Carer Data base: 3751
Greetings, Kia Ora koutou katoa hope this finds you all well.
OUR GRG TRUST RESEARCH:
There has been a delay in getting this out due to Ethic’s
committee: Hopefully you will have it before end of September/early
October. When it does arrive in your mail box or email (on line
link) can we politely ask that you complete this immediately and
get back in the mail or on line; we need to progress this as quickly
as possible. Thank you for helping us to help you all!
Nan’s are Special: By S aged 14.
Nan’s are special
They are people that represent love towards anyone
They are people that give anyone more than a second chance
They are people that support you all the way through
And best of all they love you.
Parent raising by Association:
At a recent expo Gran Ann and I were manning our GRG stand. She
introduced me to an amazing gentleman. At 29 years of age Robin
Kirby was boarding with a lady, whose daughter produced a baby.
The baby was born blind and deaf. The mum after a short period of
time could not cope and left, leaving them with the baby. Rob stepped
in and took on the role as surrogate father, along with grandma,
for many years they cared for the baby until he was 12 years old,
he then moved into care for the disabled. Eventually the Grandmother
died and Rob took over the guardianship of the now young man. Today
that young man is 43 and Rob being 71 still supports him. Just amazing!
Rob was awarded the Rotary International Community Service Award
because of his outstanding humanitarian commitment.
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I am so MAD:
We have a grandchild residing with us due to her traumatic early
life experiences and as one can well imagine it has left her with
challenging issues. Anger rages within her and she is having counseling
and has done so for some time. What really pushes my buttons is
the school and yes indeed the counselor, if she acts out they automatically
assume that something is wrong at home…………HELLO…………..What
stress is happening at home that causes her to act like this???
they say, without giving any thought to the fact that it may be
her behaviour that causes the stress, they just automatically presume
that it is you that is causing the problem. They search for anything
they can find, it may be something simple like a worry that most
‘normal’ (what ever that is) families encounter and
then say well this is causing her stress, then you end up feeling
guilty! Listen school teachers and counselors………..
WALK A DAY IN MY SHOES! After reading last month’s newsletter
about Age Concern perhaps they had better consider elder abuse by
the grandchildren. Anon
And on the Subject of Abuse:
We are becoming extremely concerned about the number of Grandparents
(usually a solo grandmother, but not always the case) who are being
hit, verbally abused, pushed, phones ripped out when Grand tries
to call for help, have things thrown at them or they are locked
out of home etc by these Grandchildren they have stepped in to help.
The anger rages in some of these children. I know we harp on BUT
counseling should be free for these children, indeed for all children
who have suffered in a past life! We are ringing the alarm bell
here…. very loud…………….
She is very abusive:
If anything goes wrong at school, she takes it out on us, screaming
and yelling at the top of her voice, language is just terrible and
the names she calls us! She smashes things and threatens us as well,
then will go up stairs, straighten her hair and come down as if
nothing has happened. One can deal with this occasionally but when
this happens on a daily basis it certainly wears one down. Great
Grandmum
If you are experiencing violence from your grandchildren please
ph free phone 0800 456 450 and they will be able to assist you in
getting help in your local area. If you are in real danger do not
hesitate, call the Police.
Home schooling:
We have a grandmother who is home schooling her 7 year old grandson,
she would like to communicate with others doing the same. If you
could write or email us, we will forward on correspondence do her.
Please mark your envelope with “home schooling’ or in
the subject box if emailing. Including your address and phone number
would be helpful, so she can contact you direct.
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New services for families at
court
Press Release by New Zealand Government at 6:09 pm,
08 Sep 2008
Courts Minister Rick Barker said that last Friday's passing of
the provisions in the Family Courts Matters Bill, is a welcome move
to provide new services to families and extend the openness of the
Family Court.
"The original Bill was split into 12 amendment Acts. One of
the key provisions introduces family mediation to help families
resolve disputes at an early stage and extends the availability
of counselling to help resolve matters under the Care of Children
Act 2004."
Children who are involved in Family Court proceedings will be offered
counselling for the first time.
"This counselling will help children who are taking part in
mediation so they can form and express their views. It will also
help parents know what is important to their child when making decisions
about care arrangements," said Mr Barker.
"Family Court processes and procedures will also be improved
once the new legislation is implemented."
