SARAH DOWIE - CHIEF EXECUTIVE

What does your job entail?
Leading Able Minds on a strategic and day-to-day level. Ensuring the organisation meets the needs and expectation of tangata whaiora and their whānau and that our team delivers the highest quality of service to impart tools, tactics and strategies to build resilience in the community. I make sure our team has the necessary skills, resourcing and support to do their jobs well and to feel fulfilled and valued in their careers. I also liaise with key stakeholders to ensure they’re aware of Able Minds’ work in the sector and community and that we’re meeting all contractual key performance indicators.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Enabling our Support workers to succeed in building resilience in tangata whaiora and their whānau, to empower them to be self-determining, well-resourced, and live a better life experience.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
In November 2020 I was appointed by Able Charitable Trust to be the organisation’s new chief executive and I started the role in the first quarter of 2021. The trust was in a precarious financial position and operating at a deficit which put the organisation’s long-term viability at risk. The Board was clear with its directive. It required leadership on a strategic and organisational level, to turn the Trust around, make it sustainable, and provide a quality and reputable service moving forward.
As such I’ve made several management decisions resulting in structural and operational amendments including some key changes in personnel. Our business operations are now more streamlined and fit for purpose and attention is re-directed to best practice rather than quick fixes to save money in the short-term. This included appropriately resourcing communities of interest.
2021 is the first year in many that Able Charitable Trust posted a surplus and it puts the Trust at a significant advantage to continue to deliver core services including our signature programmes of Skylight Waves and CUMIA (Children Understanding Mental Illness and Addiction) throughout our area of operation, helping more people, tangata whaiora and whanau. The second phase of leadership is strategic - to capitalise on Able Charitable Trust’s strengths, investigate and action new opportunities to raise its profile as a frontrunner in the empowerment of people and their wellbeing.  

RACHEL HARBROW - OPERATIONS MANAGER

What does your job entail?
Assessing and improving operational systems, processes and best practice. Managing budgets, forecasts and accounts. Ensuring all systems operate smoothly to maximise efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. Overseeing upgrades and configurations of hardware and software. Co-ordinating human resources with our Chief Executive.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Being able to see directly and first hand the positive impact I can have on someone’s work, ensuring systems and processes flow seamlessly to make their work and life easier.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
Going paperless by providing systems and processes to ensure we could continue to operate in an effective way while considerably reducing the amount of paper used. When I volunteered my time to the Activity Centre between staff appointment I noticed a number of the clients stepping up and taking responsibility for some of the activities to continue. They gained leadership skills, resilience in times of change, and confidence to work independently.

SOPHIA GREENE- FUNDRAISING AND MARKETING MANAGER

What does your job entail?
Appointed in June 2024, my role will be to ensure our current and future funding partners are informed of the vital mahi Able Minds’ support teams do for our communities. It is also my job to increase Able’s brand visibility, which will in turn, help Able’s clients become more aware of the support options available to them if they are experiencing difficulties or distress.   

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Having the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to a worthy organisation such as Able is very important to my work ethic.

JOHN ROMANO - PRACTICE MANAGER - WHANAU SUPPORT

What does your job entail?
As a Practice Manager for Able Minds my main functions are, to assist the CEO as required in all aspects of the team’s work. This includes the allocation of cases as appropriate, maintaining, developing and encouraging good professional practice standards and supporting the supervision and development of individual staff. All of this is in accordance with the Able-Minds Policies, and the existing legislation required to deliver the best outcomes for the Families, and Whānau supporting loved ones experiencing mental health / or addiction issues. I also believe that it is important to advocate as an agent of Able-Minds with a view to progressing the future of the organization as a leading name in mental health / addiction services in New Zealand.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Very simply, when I am able to assist in the ongoing learning of our field work team I feel rewarded. The sharing of knowledge and experience is a positive way in ensuring that we are developing a strong and confident work force, who are professional in our chosen field.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
Positive transformation with a client : During my time with Able Minds, I have worked with many clients. One in particular was a young mother (J) who was in second relationship. Her partner was suffering from PTSD (following the Christchurch earthquake) He was attempting to cope with his situation and was drinking to excess. This was causing relationship trauma as his behavior when drunk was extremely negative. The impact on the family was proving to be problematic. I met with (J) during her lunch breaks and over the course of a few weeks and several phone calls in between, I utilized a couple of interventions including problem solving and task centered work. We were able to create a risk care plan and in turn build her confidence which was slowly being eroded. Eventually I managed to help her make some key decisions in her life and relationship. This inspired her partner to get some professional help and although there were some bumps on the road the couple managed to save their relationship. J has recently agreed to close the case as she feels that she is now confident enough along with her partner to navigate her family in a more promising direction.

Positive experience in my present role : This is a new role for me, and I am excited to be part of Able Minds. The chance to work with the Field workers and assist in their professional; development is to me an ongoing positive experience. 

