Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft gave the illustration of a young person's life being like a four legged chair – home, school, friends, and community are the legs.
When the chair legs are stable, that young person's life is strong. When just one area becomes a little wobbly the chair becomes unbalanced, and it loses strength. With a small amount of pressure, it will easily topple and become broken.
Swap school for workplace (or other activity) and the chair illustration can apply to anyone.
It’s certainly the case with many of the people we see and support, both through Family Works services and with those who live in our Enliven Care Homes and use Enliven services.
When the right things are in place in a person’s life, good balance exists.
When a few things begin to shift their life can quickly become like a chair with unbalanced legs. A little pressure can cause the chair to fall down.
Over the last year, our Family Works team has worked with around 3,000 individuals and families to help bring balance, so their lives are strong, stable, and they have purpose. We've worked with almost 900 people through our Enliven homes and programmes.
Sometimes people just need a little helping hand, to remind them that they have the courage and ability to move forward. With others the support is more involved and longer term.
From those Family Works supported last year, 83% told us they felt better prepared for the future, and 94% said they had better family relationships after receiving support from us.
Through your generous donation, you can help to bring stability to the lives of many individuals, children and families who live across Otago. Thank you for your generous support.
