Clara White is studying a Master of Public Health at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and contributed 100 hours to support the work of Women’s Legal Service WA in Semester One through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship.
“I worked on the Parenting from Afar through Connection and Trust (PACT) project, that supported work to create a practical resource for women who are separated from their children due to parenting orders, protection and care orders, or imprisonment,” Clara said.
“The PACT resource will include advice, practical tips, and activities to help women engage with their children and maintain a connection with them.”
Monica Cass, Project Manager with Women’s Legal Service WA and internship supervisor, said that Clara’s kind, empathetic and organised approach towards her work was invaluable in developing the resource.
“Clara brought a genuine interest and positivity to her consultations with our staff and stakeholders, which resulted in valuable content to include in the resource. It is wonderful to have such a thoughtful resource developed especially with our clients’ needs in mind,” Dr Cass said.
Clara said that it had been challenging hearing about women’s experiences of family and domestic violence, and instances where women are let down by the legal system that should protect them, and she had become more aware of barriers that face vulnerable women trying to access legal support.
“The highlight of my internship was conducting interviews with the lawyers and social workers at the Women’s Legal Service Western Australia, as they had a wealth of knowledge regarding child protection cases and shared their passion for ensuring vulnerable women receive fair and just legal outcomes.
“I applied for the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship because I wanted to support the community while making professional contacts and putting what I had learned through my studies into practice in a real-world setting.
“Through the internship, I was able to be an active citizen and make a positive contribution. I also developed skills that will benefit my professional life in the future, including completing tasks to a high standard, taking on feedback, meeting with internal and external stakeholders, and preparing a draft resource.”