Sarah immediately recognised that the Greenwood whānau were facing numerous challenges and would require a range of support tools to help them succeed.
The priority was to ensure that the family received food parcels and a supply of winter clothing to meet their immediate needs.
Sarah’s next step was to develop a child-centred play strategy to encourage more one-on-one time between the parents and children/tamariki. Sarah said, “This greatly improved the environment at home and helped to strengthen relationships for the whole family.”
To support Charlie and his siblings, Sarah acted as a mediator between the parents and the school – including providing important background information on the family, to help build a stronger relationship. The school is now much better placed to support the children as a result.
Lastly, Sarah came up with a plan to help Charlie get back on track, including arranging a mentor through Presbyterian Support’s Family Works volunteer mentor programme.
Sarah says that she, “Knew Charlie would really benefit from spending time with a mentor, someone who could help inspire him and with whom he could enjoy fun activities and adventures.”
Also, to help with his hygiene issues, Sarah introduced a timetable and reward chart. This worked well, and hygiene issues are less of a challenge now.
The Greenwood whānau are now in a better position both financially and emotionally, but this could have been a very different story had Presbyterian Support not been available to help.
Even though the family already had the resilience needed, they were lacking the right tools to improve their situation by themselves. Thanks to Sarah’s support, they are now better equipped to deal with whatever the future may bring.
*Names and images have been changed to protect client privacy
