First of all, let’s take a moment to remember how awful ParentsNext was and how good it was to have it stopped. The end of ParentsNext was a huge victory over a punitive mandatory program.
The government agreed in May 2023 to stop almost all compulsory aspects of the program and make it voluntary, and to co-design a better version with eligible parents of pre-school children and community advocates.
Now, there’s an opportunity to contribute to the new version.
Seeking a single mother interested in improving pre-employment programs for parents with pre-school aged children.
Over the past year, CSMC and our colleagues at Single Mother Families Australia have worked alongside senior public servants to develop the outline for a voluntary pre-employment program for parents with pre-school children.
The government department running the show is DEWR (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations) and while we have not always been their greatest fan and continue lobbying them on a range of issues, we think they have done quite well on this so far.
There are still issues – such as the tender process, which is basically the same as the one they used for the old ParentsNext – but even so the outline of the program is good.
The stage it’s up to now is a Parents Advisory Group, which meets online about once every six weeks, and is providing guidance ahead of the launch of the new program 1 November 2024. Our CEO will be joining our colleague from Single Mother Families Australia on the group. You could be too.
Would you be right for this role?
This would most likely suit someone with lived experience relevant to designing a pre-employment program for parents with pre-school aged children.
You will also need to have the confidence to join a committee with people from government, agencies who will be delivering the program, community organisations like CSMC, and parents who have pre-school or primary school children.
Each meeting is paid for including childcare, if you need it.
There are certain requirements, including confidentiality and signing a conflict-of-interest form. If you want to know more, please email action@csmc.org.au
