Whakatupu Ora
Whakatupu Ora is a new, specialist service for families with a child under the age of 4, with emotional or behavioural problems that have not resolved with simple interventions.

We serve families of all cultures living in the Counties Manukau Health area.

What kind of problems can we help with?
We can provide help when the relationship between caregivers and their young child is not going well. For example, we can help with difficulties caregivers might have in enjoying and feeling close to their baby or toddler, and with upset or angry feelings caregivers might have when things are not going well with their child.

We can also help if the child has emotional or behavioural difficulties.

For families expecting a baby, we can help pregnant women who have mixed feelings about the pregnancy, including anger, sadness and worries, and difficulty feeling close to the unborn baby.

What can we do to help?
Our team has a number of clinicians with knowledge and experience in working with families with very young children. We can listen and support families through emotionally difficult times. We have learned from what other parents have found helpful, and can work with the families referred to us to find what will work best for them and their child.

We can support mums-to-be and their families through the pregnancy and in the early months after the baby is born. We found that it is often helpful for women with significant and persistent concerns to have someone who listens and understands.

We take referrals from specialist health services, primary health care providers and NGOs.

We see families for whom primary or secondary care interventions to address the current concerns have been unsuccessful, are not available, or are not appropriate (e.g. problems are too severe for primary or secondary care).

Our referral form can be downloaded from here.

Our service is free of charge for people entitled to free health care in New Zealand.

Primary care services

Here is a list of primary care services that can address infant and toddler social, emotional and behavioural problems:

• Barnardos provide a range of services including:
  • parent education programmes
  • family support for families under stress
  • family counselling for families in crisis
  • programmes for at-risk children
  • services for children who are distressed or disadvantaged
  • care for children under 5
  • parent help line: 0800 4 PARENT (0800 4 727 368) (9am to 5pm)

• Plunket available free from birth to 5 years:
  • information, support and developmental assessments
  • home visit by Plunket nurses
  • telephone advice 0800 933-922 (24/7)
  • parent groups
  • parent education, parenting programmes

• Ohomairangi Trust Early Intervention Service provide early intervention, based on the Kaupapa Maori framework, for children between 0 - 6 years with:
  • behavioural difficulties
  • developmental delay
  • communication difficulties
  • social and/or emotional support needs
  • physical or cognitive disabilities
  • other developmental needs

• Iosis offer a range of services including:
  • counselling and family therapy centre
  • family learning centre
  • parent support and coaching
  • Merivale Residential Programme
  • Awhi Mai Community second-stage housing

• Anglican Trust for Women and Children (ATWC) offers many services and programmes in the community. These include: 
  • The Granger Grove Programme (a comprehensive programme of residential family care)
  • Mellow Parenting (14 week, one day a week group designed to support families with relationship problems with their children under 5 years of age)
  • St Mary’s Pre-school (for children 0 - 5 years)
  • Community Counselling Centre (can help with parenting challenges, amongst many other problems)
  • attachment therapy
  • Family Start Programme
  • Pacific Island Service
  • early childhood education

• Family Start serves women in the second trimester of pregnancy and families with infants under 12 months old. Family start programme supports positive parent-child attachment and includes the Ahuru Mowai/ Born to Learn early childhood development programme.
  • Manukau
  • Papakura

• Papakura Early Year Service Hub provides information, practical support and advocacy for families with children under 6 years of age.