We have been working tirelessly to ensure we are doing everything we can to help children, young people, and families towards brighter futures, whilst we stay safe in our bubbles.

Our programmes have been able to transition to supporting people in our communities remotely, similarly to how people connect with their family and friends.

HIPPY

With an exemption allowing staff to access and distribute programme materials for families requiring support, HIPPY has been able to continue in many communities across New Zealand. Coordinators can hygienically package the HIPPY materials and contactlessly deliver them to the hundreds of families currently in the programme.

For the safety of coordinators and the families, they are distributing the materials to, coordinators are required to use PPE when they deliver the materials to family’s letterboxes. The packs are also being delivered in ziplock bags so families can easily sanitise them.

No matter what level of lockdown we are in, we remain committed to ensuring HIPPY is available to families across New Zealand and working with them to prepare their children for success at school.

Family Service Centres

Our Family Service Centres are dedicated to meet the needs of the people in Papakura and Takanini, providing them with the connections they need to help solve the complex issues they are facing.

We are currently trying to provide as much support as we can, largely through welfare calls, which is particularly important for the people in our Family Violence programme. These calls are focused on ensuring that their bubbles are safe, they have enough food to eat, they have someone outside of their bubble who cares about their welfare, and they have access to someone who can connect them to other organisations if they need it.

A large number of families we are working with have needed referrals for local food banks, and several of our Social Workers have been given an exemption so they can contactlessly deliver food parcels to the isolated people in our community.

Our staff are also spending a lot of time on Zoom calls with people in our Counselling, Social Workers in Schools, HIPPY, and Social Services programmes.

We are also continuing our Early Learning Centre remotely, our teachers have been running Virtual Mat time and providing resources for families to entertain and educate their children from the safety of their bubbles.

We can continue to support families in low-income areas, just in a different way to how we usually do.

MATES

Our focus for the Mentees and Mentors in the MATES programme is trying to ensure that quality relationships are maintained during this time. Having those connections outside your bubble is so important for many of these young people, as is the support to maintain academic requirements. 

Our homework sessions have become much more flexible; some schools are providing a choice of time to make it easier for a device to be shared amongst a family, others have virtual classrooms so a mentor can lead on their ‘specialist’ subject. The mentors too, many of whom are affected by the multiple University locations of interest, are keen to maintain their connections and support their peers.