Contracted Support in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

If a disabled loved one has behaviour that challenges other people, you can talk to an expert about the ‘why’ behind the behaviour, and how to manage it effectively.

You’ll be supported by Explore, the national provider for behaviour support in New Zealand. They will work together with you, your family and support network to come up with plans to help your disabled loved one express their emotions better, communicate more effectively and navigate daily situations with less stress.

They can support you at home or in a residential care setting and will regularly check in on the behaviour support plan to make sure it’s working well.

Key things to remember:

• Explore has a prioritised waiting list. Once your behavioural programme starts, it’s very important to keep working with them, until you no longer need their support.
• Early intervention can be life changing. Check out Explore’s wellbeing support resources on their website.
• In Crisis? Reach out to us. Let’s talk about where you need support and explore other options that are best for your situation.

Household Management can be available for some people if your child has additional needs around the house or your disability means you need help to keep your household running.

A support worker can help with household tasks such as cleaning, meal preparation, laundry and others. This support is typically allocated to disabled adults to help them with tasks they would typically manage at home. The support can come in two forms: helping the person learn to do tasks themselves or having a support worker do those tasks for them.

There are several providers contracted by the Ministry who can do this for you. Or you can choose to access this help through IF, which means you’re responsible for finding and managing these services yourself.

Key things to remember:

• The disabled person or parent must have a Community Services Card (CSC) to receive Household Management.
• Help around the house does not include lawns maintenance or gardening.

Personal Care is when a support worker helps with things like getting dressed, personal hygiene and developing self-care routines. The contracted provider will develop an individual support plan with you.

This is short-term support to help people achieve prioritised goals. It’s for those who are already somewhat independent, and want to build their skills and confidence to navigate daily life on their own. From doing the shopping, to taking the bus, it can help you live life more independently outside the home.

Your chosen SL provider will work with you to identity your core goals and plan how to reach them within a set time–this ensures you’ll get the dedicated support needed to reach these goals. Some ideas for goals are going out and about and getting to know your community, budgeting or cooking, or help when dealing with agencies such as WINZ or your bank.

Your provider will send your plan to us, so we know what goals you want to reach and how they intend to support you. Goals should be well-defined, focused and measurable. Once we agree with the plan, your support will start. When your goal is reached, we can look into other goals you may have.

If a whānau member has significant needs that can’t be met at home, we can look into long-term residential care. This could be home living with others in the community, or another place where the disabled person can receive both health and disability care.

The residential provider will take on a direct role in supporting your loved and keeping everyone updated on their support needs. You, your whānau or legal representatives play a crucial role in deciding if you’re satisfied with the level of service they provide. We’ll monitor their care to ensure it’s meeting the right standards.

Key things to remember:

• If your needs change while in residential support, we can review the amount we pay to the provider, but we still have to stay within the budget allocated to us by the Ministry of Social Development.
• In some cases, a Review Panel from the Ministry will look at the cost of increasing residential support or placing someone in a residential home.
• This new approval process adds extra steps for our team, as we’ll be working closely with the Ministry to ensure every decision is carefully considered to provide the best possible support. Because of these changes, there will be delays in responding or getting a decision on your request.

Respite is about taking a break from your caring responsibilities. It’s essential to your wellbeing, especially if you’re the main carer for a disabled loved one. You can get respite from a contracted provider, through Carer Support or IF.

Two ways you can have respite