Kia ora koutou katoa,

Here we are in April and school holidays are just around the corner.  Do you have any plans for the holidays?  How will you keep your tamariki occupied?  For some of us this can be a very trying time, just remember to be peaceful not only with your tamariki but also with yourselves. Make time for yourself to have some quiet time if you can, maybe a soak in the bath? Read a book, or do something you enjoy!  If you would like some support or a listening ear, please contact me, nothing is too small or too big and we can work through whatever it may be together.

WOW, what an event we had in Tauranga for Foster Care Awareness Week 😊 Thank you to those caregivers and their tamariki who were able to make the day and make it an amazing memorable day for us all!  It was awesome to see you all having fun, smiling and laughing. Check out some of the photos below!

I would like to give a massive shout out to our Regional Committee who helped yet again, plan and execute a fantastic day, you are all amazing and continue to give your time and efforts to other caregivers in our region.  As your Regional Coordinator, I feel very privileged to have you all on my team.  Ngā mihi nui kia koutou!!!!!

To our sponsors;

• Blue Light “empowering youth”,
• Voyce – Whakarongo mai,
• Oranga Tamariki,
• Tauranga Model Marine and Engineering Club,
• Tauranga Mini Gold and Jeeps,

Thank you for supporting this day and making it that much more special for our caregivers and their families.

SUPPORT

We will not be having any scheduled support groups in April as school holidays and Easter take up most of our Fridays!  We will let you know our dates and venues for May!  If you need support just give me or your support group liaison a call.

My days of work are Tuesday to Friday 8.45am-3.30pm. At times I’m away travelling around our region for training and support so please ring/text me if you’d like to pop into my office for a cuppa or catch up phone/text: 027 281 1137.

We are also eager to help members connect and share with one another. If you want to start a caregiver group in your area, please let us know so that we can get one up and running this year.

Another great place to get support is our private closed Facebook group. This group is only open to our caregiver members, so you have the freedom to air your thoughts without judgement. Everyone in the group gets what you’re going through.  Click below to join.

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. Remember we have online and face-to-face options to fit into your busy lives.

We have had some great feedback from caregivers around our new training so if you haven’t registered already, please do so when the training calendar is live!

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

Again a huge thank you to everyone who made our Tauranga Extravaganza amazing!!  Nga mihi nui kia koutou!!

We have a couple of events that are coming up and are currently in the planning stages so watch this space.

I look forward to catching up with you this term, please do not hesitate to call or email me if you need.  I am here even if you need just a listening ear.

Nga mihi nui

Christine