Kia ora katou / hello everyone,
What extraordinary times we find ourselves in with the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the atmosphere seems charged at the moment, the Caregivers I am having contact with are doing a great job of providing extra scaffolding around their children, providing security through understanding and continuity in their day to day care. Arohanui to all of you, stay in touch and connect socially but not physically. Reach out to your fellow caregivers, support is so important at this time.
Teena Bennett
North West RC
06 281 1642 or 027 285 6015
In other news, I spent a few weeks travelling and working around Whanganui and Palmerston North. One of my reasons for travel was presenting the newly developed National Care Standard Discussion Session. Caregivers overall have received the new information well. In my view it is fantastic to have a document that is so clear about the practice of social workers and caregivers moving forward.
Foster Care Awareness Week
Looking back over the start of March, wow, it seems like a long time ago! The Foster Care Awareness week events were an enjoyable start.
At the New Plymouth morning tea celebration, a guest social worker and caregiver discussed ‘what contributed to their positive working relationship?’ What they ended up sharing was a picture of PACE parenting principles in action. While it boiled down to great communication between them, it was an observant and empathic attitude toward each other that enabled them to understand each other’s perspectives especially when they differed. They stayed open and curious to try and discover where each other were coming from. When they overstepped the mark, both were willing to initiate ‘repair’ of the relationship. This assisted them to discover shared values around how they worked together and regarding the care of the children. The social worker and caregiver were reliable, doing what they said they’d do (as much as was possible) which was another strength of the relationship. It was such a pleasure to listen to a little of their journey.
Tiaki Koe i a Koe (Take Care of Yourself – especially at this time!)
Teena
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