Welcome to Our Home information
Published: October 15, 2019
Coming into care or moving from one home to another can be unsettling for tamariki, especially if they know little about where they are going or who will be looking after them.
Welcome to Our Home booklet
We're aiming to help tamariki feel more comfortable going to a new home with our resource booklet called Welcome to Our Home, Haere Mai ki Tō Tātau Kāinga.
As guided by the National Care Standards, this will give tamariki a clearer picture of where they are going to live and introduce them to their caregiver and the family they are joining.
Kristin's booklet
Respite caregiver, Kristin Wilson, is one of the first to share her Welcome to Our Home booklet with tamariki.
“Hopefully they will have less anxiety if they know there’s a quiet space if they want it, that there’s food whenever they need it and they have their own place to store the things that are important to them,” she says.
Kristin’s booklet is full of photos of her home, including several of her cats, Max and Maya, who are very important members of the family, as well as things to do for fun, “because let’s be honest, that’s what kids are into,” she says.
Removing the worries
Kristin says she felt respite care was something she could offer to give caregivers a rest or a little time to themselves.
Just recently she was asked if she could care for an energetic five-year-old boy on occasional weekends to give Nan a break when she needs it.
Kristin says she hopes the booklet will help give the boy greater understanding of where he might be staying and give him some control over the situation. The plan is to also share it with Nan.
“Once she looks through it and is happy with what it says about me, we will go from there to set up a meeting to see if she’s happy with me becoming the respite carer for this boy.”
Young people have told us they want to know about the people they are going to live with before they arrive there.
Paula Attrill, Care Standards lead
Tamariki have told us what they need
Care Standards lead, Paula Attrill says the Welcome to Our Home Haere Mai ki Tō Tātau Kāinga booklet aims to provide tamariki with information that helps them feel more confident about who’s going to be looking after them and what their house and family is like.
"This is one of the resources we’ve developed to help tamariki feel more confident about where they are moving to,” she says.
Creating Welcome to Our Home booklets
Over time, with the support of caregiver social workers, we will be asking our caregivers to create their Welcome to Our Home Haere Mai ki Tō Tātau Kāinga booklet.
More about Care Transitions
The Welcome to Our Home information is just one aspect of Part Five of the National Care Standards – Care Transitions.
Under this section of the Care Standards we must support a positive and successful transition for tamariki which includes ensuring they understand why they are moving, when it’s going to happen, what the new home and caregivers will be like and the opportunity for them to visit the home.
It also includes involving tamariki in decision making, assessing their needs, planning for the transition, gaining the views of whānau and members of hapū and iwi, and helping the child and caregiver to prepare for the transition.
If you’d like to learn more Care Transitions, you can visit our Practice Centre