Tagged With "learners with high needs"
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Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy NZ
The New Zealand Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy https://childyouthwellbeing.govt.nz/resources/child-and-youth-wellbeing-strategy-html For further information, you can visit https://childyouthwellbeing.govt.nz/ Our Prime Minister, Jacinta Adern is currently the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction. The following is an excerpt of the Forward to the Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy Our vision for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy is a bold one - that New Zealand be the best place in...
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Recovery is our journey to healing......you have to keep searching until you find
Recovery from trauma is extremely hard when you don't know what you are recovering from and why you would even want to recover. To recover you have to know what it is that has caused you harm and understand what you have done to deal with that harm. It is very hard to do it by yourself. You need the support of others. You need to find someone who resonates with you and that means you have to search for that person. After 34 years of searching, I found my princess, a counsellor. I know...
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NZ Education and Workforce Committee recommends the legalisation of teachers use of force against students
In the recently released final report the Education and Workforce Committee has recommended that teachers can use "physical force" on their students. They recommended that a definition of "physical force" be inserted into clause 95 (p.5). The definition of force they have provided reads, " force in relation to a student, directed toward the body of a student so as to move, or prevent, restrict, or subdue the movement of, the student's body or any part of the student's body against the...
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Passion for truth to make it a better place for ALL
I just watched Jonathan Haidt's Ted Talk . You need to listen to it all. His message is relevant today with all the unrest we face. Our Righteous Mind's were designed to: unite us into teams divide us against other teams and blind us from the truth. We need to step out of self-righteousness in order to see the truth. We need to embrace opposing sides and work together to find a middle ground. Just as I am half-caste, black and white can join together to create a new life. To reflect on: "If...
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Black words on white paper. You need both to see the message
There are a few people out there, Who assert their power Over me To win. It saddens me That I too Have to assert my power To be seen and heard As an EQUAL
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NZ response to second wave of COVID ~ NZ people before the Election
Thursday 13 August 2020 On Tuesday 11 August 2020 at 9.15 pm (New Zealand time), Jacinda Adern announced that 4 people from the same family living in South Auckland had tested positive for COVID. The NZ government led by Jacinda Adern placed Auckland under Alert Level 3 from 12 noon on Wednesday 12 August 2020 and the rest of NZ on Alert Level 2. Auckland is the largest city of NZ with a population of about 1.6 million. It makes up about 33% of the NZ population. Today (Thursday) a further...
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Baby Courts ~ A way forward for our vulnerable children and their whanau in NZ
I joined a Zoom meeting with ACES Connection covering the topic Baby Courts in Florida. Baby Court heals multigenerational trauma by bringing together the science of child development into decision making for infants and toddlers who have been removed from their homes. It also works to prevent children from moving into the child welfare system. Both Mimi Graham and Judge Lynn Tepper speaks about Baby Court Their contact details are: Judge Lynn Teppler: ltepper@jud6.org Mimi Graham:...
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Re: "Open Wounds" panel discussion with Phil Allen hosted by Trauma Resilience Institute
Our SILENCE has acted to conquer and divide us and perpetuated racism. Our SECRETS have prevented us from facing our trauma. When we don't name it, we don't face it. Many of us have been deceived into believing racism is not an issue. We have faced years of intergenerational racism across the world. It has caused trauma. It has not been resolved Unresolved trauma has created deep-seated anger. We have wounds. When those wounds have been ignored and disregarded they fester to become.... OPEN...
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"Open Wounds" panel discussion with Phil Allen hosted by Trauma Resilience Institute
FOLLOWED BY PANEL DISCUSSION with Phil Allen Jr. Reena Evers-Everette La Shona Coleman Kevin McLeod This has happened you can rent the video To rent "Open Wounds" visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/openwounds NEW ZEALAND TIME Date: Sunday 23 August 2020 Time: 10 am PACIFIC TIME Date: August 22, 2020 Time: 3.00 pm Registration: Closed ABOUT THE FILM In 1953, my grandfather, Nathaniel Allen, was murdered on the Sampit River in the historic Lowcountry town Georgetown, SC by a gunshot wound to the...
