25 November 2021
In a week which marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the ANMF (SA Branch) is thrilled to announce a big win for aged care members at Freeling-based not-for-profit community organisation Wheatfields Incorporated.
Wheatfields CEO/Director of Care Michelle Schupelius, who has spoken out about her own experience with domestic violence, has agreed to implement 10 days of paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave for staff, following EB negotiations with the ANMF (SA Branch).
The previous EB agreement contained provisions for an employee to access their paid personal leave entitlements for the purposes of dealing with family and domestic violence leave and then being able to take up to five days of unpaid leave when that is exhausted.
Ms Schupelius said her decision was in large part due to the advocacy of ANMF (SA Branch) officers. After starting the conversation with family, and researching into the issue, Ms Schupelius admits that it struck a nerve with her. As a victim of domestic violence, she struggled herself to find support.
“To be able to give that support as a leader would be fantastic,’’ she said.
“I found White Ribbon (a global social movement to eliminate gendered violence), and saw they do the accreditation for the workplace, so I headed down that pathway.
“I’ve spoken to staff this week, they’re very excited about going down that pathway as well,’’ Ms Schupelius said.
ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM said: “We applaud Wheatfields and Ms Schupelius on such a compassionate and important win for workers, particularly given 95 per cent of staff there are female.
“We know that nursing, midwifery and personal care is a gendered vocation; and we know that violence against women is inextricably linked to gender inequality, so to have this kind of leadership shown is a great outcome for all.”
Ms Schupelius recalled her own personal experience with domestic violence perpetrated against her.
“My first relationship was quite a violent relationship and it was hard for family to know what to do and to be able to assist me in that regards,’’ she said.
“It’s quite a lonely space, you don’t know where to turn to or who to go to. I did leave a lot of employment because I didn’t know how to cope with some of those experiences.
“I didn’t know whether there was support there either, so for me to be able to give that to somebody else would be something I feel I need to do.
“We do employ a social worker at Wheatfields, so using that person to assist with some of those emotional needs will be really important.’’
Ms Dabars noted that this win was particularly poignant.
“As we head into 16 days of action to eliminate violence against women from our society, this win becomes even more important for our members,’’ she said.
“The ANMF (SA Branch) will continue to strongly advocate for paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave for all our members.’’