Samira* connected with the Whāriki Tāngata Whaiora and Whānau Service during the COVID-19 outbreak. She had moved to New Zealand with one of her children but had become separated from her husband and younger child who were trapped in another country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. This caused great stress amongst the family, leading to mental health challenges as they tried to settle into their new home. Samira’s living situation at the time was also difficult, with several issues relating to privacy and security also causing ongoing distress. Because English is not the family’s first language, this made communication during this challenging time very difficult. Samira says at this point, she felt as though her “life was like being in a dark well” and she couldn’t see a path forward for herself and her whānau.
How we walked alongside Samira
Whānau Support Worker Rae’s* first priority was to connect with Samira and find out what assistance the family needed. After listening to Samira, Rae began to develop a plan of action, breaking down each challenge into manageable chunks to help Samira feel less overwhelmed and more in control of the situation. Initially, the discussion centred around accessing community support for the child living in New Zealand as they were struggling to adapt to living in New Zealand, while being separated from their father and sibling. Using her strong network of contacts and resources, Rae reached out to a variety of local agencies and groups to find out what support was available in Samira’s new community. She also worked with housing providers to support Samira to navigate the social housing process, and assisted her to complete the formal paperwork. In the next stage of their work together, Rae introduced Samira to community law services and helped her to navigate the visa process so the family could be reunited.
