Keeping Yourself Safe – Caregiver Support Plan
All caregivers who are caring for a child through Oranga Tamariki or a care Agency should have a Caregiver Support Plan.
The purpose of this plan is to ensure that the placement with the caregiver meets the needs of the child and identifies any additional support or training that is required by the caregiver (National Care Standards 2018 S58).
An effective caregiver support plan is built on good communication and respectful collaboration between yourself, your Caregiver Social Worker, and the Social Worker for te tamaiti or rangatahi (child or young person). It is your opportunity to let the team know if you have any concerns or needs. Please remember there is no whakamā (embarassment) about asking for support for your whānau or family.
Your Caregiver Support Plan is vital to ensure you keep yourself and whānau safe. It will provide you with invaluable information on:
- how you can meet the needs of the child in your care,
- how to look after yourself and your whānau, and
- the support you need to build your capability as a caregiver.
Before you have your meeting with your Caregiver Social Worker take the time to think about the types of support you would like included in your Caregiver Support Plan. Make sure you focus on your own self care and give consideration to the needs of your whānau . This may include:
- access to advice and assistance
- access to cultural support
- assistance to manage the emotional impact of providing care
- access to counselling
- access to training to maintain or develop your caregiving capability
- financial assistance
- access to resources, including the caregiver kete (caregiver handbook)
- access to respite care
- access to peer support
- access to information
- access to a caregiver social worker who can:
- help you understand your role and what is expected of you
- provide practical, emotional and advocacy support to the you
Your plan needs be be achievable for you and your whānau.
Part of your plan will include the frequency of visits you receive from your Social Worker. The guidelines around visits have changed, so make sure you agree on a frequency that meets the needs of you, your whānau and te tamati in your care. We know of families that have weekly visits and those that are less frequent. Remember, you can request a change to the frequency of these visits if anything changes.
Remember plans can and will change. Your Caregiver Support Plan is a living document that should be kept up to date by either Oranga Tamariki or your care Agency. The plan must be reviewed and reassessed. If your plan is no longer working for you and your whānau, please contact your Social Worker. All changes to your plan must be communicated and documented.
If you have not received a Caregiver Support Plan, please contact your Social Worker in the first instance. If you are having trouble obtaining the information you need, please contact your Caring Families Aotearoa Regional Coordinator or call our National Office on 0800 693 323.