Single mums in the western suburbs of Melbourne can access a free careers and employment pathways program run by the Council of Single Mothers and their Children [CSMC]
Known as Bloom, the program is designed to be a flexible, supportive and gentle program to ease mothers back into work or help them redesign their career or long-term future plans.
Program facilitator Erika Williams said the initiative will involve a series of fortnightly one-on-one personalised consultations running across 10 to 12 weeks.
She said single mothers are a group which may not fit into conventional employment programs or pathways and they need a lot of nuanced and individualised support networks around the wide, varied and unique needs of single mother families.
“Single mothers have often experience things such as family violence, economic insecurity, housing stress, there’s a lot of stressors and other barriers that make it very difficult for single mums to get ahead,” Ms Williams said.
“The sessions are very much based on each individual members experience, some might already be working full time or working part time, but they’re really unhappy in what they’re doing and they want to move into another area of work.”
Ms Williams said 38 per cent of single mother families are currently living under the poverty line.
“They get very little in terms of living off their government payments and other supports,” she said.
“We need to be paying attention to assisting single mothers who are experiencing the huge deficit burden of the current cost of living crisis, and things like that because it affects more families than you think.
“It’s very difficult living within their means and to look after what can be from one to five children.”
Ms Williams said some single mothers may also feel alone and the program will also include monthly networking events.
Details: 0423 189 340 or bloom@csmc.org.au