The duties of the existing Family Court Registrars will be extended,
and new Senior Family Court Registrar positions will be established
to relieve Judges of some routine work.
"There are also new provisions for media extending the openness
of the Family Courts from that provided under the Care of Children
Act 2004, to now allow media to attend all Family Court proceedings,"
said Mr Barker.
Anyone will be allowed to publish a report on Family Court proceedings,
providing there is no information identifying vulnerable persons
or children without leave of the Court. This will bring other Family
Court proceedings into line with the provisions in the Care of Children
Act 2004.
The more technical features, such as the attendance and reporting
provisions will be put into place over the next few months.
Family mediation, counselling for children and the Senior Family
Court Registrar positions will take longer as they are new services
which require detailed design and implementation planning.
Minister Barker said "those involved in family court proceedings
are always dealing with serious issues and these further improvements
will assist in making the whole experience easier."
ENDS
Well this is a beginning (above press release):
All children who have needed to be removed from their parent/s or
indeed caregiver need to be granted ongoing free counseling not
just those whose parents have separated!
She brought him Home:
An extremely handsome young fella he was. He obviously doted on
her, followed her everywhere, watched her at times from a respectful
distance, they swam together in the pool, and so polite, he always
waited for her to eat first before having his dinner. She is slightly
disabled and walked with a limp, but in his eyes she was perfect.
We sighed deeply knowing that this would not last, he soon would
be replaced with a not so handsome fella, she had a habit of replacing
them one after the other. Some lasted weeks others only a few days
and at different times she had more that one vying for her attention.
Yes the beginning of spring is happening and the ducks are firmly
ensconced in the pool.
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What is with Foul Language and Youngsters today?
She could get a job in Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen and NOT for
her cooking skills! Grand B
My Girl:
I attended the school assembly as I often did, to hear my grand-daughters
name called by the principal. She is 8 and had sat an Australian
exam on writing and has passed with Distinction. Then to top it
off, she, the next week-end sat her piano exam and passed with 127/150.
Yahooooooooooo
Diabetes in Older Age:
I am undergoing tests for Diabetes, I had noticed a drop in weight
and an unquenchable thirst, so thought this may be helpful to you
as it was for me. Granny D
Frequent trips to the bathroom: Are you visiting the bathroom much
more lately? Does it seem like you urinate all day long? Urination
becomes more frequent when there is too much glucose in the blood.
If insulin is nonexistent or ineffective, the kidneys can't filter
glucose back to the blood. They become overwhelmed and try to draw
extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your
bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom.
Unquenchable Thirst: If it feels like you can't get enough water
and you're drinking much more than usual, it could be a sign of
diabetes, especially if it seems to go hand in hand with frequent
urination. If your body is pulling extra water out of your blood
and you're running to the bathroom more, you will become dehydrated
and feel the need to drink more to replace the water that you are
losing.
Losing Weight Without Trying: This symptom is more noticeable with
Type 1 diabetes. In Type 1, the pancreas stops making insulin, possibly
due to a viral attack on pancreas cells or because an autoimmune
response makes the body attack the insulin producing cells. The
body desperately looks for an energy source because the cells aren't
getting glucose. It starts to break down muscle tissue and fat for
energy. Type 2 happens gradually with increasing insulin resistance
so weight loss is not as noticeable.
Weakness and Fatigue: It's that bad boy glucose again. Glucose from
the food we eat travels into the bloodstream where insulin is supposed
to help it transition into the cells of our body. The cells use
it to produce the energy we need to live. When the insulin isn't
there or if the cells don't react to it anymore, then the glucose
stays outside the cells in the bloodstream. The cells become energy
starved and you feel tired and run down.
Tingling or Numbness in Your Hands, Legs or Feet: This symptom
is called neuropathy. It occurs gradually over time as consistently
high glucose in the blood damages the nervous system, particularly
in the extremities. Type 2 diabetes is a gradual onset, and people
are often not aware that they have it. Therefore, blood sugar might
have been high for more than a few years before a diagnosis is made.
Nerve damage can creep up without our knowledge. Neuropathy can
very often improve when tighter blood glucose control is achieved.
