Oranga Tamariki is set to celebrate National Social Workers Day. Photo / RNZ
Oranga Tamariki staff have provided an insight into the life of a social worker, to highlight Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day.
Dee McManus-Emery is the transitional deputy chief executive of services for children and families at Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children, and splits her time between Hamilton and Wellington.
She said Social Workers’ Day was a really special day and a chance to celebrate.
“And for any social worker outside of an organisation working in the community to take a breath, acknowledge, and reflect on the passing year.”
“[I’m] really proud of our kaimahi [staff] and the work that they do and continue to do. They show up every day, even when they are facing adversity and the challenges this role presents. The fact they show up for work and do a good job, I really can’t thank them enough.”
The day-to-day life of an Oranga Tamariki social worker revolved around engagement and meetings with tamariki, and making sure needs were being met. Relationships across government departments and iwi were also important to allow them to advocate for clients.
She said it was critical to have someone who could be a voice for clients, to help them navigate complex systems and facilitate access to whatever they needed.
McManus-Emery studied psychology and social anthropology at Waikato University, then began her career in 1993 when she worked for the Waikato District Health Board as a paediatric social worker.
Being a paediatric social worker allowed McManus-Emery to work alongside vulnerable families and children, supporting them and advocating for them while connecting them to the right services they needed post discharge from Waikato Hospital — ensuring there was a good support plan wrapped around whānau when they went home.
In her time in this sector, McManus-Emery has also worked for police, Housing New Zealand, and the Ministry of Social Development.
“The common thread is being in that social equity space, to support users accessing the fundamental right to access the services that they should be entitled to, which they do not often get access to.
“I did a lot of work and linked in with the predecessor of Oranga Tamariki, Child Youth and Family Services, with children who were very vulnerable and subjected to abuse,” McManus-Emery said.
“The fundamental skills and expertise of social work practices around building relationships to help understand people’s needs have not changed over my years of working in this sector.”
What has changed is the introduction of a Māori cultural framework, which has enhanced social work.
“This is our key shift and starting point for us to better engage with and respond to our iwi and Māori partners, whānau and tamariki.
“For our frontline kaimahi, our partners, and for Oranga Tamariki to really be leaning into to support and work alongside whānau and tamariki in order for them to live their best lives.”
Social workers often dealt with tough situations that most New Zealanders were not usually exposed to.
“It is an incredibly challenging and tough role. But, equally, it is the most rewarding role I have ever had, working directly with families and their children. The actions and decisions that we have taken to support them, and subsequently, you can see a difference and generational impacts.”
In October 2018, Oranga Tamariki social workers reached a pay equity settlement. In July this year, that was extended to social workers employed by non-governmental organisations that deliver social services on behalf of the Crown.
“We did lead out pay parity in the social sector. If I think about the health system, our frontline nurses and police are doing the hard yards and working right in the area that is toughest.”
Francis Pedersen is a social worker for Oranga Tamariki in Tokoroa. She said the day was a chance to reflect on their work and think about all the good things that had happened, and the bad.
“It is a day to celebrate the mahi that we do.”
Pedersen grew up in Tokoroa from age 11, after spending her life on the road, because her parents were sheep shearers.
She decided to get into social work after “growing up surrounded by those who were less fortunate and having the desire to support those families when I grew up”.
She went on to study social work and got a job at Oranga Tamariki in Tokoroa.
Pedersen says being back practising social work where she grew up was amazing.
“It is such an awesome community. I think for me, all that was going to be challenging was coming in to work in the community knowing that I was probably going to bump into people I went to school with or people my kids go to school with. However, I find this quite beneficial. It is easier for me to link people to support.”
Recently, Pedersen has had a few things to reflect on with a young tamariki she worked with, writing her a personal letter dedicated to her.
“The tamariki wrote the letter in front of me, so there was no influence from whānau what the tamariki wrote; it was all from them, so it felt really genuine,” Pedersen said.
“It was confirmation, and I know that I have achieved my job and done what I am here for. It also makes me feel respected by a young person.
“My whole family knows how much I love my job. I think it is definitely reflected in the whānau that I work with; I have really good relationships with them.
“I would recommend this career to someone who wants to do this work. You have to want to do it to enjoy it. I would not say it is an easy job; it is far from that. Due to the nature of the work.”
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