December 2024 East Coast Caregiver News
Megan Fitzgibbon
Care Manager
0800 693 323
Kia ora East Coast caregivers!
With Christmas fast approaching and the year end in sight, I would like to say thank you to those of you on the East Coast who have put the children in your care at the forefront of all you do. I know this year has been particularly tough for many families, with the weather events at the beginning of the year and the cost of living crisis, it has been a testing time.
At National Office we do recognise the incredible mahi and aroha that you show your children. We send our Christmas wishes to you all.
Please feel free to contact Megan on 0800 693 323 if you require support, or email eastcoast@caringfamilies.org.nz
Even though Christmas can be a magical time of year, it can also be stressful and triggering for families and for children in care. For children in care it can be upsetting not to be with their biological family, or it can bring about upsetting memories, or they just may never have celebrated Christmas before.
We have created a News page here with some helpful tips to connect you and your young one and make them feel safe and secure over the Christmas period. As well as some tips for taking some time out for you for self-care and reflection.
Our National Office will be closed from Friday 20th of December and re-open on Monday 13th January. If you experience an urgent matter during this time involving allegations, please call 0800 693 278.
Training
Apart from our online Helping Children Feel Safe training on 2nd & 3rd December, our training schedule for 2024 has now concluded. In 2024 we had 750 participate in training, some participants told us;
“This course particularly invaluable for preparation/ put in the ground work to build into teenage years.”
“I have done a lot of courses. Surprised that I still learnt a lot. Very helpful.”
We will release the 2025 Training Calendar in the middle of December, and we also can’t wait to be able to tell you about some new self-directed online trainings we have been working on. They will be available in Term 2 next year.
If you have never attended an online workshop and are worried about the technical side, you can call our national office in the new year, and we will run through the “how to Teams” with us. This will save you a lot of time and stress before the actual workshop.
Events
I hope that those who attended the Gisborne and Hastings Family Fun Day events last month had lots of family fun. If you took any photos that you are happy to share with us we would love to see them. Please email them to events@caringfamilies.org.nz
Support
If you would like to start a support group in your region, please call us on 0800 693 323 and we can talk you through the process, or you can click here to find more information.
Remember to also check your region’s private, caregiver-only Facebook group for support opportunities and to connect with other caregivers. If you haven’t already, click the button below to join!
Ngā mihi,
Megan