October 2026 Upper South Caregiver News

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to the school holidays and daylight savings!

Term 4 will bring its usual flurry of activities and expectations for our caregivers, so take some time to connect with others where possible and find time to think about your own needs to avoid that Christmas crash.

I recently went to an event for Stakeholders for the Rātā Foundation and there was an acknowledgement from all, that the need for support is growing, the cost of living is intensifying. In particular we see that occurring at the petrol pump with prices at time of me typing is closing in on $3.50 per litre. Hang in there team, I would like to think there will be an easing of pressure sometime in the near future.

Enjoy these spring days and if you are garden-inclined then it’s time to enjoy planting for those lovely blooms or for the summer vege patch.

Ngā mihi,
Denise

SELF-Directed Training

Have you tried our new registration process for online caregiver training ? If you’re an eligible trainee, we’ve started sending you a monthly invitation from our training platform, with a link to find out more and register for courses in the next intake.

We’d love to hear your feedback while the platform is still new – as it has been designed with your busy days in mind. Like any new system, we have experienced some teething issues, but we’re working hard behind the scenes to ensure the process is seamless for you. Send any thoughts and comments to us at training@caringfamilies.org.nz

If you’re caregiving under an Agency, our monthly invitations to register for training are sent to your Agency instead. Have a chat with your Agency and let them know which of our courses you’d like to start!

You can find information about our caregiver training courses and the registration process here – Self-directed Online Learning – Caring Families

New courses for October

This month we’re introducing two new Additional Courses to our training suite. Each course takes approximately one hour to complete, but you don’t need to finish them in one sitting – just like all our courses, you can dip in and out and save your progress as you go.

Helping Babies Heal – understanding the impact of trauma
Learn how to recognise and respond to the emotional and developmental needs of an infant or toddler in your care. We’ll leave you with strategies for building trust, security and healthy attachment.

They Care Too – the impact of fostering on biological children
We explore the experiences of biological children in mixed caregiving households, navigate the unique challenges (and some opportunities too!) and learn practical strategies to support positive relationships and help the whole family thrive.

Register by Tuesday 6 October if you’d like to take advantage of this training, or any of our Foundational Level courses, this month.

Missed the email?
We’ve received a few enquiries from caregivers who haven’t seen the email from our registration platform inviting you to register for courses. If this sounds familiar, check your junk mail or search for these details in your Inbox – sender “no-reply@caringfamilies.net.nz” and subject “Invitation to sign up for Caring Families Aotearoa training course”.

Events

Coming up we have our very popular Family Fun Days which will see pool parties happening in Nelson, Blenheim and Greymouth (a change from the previous movie days). Look out for the link to the ticket registration on our Facebook pages, or you can register here – Family Fun Days 2026 – Caring Families

It has been lovely to see so many of our Support Group Members register for our 50th Anniversary Celebrations in the region, and to see some of our Upper South members enter our 50th Competition and win an awesome prize! If you haven’t already seen all the ways we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary, click here to find out more –  Celebrating 50 Years of Caring for Families across Aotearoa – Caring Families

Support

Nelson Coffee Group
Unfortunately, I will be unable to hold a support group this month (October).

Blenheim Coffee Catch up
Date: 30 October
Time: 10:30am
Venue: Haven Cafe, Redwoodtown, Blenheim
Please RSVP – Txt Kim Boyce 020 4071 6954

If you need someone to talk to feel free to connect with me, your Regional Coordinator; M: 027 369 3333 | E: uppersouth@caringfamilies.org.nz. Or you can call our national office on 0800 693 323.

Or you can call our national office on 0800 693 323.

My hours of work are 8.30am – 4.30pm Monday through to Thursday.

Ngā mihi nui,
Denise