It is good to have dreams/moemoeā

 

 

When I started my social work career in the early 1980s, I had no idea where the journey would take me. Little did I know that I would find myself contributing to best practices in family violence and criminal justice work in New Zealand and across Australia. None of us does this role alone, and through the years, I have been blessed with several mentors who have stood by me, prodded me, and supported my dreams/moemoeā. We also need to acknowledge the contribution our family / whānau make to the work/mahi that we do.

As we all rush into the end-of-year push to clear those projects that we never quite got to, reflecting on what has been achieved is helpful. At HMA, we work with passion and integrity to bring out the best in people. As we have moved out of the restraints of Covid, increasingly we have been able to transition many of our learning and development programs back to in-room. There is something exceptional about sitting with a group of people and discussing the challenges of intervention practice. I am always honoured to sit amongst people with such a passion for making a difference in people’s lives, supporting them to disrupt patterns of behaviour that restrain their own, as well as the lives of others.

Talking about dreams, this year, one of my dreams came true. For some time, I’ve wanted to create an app to support men working to disrupt family/whānau violence when they are outside of the program room. After eight months and a lot of effort, we are finally there. Imagine having your portable helper on your phone, a place where depending on how you are feeling, you can access immediate information and resources that can support family safety and well-being.

Check out the result here: https://resources.hma.co.nz/ake 

 

I didn’t quite get my new book, ‘50 ways to say no to abusive behaviour within relationships’ completed, but it is 80% finished. This practical resource for men should be completed by the end of January with a publication date of May.

We finished an updated version of our Disrupting Domestic and Family Violence intervention program. This program is now running across several prison and community sites. So we got a few things done along with all the other contributions we make to the field. 

We also developed a three-day training program on youth domestic and family violence for NSW Youth Justice and ran a train-the-trainer workshop. In addition, we developed a twelve-session individual DFV program for adolescents for Mission Australia. We also upskilled staff in the delivery of the intervention. 

Thanks to all of our supporters. To those of you who have invited us to join with your people to build capacity, competency and have advocated on our behalf. This work is never done in isolation. 

As you come towards the end of your year, I invite you to take time to congratulate yourself on the work you have done to support the well-being of others. It is the small things that often make all the difference – An acknowledgement here, thoughtful reflection there, an encouraging comment, or just sitting with someone in distress. Also, say thanks to those who allow you to do what you do. Nothing we do is cost-free.

 

Have a great summer break, and we will see you back in 2023. 

Published on Monday, December 5th, 2022, under Announcements

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