PANIA TULIA - WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

What does your job entail?
As the workforce development manager a good part of my role is networking and providing education across the Southern Te Whatu Ora region ensuring Mental Health professionals and other adult and children focused services implement the ‘Supporting Parents Healthy Children’ guidelines as they work alongside whānau whose lives are affected by mental health and addiction.

Parents want the best for their children and the guidelines provide all mental health and addiction services, adult and child services alike, with the mandate to work in a family focused way to help parents achieve this. The guidelines ensure that the well being of children is everyone’s responsibility, not just infant, child and adolescent services.

Another part of my role is to identify training/professional development needs to build best practice models that will recognise and respond to the needs of children and their family and whānau. Knowing what questions to ask while ensuring the mana of whānau is upheld, nurtured and protected in the face of adversity is essential.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
As a registered social worker one of the rewarding parts of my job is having the ability to network, educate and support other professionals and organisations across both adult mental health and addictions services and infant, child and youth services - to better identify, protect and support this group of children and their whānau holistically. At Able Minds, we are able to do this through our CUMIA (Children Understanding Mental Health and Addiction) and RAW (Rangatahi and Wellbeing) programmes. Parents are also supported through our Whānau support service.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
Positive experiences so far have been the acknowledgement and recognition from other professionals who are aware of children who are in caring roles and the need to want to be able to provide them and their whānau with the right support they need.

ALYSIA FORBES - TIMEOUT CONTACT MANAGER

What does your job entail?
Timeout contact provides supervised contact and supervised changeover services for children who have been exposed to issues around separation. I’m a registered social worker and my role is to manage Able Minds’ supervised contact services run in Invercargill, Gore, Dunedin and Central Otago. This service is contracted by the Ministry of Justice and is the only Aotearoa Association of Supervised Contact-accredited provider in the lower South Island. I have a great team of qualified staff throughout these regions that supervise contact sessions. As a team we take pride in working alongside children and their significant whanau/family members, to provide a neutral-based service which establishes and maintains family bonds and creates positive memories through the facilitation of safe and meaningful contact. My role includes initial assessments, creating safety plans, risks assessments, scheduling and reporting to the Family Court. I also provide professional supervision to our team of supervisors.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Our ultimate goal is to develop meaningful relationships that lead to the child or young person returning, when possible, to a more natural setting of shared custody arrangements. A lot of children using our service have little or no relationships with the visiting parent. It’s rewarding knowing our team can play a part in rebuilding these relationships and a sense of identity for these children in a safe environment. I enjoy building relationships and trust with our services’ users, after all, they’re trusting us to keep their most precious taonga (tamariki/children) safe.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
Starting at Timeout Contact six years ago as a supervisor, I had many experiences of children arriving at our service anxious, afraid and not wanting to see their parent. Using a child focus/led service, these children nearly always finish their contact sessions with a new bond and positive relationship with their parent. It’s a great feeling knowing we get to be part of creating memories for children and seeing their identity and relationships thrive in this environment.  

NATASHA BARRETT - PRACTICE MANAGER - TANGATA WHAIORA SUPPORT

What does your job entail?
As Practice Manager for the Tangata Whaiora divisions, my role is too supervise and maintain contractual obligations and key performance indicators for the RAW program and activity centres throughout the Southland and Otago regions. I am dedicated in supporting and empowering staff to provide outstanding professional services to Tangata Whaiora and Whanau in our communities to achieve self-actualisation and social change and cohesion. Ensuring a high quality of professional practice skills are implemented into our service streams. With my extensive social work background, I am committed in providing and supporting staff with professional supervision and encouraging their own development to further build on skills and competencies that benefit service users of Able Minds.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Being a registered social worker, I am able to share my practice skills and knowledge with others within our organisation. I find it rewarding observing staff that are committed to their individual roles and communities. Being a part of a team that are dedicated in providing support and seeing service users reaching their full potential is always a joyful and rewarding experience.

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
I have had the privilege in supporting many Tangata Whaiora and Whanau that enter into our service in a state of despair and stress, transition into a space of relief and self-actualisation. Through the development and implementation of goal plans service users are able to self-identify the areas they see necessary to achieve greatness by adding onto their own individual strengths and resilience.

Management Support

JANE VANDERPYL - BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

What does your job entail?
It is a really great role and organisation to work for. I get to do lots of different activities - administration, write grants, play with data, provide support to the board and assist with organising events. I provide support to the operations manager - from payroll, accounts, vehicles and buildings – just lots of things that need to be done to ensure the organisation operates smoothly.   

What do you find most rewarding about your work?
I enjoy assisting people to make their lives easier and enable them to do the work they do more easily and smoothly. I like implementing systems and processes that make a positive difference in people's lives. I love working for an organisation that supports tangata whaiora and their whanau to live better lives in their communities across Southland and Otago. 

Describe a positive transformation you’ve seen in a client you’ve worked with at Able Minds, or a memorable positive experience you’ve had in your current role:
I had a chance to assist a team member with getting their safety certificates completed and enrol them in our new employee system. We were able to problem solve together. I learnt lots as well. It was great to see them work through the computer system, get more confident using the programmes and complete the safety certificate.