Supporting young families to give their children the very best start in life is the passion of the Anglican Family Care (AFC) Family Start service team.
Late last year, AFC extended the geographical reach of its Family Start service to cover a large swathe of the Southern region. This includes the greater Dunedin area, as well as reaching as far north as Waitaki Bridge, inland to Kurow, and south to Milton.
AFC practice manager Kathy Richards said the expansion had allowed the free service to be more flexible in meeting the needs of families — even if they moved to live in another Otago town.
‘‘The service can follow families across the district if necessary, which has led to an increase in families accessing the programme.’’
The AFC Family Start service has three team leaders, Nicky Fredericks, Ngarangi Matthews and Marlene Underwood, who oversee the work of 13 highly qualified whanau workers.
Through weekly home visits, the workers support families to improve their children’s growth and health, learning and relationships, environment and safety. The Family Start motto is ‘‘Because babies don’t come with instructions’’.
Ms Fredericks said the Family Start teams aimed to start working with families as early as the second trimester of pregnancy, and remain at their side until the child turned 5.
It was important to get the message that families did not have to be right ‘‘at the edge’’ to receive Family Start support.
‘‘It would be preferable if families were referred prior to that so we can provide really intensive intervention,’’ she said. ‘‘We are aiming to address any barriers that may get in the way of parents being the best they can be,’’ Ms Fredericks said.
Issues faced by families could include housing, income, resources, mental health issues, drug and alcohol issues, and/or family violence. ‘‘We acknowledge the family’s strengths and support them to address their needs, while keeping the child at the centre,’’ she said.
Families can be referred to the service by health care professionals or community workers, or can refer themselvesvia the website AnglicanFamilyCare.org.nz or by emailing Enquiries@FamilyCare.org.nz or by phoning 477-0801.
