Page 7 - PSNZ Annual Report 2017-18

SONYA & HEMI
Sonya* and Hemi* had felt all kinds of things since their youngest daughter was born; mainly sadness, anger, frustration, blame, misery, guilt and desperation.
The couple’s beautiful daughter had been born with a mystery condition leading to deteriorating mental and physical disability.
Sonya and Hemi gave up their jobs to care for their daughter, and were now struggling to make ends meet. Their landlord was threatening eviction, there was no food in the house, and the power had been cut due to an unpaid bill. The house was cold and damp. The stress was making Hemi lash out. Twice neighbours had called Police after Hemi and his teenage son began fighting.
To make things worse, Sonya and Hemi couldn’t shake the feeling they were being blamed for their daughter’s ailing health, and began cancelling her specialist appointments.
“To build meaningful relationships with iwi, staff and leadership are seeking to understand and align themselves with iwi strategy.
“We’re committed to educating ourselves about what
it means to be truly culturally responsive and to take responsibility for our own personal learning,” says Te Pā Harakeke roopū member, Cheri Ratapu-Foster.
Family Works staff ensure Māori practices are part of everyday office life too. Here staff in Wellington lead a weekly pānui, waiata and karakia.
The day a doctor raised concerns with Oranga Tamariki about her daughter’s safety was the day Sonya reached breaking point. She turned to Family Works for help.
Family Works was able to provide immediate help including a food parcel and warm bedding; before helping the family get the financial assistance they were entitled to.
In the weeks that followed Family Works counselling helped the couple work through their emotions, while the parenting education programme taught them strategies for managing the different needs of their children. A Family Works social worker supported the parents to access respite care for
their daughter, find a warmer, more affordable home and reconnect in a more positive way with health professionals.
Six months after contacting Family Works, Sonya and Hemi’s family are stronger, more resilient, better connected to the support in their community; they’re safe and thriving.
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