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Intergenerational poverty, racism and trauma in New Zealand
To many, New Zealand looks like and sounds like an island paradise with the world's most charismatic leader. New Zealand is a beautiful country with beautiful people and a beautiful leader. It hides our reality of intergenerational poverty, racism and trauma with high rates of child abuse, child poverty, bullying in schools, suicide and family harm. Maori, the indigenous peoples of NZ and Pacific Peoples are over-represented in those statistics. We have known this for years as have...
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Child poverty in New Zealand
Anita Baker, Mayor of Porirua was on Breakfast this morning (Monday, 24 August NZTime) she shared her concerns about child poverty in Porirua. She based her concerns on a report by the Porirua Council about child poverty. The report was based on statistics collected before COVID. Anita Baker made a call to our governments to tackle child poverty. Her statement includes a link to the report. This is happening across NZ. It is not isolated to Porirua. Important messages that Anita shares with...
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"Open Wounds" and panel discussion
Our SILENCE has acted to conquer and divide us and perpetuated racism. Our SECRETS have prevented us from facing our trauma. When we don't name it, we don't face it. Many of us have been deceived into believing racism is not an issue. We have faced years of intergenerational racism across the world. It has caused trauma. It has not been resolved Unresolved trauma has created deep-seated anger. We have wounds. When those wounds have been ignored and disregarded they fester to become.... OPEN...
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Re: "Open Wounds" and panel discussion
Yes, you can. Note that you can't see the movie on this webinar recording.....you need to rent the video for $4.99 from https://www.philallenjr.com/openwoundsdoc The webinar is the panel discussion that we joined before and after the viewing of the movie. You must listen to Phil Allen Jr as he shares his poem BEFORE the movie started ay 23.28 into the recording His poem - My body tells a story is not the same as the one on his website Well worth watching both the movie and the panel...
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We learn from the stories from those who have gone before us
Who we were is not who we are now Incarcerated youth need more guidance and support to uncover their inner selves So that they understand who they are and why they do what they have done Then they need guidance and support to learn how to forgive themselves for doing what they believed they had to do to survive. They need to learn how to care and love themselves So that they can care and love others. Books can expose us to the thinking and life journeys of others Books can show us how we can...
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INSPIRE TECHNICAL PACKAGE ~ Free introductory webinar
Violence affects up to 1 in 2 children every year, with devastating acute and long-term consequences. Yet, we know that violence can be prevented, we have the tools to do so, and SDG Target 16.2 calls for ending violence against children. The INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children technical package is a collection of evidence-based recommendations on how to prevent and respond to violence against children, including I mplementation and enforcement laws; N orms and...
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Protected Factor Framework ~ Free introductory webinar
I attended the Protected Factors Framework Introduction webinar with Elizabeth Smith from Project Whole Child. It was a very good presentation. Very interactive, great video clip and great slides There is another free webinar - closing date Wednesday 16 December USA time Places are limited I recommend that you register for this if you want to know more about what you can do to strengthen families. The Protected Factors Framework is an approach ~ a way of viewing the world When we change the...
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Why I joined ACES CONNECTION
Kia ora from Auckland, NZ. My name is Adriana. I am the community manager of trauma-informed NZ with ACES CONNECTION. ACES CONNECTION, is based in the States, far from New Zealand, and our way of life, yet, I am the community manager of a community with ACES CONNECTION Today, I am going to share with you, my reasons for joining ACES CONNECTION. I will make a call for action at the end of my talk, so please stay to the end Why did I join ACES CONNECTION? Here is my story. I live in NZ, always...
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A compelling reason why we need to be child-centered and trauma-responsive in NZ
For those who do not know: Child, Youth and Family Services and Oranga Tamariki are NZ's child protection services. They are a government agency I found this article in the Herald from 2016 , it clearly shows how Oranga Tamariki's predecessors, Child, Youth, and Family Services(CYFS) are incompetent and placed children at risk of harm. Child, Youth, and Family Services were rebranded as Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Children and still they get it wrong. The article Two children aged 8 years...
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New Zealand's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population
This is NZ's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population It shows what many of us have known for years, especially those of us who have been raising our concerns, that NZ has a problem The problem is that our children are facing Adverse Childhood Experiences in NZ especially those who are are Young From low socio-economic backgrounds are Maori It also shows that exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences are significantly associated with exposure to Intimate...
