However, a small number of parents did not fully access the specialist or mainstream service system and had received little assistance from services, instead preferring to receive assistance from family and community members. Yes I got support from my own community because they were there for me and to know that it has happened and calling in and see what’s going on and all that, but support from services or whatever, no there was nothing like that. Only from my family members and community. (F3 P Mother) In some instances, families with a refugee background found that mainstream services could be unhelpful in their assistance. Frustrations could occur in relation to services not meeting their needs or expectations, requiring participation that seemed irrelevant to the objectives of the service use. This could be stressful, particularly when families really needed help. Q: So do you have any ideas of the improvements that the Job Network could do in order to better meet your needs? Do you have any suggestions? A: I found that dealing with them was very stressful. It is very stressful, because they create this panic in you that they keep asking you questions, when are you doing “So this? When are you doing that?”… They are not helping individuals to find their goal and to try to achieve that. What they’re trying to do is they are pushing people to get to where they want them to get to, instead of organising perhaps courses, finding out what people’s interests are and how they can achieve what they want to achieve. It seems like they are pushing their own agenda more than trying to help the person achieve something. (F4 P Mother) Some participants found the mainstream service system difficult to understand, and as a consequence, difficult to engage with meaningfully. The requirements and expectations of some services were difficult for some participants to comprehend, uncertain of their requirements and role in using that service. The unfamiliarity of complex service systems left some participants stressed and confused. When you go to Centrelink, she says, she doesn’t know what to answer, or what to say. They provided an interpreter for her but she still doesn’t know what to say. (F21 P Mother) (As explained by interpreter) Service satisfaction was particularly high amongst participants when needs were met. The elements of a satisfactory service experience for the families in this study included comprehending
However, a small number of parents did not fully access the specialist or mainstream service system and had received little assistance from services, instead preferring to receive assistance from family and community members. Yes I got support from my own community because they were there for me and to know that it has happened and calling in and see what’s going on and all that, but support from services or whatever, no there was nothing like that. Only from my family members and community. (F3 P Mother) In some instances, families with a refugee background found that mainstream services could be unhelpful in their assistance. Frustrations could occur in relation to services not meeting their needs or expectations, requiring participation that seemed irrelevant to the objectives of the service use. This could be stressful, particularly when families really needed help. Q: So do you have any ideas of the improvements that the Job Network could do in order to better meet your needs? Do you have any suggestions? A: I found that dealing with them was very stressful. It is very stressful, because they create this panic in you that they keep asking you questions, “So when are you doing this? When are you doing that?”… They are not helping individuals to find their goal and to try to achieve that. What they’re trying to do is they are pushing people to get to where they want them to get to, instead of organising perhaps courses, finding out what people’s interests are and how they can achieve what they want to achieve. It seems like they are pushing their own agenda more than trying to help the person achieve something. (F4 P Mother) Some participants found the mainstream service system difficult to understand, and as a consequence, difficult to engage with meaningfully. The requirements and expectations of some services were difficult for some participants to comprehend, uncertain of their requirements and role in using that service. The unfamiliarity of complex service systems left some participants stressed and confused. When you go to Centrelink, she says, she doesn’t know what to answer, or what to say. They provided an interpreter for her but she still doesn’t know what to say. (F21 P Mother) (As explained by interpreter) Service satisfaction was particularly high amongst participants when needs were met. The elements of a satisfactory service experience for the families in this study included comprehending