By PSS | Posted: Monday September 10, 2018
In a world of rapid change, young people require the right mix of information and skills to thrive and Family Works Southland’s mission is to make that transition as easy as possible with the launch of their new resource “Get Ready, Transitioning to Independence”.
The work book – available to download from the Family Works Southland website or available for purchase at Family Works – has been developed by Family Works staff, alongside young people, caregivers and professionals within the Southland community, but this wouldn’t have been possible without the support from The Tindall Foundation who assisted with funding this initiative, alongside Presbyterian Support Southland.
Family Works staff Judith McInerney, Dawn Lloyd, Kris Wallis and Monique Taito worked closely with groups of youth, consisting of young people who had completed their transition to independence, or who were working through to their own independence, their caregivers and professionals in the community to ensure the “Get Ready, Transitioning to Independence” work book provided relevant topics and information for youth.
“A young person transitioning to independence is confronted with many decisions to make, from finding safe and appropriate housing, to how to have the necessary life skills. They need to know what they need to do so they can get to the stage they can make these decisions. It becomes critical to develop a good plan and prepare for adulthood, including accessing as many resources as possible to help a young person succeed” says Dawn.
“That’s why we have developed this work book, so that a young person can identify what is important and where they need to get support”.
Judith McInerney, Director of Family Works, said for some time Family Works had concerns that there didn’t appear to be a model that provided consistency and quality assurance for working with young people to assist them to successfully transition to independence – a very important time of life for our young people. Family Works decided to check with others to see if they shared this view. Young people, other professionals and caregivers; were in agreement that a consistent resource would be beneficial and the development began. This has resulted in a great resource for the community.
“Preparing our youth for the future is a key priority for Family Works – the better prepared they are, the more they will be able to positively contribute to society and the more fulfilled their own lives will be” says Judith.
“When working with youth who are referred to Family Works for our general services or for Foster Care, our work is often about preparing them for Independence”.
The official launch was held over a lunch at Family Works which has generated ample amount of interest in both the Southland community and on a national scale. Family Works have been asked to provide extra work books to a wide variety of groups and individuals.
This resource can be found at the Family Works Southland website for download or alternatively, hard copies can be ordered directly through Family Works, Invercargill.