Kelly was a single mum stuck in a difficult situation. She wanted to make better choices for her two-year-old daughter Kaia so that she can grow up in a safe and happy environment.

She was in a lot of debt and completely stressed out about it. She didn’t feel she was being the parent she wanted to be for Kaia. She just didn’t have the energy to manage Kaia’s frequent tantrums. And she knew their housing situation was dangerous and unhealthy.

They were living with Kelly’s mother in a two-bedroom house with five other adults. The house was overcrowded, unhygienic and unsafe as the others were using drugs and alcohol. It was not an environment where Kaia could thrive, and not what Kelly wanted for her tamariki.

Connecting with Barnardos

So Kelly reached out for help. A Barnardos kaimahi (social worker) visited her, to find out what she needed support with. At first, they found it hard to get Kelly to open up, she was reluctant to speak in front of her mother. But a short walk in the garden and they started to put together a plan.

Right away, the Barnardos kaimahi was able to provide supermarket and clothing vouchers to help with Kelly and Kaia’s immediate needs. With debt repayments being automatically deducted from Kelly’s account, often at the end of the week, there was very little money for healthy food, let alone clothes for a growing child.

They referred Kelly to a budget advisor, who would help her with a fair and more sustainable schedule for clearing her debts. Kelly also indicated that she’d really like support with talking to Work and Income, as she found it hard and extremely stressful to communicate with them.

Her Barnardos kaimahi supported her through the processes and it resulted in Kaia and Kelly moving into their own one-bedroom apartment. It’s a clean, safe, and stable place for them to build a home.

Joining Barnardos Early Learning

Kaia is now also enrolled in a Barnardos Early Learning Centre. Barnardos offers early learning services to all under-fives, to create strong foundations for children’s educational and life outcomes.

Joining the centre also meant that Kelly was able to attend the regular coffee mornings that the centre runs for parents. Kelly enjoys attending the catch-ups, as it gives her the opportunity to connect with other parents.

It’s still tough. Kelly’s debt is not gone, but it is manageable. There’s still no money for extras. But now she feels in control of her life and is developing a support network, Kelly can focus on being the mum she has always wanted to be.

She is putting Kaia’s wellbeing and education first and ensuring that her tamariki is able to shine bright and thrive.

Barnardos Child and Family Services

Barnardos provides social support services to tamariki and whānau in our communities facing really tough times – including those who have experienced family violence, addiction, neglect and abuse, and those struggling with mental health issues.

Our social services are a continuum, from preventing problems before they get too overwhelming, to intensive help in the whānau home to help tamariki thrive, to also providing care for tamariki when it is really not possible to do so at home.

Making better choices for the whānau