Working with family/whanau
When people experience mental illness or distress those who are closest to them - families, whanau, church and aiga, friends and colleagues contributing positively to their lives - become vitally important. It is not only the service user that enters the recovery journey but the people who love them too.
The relevance and importance of informing and involving families, whanau and other close links in services, and service provision at all levels, can only add value to the experiences of those using services and those working in them.
Working with familes and whanau is the third Real Skill in the Let's get real framework.
Luckily here in New Zealand we have some amazing, dedicated and talented people undertaking these roles. Below, we profile two family workers who talk about what they do, their motivations and their hopes:
Page last updated: 7 April 2010