Spotlight On: Social Worker Naomi Rae

Today we celebrate World Social Work Day, an opportunity to celebrate those amazing people within Weave Hawke’s Bay, but also in many organisations across the region that collectively empower whānau as they navigate life’s challenges. What better way to do that, than to spotlight one of our fantastic social workers – Naomi Rae.

Growing up in Spain, Naomi moved to the United Kingdom as a teenager. Fluent in Spanish as well as English she has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Applied Social Studies and a Diploma in Social Work.

Her varied career began working as a social worker for children in care for Cambridgeshire County Council in the UK before moving to New South Wales to support social work at a hospital. After moving to New Zealand, she worked at Oranga Tamariki at the National Contact Centre in Auckland, followed by time in the mental health and addictions sector, transitional housing support and working with those that were chronically homeless in Napier.

In moving to Weave she refocuses on frontline social work. As a registered social worker, she provides parenting support, including behaviour management, advocacy, whānau relationships and connecting whānau with appropriate support services. Naomi speaks of the value she gets from supporting whānau.

“Parenting can be difficult, and some families are isolated and do not know where to get the support they need. I love supporting whānau that are struggling to work through their difficulties and know that they are not alone, because it does take a village to raise a child.”

Naomi enjoys spending her spare time pursuing wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle, including growing vegetables, arts, crafts, and music.

“There are so many wonderful organisations offering support and sometimes you just need someone to help you find them.”

To learn more about our whānau support services, visit our website: Whānau Support – Weave Hawke’s Bay