By Jacqui Graham | Posted: Thursday October 20, 2016
Anglican Family Care supported Alison to have some time out.
*Alison recently relocated to Dunedin with her children meaning a loss of her natural supports.
Her relationship with the children’s father had been abusive and she had depression, which she was able to manage with medication. She received a benefit, but had large debts and struggled financially, meaning there were limited opportunities for the children. Alison was finding the children’s behaviour very difficult to manage and there was considerable stress in the family.
Alison was referred to Anglican Family Care for temporary respite care by another community organisation. Alison was involved in our Strengthening Families service, which brings together various professional supports to work alongside the family towards their goals. Anglican Family Care were able to provide a number of services including: respite care for the children, parenting support, access to a social worker in the children’s school, and counselling for Alison.
Due to Alison’s lack of natural supports and the impact her mental health was having on her parenting, respite care was provided for the children fortnightly in the weekends. After a period of time, Alison chose to alternate having one child at home while the others went to care which enabled one-on-one time with each child.
Initially Alison reported benefitting from respite care, as it gave her a break and a chance to recharge and reflect. She recognised that the children needed focused time with her and the respite care was changed to accommodate this. The children benefited through increased opportunities to participate in the community, such as the caregivers taking them to sports games and other community events and this has led to one of the children becoming engaged in sport. The provision of Anglican Family Care services has supported the overall health and wellbeing for Alison and her children.
Caregivers are vital to meet the needs of clients like Alison. If becoming a caregiver is something you might be interested in, please contact us on
03 477 0801. We would love to hear from you.
*Name changed to protect the privacy of our client.