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The Family Start programme offers free, voluntary home visits to support expecting parents and those with pēpi and tamariki (up to 2 years old).
You can self-refer through this website, by email or by calling us. You can also be referred by healthcare or education providers, legal professionals, or community workers.
Family Start empowers whānau to build a strong and positive future for their tamariki. Our focus is on the health, education, safety, and development of your tamaiti.
We achieve this by:
A dedicated Family Start worker will visit you regularly at home, starting with weekly visits. They'll get to know your whānau – you, your partner (if applicable), and your precious tamariki. Together, you'll explore your parenting strengths and identify areas where support might be helpful.
They will also help you get the right health care for your tamaiti, support you to keep your pēpi safe, explain how your pēpi is growing and changing at different ages, and help you work out what you want to achieve, change or improve. Your kaimahi will also make a plan with you to help you get there, offering advice and ideas to help you solve problems.
Read the Family Start brochure for more info.
Maddie was 18 years old when life took an unexpected turn. In her final year of high school, her father passed away and soon after, she found herself pregnant.
Expectant parents and parents of newborn and young children qualify for Family Start. If this is you, you can self-refer using our contact form or get your healthcare professional or community worker to refer you.
You can self-refer by calling us or using the contact form on our website. You can also ask your healthcare professional or community worker to refer you directly. We have a downloadable form you can email or print out if you'd like to refer this way too.
Our Family Start programme is free and voluntary, meaning that you can withdraw at any point with zero consequences.
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