Recovery
What we offer people
Recovery based model of Support
Consistent with our philosophy to improve the quality of life of people who use mental health services, our desire to respect and value the individual, and our valuing of life experience and education as being integral to that, we have had a natural affinity with the recovery based Strengths Model. What this means is that it is imbued in our culture and evident in how we organise our work and training. We are experienced in inducting new staff into a recovery based culture, specifically through the experience of taking over the Blue Water Services staff team.
The strong leadership of the CEO and Service Manager has ensured our method of support has endured when challenged and are now satisfied to see the our method of support being offered to a further 26 people via the merger with Blue Water Services. We have been formally contracted to provide residential support services for eleven years. Since April 2003 these services were extended to include Level Three.
All staff are trained in using the models we prefer, overseeing staff are team leaders and management who have been with Arahura for some time, notably before the contract to manage Crossroads Clubhouse and the merger with Blue Water Services. A key component of the staff upskilling is the internal recovery workshops the Level Three Team Leader and Service Manager run each month.
Quality Homelike Housing
We consider housing to be one of our particular strengths and a commitment to provide high quality housing is a key driver. As far back as 1993 the journey began to improve the housing opportunities in a very real sense via the closing down of a 30 bedroom boarding house and movement to smaller houses. Recently, Housing New Zealand agreed to support us by providing replacement housing for two Boarding Houses, Kakariki and Onslow. We worked closely together viewing prospective houses that would meet our criteria and are pleased to say the end result has exceeded our expectations in terms of being very attractive and of a high quality. An important aspect of accommodation is the standard of furnishings. We have had a recent experience in working with residents at Level Three to furnish their houses. Our budget is generous because we consider it pivotal in terms of valuing people to not be ‘cutting corners’ or purchasing household items of substandard quality. Residents accompany staff in selecting what they want in their home. We have been successful in fundraising for this in the past.
Quality Staff
We utilise the commitment and experience of Arahura's Management and Leadership teams to coach, mentor and induct incoming staff. There is a clear expectation that with support and training they will meet the same high standard of service provision currently provided by existing staff. Our staff manual notes ‘Communication’ as being ‘what we do’ at Arahura. This refers to the high level of team work and information sharing as being prime enablers of operating a quality service that seeks to provide the best service possible for consumers. Arahura has been operating for quite a number of years, and it is essential the skills gained are passed on to new staff if we are to make best use of the feedback and idea’s we have had from consumers over that period. We have had the experience of merging with another service and their culture, and have seen in a very real sense what this means for consumers. We have had to train an existing team of people what it means to provide a recovery based support programme, it cannot be assumed all mental health support workers operate from this paradigm. From The Governance of the Trust Board, through to the day to day operations of the Support Workers, we have experience in providing a recovery based service. The recruitment of new staff is also seen as an opportunity to get closer to the composite cultural and socio cultural needs of those we provide services for. We are mindful to recruit in area’s likely to meet any needs we anticipate in this regard. Potential staff meet with a panel of residents during the selection process and the outcomes from this meeting are fundamental to actual employment offers.
Membership of Arahura
As mentioned in Projects, Arahura is involved in the following -Transitional Support (Community Integration Project) -Change Your Mind destig group -Maintenance Unit -Crossroads Clubhouse and NZ Coalition We also have an annual calendar that notes life experience activities such as hot pools, winter trip to Kuratau, chess tournament, Rainbows End etc and service meetings/events such as Founders Day, Vision meetings and AGM. Participation is primary and all consumers are active participants in these events. Our ability to provide many of these activities relies on fundraising, an area we feel confident in due to historical success.
We are proud of the inclusive nature of Arahura as an organisation, similarly our grass roots approach which we balance against some innovative progressive business practices. Consumers can feel safe at Arahura in that risks are measured and ensuring our long term ability to provide a quality service is paramount.
Monday, November 10, 2008, arahura