Motueka Family Service Centre

The Family Service Centre is the 'home' of a range of services, all set up to provide support to parents and families in the Motueka community.

LOCATION:
We're at 27 Talbot St, beside Motu Weka Neighbourhood Centre Early Learning Centre and GSE.
Parking - at the end of Talbot St, behind Parklands School.
Foot access - walk behind Whitwells, straight across Parklands School grounds. The building is on the left before you reach the road.

CONTACT DETAILS:
Phone: 528 0234 Text messages - 027 8251528
Fax: 528 0234
email: mfsc@xtra.co.nz
Postal address: Box 86, Motueka 7143
Hours: open 9am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Administrator: Sheryl Takiari

TRUST:
Motueka Family Service Centre (MFSC) is governed by Motueka and Districts Pre School and Whanau Trust, which was set up specifically for the Centre. There are currently 7 Trustees, with representation from Schools Principals Association, Te Awhina Marae, TDC, churches, preschool education and the community.

MISSION STATEMENT: Our Mission is to support and empower families and whanau with guidance and encouragement to develop their educational, emotional and physical wellbeing.
The Vision of the Centre is:
A community facility where all people are welcomed, their needs met and their lives enriched.

Our services

The Family Service Centre is the 'home' of a range of services, all set up to provide support to parents and families in the Motueka community. All services are free, except for a $10 charge for some contraception for some people and a donation from HIPPY parents.

Family/Whanau Support

We have a team of 3 family/whanau workers (Ali Comins, Blyda Mackey, Mary Shaw) and Kay Beaumont as Practice Leader. They provide support for families based on the family circumstances, needs, strengths and goals. Referrals can be self referrals by phone or by calling in to the centre, or from agencies.

Kay's role is to contact each person/family referred and meet with them to assess their situation and what support they are wanting, to provide information on the MFSC and what we offer. It may be that one visit is all that is required - especially if it is to provide information and links to other services. If ongoing support is required, there is then a 2 way decision - are we the right agency for this family and do they want us as part of their lives?

We can provide short or long term support, building on the strengths of the family, to make positive changes. We also know who does what around town and link with other services as required. We use the Strengthening Families process as relevant.

We support access to counselling where it is required - we have up to date information on various counsellors available, including 2 counselling students on placement at the Centre whom we refer families to. We have funding for access to counselling where cost is a barrier.
Acorn Parenting Groups

These meet on Mondays and Wednesdays mornings during school terms at the Motueka Family Service Centre. There are 2 groups:
Parents & Toddlers Group and Parents & Babies Group. The groups are facilitated by Mary Shaw and Phillipa Adams. There are guest speakers for some sessions.
The groups have a programme of topics for each term, with information and discussion on things of interest to parents, play activities for children, and contact with other families. All parents and families are welcome and parents can come to all or some of the sessions, with or without their children.

View the Term 3 programme for both groups (PDF)
HIPPY

Coordinated by Anna Hart, with 5 part time tutors.
HIPPY is a home based educational programme for preschoolers age 3½ years or older. The programme is for 30 weeks each year, over two years, with a tutor who visits the family at home each fortnight. There are also group sessions at the centre each fortnight. The fun activities guide and support the child in their learning. There is a guided 15 minutes per day instruction time, and the aim is to extend the ideas and activities into every day life. Enrolments are underway for 2010.

Involvement in HIPPY provides potential employment opportunity for parents as the HIPPY tutors are recruited from the parents in the programme.
Sexual Health & Family Planning Clinic

Clinic 2 days a week (Mondays and Thursdays) provided by Lisa Smale. Also weekly clinic at Motueka High School This service provides confidential one on one advice, education and support. The Registered Nurse offers a range of services to do with contraception, pregnancy, sexual health, women's health and cervical smears. The nurse can provide support for GP or health provider visits and can also provide education sessions to groups.
Budget Advice

Coordinator is Sjors Brouwer, advisors Anna Mitchell and Peter Johnson.
This free confidential and non-judgemental service is available to help with budgeting needs, including negotiation with creditors where necessary and on-going support whilst debts are repaid.
The service can be short term (sometimes just one appointment is needed) or ongoing, depending on the circumstances. Budget Advice is not just for people in crisis.

Managing insurances: See an article by Sjors about budgeting and paying insurances.
Quick budget tips: Read 14 top tips based on real experiences of clients of budget advice.
Budget Advice talks and workshops: Read about services available to organisations.
Get Cooking courses

Coordinated by Sjors Brouwer, these are weekly 2 hour hands-on cooking classes for 6 weeks. The focus is on cooking nutritious food on a low budget, for people who don't have huge experience of cooking. Enquiries for the term 2 courses are welcome.
Mum4mum, whaea ki te whaea

Coordinated by Phillipa Adams, they provide breastfeeding support in the community, provided by group of trained volunteer mothers. For information, support for pregnant women or mothers with newborn babies.
Wellbeing programme

Run by Tracey Harrison. Group and 1-to-1 sessions to support any young people with a young family to make lifestyle positive changes to improve their wellbeing, and to set realistic goals for change - in small steps or great leaps.

Topics include healthy eating, managing stress, and physical activity. Courses offer 6 to 7 weekly sessions of 2 hours, and this term they are starting on April 30th and May 25th.

Click here to see the full details of our Wellbeing Programme (PDF)
Incredible Years

The Incredible Years parenting programme is designed to develop positive family relationships, empower parents to make changes and to help them manage their children's difficult behaviour. The course is run over 14 weeks for parents of children aged 2 to 8, using practical step by step suggestions to help with handling everyday situations.
Housing New Zealand, 2 midwives, and the parent centre ante natal classes operate from the Centre.

Room bookings
The Centre has a large meeting room with facilities for up to 30 people, plus a small meeting room for up to 4 people available via a booking system. Contact the administrator. A modest room hire charge applies.

Volunteers sought

Volunteer budget advisors wanted

First up, you do not need a vast knowledge on money issues. Budget advisors are foremost people-persons. They are non-judgemental, well organised, can inform and maybe also inspire. They need to be able to 'not take their work home', and enjoy small achievements, big achievements, and cases of no-achievement-but-we-tried-our-best (these do also happen). If you have approximately one day (or two half days, or 4 quarter days) per week available, and are such a person, contact Sjors, 528 0234. Full training and support given.

Volunteer helpful and handy people wanted

Handy people: Fixing a leaking tap, draught-excluders on the door, set up the computer for internetting, and many other small jobs in and around the house. They can save you money, in the long run, but cost in the short term. Many budget advice clients do not have the money to pay a craftsman to do the job and lack the skills to do it themselves. If you like to help others with these things and are available 'on call' (within reason, of course), contact Sjors, 528 0234.
Helpful people: a ride into Nelson for hospital or a cheap shopping trip, help with moving house, help with getting cheap firewood (transporting it), and other...... Let us know if you are interested (as above).