Community Connect

As the Practice Manager of the Open Home Foundation in Paeroa, Ashley Mikaere works long hours.

It's not only Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food" programme that is spreading the word on how to cook good, nutritious food on a budget.

Maureen Little has worked as a budgeting adviser for 21 years. Over that period she has witnessed first hand how easy access to credit has affected her clients.

On October 13, the new web-based information tool FS-Net went live with 26 providers having access to the new extranet.

After only one year of operation, the Heartlands Service Centre in Helensville has 21 government and community agencies using the centre on a regular basis.

The Campaign for Action on Family Violence's media advocacy programme is helping change the way the news media reports family violence in New Zealand.

Wellington Lions Rugby and SKIP recently completed a parenting skills workshop that ran over four weeks.

When families have needs that require the involvement of multiple social services, bringing all the agencies to the table at the same time is a proven way of ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Family and Community Services' staff are hard at work updating the details of providers listed on the National Directory.

Students from three Hutt Valley colleges are involved in a mārae-based project aimed at increasing their understanding of family violence, and sharing these messages with their fellow students.

The mayors of two North Canterbury district councils – Huruni and Waimakariri – held a joint Mayoral Forum in Rangiora in late September to discuss the work being done to enhance the wellbeing of people in North Canterbury.

Fourteen social services are easily accessible to Whangarei youth and their families/whānau, thanks to the Pulse Centre and its collaborative approach.

Round 10 of the SKIP Local Initiatives Fund has opened. Applications for this fund close on 27 March 2009.

A research report that evaluates Family and Community Services' Settling In programme has recently been completed by the Ministry of Social Development's Centre for Social Research and Evaluation.

What's happening in the community