.

The Caring in the Region program was designed specifically by Far North Community College to run during school hours with the aim of making it more accessible to women with school-aged children looking to re-enter the workforce or upskill. Providing customised, flexible support to participants was a cornerstone of the program. 

“I was a bit nervous about joining but I stuck my head into the classroom and it was a nice bunch of ladies of varying ages and cultural backgrounds who were already enrolled in the course. I thought, ‘This is exactly what I’m after’. I wanted to immerse myself in the community,” said Therese.

So, in February 2019, Therese set off on what would be a new career path and started the process of gaining a CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing & Home and Community) qualification.

Daunted at the prospect of studying again and aware that her time management skills weren’t great, the fact she had to attend class two days a week worked perfectly for her.

“The last time I studied was 1991 so knowing I had to physically be there on a Thursday and Friday was ideal. If it had been an online course, it wouldn’t have worked for me, I might not have given the course the time it deserved. This way I was entirely focused on the task at hand for those two days.”

In a tourist town where full-time work from one employer can be hard to secure, Therese found herself managing a restaurant a couple of nights a week, cleaning the local school in the afternoons, and agreeing to help friends out who own a café.

“I kept thinking: how will I fit in the 120 work-placement hours around my other commitments? But I did, I completed 40 hours of aged care work focusing on palliative care, then spent some time in the community working with people with disabilities. Then I was fortunate enough to land a paid community care position where I help people in their homes.”

Therese is still in this same community care role today, working with a patient she has been assisting since last September.

“A lot of the work I do together with my client focuses on rehabilitation and recovery as well as assistance with daily activities and respite for her and her full-time carer, who is also her partner. We’re kicking goals which is awesome, and I feel we have set up a positive connection,” said Therese.

Nationally accredited and recognised, the Certificate III in Individual Support qualification gives participants a solid grounding in both practical skills and theoretical studies and offers a range of potential career options, from aged care to helping vulnerable people in their homes. Therese chose to pursue her interest in helping people with disabilities. 

Earlier this year, only three weeks prior to the country’s COVID-19 shut down, Therese went on to further her training with the CHC43115 Certificate IV in Disability run by Far North Training and Consultancy. The qualification is only accessible to those already working in the industry. 

“I’ve always been interested in working with people with disabilities or learning difficulties. I struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia growing up, two of my kids have dyslexia and my nephew has learning and development challenges.”

Despite having to learn remotely while Far North Training and Consultancy closed its office temporarily, Therese said the studying side of things wasn’t so overwhelming the second time around.

“We had a really good support system set up by Far North Training with extra help from the trainer if we needed it.”

When asked where Therese sees herself in the future and whether she’s chosen the right path, Therese is honest with her response.

“I like to think about the next challenge and I’m always wondering about where to next. With palliative care you have to be really nurturing but it’s also heart breaking; you need to prepare yourself for when your client isn’t around anymore. At the moment, I feel I’m suited to working with people with disabilities, especially young kids because you’re encouraging them to do things for themselves,” explains Therese.

“This industry wasn’t an area I’d ever really considered looking into but I took a leap of faith and I’m really happy I did; it worked out well.”

The Caring in the Region program, funded by the Queensland Government through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, was run by Far North Community College with the support of Far North Training & Consultancy.