Other Signs and Symptoms That Can Occur: Blurred vision, skin that
is dry or itchy, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take
a long time to heal are also signs that something is amiss. Again,
when these signs are associated with diabetes, they are the result
of high glucose levels in the body. If you notice any of the above
signs, schedule an appointment with your doctor. He or she will
be able to tell you if you have reason to be concerned about a diagnosis
of diabetes.
Poppa was trying to persuade Lily (2 3/4) to eat breakfast and
making a game out of it. At one stage he said "I think I will
eat you for breakfast as you look good enough to eat!" "NO!"
said Lily, "I wouldn't be very tasty!"
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For your Information folks: Source: Labour North
Office. Changes to Special Needs
Grants
§ Special Needs Grants are available to people who need one-off
assistance to meet essential and immediate needs which they are
unable to meet themselves.
§ They are available in a number of categories including food,
health, medical, and other emergency situations.
§ This assistance is available to people regardless of whether
they are also receiving a benefit or New Zealand Superannuation
or not.
§ A person can make an application for more than one Special
Needs Grant over the course of a year for any amount they require
up to the maximum limits.
§ Most people are not granted the full maximum amount limit
in one application instead they get an amount which meets their
emergency or essential need at the time.
Increase to maximum limits for food grants
§ Approximately 280,000 special needs grants for food were
made in the year to May 2008.
§ From 4 August 2008 the annual amount of financial assistance
available through Special Needs Grants for food will double.
§ The government will be reducing the time period in which
the maximum limits apply from 52 weeks to 26 weeks. This will mean
that over a year people will be able to apply for up to twice the
amount of the current limits.
§ The limits for food grants remain the same but because they
will be available over a 26 week period people will have access
to twice the current amount over a 52 week period.
Limits for food grants by family circumstances Limit
Single person with no dependent children $200
Married, civil union or de facto couple with no dependent children
$300
Married, civil union or de facto couple or sole parent with 1 or
2 dependent children $450
Married, civil union or de facto couple or sole parent with 3 or
more dependent children $550
Increase of limit for Other Emergencies grants
§ Approximately 15,500 Special Need Grants were made in the
‘Other Emergency’ category, in the year to May 2008.
These grants are available where special circumstances exist in
order to prevent people falling into serious hardship
§ From 4 August 2008, we are increasing the limit to $500 from
$200 for Special Need Grants for the ‘Other Emergency’
category.
§ There is still discretion to exceed this limit if a person
has exceptional circumstances.
How do beneficiaries gain from the tax cuts?
§ Beneficiaries with children will benefit from the inflation
increase to the Family Tax Credit. Beneficiaries that are working
part-time will pay less tax on income from part-time work.
§ Benefits will continue to be increased each year to take
account of increases in the costs of living, with the next increase
timed for 1 April 2009. Benefits rates are set on an after tax basis,
so the tax cuts won’t flow through to change benefit rates.
What you're entitled to if you receive income-tested benefits as
your main income]
Work and Income provides help and pays income-tested benefits that
include:
§ unemployment benefit
§ independent youth benefit
§ invalid's benefit
§ sickness benefit
§ widow's benefit, and
§ domestic purposes benefit.
What you're entitled to:
If you receive any of these benefits as your main income, you are
only entitled to family tax credit (previously called family support).
This is paid by Work and Income. You are not entitled to any other
Working for Families Tax Credits.
Family tax credit
Family Tax Credit rates that will apply from 1 October 2008 [7]
Weekly rate Old weekly rates NEW weekly rates
from 1 October 2008
First child if under 16 $82.00 $86.29
First child if 16 or over $95.00 $99.96
Subsequent child rate if under 13 $57.00 $59.98
Subsequent child rate if 13 to 15 $65.00 $68.40
Subsequent child rate if 16 or over $85.00 $89.44
As you can see above you are better off getting the Unsupported
Child’s Benefit rather than Family Tax Credit. UCB Rates:
Under 5 $ 121.50: Under 9 $139.78: Under 13 $148.83: 14+ $157.92.
You can not get both!
Tax Cuts
Tax cuts Budget 2008 delivers a three year programme of tax cuts
costing $10.6 billion, and boosts to Working for Families Family
Tax Credits to take account of inflation costing a further $1.1
billion over four years, both starting from 1 October.
