Archive for year: 2014

The annual IPAR Christmas appeal is underway, giving our team the opportunity to make a difference to those in our community most in need.

As part of our IPAR in the Community program we have partnered with website Simply Giving, to enable our team to ‘shop’ from a range of toys and books for children, then donate these to one of nine selected charities. IPAR has kicked off the December campaign with a donation of $2,000, and we aim to reach $4,000 worth of donated goods by Christmas.

Click here to view our progress and to make a donation.

Four years ago, Newcastle’s Health and Safety Solutions (HSS) was acquired by IPAR Rehabilitation and we became known as IPAR / HSS. It has been a very successful partnership which has increased our geographic coverage, strengthened our service range and broadened our staff talent.

Today, we see ourselves as one team with one aim – to be recognised by our customers as the best provider in the industry. To formalise this one team, we have retired the Health and Safety Solutions name as of 1 December 2014 and our Newcastle team will now be known simply as IPAR.

This will be an official move to what has already been occurring naturally and unofficially over the past four years. We look forward to continuing to deliver the very best in injury prevention and return to work services that the IPAR name is known for.

IPAR Newcastle
Level 2, OTP House, 10 Bradford Close, Kotara 2289
Phone: 02 4903 3200
Fax: 02 4903 3201

A client from IPAR’s New Employer Services team is celebrating a new full time job thanks to a fresh vocational direction, extensive support and confidence building from IPAR.

The injured worker had been out of work since December 2011 and was growing increasingly frustrated and demoralised applying for jobs in his qualified field of Electrical Engineering, where he was unable to make it past the application or first interview step due to a lack of field knowledge and experience.

After a review of his current capacity and transferable skills, IPAR proposed a fresh approach. A new vocational option would be explored – supervisor or management roles at local restaurant chains. After unsuccessfully pursuing employment in an industry in which he had little experience, the worker realised he needed to utilise his previous management experience in an industry in which there were greater opportunities for someone with his skills and knowledge. The option was discussed and given the ‘go ahead’ from his General Practitioner, so IPAR commenced an intensive period of locating and brokering interviews.

The next step in the ‘plan of attack’ was improving interview preparation and restoring confidence. IPAR conducted a number of mock interviews with our client to improve his ability to confidently respond to a range of questions, and provided tips on how to research the potential employer’s operations and produce to show initiative and get a good understanding of the business.

The preparation paid off, with an initial interview leading to a second interview with the company CEO and owner/proprietor of a number of restaurants Australia wide. More preparation was required for this higher level scenario, so another intensive mock interview was held with IPAR and assistance was provided to complete a post-interview questionnaire.

A day after his second interview, the client advised that all the preparation had ‘paid off’ as he successfully gained the position of Restaurant Manager. Significantly, the worker stated that the job brokerage and intense interview preparation from IPAR was crucial in him regaining his confidence and gaining the job.

IPAR will be on display at the upcoming Elmore Field Days, to be held at the Elmore Events Centre, October 7^th, 8^th and 9^th.

Come and visit us at stand 129B in the Agribusiness Pavilion to learn how our injury prevention and occupational rehabilitation services can assist you to achieve a ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind and Healthy Workplace’. Our occupational rehabilitation specialists will be conducting FREE workstation assessments that will ensure you have the right ergonomic set up to work safely and productively. You can also enter our business card draw for the chance to win a brand new coffee machine!

For further details and directions to get there, visit Elmore Field Days.

IPAR is an associate partner at the 2014 Comcare National Conference, to be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre, September 9 – 11. Come and see us at Booth 3, have a chat about our services, and enter your business card for the chance to win a DeLonghi coffee machine!

On Day 2, Wednesday 10th at 12 noon, look out for IPAR’s Manager – Research and Innovation, Dorothy Frost, who will be making a keynote presentation on ‘Supporting individuals with a multitude of barriers preventing return to work’. Dorothy will be reporting on a new approach to redeployment utilising standardised bio-psychosocial tools, chronic disease self-management techniques and personalised health and career coaching. Outcomes and implications for broader service delivery will be presented.