Many single parents are not aware of all that is available to them for support in New Zealand. Birthright was established in 1955. It’s a national organisation, with sixteen (16) member societies throughout New Zealand, which work to support, strengthen and advocate for one-parent families.
What do they do?
Each Member society provides a range of services appropriate to their locality. These may include:
Counselling and social work
Recycled clothing and household goods
Workshops for parents on relevant subjects e.g. parenting skills, confidence building, goal setting, life skills and home management programmes
Budgeting assistance
Referrals to recognized agencies for specific problems e.g. grief, child abuse, behaviour problems
Ongoing support groups for parents
Self-esteem programmes for children
Some financial support when available with school requirements and holiday camps
Tertiary Scholarships for children and retraining grants for single parents
Auckland Single Parents Trust offers similar to birthright although we do not have the funding available to us yet and we are not qualified counsellors. We are a network of single parents although we can direct you to other organisations who offer counselling, anger management programmes for both men and women and budgeting assistance. Also, it is not unusual to share recycled clothing or household items amongst friends.
Birthright has not been going in Auckland for some time although it seems it may be starting up again. Many single parents have used their services over the years and I think having a place to go for financial assistance and for clothing and household items is of value especially when you are setting yourself up all over again. The other services they provide can also be very helpful. An advocate for the single parent in situations with CYFS, IRD, WINZ and many other areas of your life is a bonus to have on your side.
I have listed the Birthright contacts under Links for those outside the Auckland area and look forward to Birthright starting up again in the Auckland area.
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