Superannuitants
A married couple on superannuation will be better off by $45.88
per fortnight while a single superannuitant living alone will gain
by $23.84 a fortnight from 1 October.
Superannuitants with a SuperGold Card: SuperGold Card website www.supergold.govt.nz
or free phone
0800 25 45 65.
§ will be able to get free off-peak travel on all forms of
public transport.
§ are eligible for the increased subsidy for hearing aids from
$198 to $500 from 1 October 08 for SuperGold Card holders.
'Streetwise Parenting' published
by HarperCollins
Glenn Compain is an Auckland frontline policeman working largely
with troubled youth, and he's seen things that would haunt your
nightmares. Violent gangs, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, soul–destroying
promiscuity, parents unwilling or unable to tackle the mess their
kids are making of their young lives. Glenn's experience has taught
him that every child is at risk at some stage during their formative
years; that there are many influences in their lives that their
parents can't hope to control. His message is that it is the parents'
job to give their children the skills to make good decisions when
the tough times come. By sharing his own story and experiences from
the frontline Glenn gives concerned parents the tools they need
to spot the danger signs for their children themselves. While he
doesn't claim to have all the answers, his commonsense approach
and experience with troubled youth make his insight and ideas valuable
tools to empower parents. A book for parents, teachers and social
workers, this streetwise, straight talking look at today's world
will have everyone talking.
Glenn Compain is of Maori, Samoan, African American and French ancestry.
At 19 he led a team of voluntary aid workers to Uganda, where they
worked with orphans and child soldiers during the civil war. In
2004 he co–founded the Village Community Services Trust with
ex All Black Michael Jones, which continues to deliver mentoring
to over 500 young people at risk in schools across Auckland. In
2005 he was approached to contribute to the Team Up campaign, a
nationwide Ministry of Education campaign featuring Tana Umaga.
In 2006 he was commissioned by land Transport NZ to develop a resource
to address the high level of road fatalities amongst Maori and PI
youth. A compelling and charismatic speaker, Glenn Compain is a
powerful new addition to the HarperCollins social and parenting
list, and follows in the footsteps of Celia Lashlie and Nigel Latta.
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They are back!
The temperatures finally begin to climb and they have arrived! NITS.
Check your little ones and no so little ones. Question is: Where
do they go over winter?
Estimates Debate In Committee
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Judy has been a champion on GRG issues and this tells us she knows
our needs very well. Thank you Jude for being that dripping tap!.
JUDY TURNER (Deputy Leader—United Future)
Over the last 6 years United Future has been the proverbial dripping
tap in the ear of the Minister for Social Development and Employment
on the issue of grandparents raising grandchildren and of kinship
caregivers. We were absolutely delighted when it was announced in
the Budget that, with the aim of achieving better outcomes for these
families, an additional $24.6 million will be given to 7,500 caregivers
who are caring for more than 10,000 children. This new funding will
apply to those who will have been receiving, up to 1 April 2009,
the unsupported child’s benefit and the orphans benefit. That
core benefit will match the foster care allowance, and I thank the
Government for hearing that call, because I know it means a lot
to those people.
However—and I have already said this to the Minister—United
Future does not feel that we have quite finished this call for help
for these people yet. There are still some areas where foster parents
benefit in a way that kinship caregivers will currently still miss
out on, and that covers the allowances that foster-care parents
get—additional amounts that they get to supplement children’s
pocket money, school uniforms, doctors’ visits, etc. There
is a whole host of other additional payments that foster parents
can get for the children they care for that are still unavailable
to kinship caregivers, such as grandparents raising grandchildren.
People have asked whether we should pay family members to look after
their own. That is the ethical issue around this. The case that
United Future has tried to make on this question is to flip it around
and ask what it would cost us if we did not support these people
to do the job they have nobly stepped up to the plate to do. That
is a much more interesting question from an economic point of view.
When we talk to grandparents raising grandchildren—to people
like Diane Vivian, who is one of the unsung heroes of this nation—we
discover that these people largely look after seriously traumatised
children. These are children who have been at serious risk of harm.
Half of the time, Child Youth and Family has made the approach to
the grandparents and said: “Would you please consider stepping
up to the plate, at least for a short period of time?”. Some
of these grandparents took on children for what was going to be
a couple of weeks, and 3 years later they still have them and have
finally figured out it is a permanent arrangement.
