Stacey Meihana

My current position is a Support Worker for Victim Support Aotearoa. My role consists of but not limited to;

*Providing practical support to all people affected by crimes here in New Zealand. Tailoring the support given to the individual person affected appropriately to fit their needs.

*I work in collaboration with the police to gain information on incidents/crimes to best support the victims.

*Net working including creating and maintaining relationships to seek services out in the community that can further support our people. Learning what these services offer.

*Managing my own case load to provide the best support I can in a safe and practical way.

*Supporting victims through the court processes by talking them through what can be expected, liaison with the appropriate parties for information (court, police) on behalf of, sitting in the secure witness room or supporting them inside the court if they are attending.

*Gain information to provide our victims with funding needs if applicable.

*I provide emotional support to any persons affected by crime in a way that is helpful to them as individuals, this can look different in each case.

I support the person in a way to help them to feel empowered to continue through their journey while they navigate through these difficult times in their lives.

*I work alongside our team sharing and receiving knowledge with each other to provide our victims with the best possible support we can give.

*Report to my team leader when necessary for guidance or support if needed.

*Attend relevant professional development trainings through out the year.

*Attend weekly and fortnightly in team meetings to keep informed on what is happening throughout our work place.

My duties as an Education Support Worker consisted of but not limited to;
*Supporting tamariki/children in multiple centres with higher needs mainly working one on one with them.
*Working alongside teachers, communicating to provide these children with individual plans that are specific to their needs.
*In some circumstances my position allows the teachers to work one on one with the children and I will fill that role of the teacher during that time.
*Supporting teachers in finding different strategies and information that can assist all involved to cater to the child's needs.
*Reporting and communicating with the specialist core worker when needed

Main roles in this position included but not limited to;
*Been part of a team.
*Over seeing the everyday running of the centre. Been on and off the floor.
*Providing resources/guidance to help the days run smoothly for example: rosters, brakes, area and job expectations.
*Delegations of roles.
*Supported and reported to management when needed.
*Ensured both staff and children were in a safe, happy environment.
*Taking on the centre Manager role if manager was absent.
*Reviewing of policies and insuring staff and whanau/families were aware of policies and made changes if or when necessary.
*Planning of excursions for end of year trips or any trips out of the centre. Ensured policies were followed and correct procedures were taken place.
*Imputed data to ensure we were upholding correct teacher/child ratio daily and for
billing, funding purposes.
*Attended professional development courses monthly.
*Supported in Teacher appraisals.
*Supported with potential hiring interviews.
*Communicated with appropriate organisations alongside management under circumstances where we needed outside support for example Oranga Tamariki, police etc.
*Supported staff and whanau with issues where they asked for support, guidance and/or a voice.
*Made sure monthly targets were hit using advertising and by providing consistent quality care.
*Obtained information by observing, record writing and communicating with whanau/staff to get support for children if they needed.