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Footsteps turns 5! Kevin says...
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Wow! Five years goes by quickly when you are having fun! I remember the day like yesterday when we were finally given the “keys” to a new journey where we would truly listen to CHILDREN’S VOICES…but nobody told me how unchartered this journey would be. The journey from 18 staff and 200 children to today, where we serve over 1000 children has been fun, challenging, frightening but most of all rewarding. I think of those staff members no longer on our waka, those paddles that propelled us forward on this great journey I salute you all for your contribution. Together with our partners we brought a new mind set and business opportunity to cocreate a real whānau experience, involving the community for the benefit of every child. What developed was a caring service that is truly different, and as it unfolded, the outcomes were well, kind of stunning. From 2009 for our kaiako, we developed new operations manuals, released new company cars, and commenced specialist courses with Child Matters child abuse prevention training. For our whole team we implemented 20 days of professional development annually and private health insurance benefits. Over the past three years, our community initiatives moved to the next level with the establishment of Te Pōtiki play centre in Papakura where we host regular team community days, and for our tamariki we launched individual birthday parties. By now it was as if we had all known it would work, like we had all finally discovered for the first time, a group of people where we belonged. A “bunch” that were like-minded who saw the world in a similar way, and wanted to give to and get the same outcomes from life; a whānau who served people without condition, and would rise to help every child do what everyone else said was un-doable. That experience taught us a ton! The dream was always bigger and has only just started due to all of you. As the number of enrolments has quadrupled over the past 5 years, the need for more kaiako (now over 60) and support staff has grown as well. From a small office in the back of an old house, to a brand new building the business has grown significantly. To all of our amazing partners who have been part of our journey, I would like to say a big thank you. Without your help we would not be where we are today. Your support and generosity enables us to continue listening to the voices of our tamariki, the most beautiful people in Aotearoa. I am truly grateful to you all that we are only just beginning…
Footsteps are valuing children for the unique individuals that they are
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Each and everyday the Footsteps team serve the community by building on the relationships they have with caregivers, parents, and extended whānau. Whilst we have the privilege of being involved in the community, our goal is for great outcomes for children. The community itself will often share stories of how Footsteps journey with their children has been invaluable. These stories also tell of the impact Footsteps has made by imparting knowledge and understanding surrounding the child’s needs at a particular time in the child’s life-story. These experiences with Footsteps have become defining, not only for the child but the whānau; this is why our investment into community is so valuable.
One of these stories is about a child named Anna. Anna came into the care of a family who were committed to building up Anna’s self worth and sense of belonging. Anna had been exposed to many unhappy early experiences and was therefore very unsure of almost everything in her new world. The Footsteps team began to journey with Anna and assist the family in understanding why Anna approached various situations the way she did. This was the beginning of a priceless journey, and the forming of a relationship between Anna, Jo (the caregiver), and the Footsteps kaiako (teacher). Due to the adverse experience Anna had been subjected to, she had regressed in her learning and development. To address these issues, Footsteps created a personalised learning programme around Anna to ensure Jo had the expertise needed to break down the barriers. Identifying unique interests of Anna’s achieved this. By focusing on these interests, we were able to create positive learning experiences. This enabled Anna to begin to trust, and in turn begin to relax enough for her brain to start absorbing what was happening around her so she could begin to learn.
These experiences with Footsteps have become defining, not only for the child but the whanau Months of this one-to-one learning with Anna, the Footsteps kaiako, and Jo continued, and as time passed, Anna’s ability to trust and learn grew in strength. Anna’s connections became stronger; this encouraged the forming of a positive attachment between Anna and Jo. Jo spoke of the enormous support the Footsteps kaiako had been in unpacking Anna’s potential and assisting her in understanding “why” Anna was relaying particular behaviours. Jo recognised that the knowledge and skills with practical day-to-day strategies that were imparted to her, were “huge” in contributing to the enabling and maintenance of the placement she and her family had offered Anna. In time ‘homes for life’ occurred, enabling Anna to have a family for life and future success, because she was valued for the unique individual that she was born to be, and had developed a real sense of belonging. Anna’s story is only one of the amazing stories that Footsteps kaiako play a part in everyday. It is these stories that define what Footsteps does and will continue to do for the beautiful children of Aotearoa.