These people lose a season of their lives. If they are in their
late 40s or 50s, they quite often lose that season of their lives
where they would be putting away some money in a nest egg for their
retirement; that season is gone, and they are at home looking after
children who need additional care as a result of what they have
been through. If they are superannuitants, then the strain is even
more phenomenal. These people make decisions every week about whether
to fill their prescription or to pay school fees for their grandchildren.
These people often live in fear; they have been threatened by family
members who have lost income due to them stepping up to the plate
and taking care of those children. These people pay a price socially.
They tell us they no longer fit with their peers, because they have
grandchildren in tow among a group of people who no longer have
the care of young children. They do not fit comfortably with the
parents of their grandchildren’s friends, because they are
from a different generation. They can experience a huge amount of
isolation.
These are people for whom half of the time their greatest worry
is: “Will I live long enough to fulfil the obligation I have
now committed myself to?”. We are talking about literally
thousands and thousands of households, not 100 or 200, of grandparents
raising grandchildren, doing a very good job and the best they can,
and the last thing they need is to be struggling financially. They
have enough pressure with the job they have taken on. So although
we congratulate the Government on hearing our call and making an
adjustment so that grandparents in this situation will now get the
same base rate as foster-care parents, we call on the Government—and
I think it even falls on the National Party, which is polling very
well—to state very clearly what it is prepared to do into
the next financial year for grandparents raising grandchildren.
Will they offer the additional allowances that other foster-care
parents get?
One of the other issues that needs to be considered for these people
is respite care. They sometimes have very few options for having
someone look after the children for a weekend or even a week or
two so they can get a much-needed break. It really is something
that United Future is concerned about, going forward. We are glad
for this gain but we call on the Government to look to the additional
needs.
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a
note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by
this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'
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Weird, difficult … or gifted?
As a baby, Tom cried endlessly – except when he had something
new to look at or play with. He didn’t seem to need much sleep
and was always busy looking around, checking the world out.
At six months he knew which way ‘up’ books went, he
started talking at about 14 months and at four he began asking tricky
questions.
Tom is now six and obsessed with pollution and the environment.
He got a little solar panel for his birthday and wants to build
solar roads and have cars running on a central electric rail. Like
around five percent of the population, Tom is gifted. It’s
something he and his family experience as a mixed blessing, bringing
– as giftedness often does – joy, frustration, behavioural
challenges and often sheer exhaustion (for his parents).
Despite this, Tom is lucky. His gifts have been recognized and
his family have the means to provide some of the stimulation and
challenge he needs.
Many gifted children go though life feeling “different”.
Some are lonely because their interests don’t match those
of their peers, or have difficulties at school because of their
unconventional behaviour and questioning attitude. They can become
distressed through frustration and boredom, or through imbalance
between their intellectual and emotional development.
Some, particularly girls, may deny their intelligence and underachieve
so as to become more acceptable to their peers, while others become
troublemakers.
Giftedness is defined as the ability to work at or above the 95th
percentile in one or more areas or the ability to handle curriculum
standards set at least two years above the child’s age.
Identifying gifted children is not always easy and in a school environment
they often experience major difficulties which maybe brought on
by boredom and frustration with classroom programmes and routines
that don’t “fit”
Support for teachers and parents of gifted children is available
through the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children (NZAGC)
which welcomes schools and teachers as members. Local branches run
club days and organise events including parent/teacher evenings
and the association has an internet forum.
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www.explorers.org.nz
www.giftedchildren.org.nz
On a quiet moment just before bed, she wrapped her little arms
around me and said, ":I love you Nana (Pause) - especially
when you are asleep!" Now I wonder where she would have heard
that???? Oh Poppy? Nana Wendy
What Happens Next?
- a handbook for parents, caregivers and family/whanau of young
people who have a mental illness
by Wendy Lyons and Tricia Irving Hendry Published by Skylight,
NZ 2008
Price: $14.00
Available from Skylight www.skylight.org.nz and 0800 299 100
It came at all of us like a
tsunami wave. Then after that we often got swamped by other
big waves. We never knew what would happen next. Would he be okay?
Would he able to manage? Would we?
