Challenge Trust’s Pacific Island Packages of Care Service provides an intensive, community based support and recovery service for Pacific people with mental illness, who have high and ongoing support needs. The Service is flexible and designed to work with people receiving the package of care, their family/whanau and other identified relevant support persons such as caregivers.
Packages of Care can assist in providing flexible solutions for people requiring support to live well in the environment of their choice, whilst maintaining their safety and enhancing their capacity to manage their own lives.
Challenge Trust works collaboratively with clinical teams, clients and other organisations to ensure a safe transition into the service. This includes the flexibility to provide 7 day support to meet a person’s needs. Clinical teams are also responsible for providing a quick response to any critical calls outside of normal business hours.
Clients who are referred to Challenge Trust must be aged between 17 and 65 years of age. The criteria for acceptance are aligned to the contractual obligations Challenge Trust has with the District Health Boards and all referrals come through their coordination services.
Challenge Trust’s Pacific Island Packages of Care Service uses a recovery and strengths based philosophy based on the Recovery model. It caters for Pacific Island people with mental health problems and high and complex support needs. The purpose of the service is to support people to live well in their environment of choice and gain independence. A mixture of clinical and non-clinical staff work in the service in order to meet the individuals’ needs.
The main feature of the Service is its cultural appropriateness which gives it a unique Pacific Island feel and it was developed ‘by Pacific, for Pacific’.
An Inside View
The best part of working in the Pacific Island POC Service of Challenge Trust is that it allows me to enjoy and celebrate my culture every day. When I come to work, I am surrounded by people from the different Pacific Island cultures and there is a really great feeling about our office. We often have music on and almost every day we share lunch or some food. People are always bringing in fruit from their gardens and the fridge is always full.
I also like the fact that every day is different. You never quite know what is going to happen because we are constantly visiting and supporting people in their own homes and communities. Sometimes, people want to do things that have not been planned or when we arrive, other people are there and I get to meet all sorts of different people.
I love my team. They are very supportive and have helped me understand my job and the team better. Everybody helps each other and we all support each other if someone gets too busy. We also take it in turns to do the various jobs in the office.
This year two of my clients have done so well that they no longer need our support. This has been really great knowing that I was able to help them get better and move into their own flats and jobs.
John’s Success Story: Reflecting Through My Life
I have been verbally, physically, and emotionally abused for a long time (too long to remember) by a lot of people that I’ve come across in my life – people that were very close to me and not so close to me. I have been living on the edge for a long time.
I had nothing, nowhere to go. My parents were always fighting even when separated. I turned to drugs, alcohol and gambling to hide my sorrows especially on “benny days”. I was in debt and had no money for food. The other days of the week life were spent mostly drifting from one family member to friends’ places – anywhere someone was kind enough not to kick me out in one day. What a life!
I’ve lived in and out of institutions for many years. One day, a psychiatrist asked me, “What do you want out of life?” I remember saying, “ a stable and secure home”, but really had no idea what that meant. Nevertheless, I said it. The psychiatrist and clinical key worker started talking about Challenge Trust’s Pacific Island Packages of Care Service and what they can provide and do for me. They told me that they would put forward a referral to Challenge Trust. I shrugged and said “yes”. It was the best decision that I ever made.
I don’t trust people but the first time that I went to their office, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of warmth. People smiled and said hello, made me a cup of coffee and welcomed me inside.
They asked what I would like to do and clearly said that they were there to support me through my journey to become independent and live well in the community – I thought yeah right! That was two years ago.
I am now well and strong. Staff members from Challenge always said that I was special. They made me believe in myself again. With their support, I was able to secure a one bedroom flat and furnishings. They encouraged and motivated me to join the Green Prescription, to advocate for myself with external agencies and to visit a counsellor. They supported me with budgeting, cooking, and managing my home. Today I have a home, no debt, a part-time job, and a good relationship with my family. I’m no longer part of Challenge’s Pacific Island Package of Care Service and I only need to see my clinical team every three months.
Challenge Trust staff were my role models. They gave me respect, love, hope, space to develop, support to be able to advocate for myself, strength, and the courage to look towards the future and especially restored my belief in people which was no mean feat.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my friends and family at Challenge Trust for everything they have done for me.
Thank you!
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