Strengthening Families Support
What is Strengthening Families?
The Strengthening Families process connects a whānau or family who require assistance from more than one agency or community service. Together, you discuss the support your whānau or family needs and agree on the steps everyone will take to help you achieve their goals.
Who is it for?
Any family or whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand can use Strengthening Families, as long as tamariki or rangatahi are involved.
Families of all shapes and sizes use Strengthening Families. This includes:
- solo parents
- grandparents raising grandchildren
- teenage parents
- foster parents
- any other whānau or family type you can imagine.
Strengthening Families is for a whānau or family when more than 1 community or government service can support you if you are facing challenges like:
- finding a warm, comfortable home for your whānau or family
- getting help with health or behaviour of your tamariki or rangatahi
- money troubles
- your child not doing well at school
- coping with stress at home
- family relationships
- family violence
- addiction.
Your whānau or family may already be involved with different agencies. However, you do not have to be involved with 2 or more agencies when you first get in touch.
Rights & responsibilities
Strengthening Families works best when everyone understands what is important for your whānau or family. There are safeguards in place so you can be open and honest.
Our responsibilities
Protecting your personal details
What you talk about will be shared with the agencies you agree to invite. This includes people from across the whole agency, not just the person who attends your meetings.
Every agency involved has their own rules on how they safeguard personal information. You may ask for details of how they protect you and your whānau or family’s private information.
Under the Privacy Act, you can request to see any personal details stored by the Strengthening Families coordinator or participating agencies.
The Ministry of Social Development collects some information for statistical and reporting purposes. This does not include the names or details of individual whānau or family members.
Whānau or family rights
Every whānau or family can:
- expect to be heard and respected throughout the process
- request who attends the meetings from the agencies involved. For example, you can request someone from the same cultural background or sex
- decide not to have a meeting if you do not want one
- ask for an interpreter
- decide on when and where meetings are held, who is invited and the issues that are discussed
- make a formal complaint through the facilitator, main contact person, coordinator, Local Management Group, or Family and Community Services.