Child and Youth Support
Our services are available to people living in the Western Bay of Plenty Region
We offer free individual support for tamariki (aged 7 to 17) who have whānau experiencing mental distress, addiction, or a neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD or Autism.
The primary goal of our service is to provide tamariki with a safe environment where they can talk about themselves in the context of their whānau and express any big emotions they may be having.
Providing tamariki with evidence-based information about mental distress, addiction, and neurodivergence and any treatment or support their whānau may be accessing.
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Working with tamariki to learn coping skills relevant to the context of their whānau.
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Providing tamariki with tools for maintaining their well-being.
As part of our Child and Youth Service, we also operate a school holiday program for tamariki who are accessing our service. This is a fun day out and an opportunity for tamariki to meet others in similar situations.
How we work
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We will first meet with the whānau to understand the situation and assess whether our service is appropriate for the tamariki involved.
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In most cases, our Child and Youth Worker will arrange to meet with tamariki at school. However, we can be flexible and support tamariki in a way that works best for the whānau.
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During term time, our Child and Youth Worker will meet with tamariki regularly.
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Our support will continue for as long as whānau want us to be involved.
How to access support
There are various ways to reach out to us for support.
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Whānau can make self-referrals through our website, or by directly contacting a member of our team on (07) 577 1457.
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We also accept referrals from community services such as schools, general practitioners (GPs), and community mental health services.
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If you are an organisation wanting to refer tamariki for support, you can access our referral
form here.
Please note we are not an individual therapy service. Where our support becomes more about the individual needs of tamariki (e.g., severe anxiety about school or increased mental distress), we will facilitate access to alternative services.