Te Awa Unit

The unit

Te Awa Unit is intended for children and young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki who are placed in the Auckland region and who have high needs at home, in school and in the communityThe students are usually between school years 7 and 11. The unit is in the Penrose area.

The service

A team of NHS teachers, psychologists, facilitators, mentors and support staff work with the young people and can provide two types of service:

  1. An assessment service, that looks at identifying young people’s needs or at answering specific referral questions (function of behaviour, education assessment, therapeutic needs, summary report…). The assessment of the young person’s needs will determine whether these can be met locally, from existing services or whether additional intervention is required from Te Awa. If an additional intervention is not required, the Te Awa Psychologist and Deputy Unit Leader will share recommendations and information necessary for the young person’s social worker and/ or care provider to arrange a successful transition. Te Awa’s involvement with the young person and their family will cease, and the case will be closed.
  2. An intensive wraparound service, which aims at supporting young people:
    1. Learn new skills and ways of behaving
    2. Develop a healthy sense of personal identity
    3. Engage successfully in education at a local school
    4. Develop the skills necessary for building prosocial peer relationships
    5. Enjoy a successful home life, including developing relationships with whanau and community

The wraparound process involves the young person, their family and their team. They meet regularly to agree goals and devise a collaborative plan that is implemented between meetings. Regular reviews take place monthly, with goals reviewed and new needs prioritised, strategies discussed, and action points agreed to by all participants. Once the plan’s goals have been met, the young person will be transitioned out of the service.

The service also runs a base classroom programme operating school terms and between the hours of 9 am to 3 pm daily. Up to six students work in the classroom area on individual learning programmes while education and individual assessments are undertaken to establish their needs, and while they are taught strategies to manage themselves in other settings. Not all young people receiving the service will physically attend the Hub.

Referring a young person

Te Awa Unit is intended for children and young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki who are placed in the Auckland region and who have high needs at home, in school and in the communityThe students are usually between school years 7 and 11. The unit is in the Penrose area.