Kia ora everyone,

We hope everyone received our little gift in the mail in early March.  It contained a shopping list magnet which has a note about our PACE therapeutic parenting model.  (If you would like to know more about PACE please contact me.) This little gift was also to let you know we are here and able to provide support for you.  

Update: we are entering another recruitment round for a full-time Regional Coordinator for the North West/Manawatu and Lower North regions.  We want to make sure we get the best person for the role.  We appreciate your patience in having to share Rob Surtees and me for support service.  I’ll update you on how that all goes (fingers crossed).

TRAINING & LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

I thought you might like to see this poster we revamped to explain a child’s inside outside age.  I really like how we have made this easier to understand, with all the different developmental ages a child can be at even though on the outside their actual age may not reflect this.

DID YOU KNOW: For tamariki in care, the level at which they think and behave (their developmental age) may be different than would be expected for their actual age (their chronological age)? This is because childhood trauma impacts the way the brain develops.

When there is a large gap between a child’s ‘inside’ age and ‘outside’ age, it can be difficult for the child, because the way they think and feel on the inside is different from the way the outside world expects them to behave.

What they do can also depend on the stress they are experiencing at the time. They may be able to do something today, but when asked to do the same tomorrow, it could be more difficult depending on what happened during that day.

Want to learn more topics like this to help you understand how trauma affects the tamariki in your care? Our Training Calendar will go live in early April, and we will notify you via email and our Private Facebook page. Remember we have online and face-to-face options to fit into your busy lives.

A NOTE FROM ROB SURTEES

I would like to say the workload has eased for you, but of course, it hasn’t, with a large percentage of time going towards advocacy. Don’t forget we are here to ensure you get what you are entitled to.

Please contact either Rob Surtees or me on 0800 693 323 if you’d like some support, share your celebratory moments (we love to hear them!) or need a listening ear.

Tiaki i a koutou anō, look after yourselves!

Stephanie & Rob