Community effort helps kids flourish
Every community, no matter how affluent, has an element of social issues Orewa social worker Victoria Anderson says.
She is one of around 1,400 Child, Youth and Family social workers who will be celebrating National Social Workers’ Day tomorrow.
Victoria began working with some of Rodney’s most vulnerable children and families in 2015 after graduating with a Bachelor of Social Practice from Unitec. One of the things that have impressed her most is how dedicated and passionate social workers are, and that they never seem to work in isolation.
Her experience in the Rodney community has been really positive, she says.
‘‘We get to work with some wonderful, dedicated organisations; as a social worker a core part of the role is being able to build relationships with other groups in order to help your clients.’’
This proved to be really important for one of her first cases as a new social worker,
Victoria was given a challenging case of a teenager on the run, abusing substances and committing offences.
With the support of police, the teen’s school and the Springboard Trust, a plan was put together that drew on the different agencies’ perspectives and led to a really positive result.
‘‘The plan worked to keep the young person safe; talking to mum about curfews, keeping an eye out for him when he snuck out or when he was truant, supporting him back into education and helping to manage his mental health.’’
It’s important communities work together, Victoria says.
Without cooperation between agencies and the family, the teen’s situation would not have changed for the better, she says.
The best part of her role is seeing children flourish.
‘‘They are so resilient and go through so much but with the right support and right guidance you can make a difference.’’
Among all the challenges, the small wins are what keep Victoria going. Something as simple as helping a child find their passion for reading or reconnecting a child with a family member, she says.
For anyone thinking about social work as a career, Victoria says it can be really rewarding if you have an inherent passion to work alongside families and young people.