Disability support workforce expanded

My Pathway’s 40-strong Disability Supports workforce in the Torres Strait is growing in strength and numbers with the addition of specialist trainer Cheryl Archer to the team.

The established My Pathway Disability Supports team supports participants on Thursday, Badu, Saibai, Masig, Moa and Poruma (Coconut) islands.

My Pathway acting Disability Supports operations manager Shariel Cassar said Cheryl brought a wealth of experience to the role.

“Cheryl brings more than a decade of nursing and aged care experience to our program and added to this, her previous experience as a TAFE nursing trainer makes her the perfect addition to our team,” she said.

“We are so excited to have her join us, delivering contextualised training face-to-face and alongside our Torres Strait Islander support worker’s daily roles.”

Cheryl will travel to Thursday Island regularly over the next twelve months to deliver the accredited Certificate 3 in Individual Support to a significant number of people, growing their skills and mentoring them to achieve the nationally recognised certification.

As a My Pathway NDIS Mentor and Trainer, Cheryl said her passion for remote communities, and for helping empower people to care for others, came from her formative years as a nurse in Lockhart River.

“As a young immigrant nurse, I took my first job in a place I had never heard of before, Lockhart River,” she said.

“In the two-and-a-half years I was there I became part of the community and saw the opportunity to help bridge the gap between the community and healthcare.

“This role developed my passion for helping people in remote communities to upskill and I want to use my experience now to empower people to look after those around them.

“I learnt so much about the benefits of care being provided by local people to members of their own community.

“So when this role came up with My Pathway I jumped at the opportunity, I really like our model of employing local teams to care for members of their own communities.”

Shariel said program staff were excited about the addition to their team and the impact it would have.

“We can’t wait to see how this new training approach helps to develop the skills and proficiency in our awesome Torres Strait Islander workforce, creating sustainable careers that will have a lasting impact in the region,” she said.

To find out more about My Pathway Disability Supports, including ways to get involved, please speak to Torres Strait Team Leader Laura Shone or Senior Support Worker Mawath Seriat at the Douglas St office.