How We Work

Ngā Pou o te Oranga – our Practice Framework

At Reconnect we believe the approach to our work needs to be thoughtful, consistent, and always with the needs of the young person and whānau in mind.

 

We love innovation and agility and reckon these are best achieved when staff have guiding principles to help make decisions.

 

In Te Ao Kohatu – a literature review of indigenous theoretical and practice frameworks – a practice framework is described as “…a tool for practitioners, a conceptual map that brings together, ‘a theoretically informed intervention logic and a set of triggers to support best practice’ (Connelly, 2007).” (Dobbs, 2015).

 

Reconnect employs a number of models and approaches to its therapeutic, care and mentoring work. An advantage of formalising the framework is captured in the quote above – it supports best practice. It also enables us to create sustainable structures around an agreed approach to our work. Case decision-making, recruitment, induction, supervision, training, performance appraisal, how to work with stakeholders and colleague agencies can all be organised around agreed approaches and principles.

 

In 2020 we held a series of workshops to explore and collate the theories/ models we already work with and those we aspire to employ in work with clients and its management/leadership. Since then, we have refined our approaches and developed our own.

Key frontline work theories/models

  • Intensive Structural Family Therapy
  • Trauma informed care
  • Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa/Mana Taiohi
  • PARTH
  • Whakapapa-centred design
  • Te Whare Tapa Wha
  • Kei te kō te Kōmako – our unique “whānau as caregivers” model
  • Koloa Kakala – our te ao Pasifika models and learning
  • Tika, pono, aroha (Bryan, 2018)
  • Oranga Tamariki Care Standards

Key management/leadership theories/models

  • Operational excellence – “Good to Great” (Jim Collins)
  • Kaupapa Māori (Mika, 2012)
    Whakapapa-centred design
  • Tika, pono, aroha (Bryan, 2018)
  • “Servant” leadership – particularly informed by Pasifika thinking on leadership (Massey University 2016) and “Good to Great” thinking on “humble but driven” leadership (Collins, 2001)

Through discussion and reflection, three overarching approaches were identified:

  • Positive Youth Development – an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organisations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive. It recognises, utilises, and enhances young people’s strength. It promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and providing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.
  • Systems approach – emphasises the complex ways that human factors (including biological) intertwine with other factors within families, community, and broader social structures to influence development and wellbeing.
  • Whakapapa-centred design – acknowledging the history and the connections that exist within the system we are working in. This can encompass individuals, whānau, communities, the environment, processes, and rituals. Acknowledging whakapapa recognises that people and situations do not arrive “as is”; there have been any number of events, actions or circumstances over time that contribute to how a situation currently is.

These approaches have considerable thinking, research and evidence sitting behind them. The research is international and – most importantly – within New Zealand. All models/ theories we employ fit under one or more of these approaches.

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