Social Workers stories

We began working with a young woman after she’d had a number of assault charges.  She came from a violent past, had low self-esteem and was insecure after moving to a new neighbourhood.

Her social worker placed her with a family where she joined a housemate in rugby training.  Working as part of a team in weekend competitions gave her the confidence to tackle another challenge – going to a formal ball hosted by the local Marae.

She’s now working with her local iwi social service to help others.  She’s become a leader among her peers, and the only time she shows real anger is when empathising with young people going through what she’s been through before.

Her social worker was there to help her through it all - getting her rugby gear, lending an ear whenever she needed it, and finding people to support her “She’s got a lot in front of her, but hopefully supporting others will help her in her journey,” he says.  “To see her go from being at high risk of further violence to becoming a role model to other young people is pretty inspiring really.”

James is case leader at Korowai Manaaki, the country’s largest youth justice residence for young people.  Starting from a passion to help people, James embarked on a career in social work after gaining a Bachelor of Social Work at Massey University. 

James says the most rewarding part of his job is seeing young people build a relationship of trust with an adult.  "Trust is a big issue for most of the young people, because most have had bad experiences with adults.  It’s really great to see them change and mature."

James says he gave working in residences a go to try something different.  It’s very practical and reliant on relational skills.  When I was studying at uni, this was definitely how I visualised the work.

"This is the kind of social work I've always wanted to do."
Selena, Child, Youth and Family social worker

Selena coordinates a way of working adopted by Child, Youth and Family called Partnered Response. This means we work with families to connect them to the right service for them in the community, at the right time.

Selena spends most of her time visiting families and linking them up with services in their communities.  She’s found that as soon as families realise she’s there to make sure they are supported so more serious problems don’t arise further down the track, they open up and she’s able to get to the heart of what’s going wrong.

The best services are often located, literally, in the very neighbourhoods of the families that need them most. “Just last week I visited a woman and linked her up with an organisation located less than 100 metres from her front doorstep!” says Selena.  “This really brought home to me what Partnered Response is all about.”

“Our social workers do what they do because they genuinely care and want to help others. This can only be a good thing,” she says.