Te Ara Manapou clinical team leader Julie Oliver-Bell is proud of the success of the service they provide. Photo/ Warren Buckland
Te Ara Manapou clinical team leader Julie Oliver-Bell is proud of the success of the service they provide. Photo/ Warren Buckland
A Hawke's Bay whanau-based service to help substance-using pregnant women and parents of young children has assisted more than 200 people in two years.
The numbers helped by Te Ara Manapou Pregnancy and Parenting Service, in Hastings, since its first referral in July 2017 serve as a testament to itssuccess, it says.
The service, funded by the Ministry of Health, is the first of its kind in Hawke's Bay. It is modelled on Community Alcohol and Drug Services Auckland's Pregnancy and Parenting Service (PPS).
It is one of three PPS services funded in response to an identified need to overcome barriers preventing substance-using parents from engaging with services.
Te Ara Manapou sits within the Community Mental Health Service at Hawke's Bay District Health Board and clinical team leader Julie Oliver-Bell says it is an "intensive wraparound outreach service".
Oliver-Bell, a social worker by trade, spent many years working in the family violence field before joining the Te Ara Manapou team.
Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft, at the official opening last year of Te Ara Manapou pregnancy and parenting support premises on Omahu Rd, Hastings. Photo/ Duncan Brown
She was a practitioner to start with and then became team leader in April 2018.
"Most of our referrals are for methamphetamine, some alcohol and minimal cannabis and synthetics.
"The aim is to provide multiple access points to the service to help parents mitigate harm to themselves, their children and their future children.
"There is a strong focus on addressing the needs of families/whanau to strengthen the family unit and work closely with other providers and agencies to support these needs."
It currently works with around 40 whanau to provide services which work towards the future health of the community, she said.
"We have many success stories which are incredibly heart-warming.
"It's a good feeling when you form trust and make inroads with people who have been struggling and see the turnaround they are making, not only for themselves, but for those they love."
Feedback from clients who have used the service shows the impact it has on their lives with most agreeing on the ease they felt with the team.
"How they introduced themselves made me feel comfortable. I didn't feel pressured on anything like that, so it was an easier way to just get to know them first, and gain that trust," said one.
"It felt like she really wanted to help me, so that's what I found instantly about the services – you weren't just another number coming through to tick the box and say you helped another person. It felt genuine," said another.
The Te Ara Manapou team is the essence of the service, and having the skills and experience to engage and develop authentic relationships with the client group is key, said Oliver-Bell.
"The mix of different skills and experience in the Te Ara Manapou team (including clinical and non-clinical roles) is a strength of the service, as the different team members bring different perspectives.
"Effective working relationships between different professional groups are essential in improving the services women and children receive."
The team is made up of a clinical team leader and five clinical team members, a peer support worker and an administrator.
"We also have a psychiatrist and psychologist, which enables the whanau we work with to have access to services that are normally very difficult to access."
Oliver-Bell said Te Ara Manapou was named by a local kaumātua, and means the "path of sustenance".
"The name not only represents the birthing of children, but the parent sustaining the life of the child.
"Manapou also emphasises the self-responsibility of growing strong towards independence, which can be related to both parent and child."
Te Ara Manapou is based at 307 Omahu Rd opposite the hospital.
"A carved pole (Pou) was blessed and placed at the entrance to Te Ara Manapou in March 2018.
"The Pou is named Toitu te whanau - Toitu te kawai rangatira and stands for resilient healthy families producing future leaders."