Mother of an 18-year-old
A practical, supportive and informative New Zealand handbook for
parents, carers and other family members who are looking after and
supporting a teenager or young adult with a serious mental illness.
This is an excellent, much needed resource to give to families/whanau
and carers at the earliest instance, so that their journey is better
supported and the outcomes for the young person who is unwell are
better assisted.
Parents and family members regularly feel not only overwhelmed
by their child’s situation and its consequences, but frustrated
that information to help them manage whatever comes next is very
hard to find. This makes their journey extra difficult.
What Happens Next? has been co-written by two Wellington parents
who have supported their young adult children through mental health
challenges. Wendy Lyons found her daughter’s illness thrust
her, her husband and her family into intense and traumatic times.
Suddenly left caring for a child whose condition was high risk,
often scary and unpredictable, Wendy couldn’t believe the
lack of information available. She linked with a range of other
parents and began to gather their experiences and input for a handbook
that others could use. Linking up with the experience of Skylight’s
Tricia Irving Hendry, and using Skylight’s expertise, this
new handbook is now made available to support, encourage and inform
others in this unique and demanding situation.
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Review Feedback from Parents and Family/Whanau
This book covers every aspect of the concerns and questions that
whirled in my head after my daughter was admitted to the Youth mental
Health facility in Wellington. That time was inevitably preceded
by a long terrible time of watching my child’s behaviour deteriorate
and not knowing if it was “normal” teenage stuff - until
she tried to kill herself.
I searched everywhere for the kind of information that is in this
book. Wendy and Tricia have produced a first rate publication that
will hopefully proactively be offered at an early point of contact
by young people and their families with mental health services.
Anne Norton
This booklet should be compulsory reading for parents or caregivers
who are worried about the mental health of their child or who have
had an illness diagnosed – we have been offered a lot of reading
over the last year but nothing as down to earth and reassuring as
this handbook. It describes with incredible accuracy what we felt
at the time of our daughter’s illness, especially in the difficult
and confusing months leading up to the crisis when she was acutely
ill and subsequently diagnosed with a psychotic episode.
It is reassuring to hear comments from real people describing the
emotions and reactions we had felt and to know that our feelings
may not always continue to be so acutely strained. As well as specialized
information and comments the booklet has masses of down to earth
practical suggestions for things to do when, for example, when emotions
and worry become overwhelming or when dealing with the professionals
and the system.
The book radiates out from the young person at the centre of the
story to the effects of their illness on siblings and couples –
our experience is that so many people have been affected by our
daughter’s illness, well beyond our immediate family.
Philippa Doig
Parents Inc Hint:
Help your children develop a greater sensitivity and awareness of
each other by letting each child decorate their own ‘Feelings’
box.
Each colour represents a feeling.
E.g. your child may have had a number of disappointments in a day
and has turned his box to show grey. Other members of the family
can show care and sensitivity towards this person at a time when
they need understanding.
Keys to the feelings
Grey = Disappointing :Black = Pretty hard :Yellow = Full of fun
:Red = Busy :Blue = Tiring :Orange =Interesting and
Some names are great at expressing your fondness and enjoyment of
your child – others can be restrictive and unkind. Every child
loves to hear themselves called something inspiring, creative and
endearing. Have a go – give each of your children a nick name
to love and even grow into! Princess, Mighty Lion, Sunshine –
you will know what fits the best!
Spiderman is not a good idea unless you want him climbing the walls.
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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group
Meetings Around the regions:
Tauranga: 1st MONDAY of each month at PALMERS garden centre at Bethleham
and 3rd Monday at Resource Centre at Katikati Beach Road. Ph Colleen
07 578 5341
Papakura/Franklin: Old Central School Hall Wood Street. Papakura:
10.30am – 12 noon last Wednesday of each month, next one 29th
October. Ph Alyson 09 239 1096 or 021 948508
Te Awamutu: meet 2nd Wednesday of each month except for school
holidays. Time 10am -1pm Venue: Te Awamutu Maori Women Welfare League
Lyon St, Kihikihi. Shared lunch!
Guest Speaker:
8th Oct 08 is Age Concern Jane on support services available. 12th
Nov 08 - Gathering of GRG's support groups - those who can meet
with us Kihikihi 10th Dec 08 - Xmas gathering ? Venture - Maungatautari
- Picnic.
