February 2024 Caregiver News: Upper South

Kia ora Upper South! Welcome to 2024.

I hope you are enjoying the summer, we have had some amazing temperatures and a run of really great weather. I enjoyed a fun, maybe not altogether relaxed holiday at home this year with family, and was lucky to have hubby do a fair bit of redecorating whilst I supervised!

I am back into the fray of a new year with some nice things on the horizon.  I would be interested to hear from caregivers as to what you would like support to look like in our region? We will continue to run our regular coffee groups and these will be advertised both in our Snippets and on our Facebook page. Please join the page if you haven’t already done so as its not always possible to get things in the newsletter before our cut off time for publishing.

By the time you get this in your inbox, you will be well on the way to getting your tamariki back to kura/school. I hope you have applied for the school start-up fund for those on a UCB benefit. If not, the fund is open until 29 February.

Please keep an eye out for a Wellness Hui in Westport this term that will be open for our West Coast Caregivers and for Blenheim. I would like some ideas of what caregivers would like in order to get together and make connections. If you have any suggestions please email me – uppersouth@caringfamilies.org.nz

Training

Please see our training calendar for online learning this term – CLICK HERE.

Exciting Professional Training Event in Christchurch!

Tell your Social workers to mark their calendars for 12th March 2024, because we’re thrilled to bring you an exclusive training opportunity for professionals! Make sure to inform your social worker and encourage them to sign up for this invaluable training.

Join Rob Surtees and Jared Paranihi from Caring Families Aotearoa as they introduce Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and the PACE attitude (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) –proven models of practice that Caring Families Aotearoa has successfully utilised and evaluated over the past four years.

This workshop is designed to empower social workers with the knowledge and skills to seamlessly integrate these models into their daily interactions, fostering a therapeutic approach. We believe in a full wrap-around service where everyone is on the same page, ensuring a collaborative effort to create safe and supportive placements for tamariki and rangatahi.

Don’t let your social worker miss out on this fantastic opportunity! Ask your social worker to register by emailing Dagmar at dagmarc@caringfamilies.org.nz.

Events

I am in the planning stages of some great events for our region. I will advertise more through our Private Facebook page and upcoming Snippets. As a teaser, I am thinking of;

• • • Wellness and Self Care Day Retreat to be held in Westport.
    • A caregiver get-together in Blenheim

Some lovely memories from last years Christmas events…

Support Groups

Nelson

• • • When: Monday 12 February and 4 March at 10:00AM
    • Where: Tahunanui Community Hub, 55 Muritai Street

I look forward to catching up with you all as we start the journey in 2024.

Denise