Sara is Barnardos Children’s Safety Programme Coordinator for family violence services across Wellington. With 25 years of experience in this field, Sara is a true asset to Barnardos and the Programme. The grant helped us fund Sara’s salary so she can  keep helping vulnerable children.

“I could see after working with these families … we were making a difference. I knew right then and there this is what I wanted to keep on doing,” she says.

Sara and her team deliver the 9-week Child Safety Programme for ages 5-17. The key message of the Programme is that abuse and violence are never OK.

“Family violence is not a secret and we encourage children to talk to trusted adults around them.”

The Programme is educational rather than counselling: the aim is to provide a “tool box of coping strategies to help them in terms of dealing with the effects of family violence.”

Social workers like Sara have to think creatively to engage children in the Barnardos Children’s Safety Programme.

We help them try and deal with difficult feelings and emotions they’re going through as part of dealing with the abuse that’s happening. We want to build up their self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.

“They deserve to be loved and nurtured and cared for. We want them to be making good choices for the future which are going to help them and their children”.

Barnardos is New Zealand’s leading children’s charity, doing more for Kiwi kids for over 60 years. We provide the broadest range of child–centred services across New Zealand.

More info on Banardos website www.barnardos.org.nz