How to Access Neighbourhood Connections

Funding for ongoing support will normally come through formal referral to us from a contracted needs assessment and service coordination agency. Individuals and families may contract to us directly, but we regard this as a 'last resort' option. Currently the major funders of Neighbourhood Connections are the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development (Children Young Persons and their Families).

How do we work?

Neighbourhood Connections offers support for independent living to individuals who have a disability and may have challenging behaviour.

Each individual receives support from a supported living worker based on identified need. Crucial to this arrangement is the development and maintenance of a close working relationship between the support worker and the individual whilst respecting family/whanau relationships.

The range of tasks that the support worker carries out is variable, and may include and is not limited to:

• Responding to the changing needs and aspirations of the individual in a creative and flexible manner;
• Understanding how to assist the person, work towards, and achieve goals;
• Understanding the learning style of the person and the course of action that needs to be taken to enable the person to achieve the outcomes and goals identified in the Plan;
• Creating opportunities for the person and educating others;
• Working with, learning with, and supporting the person;
• Fostering and developing links to a wide range of people, organisations and community based supports and services;
• Developing strategies and resources to ensure that people are able to develop new skills;
• Ensuring that any Intentional Safeguards are in place and regularly reviewed so that they do not restrict the person’s life and/or choices but do enable the person to live as safely as possible in their home and in their community.

What is the process?

Once we receive a referral, one of our coordinators will make contact with you to discuss the support needs and to help develop a support plan. We then introduce a support worker. If the person and family accept the worker, then support gets underway.