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Re: Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei For us and our children after us
Kia ora @anne kurtz , I believe that we can blog/post on PACES for workshops/conferences/events that cost money as there have been many workshops/conferences/events that have been posted on PACES Connection from a number of communities associated with a cost to attend. The reason that I have promoted this workshop is that here in NZ we need our social workers to improve their practice, especially when working with Maori and Pasifika whanau. As professionals, and this covers every profession,...
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Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential
The scientific evidence is clear and growing: racism imposes unique and substantial stressors on the daily lives of families raising young children of color. Understanding how these stressors affect child health and development provides a compelling framework for new ideas about how communities, policies, programs, and funding streams might confront and dismantle these inequities and build a stronger future for us all. This new brief discusses how racism creates conditions that harm the...
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Human Rights in New Zealand ~ Are they working?
New Zealand's Human Rights system is bound byTe Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 by the Crown and Maori. It is legally binding and acknowledged internationally as a constitutional document. Many do not know about He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tireni, our Declaration of Independence which was signed five years earlier by more Maori on 28 October 1835. He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tirene is weaved into Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is...
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Listen up NZ government - You need to STOP harming us with urgency
NZ Study - School Readiness, Adversities in Childhood Experience and Access to Government Services A Scoping Study on Potential Protective Factors December 2020 This report is based on the NZ context. It is interesting because Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children and the Ministry of Social Development (aka MSD) were involved. This means that both Oranga Tamariki and MSD know about the experiences of our people beyond anecdotal observations. They have in fact done the research. They have...
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Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit public hearing – 14 to 30 June in Auckland
Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit public hearing – 14 to 30 June in Auckland The Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit public hearing will be in Auckland at Level 2, 414 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket, Auckland (entrance from Kingdon st) from 14-30 June. The hearing will focus on evidence about abuse of children and young people in the care of the Child and Adolescent Unit at Lake Alice psychiatric hospital in the 1970s. We will investigate what happened, and why it happened. We are also...
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New Research Publication on ACEs in New Zealand & Later Victimization in Adulthood
A new peer-reviewed publication featured in the July 2021 Volume 117 of the Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect confirms the high prevalence of ACEs in New Zealand across all sociodemographic groups, the disproportionate prevalence of ACEs among individuals who identified as Māori, and the relationship between ACEs and IPV in adulthood. This publication, entitled "ACEs in New Zealand and Subsequent Victimization in Adulthood..." by Fanslow et al., supports the need to address ACEs in New...
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Bad things happen to GOOD people in NZ
Bad things happen to GOOD people I stood behind Sam because I support him You need to as well Sam's story is so unbelievable that you may think it did not happen I can say that I have seen the evidence It is all true It shows how Oranga Tamariki social workers inaccurately labeled Sam based on his appearance and shared that inaccurate information with other agencies to split his family apart while he and his partner were facing the imminent death of their son, Titaha This was an abuse of...
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Silence divides us. Speaking up unifies us
Silence divides us Speaking up unites us By speaking up By telling our stories We are seen and heard By listening we discover we are not alone The media has a responsibility to report the truth To give people the opportunity to speak up So that the public is informed Sadly, many of our major media providers in NZ do not report many stories of child abuse and harm to our children and harm done to parents who protect their children and to advocates fighting to address the harm done to our...
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I am learning to Self-Regulate ~ I am learning to STOP
I have PTSD. It sounds scary and many people judge me and sometimes fear me It does not help when I get dysregulated because I get loud, aggressive, and send out words of my truth like daggers. My truth, my message no matter how insightful and valuable is LOST in translation as I watch the walls go up over the ears of the recipients ~ the very ones that I want to LISTEN to me. Delivery of the message counts, people, more than it should. Human nature dictates that it does. The anger that I...
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Whatever I have ~ Empower me with KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS
In response to a comment to a post Misdiagnosis: Is It Bipolar Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , I made this comment. I believe it could HELP others I agree that the two overlaps and may co-exist hence why it is so very important to access a full history of life experiences from the person. The difficulty of course is that the person has often lost trust with people including those who want and can help. That is why TIME is so important - TIME to build a trusting...
