Since the earthquake in February, Cholmondeley has been operating its Care Services for children from Bellbird Heights at Living Springs. If you need to get in touch with Cholmondeley please call the same number 03 3299832.

Cholmondeley's core service is the provision of emergency and planned short term respite care for children, whose families are experiencing significant stress or difficulties. We have temporarily updated the age of children who stay with us from 3-12 years to 5-12 years. This is because of the physical environment at Living Springs.

We all agree that parents and caregivers try to do the best they can to care for and raise their children. Sometimes things get in the way and this can create stress and pressure that develops and escalate further for some families. Cholmondeley believes that children should be valued in a way where they are seen as autonomous, thinking, socially aware and valuable members of our society.

In New Zealand the issue of child well being is heavily politicized, and often this is based on the management of risk. Children are seen as vulnerable in varying degrees, requiring constant protection and management and the adult voices are often very much louder than the child's.

Cholmondeley's reason for being is to value children and the experience of childhood. It supports each child to have a voice in decisions that directly or indirectly affect them.

Over 25,500 children have been to Cholmondeley in the last 87 years and, in recent times, Cholmondeley has worked to develop a unique philosophy of care based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which New Zealand became a signatory in 1993.

With this philosophy being centered on the rights of children it then infers the responsibility of adults around them.
Adults must be there to provide appropriate boundaries and guidance for children and young people to develop as people who also respect the rights of others.

We often hear from children that they want to feel safe, be loved, be respected, have their successes celebrated, be listened to, have adults pay attention to them and be there when they are down, also tell them they are good people and encourage them. In a nutshell they want adults to demonstrate that they really care.

Cholmondeley is a place that puts the family and child in charge by offering ongoing support based on their individual needs. Cholmondeley's respite care service has often been likened to a surrogate extended family for children to come and stay when other family supports are not available or not safe. Cholmondeley is for any child that would benefit from its support and services and operates 48 weeks of the year.

Cholmondeley can provide respite care for children whose parents or caregivers are experiencing distress. This can be in the form of a mental health issue or even a physical illness. Cholmondeley is also for children who act as young carers within the home. In some cases there may have been bereavement within the family, family violence may be an issue or the family and child have been impacted by a natural disaster such as the recent earthquakes. For children who are in need of care and protection and are required to live away from their parents (such as in foster care), Cholmondeley can continue to provide respite care for the child. When a crisis within a family occurs, Cholmondeley can step in and provide care and support to the child while the family works to resolve the crisis.

In some cases there is a requirement for statutory agencies such as Child, Youth and Family to be involved. In this situation Cholmondeley can continue to safely care for the child while the situation is assessed and a way forward for ensuring the child's wellbeing is found.

Referrals to Cholmondeley can be made by parents, caregivers, third party agencies, family members - In fact, anyone can refer a child to Cholmondeley. The admission process is very simple and straightforward, just ring Cholmondeley to discuss, there are no loopholes. Our main guiding principal is that it is in the best interest of the child.

Download the Annual Report 2011 (pdf)

For a copy of the full financial statements please contact Sarah Barrer on sarahb@cholmondeley.org.nz, or call 03 3299832.