Example of a Learning Journey that is added to Anna’s and every child’s Learning Book each month
Buddy Day...a day in the life of Poutama, Kevin Christie's buddy On November the 15th, an army of life-size cardboard children took to the streets for Child Matters’ National Buddy Day. The sole aim of this initiative is to spread the message that child abuse is not okay and to highlight the community’s responsibility in keeping children safe. We heard first hand from buddy Poutama what the day involved. My name is Poutama and I was created on 1st October 2013 in the Waikato. My purpose is to remind NZ that is takes a community to keep children (just like me) safe. My first role was to be the star of my own movie called ‘What About Me’. This was a blast and I got to travel around everywhere in a Footsteps car meeting people who did not know about why I was created. As I travelled throughout the Waikato, my friends had the opportunity to share my story with many people, reminding them that I have a voice and what I have to say is valid and important. One of the people I met was Kevin, and he liked me so much, he decided to take me on a road trip… but first I had to fly to Wellington. Kevin took care of me throughout the entire trip, making sure I was always safe. At the airport the flight people were looking at me funny and were going to put me into the baggage compartment! Anyone would think I was made out of cardboard!! Anyway, Kevin would not allow this – he explained (in a very interesting way), that I would have my own seat on the plane so that I could be safely belted in for the trip to Wellington. At first the airport people did not seem to agree with my friend Kevin, but soon enough the airport people changed their minds. On the plane, I was given my very own window seat, and soon I was on my way for my first road trip. I don’t know what you said to them Kevin, but you ROCK!!! Once we landed and got off the plane, Kevin said it was time for us to get a car; I was interested in how we were going to get a car. Were we going to just pick one from the car park? It turned out that we went to this place called AVIS and the people were very
nice – they just gave us some keys to a car in their car park. Kevin introduced me to them and it was not long before they wanted their photo taken with me. WOW! Kevin said I was a superstar! Now that we had ‘wheels’, it was time to start our road trip. I was so excited!! The first place Kevin took me was a special event where I got to meet some very important people called the Honourable John Key and Honourable Paula Bennett. Kevin told me that it was at the parliamentary building called the Beehive – I think this must be where Mr Key lives because it seemed to have a lot of rooms in it. While I was at this meeting I met lots of other buddies just like me, and they had interesting stories just like mine. We all celebrated how important children like me are, and how it is all of our jobs to keep children safe.
“If you are worried about a child (like me) then speak out" The next day Kevin took me into the centre of the city. There were so many people everywhere, and big high buildings all around me. Kevin introduced me to everyone he saw… and I mean everyone! Some of these people had never heard about how it is everyone’s job to take care of children, and many of these people also wanted to have their photos taken with me. Kevin believed so much in telling everyone about how they could help keep children safe; he even talked about me on the radio and in the newspaper. Kevin even got heaps of his friends to talk about keeping children (just like me) safe all over NZ. Kevin says that children are valuable and unique, and that we should always be able to say how we feel and be safe. Just when I thought we had finished our adventure, Kevin took me to a huge breakfast where there were hundreds of other buddies just like me, and I mean hundreds! We got to eat muffins - yum yum! And I even met buddy All Black - Daniel Carter! Wow, what a great day!! At the breakfast, Kevin stood up the front with
some other men in suits and talked about me. He told all the people how I have been everywhere with him, and how I was important. I felt valued that people were learning that what I think really matters. Thanks Kevin, for giving me a chance to have a voice. Thank you for a great road trip Kevin, and for helping to tell NZ about what is important…. Children just like me! Throughout the country, Footsteps kaiako and support office team created their own buddies, just like Poutama, and went out into their local communities visiting businesses, community centres, public facilities and government organisations, spreading the message that “If you are worried about a child, speak up.”
