By Anglican Family Care | Posted: Monday June 17, 2019
In this edition, we are celebrating 25 years of service with Jackie and Kathy, who both started working for AFC in 1994. This is a huge milestone and they both took some time to reflect on their careers and the changes they have seen over this time.
Kathy, who came to AFC in June 1994, was previously a Social Worker at CYF’s (now Oranga Tamariki) and was recruited to set up caregiving services for children and young people, alongside the Home-based social work service. “Catherine Goodyear was the Director at that time. On my first day, my task was to go out and purchase my own desk and set it up in the staffroom with the other Home-based Social Workers in Bath Street, where the agency was based. All Dunedin based staff worked from the staff room, it’s just the way it was. We were very frugal and to save power, we would cover our knees with knitted blankets, before putting the heater on”, Kathy remembers.
"The world was a different place then, but people's needs don’t change, just the social and geographical challenges, particularly for people living in rural South Otago, some are separated from their families and other support networks”, said Jackie. “When the role was advertised, I was attracted to the agency and the work they did for children and families. I had experience working with children in a Play Centre environment and through my own upbringing, (when as a teenager my own family was faced with some challenges), I was lucky enough to be cared and nurtured by a loving family and role model”.
There have been many highlights over the years for both Kathy, (who is now the Dunedin-based Practice Manager), and Jackie (Social Worker, based in South Otago). “The roles back in 1994 didn’t require a Social Work qualification, but the organisation was very supportive and enabled me to work on the job and gain a formal qualification, which meant working full-time and studying part-time”, says Kathy. “I also had the opportunity to complete the diploma in not-for-profit management”.
Jackie recalls how she came into the role with experience, but with no formal qualification and was supported by the agency to gain a degree in social work through Otago University. “Anglican Family Care has always been very supportive.”
Kathy and Jackie recall how Anglican Family Care has grown from being a very small organisation to a staff of 48 employees today. In 2000 it doubled in size to take on Social Workers in Schools and Family Start. “This required the organisation to develop from an informal model, build its infrastructure and focus on policy and procedure and meeting key performance indicators” said Kathy.
They have both seen how the roles have changed over the years. Today, there is a greater focus on safety, not tolerating family harm and greater awareness around mental health. “We try to encourage clients to think about making small changes to help themselves. For example, going outside, walking and getting enough sunlight – small steps that can sometimes make a world of difference to a person’s well-being", said Jackie.
Overall there have been lots of funny moments, humour is important, as the environment is challenging. It’s a demanding sector and uncertain social service environment, but it’s important to celebrate what we do as an organisation and the difference we make in people’s lives. When you can see the positive outcomes, hear about how our services and programmes have positively impacted on the lives of children and families and to see our staff grow in skills and confidence, you know that you have done your job!