One mother reports that she was involved in upgrading a few years back, but felt the additional demands at home in raising small children plus attending class were just too much for her to handle. The social workers were pushing her to continue with the upgrading, but she believed that she should be at home and this was causing too much tension for her. She feels they just didn't understand her situation. Consequently, she decided to quit, "So I said, 'piss on you too!' Now I can't stand none of them!"

Similarly, Natalie had started academic upgrading and successfully completed the first level and had planned to continue until she obtained her high school equivalency. However, when she began the next level, she found she could not balance the demands of her life, "And at that time it was too much stress going on with the separation and the kids. And my kids are first. I don't care. They have to be settled. And I know that they are getting what they need." When she felt ready to enrol in a course, she sought assistance from her social worker, who instead told her she should apply for a student loan. Natalie, however, felt that she could not afford to take the risk. She knew she had two young children in her care and if she did not get a job upon completion of her course she would not be able to pay off her loan or care for her children. It was too much of a financial risk for her to take.

Natalie is trying to manage a transition from poverty to self-sufficiency. She describes the obstacles she is encountering in trying to change her life and class position. She complains that she has spoken numerous times with her social worker about various courses to no avail:

I've always asked my worker, "Is there a course I can take? Is there something I can do to improve myself?"…In four years with them, I went on a six week course…a pilot course…That's all they put me through in four years. They had my résumé of all the courses I took for single parents. I took my first aid, my CPR…