There were buddies visiting all sorts of places; some attended a local spin class, others went surfing at Mount Maunganui beach, and one lucky buddy even got to hike part of the Waikeremoana track and bike around Lake Taupo! CEO of Footsteps, Kevin Christie says, “We believe actions speak louder than words, and we are therefore proud to support Buddy Day 2013 by physically carrying this message into our communities nationwide.” Footsteps’ involvement doesn’t stop with Buddy Day; as part of induction, all members of the Footsteps team learn about child protection. Six months later they then complete a comprehensive five-day course on recognising and responding to child abuse, so that they are well equipped to handle any situation that may arise.
Ara Poutama Ngā mihi nui o Te Tau Hou kia koutou katoa! Happy New Year Whānau! We are well and truly into this year – the Christmas cake is all gone, summer’s set and hopefully you took some time to make some new goals for 2014. Typically, these goals are based around getting in shape physically or perhaps becoming auahi kore (smoke free) and there are many other areas people look to improve as well. But have you ever thought about setting some goals around improving and growing your reo Māori? It may be to learn one new word or phrase a week, or to incorporate a Māori greeting and farewell in any correspondence you send, perhaps you could schedule some Māori language time like at lunch or dinner, and use only or as much reo as you can. Another idea is to enrol in a reo Māori course; there are many free courses available for anyone right around Aotearoa. Have a good think about it, be creative and fun and discover what you can come up with to see your reo Māori expand, develop and improve! Here are some links that may help put you on the right path to achieve that, in the mean time, use what you already know and say it loud and proud! www.korero.maori.nz/forlearners www.korero.maori.nz/resources/resources-tips.html www.twoa.ac.nz www.whitireia.ac.nz www.wananga.com www.wananga.ac.nz www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english
Footsteps successes and wins
These past couple of months have seen some big successes with projects that have been a long time in the making. Sally Moffatt tells us more.
Approved Parenting and Early Childhood Home Education for parents Footsteps are now able to provide Parenting and Early Childhood Home Education programmes to parents. Our application to the Ministry of Social Development last year was successful, which means we are now an approved provider. This will allow us to access the Early Learning Payment, which will pay for the costs of providing early childhood education for children aged 18 months to 3 years who are from families enroled in selected Family Start or Early Start programmes. Roll out for this programme will occur once the framework has been completed.
SELO: Strengthening Early Learning Opportunities for children, families, whanau and communities. Footsteps are now a preferred supplier for providing professional development to ECE services, families and community. The purpose is to strengthen service capabilities. As a provider we will develop and implement tailored programmes to work with services. Individual contracts for this work will come from a regional level.
Outstanding ERO Review Last but not least, at the end of 2013 the Education Review Office completed a review of our home-based service for Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Porirua, Kapiti, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Wairarapa, Rangitikei, Gisborne, Taranaki, and King Country. The feedback was incredibly favourable and consistent. The reports can be viewed on our website: www.footsteps. co.nz. Please take the time to read the reports, as it is an indication of the quality learning that is being provided by our fantastic kaiako and caregivers to the individual and unique children who are enroled in the Footsteps service. Here is a brief glimpse of some of the comments and feedback:
• Kaiako and managers undertake their roles with professional integrity and enthusiasm.
• Footsteps promote caregivers understanding of early
learning, and provide information for parents/whānau and social workers about special learning moments and developmental progress.
• Children’s feelings of belonging and wellbeing are
fostered by familiarity with the home environment and emphasis on affirming family values.
• Clear vision, values and strategies for further developing
the service, emphasise improving outcomes for children, particularly those at risk.
Refer a friend and receive a $50 shopping voucher Tell friends and whānau about Footsteps and if they enrol their child in the Footsteps ‘Learn’ programme, we will send you a $50 shopping voucher. There is no limit to how many people you can refer so get out there and spread the word to help us reach more tamariki.
3 ways to refer:
• External and up to date research is valued and well
• Speak to your kaiako • Call 0800 366 878 • foosteps.co.nz/referral Just remember to mention ‘refer a friend’
• Kaiako are proactive in networking with social workers
Call 0800 366 878 footsteps.co.nz
used to make decisions about changes to practice and operation. and community support organisations.
