Immerse’s Cultural Support Service is offered to children in our care and foster parents who identify as Māori. Through this service, we aim to normalise Māori culture, practices, and language in foster homes with hopes to strengthen the child’s cultural identity. It is consistent and tailored support for tamariki and rangatahi Māori (Māori children and young people) and their whānau whāngai (foster family) designed to give them their voice and empower them.

For many years, it has been a privilege to grow up in Aotearoa with knowledge of te reo Māori (the Māori language), culture, and heritage, it shouldn't be, which is why this work is so important. It’s especially crucial for our tamariki and rangatahi who have come from ‘hard places’ and are away from their whānau whānui (extended family). 70% of the children in our care identify as Māori, so it’s evident that the need is there.

At Immerse, we utilise Sir Mason Drurie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā wellbeing model as a framework in how we identify the needs and provide care for our tamariki and rangatahi. One of the four dimensions of the model is Taha Wairua, or Spiritual Wellbeing, which includes your culture and identity. To help meet this need, our cultural support service engages directly with tamariki and rangatahi as well as their whānau whāngai to normalise aspects of their culture and identity at home, positively impacting the entire whānau (family).

Fostering is driven by a genuine desire to help and nurture. As an organisation, we look at what resources our whānau whāngai would also benefit from in order to provide a nurturing environment where their tamariki and rangatahi can thrive. Our trauma-informed caregiver training involves a module on intergenerational trauma and how it affects tamariki and rangatahi Māori. This pre-engagement, along with on-going coaching, cultural, and social work support is how we inform and empower our whānau whāngai to provide a home where the tamariki and rangatahi overall wellbeing and identity can thrive.

For more information about Immerse and becoming a foster parent visit www.immerse.org.nz or email info@immerse.org.nz