Kia ora e hoa mā, hi friends,

Firstly, it was an absolute treat and highlight of my work month to see many of you at our Foster Care Awareness Week celebration events in March!  After Pamper Day I am now very tempted to book a massage with the incredible massage therapists who joined us for the day. A special thanks to CCS Disability Action for hosting us at their office for the day and to our Regional Committee for putting together a lovely day of pampering.

Our Pasifika Talanoa event was also a very special time connecting with some of our wonderful Polynesian caregivers; thank you to those who attended.

I’d also like to say thanks to those who generously translated information pamphlets into Samoan, Cook Island Māori and Tongan for this event: Tipalelupe Lala To’atasi Tuua, Ms Anana Tangatakere (BEd), and Yolanda Tamoua Manuki, thank you!

SUPPORT

Balmoral Coffee Group

Due to school holidays, we will bring forward the next group to Thursday 6 April, 10am-12pm at Balmoral McDonalds, 192 Balmoral Road.  The next group meeting will be back to the second Thursday of the month on the 11th May.

Polynesian Caregivers Meeting

Following on from our Foster Care Awareness Week Talanoa, we will be offering a space especially for our Polynesian caregiver members to catch up each month. Keep an eye on our Facebook group and your emails for more information on a confirmed date/location for the first meeting.

FACEBOOK

The Caring Families Aotearoa Auckland Support Closed Facebook Group is also a great way to connect with other caregivers in the Auckland area and keep in the loop with upcoming events. If you are not yet part of this group and would like to join follow this link

My days of work are Monday – Thursday 9:00am- 5:00pm. At times I’m out and about in our region for training and support so please text/ring me if you’d like to pop in for a cuppa or a catch up: 027 538 9691.  I’d love to see you.

TRAINING

Our Helping Children Feel Safe and What’s Behind the Behaviour workshops are happening this coming term. If you’re looking to gain some more information and ideas to help you support the unique (and varied) needs of the children in your care, these sessions are great ones to start with. Our training calendar will go live in early April, and we will notify you via email and our Facebook page.

I am keen to hear from you about what would make our workshops more accessible and relevant to you and your caregiving role. Feel free to flick me a message (Facebook or text) or give me a call to share your ideas. I’d love to chat with you about it.

EVENTS

The Regional Committee and I are starting to plan for our next events, keep an eye out for future updates about these. In the meantime, please enjoy some pics from our most recent Foster Care Awareness Week Events.

Tiaki i a koutou anō, look after yourselves!

Christie