Empowering women with education

SOCIAL service is something Natalie Illingworth claims she “fell into.”

Returning to her home town after almost three years travelling the globe during her early 20s, Ms Illingworth had no intention of staying very long in Ballarat.

Her plans changed when she met her now-husband, after which she took on a role at the Department of Health and Human Services – now the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing – where she assisted people dealing with homelessness and housing issues.

“I was there for seven years … and ended up in a team management position,” she said.

“I was lucky enough to find the sector that really aligned with me. Assisting people that needed help was something I ended up loving.

“I just enjoy helping people find a pathway to a better lifestyle so they can lead a better life.

“It’s just inspiring when you meet those people who’ve done it tough but they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

After maternity leave, Ms Illingworth returned to the social services sector with a stint at CatholicCare before briefly going back to the department.

While balancing part-time work with being at home with her children, she completed a Bachelor of Community and Human Services at Federation University during the pandemic. It was in this period that a new calling emerged.

“I was studying, working and homeschooling my kids, and I was all too aware of the circumstances that women experiencing family and domestic violence would be living at that time,” she said.

“Generally, in the past, they’d have had the opportunity to get out of the house, to go to work, or interact with other people, and their children could’ve gone to school.

“Obviously, through COVID we couldn’t do those things. So, I was sitting at home with this mental turmoil thinking about the women and children without an opportunity to vacate that space.”

That thought led Ms Illingworth to develop Raven Collective Services and Training in 2020, a non-profit aimed at providing women with the means of re-integrating into the workforce following family and domestic violence

As well as a 10-week practical training and education program, the organisation also provides gift hamper bags packed by participants.

“For me, the gap in the system is not around crisis support,” Ms Illingworth said.

“It’s about what comes next. We’re all too aware the number one cause of homelessness for women in Australia is escaping an abusive relationship.

“That’s how I came up with this idea that we have to teach these women to become financially independent and give them opportunities and training so they can access and maintain ongoing opportunities and become self-sufficient.”

Ms Illingworth’s commitment to bettering circumstances for people in the Ballarat region will see her inducted onto Ballarat’s Great Women Honour Roll by members of the Zonta Club of Ballarat later this month.