Our programmes Family Service Centres Papakura Centre Papakura Papakura Family Service Centre has been providing valuable services to the families in Papakura since 1992. Our Centre is staffed by a professional and qualified team of social workers who specialise in child and family work. Our service is needs-based, providing support in the home or at the Centre, depending upon individual or family circumstances with a range of social, health and educational services in the form of one to one counselling for women and children, social workers in schools, and group work with children and adults. We also have a licensed Early Learning Centre offering 20 Hours Free, the HIPPY programme, health clinics, social work and advocacy, counselling, parenting, budgeting and Social Workers in Schools. OUR SERVICESSocial Services Teams To support the person or people we are working with (‘clients’) with their day-to-day challenges we have community social workers, counsellors and Social Workers in Schools (SWiS). We also offer parenting support as needed, practical advice and help for parents with managing their children's behaviour, helping deal with problems and building stronger, healthier relationships. Community Social Workers We have a team of community social workers who provide social work intervention, targeted towards vulnerable children, young people and their families living in Counties-Manukau who are at risk of abuse, harm or offending. Referrals are received from a range of community agencies and an initial assessment is completed (includes consent form) to ascertain the assistance or support for the referral. At times external agencies may be included to assist the referral where further support may be required. Counselling We have two experienced counsellors available to listen in confidence to members of the community and assist them to find a pathway to better understand themselves and others. Our counsellors specialise in counselling for children, women and couples but men's counselling is also available. Social Workers in Schools 'Social Workers in Schools' (SWiS) is a programme designed to support children to thrive at home and at school. It sees trained social workers based in schools, working alongside the students, families and teachers to support our future generations to learn, grow and thrive. A positive link between home and school is critical for the educational development of all students. Social Workers assist with various issues including attendance, bereavement, bullying, behaviour difficulties, social skills, advocacy and referrals to outside agencies. SWiS social workers aim to: provide a consistent, quality service for all children and their families/whānau contribute effectively to helping children participate actively and achieve in learning make a positive difference to the lives of children and families increasingly develop cultural competence. As part of our SWIS programme, we also offer a range of preventative programmes that assists the children strategies on how to manage their behaviours in a group. Some of the programmes include Seasons for Growth, Look at me Now, Leadership, Carving and Mentoring and more. The programmes are a safe and proven way to help people to think about, and for some, come to terms with their life-changing experiences. We currently have social workers in Cosgrove Primary, Kelvin Road Primary, Edmund Hillary Primary, Red Hill Primary and Papakura Intermediate. More about SWiS Holiday Programme We offer a one-week holiday programme to the children attending the SWiS schools and provide fun, low cost and quality activities and learning which is run by the staff of GPF. This is limited to 30 children and demand for the programme is very high. The programme includes outings, motivational speakers, sports days and more. Early Learning Centre Included in the daily programme plans are opportunities to play outside, go for walks, morning yoga, afternoon Jump Jam and many more fun activities. The Centre offers fruit and healthy snacks like carrots and celery. PAPAKURA ELC HIPPY Programme We offer HIPPY (Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters) at both our Family Service Centres. As part of the HIPPY programme parents work with their child at home for 15 minutes a day, five times a week. Children build knowledge in maths, reading and writing, while developing their cognitive, creative and social skills meaning they are better prepared to start primary school. The HIPPY programme and Early Learning Centre are complimentary services designed to support and empower parents to prepare their 3-5 year old children for success at school. Community Services & Support A number of community groups make use of our facilities and offer their services to our clients, including Plunket and East Women's Refuge. We are also grateful for the huge amount of support we receive from our community, assisting us to further help those in need, e.g. Countdown bread pick up, housing assistance and supplies and donations of all kinds. CONTACT DETAILS Opening Hours Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm Address 14 Maurice Street, Papakura, Auckland Phone (09) 299 6610 Email [email protected] or [email protected]