/footstepsnz
Terms and Conditions: The child referred must be enrolled in Footsteps for 18+ hours per week and be enrolled for 3 months before the voucher is sent. One voucher per child.
New ‘Two Visits’ initiative
Vulnerable children need to have ‘Five eyes’ on under fives, and to be considered one of these five eyes, Footsteps kaiako are going to see our children in care more than once a month. At the end of last year, Footsteps piloted the new ‘two visits’ initiative, offering two visits per month to children who need extra support. By offering this additional visit, Footsteps aim to provide extra support to our vulnerable children and their caregivers when they need it most. The feedback received after the initial pilot was positive. What the feedback identified was that offering two visits does not meet the needs of every child in care, therefore two visits has been offered on a case-by-case basis from February 2014. In some situations, extra visits may only be required for a short period of time e.g. 3-6 months. Some of the situations where two visits were needed were during transitions, when there was a new caregiver and when behaviour issues were evident. Guidelines are in place for the two visits initiative to ensure they run efficiently without compromising on quality. Thank you to Michelle, Jacqueline, Trudy, Michele and their caregivers for participating in the ‘two visits’ pilot.
How to find a Caregiver Footsteps really care about the future of tamariki; this is why they introduced a caregiver service to compliment their ‘Learn’ programme. In May 2012, Footsteps introduced a caregiver matching service. Caregivers can register with Footsteps who then match them with parents or guardians in their area, looking for someone to care for their child. It was identified that there were parents wanting to enrol their child in the Footsteps ‘Learn’ programme but couldn’t find a home-based caregiver.
This is to ensure that quality and the safety of children enroled in the Footsteps programme is assured.
Since the initiative began, Footsteps has 107 registered caregivers throughout New Zealand. Feedback from parents has been positive as they appreciate the value of this free matching service. When a parent or guardian rings up wanting to enrol their child, Footsteps is able to help match them with a registered caregiver in their area.
As well as offering a free caregiver matching service, Footsteps also helps parents and guardians access government childcare subsidies and 20 hours ECE. One of Footsteps key differences is that they do not charge to administer these subsidies like other home-based services do.
To become a caregiver with Footsteps, applicants must first go through a registration process.
At Footsteps, we believe every tamaiti (child) is different and so are we!
To find out more or to access any of these free services, contact Footsteps customer service team today; they will be able to assist you in finding a home-based arrangement that suits your needs.
Chat to our friendly customer service team
Looking for a Caregiver? Phone 0800 366 878
We'll talk with you about your requirements and match you with a great caregiver in your area
Once a match is made, a kaiako will visit and enrol your child into our 'Learn' programme
what the allow your tamariki to decorate the bowl in their own creative way. what the allow your tamariki to decorate the bowl in their own creative way. Young tamariki/children are naturally curious and constantly exploring objects around them. While doing so they are developing a greater appreciation and understanding of the natural world and its resources. By giving a child clay or modeling dough, and the opportunity to collect natural resources, they can create the most amazing things - imprints, natural gardens or nests full of objects they have found while on an outdoor adventure.
What the child learns • • • • • • • • •
Enhance and stimulate curiosity for exploration and discovery while increasing basic knowledge Provide meaningful, positive early learning experiences Develop physical, emotional, and intellectual abilities Encourage language and opportunities to ask and answer questions Encourage technical problem solving skills Encourage the development of the brain and imagination Learning and discovery of three dimensional objects and shapes Build self-confidence, express and communicate ideas Encourage sensory and tactile qualities By offering a child many opportunities to explore in the great outdoors; you are encouraging not only their creativity, but also many other attributes such as concentration and curiosity. Empowering a child in this way encourages them to develop a sense of themselves; building on their ability to understand that they are capable and confident.
How to extend learning • Offer your tamaiti a variety of natural materials (sand, stones, rocks, shells etc) and allow them to decorate a bowl in their own creative way