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Communal Mastery ~
Communal Mastery could be applied to the NZ context as it embraces the Maori way of doing things The article Coping with Trauma Communally Reduces PTSD Risk By José G. Luiggi-Hernández August 18, 2021 Provides us with additional evidence of the importance of investigating and using "Communal Mastery" to address not just PTSD in women but the possibility of addressing many issues that we addressed individually in the past. You see, as individuals, we face harm from others and from our...
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Social and Emotional Supports for Educators During and After the Pandemic
Americanprogress.org released an article 'Social and Emotional Supports for Teachers During and After the Pandemic' giving a ton of great information on the stress that educators deal with regularly. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning defines SEL as the process where youth and adults learn skills to manage emotions, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions. "Research by Pennsylvania State University found that teachers who...
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Obesity ~ Find the underlying cause
This post in my inbox this morning from PACES Connection Weekly Roundup Schroeder K, Schuler BR, Kobulsky JM, Sarwer DB. The association between adverse childhood experiences and childhood obesity: A systematic review. Obes Rev. 2021 Jul;22(7):e13204. PMID: 33506595 From a research review, “Findings suggest ACEs are associated with childhood obesity. Girls may be more sensitive to obesity-related effects of ACEs than boys, sexual abuse appears to have a greater effect on childhood obesity...
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What is the Freeze Response from Dr. Aimie, Trauma Healing Accelerated
This arrived in my Gmail inbox from Dr. Aimie ~ Trauma Healing Accelerated. I am sharing as it may resonate with someone out there What is The Freeze Response? The pattern of stress and then collapse. High energy and then exhausted. Anxiety followed by heaviness and feeling down. If you identify with this up and down pattern, you may likely be experiencing a chronic freeze response. This is a very common pattern of the biology of the nervous system! The freeze response is one of the states...
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Maternal Voice reduces pain in premature babies
Notice and read this article: Maternal Voice Reduces Pain in Premature Babies Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Pain August 27, 2021 This is especially for all employees of Oranga Tamariki (Child protection services in NZ), NZ Family Court judges, and NZ Lawyers for Children Get informed with scientific evidence Work harder at getting trauma-responsive Babies need to be kept with their mothers at birth, from birth and onwards If you want the best for our children...
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FREE WEBINAR - The Impact of Mind Matters: Preliminary Evidence of Effectiveness in a Community-Based Sample
Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues have conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to trauma symptoms, emotional regulation, coping and resiliency, and interpersonal skills for at-risk...
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The danger of Flashbacks
The danger of flashbacks is that once you are back there, You can get stuck and Never find a way out. That is why we need strategies To find our way out again When you are with a person especially children who are facing flashbacks Please show us kindness and compassion And if you have absolutely no idea about what I am saying Please educate yourself If there is anything that is going to help us ALL to get unstuck Is empathy and that means EVERYONE knows about trauma and what it is like...
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Whakarongo mai whānau!
Listen to me! Bad things happen to good people in NZ Many families in New Zealand have been ruthlessly torn apart and desecrated by Oranga Tamariki, harming the very children they were tasked to protect. There are many horrific stories that are hidden away from the general public because parents and children are so traumatized that they cannot speak up. They cannot share what they have experienced because it is so painful for them to do so. Some parents do speak up. They are neither seen nor...
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CYFS continue to children from their parents as a first resort with limited evidence
I have changed the name to CYFS as they desecrate Maori and ALL that is Maori. They do not deserve to carry a Maori name. This post is especially for all Child, Youth, and Family Services (child protection services in NZ) social workers and Family Court judges Whanau and the child are one Removal of children from their whanau is the last resort Removal from their birth mother is the last resort Kelvin Davis told us that CYFS would only remove children from their parents as a last resort...
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Why we should befriend Adversity by Mark A. Campbell
This is a good article to read: Why we should befriend Adversity Snippet: We all go through difficult situations, period. There is no magic formula for dealing with these times, but there are ways we can learn to manage them. Through the process of struggling, we acquire knowledge and skills that allow us to function at a higher level. We gain an understanding of our strengths, as well as those areas of life which need improvement. It allows us to connect with our values, which leads to...
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I have PTSD - That does not mean I can't be a good parent
Through my work as an advocate, I have met many people who, like me, have PTSD. I have PTSD because people made the choice to hurt me so bad that I now live with that every day. I live with trauma. The thing is I survived. I made the decision to pick myself up, to stand again, reset and keep moving forward. I now face many, many people including professionals who believe, erroneously, that I am my trauma. This is especially true in NZ because, in my country that I love so much, far too many...
