Tamariki 5-12 years
About
Our Child and Youth Team provides interventions to support tamariki, rangatahi and the wider whānau.
We aim to support tamariki and their whānau with warmth, empathy and evidence-based practice to empower positive change through awareness, understanding and action.
The Central Lakes Family Services Child and Youth team works closely with Government agencies, schools, GP’s and other local organisations to find the best supports for whānau.
This service grew out of a recognised need as our population grows and more support for children and their whānau is needed. We are proud to offer the services of a multidisciplinary team full of warm, experienced and local professionals and support staff.
What we offer
What we offer tamariki aged 5-12:
- Support with challenges in the home, school and/or community.
- Social and emotional wellbeing.
- Exposure to or experience of, family violence.
- Sexual violence.
- Advocacy.
- Child Safety programmes.
- Strengthening Families Service.
- Education, training and workshops, including professional development.
These services are available to those in Whakatipu basin area, Wānaka, Upper Clutha and Central Otago (and surrounding townships). We can be flexible, but our main office is based in Frankton.
Safety Concerns & Programmes
We offer programmes and support for tamariki and whānau with safety concerns or those exposed to family violence.
These programmes involve safety planning and risk assessment for the child, and the family, building and identifying support networks, problem solving and space to talk about their feelings and learn skills and tools to support them.
Programmes are a 10-session minimum and can include the whānau if safe and possible. Whānau and parents can also receive separate and individual support if needed.
Workshops & Education
We are proud to be a service with a prevention lens alongside our intervention and support services. We offer a range of community workshops, trainings, education packages and hui to prevent harm, especially the harms associated with family and/or sexual violence.
Cover a range of topics, flexible in length and location and rooted in local knowledge and experiences. We offer these free publicly regularly, check out our Community page for more.
We also offer bespoke packages for schools, offices, professionals and community groups. These are a great opportunity for professional or personal development while also supporting a local organisation to support more people.
Strengthening Families
Strengthening Families helps you get the best support and outcomes for your family/whānau to thrive.
It is designed for families with children under 18 years who need help from more than one support service or government agency. We bring together all relevant agencies needed to help your family to plan goals suited to your needs. This is a family led process and the coordinator will walk alongside you to ensure all plans are being met, it is collaborative, and the family understands the roles of each service.
Strengthening Families is a voluntary process and families give their consent to be involved.
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How it works
The service pulls together support for families/whānau. To help your family for example there may be a budget advisor, social worker, medical specialist, teacher, or other support worker.
You work out together what support your family/whānau needs and what each service is going to do. It is set up so families/whānau tell their story once to everyone at the same time, then everyone agrees on a plan to move you forward.
Strengthening Families is a free service. -
Who is it for?
It is for families of all shapes and sizes, when:
• more than one community or government service is or could support you and your
• your family/whānau has a child, children, or young person(s) in your care
• support services and government agencies work together to support your family/whānau to achieve its goals, in the best interests of your child or whole family/whānau.
Is it for your family/whānau?Strengthening Families might be right if you are facing challenges like:
• Financially struggling and need to be linked in with practical supports like budgeting services and food banks
• Support with getting help with your children or young person(s) in relation to health or behaviour supports
• Access and supports to other services in the community
• Any form of family stress including perinatal supports, family harm, relationships, mental healthIt is limited to the Whakatipu region only. If you are outside of the Whakatipu Basin, we can find you another Strengthening Families Coordinator or a similar service.
Contact: niki@clfs.co.nz