Star Weekly has looked back at our editions and picked out a selection of our favourite stories from 2022, including…
Social worker Mel Walters loves making a
difference for clients every day.
Not only does the Ravenhall Bolton Clarke
employee help avert family crisis, but she also
helps people access secure housing, travels up
to 300 kilometres a day to make visits and helps
people navigate the aged care system.
Speaking ahead of Aged Care Employee Day
on August 7, Mel said the satisfaction of helping
people access services and get back on their feet
is all in a day’s work.
“I often liaise with clients who have no family
who can help them, so I assist them to gain the
additional supports they need,” she said.
“I’ve been a social worker for over 40 years
in a community setting and I love the variety,
the privilege of hearing peoples’ stories and
working with them to put in place preventative
methods based on their preferences.
“Social workers are there to work with people
– everyone is equal and entitled to respect and
care.”
Mel’s duties include helping people
make decisions about future care planning
so their wishes are understood if their
needs change.
“I also help make informed choices
about their accommodation, elder abuse,
family conflict, deal with risk management
surrounding the clients’ safety at home and
develop networks to find creative solutions to
peoples’ issues identified at the time,” she said.
To keep clients safe and connected, Mel
continued with phone consultations during
COVID-19 restrictions.
“I also linked people into projects in the west
like a telephone chat program,“ she said.
She said helping people with social issues,
like adequate housing, supports their overall
health and wellbeing.
“I had a gentleman who was living in a
community housing complex which had
security risks for him, and he had undergone
chemotherapy and treatment for cancer,” she
said.
“He was completely alone in the world and
we worked with him to relocate to a more
secure form of shared accommodation which
met his needs. Within three months he went
into remission and his wellbeing was greatly
improved.”
Mel has worked at Bolton Clarke for three
years, supporting clients in the west.
“What do I love about the westies? The
diversity,” she said.
“We have lots of cultural groups and
immigrants and mostly clients haven’t been
into contact with services before. You are really
making a difference.”
