Essential social services to continue in Otane.

Essential social services to continue in Otane.

More than 100 families in Central Hawke’s Bay will continue to receive social services following an agreement between Napier Family Centre and the former Pleroma Social Service Trust that enables Napier Family Centre to use the established Pleroma name based in Otane. The Ministry of Social Development contract to Napier Family Centre for family social work, youth programmes and counselling has ensured that the community retains a full time social worker and recruitment for a counsellor is underway.

The following media release was published in the CHB Mail on June 27th 2017.

After 39 years of helping people in the Central Hawke’s Bay community, Pleroma Social Services is entering into a new arrangement that will ensure the continuation of their vital services.  “It is a difficult time to be a community social service due to the increasing demands on community funders and donors, increased administrative requirements and effectively shrinking government contributions (the costs are going up but the contract rates are not).  Each year we have to raise $70,000-$90,000 over and above our government contract in order to keep the doors open.” says manager Rachel Mackay.

Rather than close their doors due to a lack of funding, Pleroma Social Services sought to find an alternative solution.  “The focus for our Board was to find a way that we could continue to meet the needs of current and future clients by providing high quality counselling and social work services” says Rachel.  After considering a range of options an agreement was reached with the Napier Family Centre to provide governance and day-to-day management of Pleroma Social Services from the first of July.  This arrangement means that Pleroma Social Services will be able to continue to provide the same high quality counselling and support services, for the foreseeable future.

“Pleroma Social Services provides this community’s families and children with social work and youth progammes where parents and children are supported to overcome barriers that allow them to reach their goals and see their whānau thriving. Pleroma’s counselling service also includes working with couples and as funded sessions for couples is rare now it’s very important to maintain this support. We are committed to these programmes and services continuing” says Kath Curran, CEO Napier Family Centre.

Napier Family Centre has already demonstrated a 10 year commitment to the Central Hawke’s Bay community with the provision of in-home Early Childhood Education by Bright Futures based in Waipukurau.  Through Bright Futures, Napier Family Centre provides employment for CHB educators and supports them to achieve a Level 4 qualification.  They currently subsidise around $55,000p.a.in free childcare hours to families in Central Hawke’s Bay (over and above the 20 free hours provided by the government).

“This is an exciting new step for Pleroma Social services” says Rachel “it means that we can continue providing services with the backing of a larger, more resourced organisation.  It is a great opportunity for the Central Hawke’s Bay Community.”

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