Resource
This is one website that you should definitely recommend to family members and carers of people receiving rehabilitation. Carers NZ is an information and advocacy service for all people involve in care-giving roles. The organisation is free to join and provides a regular e-newsletter devoted to caring in New Zealand. The organisation also keeps members updated about news bulletins and publications about care-giving and disability support. Plus the website features summaries of contemporary research and links to other resources of interest.
The website was first established in 2002 and contains a wealth of easily accessible information/resources that would be of interest to anyone who provides support (either voluntarily or in a paid capacity) for people with disabilities. I note that in 2004 the website won an award for ‘Excellence in the Use of IT in a Not-For-Profit Organisation’ – and it is easy to see why. This website is visually attractive and simple to navigate around. There are sections on the website devoted to special topics, such as ‘parent carers’ and ‘young carers’ – each with separate, regularly updated content.
Carers NZ appears to be a growing and politically-active organisation. In 2004, it invited over 30 other national support organisation to collaborate in the formation of the ‘The New Zealand Carers Alliance’. The aim of this Alliance is to develop a stronger voice for carers across the health sector. This month, Carers NZ are also holding their second ‘Caring for the Carers Summit’ at Te Papa, in Wellington. This will be attended by a number of government representatives and international speakers. It looks very much like this relatively new organisation is quickly developing to fill a need in our community and that it is here to stay.
Post-script: Carers NZ and the NZ Carers Alliance has become actively involved in the development of a Carers Strategy for New Zealand. Read about this on the NZRA website by clicking here.
William Levack