Contact Rangitaia day 021521950 or evenings 07 8713781
North Canterbury:
Monthly Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the Month. 7th October 10am
1st Floor - The Gables, 96 High Street, Rangiora. (FARLAW Office)
Speaker: Norm Farquhar: Family Lawyer.
Any questions on Court Processes: Dealing with CYFS, Dealing with
Biological Parents. Parenting Orders:(The old Custody & Guardianship
Orders!) or anything else dealing with the Legal Process of raising
your Grandchildren.
Nelson/Marlborough:
We hold meetings the last Tuesday of each month.
Coffee morning’s 2nd Tuesday each month for a social get together,
the next one 9th September .We go to a different place each time
.We go Stoke one time and Nelson next then Richmond as our members
are wide spread .We have winter xmas party then b-b-q in December
for Xmas party .We are taking kids on camp in November. Therefore
you need to contact Paula to register your family to be notified
of what is happening.
Paula's email is paulaeggers2000@yahoo.com.au contact is 03 544
5714
Dunedin:
Our next meeting will be on October 2nd at the age Concern Rooms
in the Octogan, Dunedin. Our monthly lunch meeting which usually
means car pooling and a trip to the country will take this Wednesday
10-9-08.We will be leaving Dunedin at 11 am and will travel to Middlemarch
and return before 3 pm .All new members welcome.
Nanette 03 473 8015
Ashburton
Helen Byron Ph 03 303 7253 email helenbyron@clear.net.nz They meet
every 2nd week at Presbyterian Support Centre on Tancred St in Ashburton
at 9.30am.Next meetings 8th & 22nd October.
Huntly:
Next meetings 22 Oct, 26 Nov 2008 from 10am to 12noon at the Community
House, William Street. Contact Lodi on 07 828 6123 or Doreen on
07 828 8555
Waitakere Auckland:
Kelston Community Centre: corner of Great North Road and Awaroa
Ave, Henderson at 12.15pm. October 15th, and November 19th. Contact
Judy on 09 838 3662
National caregiver training programme: Free
• Attendance is invited from all caregivers - not limited
to those associated with the Department or Federation
• GRG/Kin Carers welcome.
• All courses are of two-days duration.
• To register ph 0800 227 305
• Some travel & Childcare reimbursements may be available,
ask when registering
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May today there be peace within
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love
that has been given to you
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God: Let this presence
settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us!
Di
National Convenor and the team.
heoi ano, na
E te Atua, aroha mai..... O God shower us with love
Ka kite
GRG Trust Field officers
Northland: Robyn Corrigan Ph 09 408 5520 Cell 021 284 4075 email
r.corrigan@xtra.co.nz
Central North Island: Alison Cuthbert Ph 09 445 9671 Cell 027 332
3868 email alnstu@actrix.co.nz
Please feel free to send this report on to others whom you think
may be interested:
• Please pass this on to other grandparents/kin carers you
know of.
• Disclaimer: Views expressed in this newsletter may not be
the views of the GRG Trust.
• GRG Trust Head Office hours are 9am-3pm daily. (We raise
grandchildren too)
• We are totally a voluntary organisation.
• All donations to the GRG Trust are tax deductible.
Abreviations:
GRG – Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ™
• H/O – Head Office
• H/B – Handbook
• BOT – Board of Trustees
• CYF – Child Youth & Family Services
• Co’s – Co-ordinator/s
• UCB – Unsupported Child Benefit.
• WINZ – Work & Income NZ now DWI – Department
of Work & Income
• Grands – Grandparents
• G/c – grandchild/ren
• Kin – Kinship Carers
www.grg.org.nz or www.kin.org.nz or www.raisinggrandchildren.org.nz
Email office@grg.org.nz
Free Phone 0800 GRANDS or 0800 472637 (not for use for Auckland
callers)
Telephone: (09) 480 6530 Fax: (09) 480 6572
Postal Add: PO Box 34 892 Birkenhead. Auckland 0626
If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please contact
the Trust Office as this is where the total mail out membership
is kept. Moved home or planning to? Be sure to let us know.
Te Tautoko i nga Mätua Tupuna, me nga Mokopuna.
Te Ao mai rano, aianei, a muri ake nei.
Supporting: Grandparents and grandchildren.
Our past: present and future.
