By Petrina Wright | Posted: Monday December 9, 2024
Georgia* was at the end of her tether when she asked Family Works for help.
Her eldest child had become very defiant, and Georgia and her husband had very different ideas of how to parent their children.
“My husband was very strict, whereas I was more laid back.”
Georgia joined the Parenting Programme and learned different parenting styles and techniques and developed more clarity around what behaviours were acceptable and unacceptable.
After her marriage broke up several years later, Georgia struggled to parent her children on her own, particularly because the children were unhappy with the shared custody arrangements and had become confrontational.
It was during this time, Georgia self-referred to Family Works, this time for social work support.
“My social worker was my lifeline…my saving grace.”
The social worker was very direct when it was needed, she said. He helped her gain confidence in her parenting, encouraged her to stand up for the truth and establish boundaries around her children’s behaviour.
“The social worker was a listening ear and someone I could offload to.”
The eldest child had become extremely angry and violent, to the point of punching Georgia and kicking holes in the wall. With the guidance of the social worker, the next time her child became violent, she called the police.
Although calling the police had been an incredibly difficult thing to do, it had taught her eldest child and the younger ones that the behaviour was not acceptable, and the violence had stopped, she said.
She used to be very reactive to her children’s behaviour, often resulting in her yelling at them, but with the guidance of her social worker she had learned how to calm herself before addressing her children’s behaviour.
Another positive change to have come out of working with Family Works was she and her children were now able to have more fun together.
“We do have a lot of fun times together now that we didn’t have before. I feel like we are all more relaxed and we don’t have the violence in the home anymore, particularly with the eldest child.
“I would 100% recommend Family Works to others. I can’t fault them. I am just so grateful.
“Family Works is not just for the under-privileged. It is for everyone.”
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About Social Work Support Service
Family Works’ Social Work Support Service provides families with advice, parenting strategies to manage children’s behaviour, advocacy and other support for issues families may be facing.
Social work support can be provided to any family or situation where a child or young person is being cared for, up the age of 17 within the wider Southland area.
Social workers work with individual family members and with families as a whole - whatever is in their best interests.
*not her real name. Name has been changed to protect the family’s privacy.