About Us

(The True Colours team with Trust Board members Sandra Braithwaite and Sarah Rawcliffe)

     

Our Mission Statement

True Colours positively enhances the lives of children (tamariki) experiencing chronic or life-threatening illnesses or in their family (whanau) by providing holistic care and support, recognising and encompassing the physical (tinana), emotional (Hinengaro), social (whanau) and spiritual (wairua ) contexts of health and wellbeing

About True Colours

At True Colours we believe in listening to and acknowledging the voice of the seriously ill child or young person.

As a Child Health Service we provide clinical and psychosocial support for children and adolescents (birth to 18 years), who have chronic, serious or life-threatening illness.

Counselling and ongoing emotional support to parents, the sick child and their siblings is provided along with creative therapies including art, play and music therapy. Workshops, presentations and support groups are facilitated on a regular basis. Education is available to Health Professionals and Schools regarding a child’s serious illness, grief and bereavement issues and the many challenges families face.

The service was founded by Cynthia Ward, a Palliative Care Nurse Specialist. The True Colours Integrated Model of Care was developed through her work in Palliative Care and her Post Graduate Research. Significant gaps in services existed for children with serious illness and the Trust was established in response to these needs.

After being operational for almost six years, we have had 620 families referred. The three clinicians and one administrator manage approximately 140 families at any one time.

In 2004, True Colours were awarded a Trust Waikato Child and Family Award for New Frontiers and Innovative Service further enhancing our strengths and credibility.

In 2009 Cynthia received the prestigious national Flora Cameron Award for excellence in nursing practice from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. Her article regarding her work at True Colours was published in the October issue of Kaitiaki, the national NZ nursing journal.

Currently, we support families from the Waikato, South Waikato, King Country, Taumaranui, Thames, Coromandel. Our staff work collaboratively with other Health Professionals particularly in the rural areas where we liaise regularly with District Nurses and G.P.’s.