Families and carers

Carers survey - have your say now

We want ANU to be an incredible, inclusive and accessible place to work for all staff. To help us improve, People and Culture are asking what factors support or limit carers in balancing work, caring and wellbeing needs. 

You can have your say on the culture, systems and practices that support carers by completing the Carers survey.  

Click here to complete the survey

The survey is open now and closes on 22 September. 

Accessing the survey:

When you click on the survey link (below), you will be prompted to enter a Kiosk Code, which is your University uID number (without the U). If you are unable to access the survey (particularly employees who have commenced in the last three months), please email staffdiversity@anu.edu.au for support. 

While you will be asked to log in, the survey is confidential and results will be aggregated so that it is not possible to identify individual respondents. Participants uID numbers will only ever be accessed in the event of serious concerns over the health and safety of an individual based on the comments provided. 

If you would be happy to discuss your experiences as a carer in more detail, please email staffdiversity@anu.edu.au.

 

Family

Family responsibilities are diverse and can include elder care, caring for children or people with disability, as well as responsibilities associated with extended families.

ANU endorses a definition of family to be inclusive of a range of relationships and structures, which may include one or more of the following: biological, kinship, marriage, opposite- and same-sex and de facto relationships, adoption and dependency.

We are committed to creating a work environment in which staff can thrive and fully participate while also being able to attend to the needs of their family. 

 

Parental leave and career re-entry assistance

Eligible staff (regardless of gender) who are having a baby, or adopting or fostering a child, can take up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave and the equivalent of six weeks paid leave to support career re-entry.

The Parental leave fact sheet provides information for staff on parental leave entitlements.

 

Checklist for new parents and supervisors

There are many things to consider when staff are about to welcome a child into their family.  

These checklists for new parents and supervisors summarise some important steps and tips for a smooth experience at work.

 

Childcare centres at ANU

ANU has five on-campus childcare centres. ANU staff can make childcare contributions from their salary (eligibility criteria applies).

 

Carers’ Career Development Assistance Fund

The University recognises that many staff have caring responsibilities that may impact their ability to access opportunities and develop their careers.

The Carers' Career Development Assistance Fund (CCDAF) is for individual academic and professional staff with caring responsibilities who require support to participate in significant national or international conferences, workshops or symposia that contribute to their careers.

 

Parenting rooms and breastfeeding at ANU

ANU is proud to be an accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace, having been successfully accredited by the Australian Breastfeeding Association in 2023. Parents are welcome to breastfeed across campus and must not be discriminated against if they choose to do so. Staff and students also have access to parenting rooms across campus. These rooms offer additional privacy for breastfeeding and provide a space to express or change babies.

Click here to see an interactive map of parenting rooms and other facilities on campus.

Click here to see the full list of facilities available in each parenting room at ANU as well as opening hours and information on how to access each room.

The University’s Breastfeeding procedure also refers to a range of flexible work arrangements that may be negotiated to support breastfeeding staff in their return to work. Supervisors are expected to support flexibility for returning parents, including breastfeeding needs.

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