A UNIQUE CAREGIVING ROLE

Andrea from Titahi Bay

FOSTER CARE NEEDED BUT NOT REALLY?
SUPPORTED LIVING NEEDED BUT NOT REALLY?
We are seeking a whānau / family or single person who is open to welcoming our amazing 18-year-old girl into their home and life. This is a unique situation where she is now of an age where she needs to move forward and beyond foster care. BUT she still needs to be cared for and about, like any other 18-year-old. She is an exceptional young woman, and you could make the difference for her.

This is what she has told us to share with you:

I have just turned 18 and spent most of my life in care. I am told I am brave, funny, kind, thoughtful, a bit complicated, and focussed. I can be very mature but am also anxious about what is ahead of me. I love my whakapapa and keen to learn more. I am affectionate and caring. I am intelligent and capable but have so much to learn in life and I find this scary.
I want to be fully independent one day, but I am not quite ready for that just yet. I have missed a lot of the things that get us ready as children, to become independent but I am proud of how much I have achieved (as are my foster parents!). I am working part time in Porirua; I have my own car. I am good at spending time alone at home and am trustworthy. I am learning to cook; I take care of my personal space and am getting better at managing my own money as I know I will need to pay board and bills. I have pets that I adore – 3 little mice and a bird who I love and who I take full personal responsibility for. I really hope they can come with me to my next home.

Our girl is looking for a family to call her own and a place to call her home. She wants to feel welcomed into a whānau so she can prepare for independence and when she does leave home, she feels she can always come back if she needs advice, to attend family events like Christmas and birthdays, and those family dinners! She is open to living with a couple, a family with other children (preferably older children), or a single person. While she can take care of herself extremely well, she needs a caring eye to watch out for her and guide her.

It is important to her that she is noticed, and you are genuinely interested in her and her future and that you commit to her long term. Remember, she wants a warm genuine long-term connection that is ‘not’ a job for someone.

Please don’t be shy to pick up the phone to talk to our team who know our girl extremely well. We can tell you more about her, and about the supports that will be available to you which will include:
- Board payments
- Social work and other support
- Engaging with our wider team

For an opportunity with no obligation, to discuss further please contact:

Adam Bain
abain@wesleyca.org.nz
021734960