Carlile Dowling is a Guardian Angel for children and families in need.
Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC) has been a large part of our community, with a particular focus on families and their children, since they established the Hillsbrook Children’s Home at Havelock North in 1946.
This home closed in the 1980s and was followed shortly after by the opening of Child & Family Services. This was the forerunner to a charitable programme, Family Works, which provides much needed support to young children and their families in Hawke’s Bay today.
Family Works Hawke’s Bay provides services for children and their families, and individuals, who are facing challenges such as child abuse and neglect, family violence and parenting issues. Their team provides confidential advice and support including counselling, social work interventions and education programmes. They work collaboratively with local community groups and services.
Annually, PSEC delivers $11 million worth of vital social services throughout the East Coast, with the help of 220 staff and over 200 volunteers.
Family Works is a vital service because our region still has one of the highest rates of family violence in the country. An unacceptable number of children in NZ have died at the hands of people they should have been able to trust. Last year alone, 1,379 new clients received crucial support from PSEC’s Family Works in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.
Carlile Dowling believes that every child has a right to be safe in their own home, and having a lot of faith in PSEC’s work, is a sponsor of their Family Works. We’re aptly known as ‘Guardian Angels’.
We care about the wellbeing of children and our support is a lifeline to many families as they turn their lives around. Our much needed support goes toward:
Counselling children in trauma
58% of all Hawke’s Bay counselling work is with children who witnessed or personally experienced violence. Counselling children in these circumstances requires sensitivity and skilled care. Family Works Guardian Angel gifts ensure that each child has enough time with their Family Works counsellor to minimise the trauma and be healed from it.
Family social work
It takes trust and a great deal of courage, for a family to transform the way they live; it also takes time. Family Works Guardian Angel gifts ensure enough time is provided for these families to turn their lives around with their counsellors.
Parenting support
Many of the parents who come to Family Works for help did not grow up in a loving home. Parenting courses and personal mentoring allows people to learn what parenting is, and what works best for their child to thrive. Family Works Guardian Angel gifts help to keep parenting education free for those who are raising a child.
By financially supporting Family Works, we’re helping to ensure that they support vulnerable families to make positive change and ensure that their children are safe. Because of support like this, there are many young adults today in our community who have happier lives and better life prospects.
Even though Family Works is one of the largest social services in the region, they need more Guardian Angels to help keep children safe, and to educate parents with good parenting skills. With your help too, PSEC’s Family Works can support more families through crisis or tough times, helping them to learn kinder ways of interacting and living together.
Family Works Guardian Angels can be individuals, schools, churches, service clubs or businesses like Carlile Dowling.
There is no better feeling than helping families to transform their lives so that their children are safer at home. We invite you to join the Guardian Angels ranks by supporting families in need through the excellent work handled by PSEC’s Family Works programme.
Family Works Hawke’s Bay
Our year culminated with Family Works Hawke’s Bay winning an award in the “Commitment to Working Together to Improve Community Health and Wellbeing” category at the HB Health Awards. The award was for our Poipoi Mokopuna pilot programme, which supports whānau and non- whānau caregivers with tamariki in their care.
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