Support - The Best Lockdown ToolThis past month has been tough, there is no sugar coating it. And for parents, and caregivers who have become teachers on top of your very busy parenting role, you deserve a round of applause. Here at Caring Families Aotearoa, we...
Community help during West Coast FloodingOn 17 July 2021, Westport and Marlborough suffered significant weather conditions resulting in many homes having to be evacuated due to flooding. Several caregivers' homes, cars and possessions had been damaged, most having to...
Budget Updates - What You Need to KnowOn 23 June 2021, Hon Kelvin Davis announced further updates including the change to the Birthday and Holiday Allowance to now include caregivers who are receiving the OB and UCB. Previously, this allowance was only being paid to...
Allowance Available for CounsellingDid you know there is a counselling subsidy available through Work and Income? If you, your partner or the children in your care require counselling, you can apply to get financial assistance as part of a Disability Allowance. This...
2021 Excellence in Foster Care Awards At Caring Families Aotearoa, we have the privilege of working with and supporting so many amazing caregivers who go above and beyond what is expected of them for the tamariki and rangatahi in their care. This July 16 caregivers...
Celebrating Matariki in Aotearoa / New ZealandFrom the end of June to mid-July this year in Aotearoa / New Zealand we celebrated Matariki. Matariki is a star cluster in the sky and its arrival has a wonderful meaning; it is a time to spend with whānau (family) and...
Fantastic Results from our Foundations for Attachment ProgrammeOver the past four years, we have had the privilege of delivering Kim Golding’s Foundations for Attachment training to over 230 caregivers in Aotearoa / New Zealand. This training gives a deeper insight...
Thank You to our VolunteersCaring Families Aotearoa, like many other not-for-profit organisations, wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the amazing work of so many volunteers. Last week (20-27 June), we celebrated with these dedicated people during volunteer...
Care Sector TrainingWe are excited to finally announce changes to the training and learning opportunities we will be delivering. From next term, we will no longer be delivering the National Caregiver Training Programme developed by Oranga Tamariki. Instead, Caring...
Registrations are now open! Don't miss out on your chance to attend New Zealand's only Conference for care families and whānau who open their homes and hearts to tamariki in need of care and protection. This year's conference is being held at the Lower Hutt Event...
Bay of Plenty Foster Care AssociationThe Bay of Plenty Foster Care Association came to a close at their final AGM last month. We want to say thank you to all who were involved in the association over the 15 years it was running. Along with monthly organised support...
From left to right: Ebony Fleming, Hon. Poto Williams and Tahirah Morton. Te Mātātaki 2021 There were many positive results in the survey that show caregivers are making a difference for the children in their care. Many tamariki and rangatahi in care feel settled,...
Face Your Future 2021On the 21st of April 41 rangatahi made their way to the L’Oréal NZ Academy in Auckland to attend Face Your Future 2021. Some of the teenagers from outside of Auckland had their first plane trip and for many, it was their first time staying in a...
Keeping Yourself Safe - All About Me PlanOne of the most important things you can do as a caregiver to keep yourself safe is to have an updated 'All About Me Plan' filled out for the children in your care.The All About Me Plan will tell you all about te tamaiti in...
Supporting the Journey to Adulthood: A Service Design with Rangatahi for RangatahiThe Transition Support Service has been designed with rangatahi and the community to support the 600 rangatahi who leave Oranga Tamariki care each year as they journey to adulthood. The...
Introducing the team at Caring Families AotearoaOur team of 27 will be featured in snippets over the next few months so you can see read about the team and what mahi they do at Caring Families Aotearoa. Suzanne Silva Fundraising Manager Suzanne joined the team at...
Easter Craft ActivitiesEaster is here! Why not hop into the long weekend and get the tamariki doing fun craft activities during the long weekend? Here is a list of some fun ways to add some craft activities to your Easter:Easter Basket Colouring CompetitionSet up a...
Pizza for care whānauDuring Foster Care Awareness Week we celebrate the wonderful mahi of caregivers around Aotearoa. This year, with all the uncertainty around COVID-19, we decided to give caregivers a night off cooking and cooked up a deal with Domino's Pizza. All...
DO YOU NEED SUPPORT WITH FASD?Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a permanent injury to the brain which results from prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is diverse, complex and individual, manifesting many different learning, health and social difficulties, often...
New Team Members at Caring Families AotearoaIn the last five months we have welcomed five new people to the Caring Families Aotearoa Team. Di Marshall Senior Administrator Di joined us in August 2020. Di has a Bachelor of Teaching in ECE and was an Early Childhood...