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Underlying issues with solutions for NZ child protection services
Our child protection services in NZ have the knowledge they struggle with the implementation I identify the problems I have found supporting parents who have had their children removed by child protection services in NZ (CYFS) These are the solutions: Build trusting relationships - change social worker when required Create full, accurate, objective records Complete thorough ecological assessments Identify the strengths of parents and use them to address the needs Support parents in the...
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Lake Alice ~ What New Zealand did to their own
(Blog image of Paul Zentveld - Lake Alice abuse survivor) Read this NZ Stuff article by Aaron Smale I ask that you reflect on your definition of mental health Your definition of mental health will determine how you respond to people with mental health The term "mental health" does not need to change Our perceptions, our definition, our response to the term "mental health" needs to change. Once I said that we need to take away the term "mental health" and replace it with another term. I...
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The Road to Recovery from Miss Kendra
This arrived in my inbox this morning. Many thanks to Miss Kendra This applies to us here in NZ The Road to Recovery is Not Linear Schools are in the process of recovery from the pandemic. Recoveries are rarely linear, and this one, in particular, will challenge everyone. When we think of goals and objectives they are often achieved in a linear fashion: you start from point A and go to point B. You prepare the class, you teach, the students learn, and objectives are met. You start with the...
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The Humpty Dumpty of New Zealand needs help
Whakarongo mai whānau! CYFS is the Humpty Dumpty of New Zealand I am oppositional defiant When I hear the words "Can't" and "Impossible" I say We can do When you believe you make the seemingly impossible Possible Social workers working for CYFS create many of the problems that families, parents and children face in New Zealand. All professionals know this: In order to understand why we have CYFS social workers that are not following best practices, we need to know about the supports that...
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Re: The Humpty Dumpty of New Zealand needs help
Kia ora @anne kurtz My words are my action. To empower people with knowledge If you want to change, and we all want change. We need to get informed. We need to call it out Use the knowledge to take action. Use the complaints process to take action Use the Social Workers Registration Board to make complaints about individual social workers Send emails to the relevant agencies to raise your concerns and to provide solutions Send emails to the Minister of Children ~ Kelvin Davis Share this...
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NZ Family Violence Prevention Strategy
ACC is investing $44.9 million over four years to establish a fit-for-purpose sexual violence primary prevention system, Minister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni announced 3 October 2021. “Almost a quarter of adults in New Zealand have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, and around one in six people are affected by sexual violence before the age of 18,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “These high rates cannot continue. We need to put in place systems that protect our whānau and our future...
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New Ministry for Disabled People to be established in New Zealand
This is great news for people with a disability in New Zealand. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this happen and to Carmel Sepuloni our Minister for Disability Affairs and to Andrew Little our Minister for Health On Friday 29 October 2021 the NZ Government made an announcement on transformative changes for disabled people A joint message from Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Health Andrew Little Tēnā koutou katoa, It was a pleasure for both of...
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More support for learners with highest needs in New Zealand October 2021
This announcement was made by Associate Education Minister, Jan Tinetti on 22 October 2021 Students most in need of extra help in the classroom are the focus of a new review that gets under way today, Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti says. About 50,000-80,000 children and young people are expected to benefit from a Ministry of Education review into Highest Need Learners that will help to ensure all young people are receiving the education they deserve. “All our tamariki should be...
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Find the WHY to know WHAT to do
Once you find the WHY Then you can find the WHAT WHY the behaviour WHAT I NEED TO DO In order to address a problem In order to address a behaviour You need to find out WHY it is happening That requires a thorough ecological assessment The collection of evidence from a number of sources Analysing the evidence To see if it matches If the evidence does not match You have to go and find more evidence TRUTH is when you get the same message From all sources When you have the TRUTH Then you can...
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Support our mothers to be the best that they can be
Mothers need our support and guidance to become the best mother that they can be for their children Social workers and principals/teachers in New Zealand MUST use best practices in order to keep those they work with, both children and their parents safe Currently, there are far too many social workers and principals/teachers that do not use best practices causing significant harm to our parents and their children. Sadly, many professionals using bad practices are women, many are mothers.