Family & Financial Solutions Trust

Our Intensive Holistic Mentoring Programme provides an average of 12 sessions to approximately 51 clients each year at a cost to our organisation of approx $1,080 per client.

This programme is provided at no cost to clients and is funded solely through grants, annual Rose Show fundraiser and donations. Any donations received will directly support these clients in our community.

The majority of our clients are single parents with children and 49% per cent of our clients are females who identify as Maori. A significant number of our clients face challenges such as addiction, mental health issues, victims of Domestic Violence (physical, emotional and financial).

Through this FREE programme clients develop skills to achieve financial independence, with the ability to manage the complex challenges they face on a daily basis, through intensive financial mentoring with a focus on family and decreasing poverty.

The Intensive Holistic Mentoring Programme includes:

• One on one mentoring for clients and their families

• Dispute resolution and facilitation

• Guidance and assistance with debt consolidation and repayment

• Negotiation with government agencies, bank and/or organisations money regarding penalties and repayment amounts

• Employment focus for link to training, education, licence and/or employment opportunities

• Comprehensive review of living expenses, prioritising essentials such as electricity, food, rent/mortgage and exploring ways to make savings

• Collaboration with other core services for further education, training, parenting well, warm and safe housing and being healthy e.g. REAP for Work Ready Programmes and assistance sitting Drivers Licence, Toi Ohomai for training

• Supporting clients through advocacy and guidance to a position of confident independence.

• Assisting clients to understand their rights and responsibilities

• Provide resources such as diaries, notebooks, folders and any other resources needed to organise financial documents. These resources complement an individual or family’s unique needs around daily/weekly/monthly routines.

• Access to ToolBox of practical support for physical items such as bedding, clothing, household essentials so that additional debt is not incurred.

Outcomes: Clients are assisted through their immediate financial situation and leave the Intensive Holistic Mentoring Programme with a greater understanding of their finances and improved skills to help them self-manage the day to day challenges, their debt and finances in the long term.

Our Team: Our Service Manager, Anita Westley, works with clients with more complex needs including Family Dispute Resolution and oversees all mentoring within Family & Financial Solutions Trust.

Anita’s qualifications and training include Grad. Dip Bus Studies (Dispute Resolution), Grad. Dip. Studies (Training & Development), Associate of AMINZ FDR (Arbitrator & Mediators Institute of NZ). And Olivia our Client Support Worker is in her final year in a Bachelor of Communication.