Attendance Service Newsletter

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Let us keep close together, not far apart

Contract Success:

On September 29th, ACES Attendance Service was accepted to deliver the new Attendance Service contract starting in 2026, for 3 out of 5 of our current catchments.

New Catchments (Starting 2026):

1. Grammar Western Springs Catchment
2. Mt Albert, Mt Roskill and Lynfield Catchment
3. Waiheke

Team Status:

The Attendance Service team remains in place and the service will be recruiting new people.

Acknowledgment of Departing Catchments:

Dedicated to thanking the schools in the Selwyn, Glendowie, Tamaki and One Tree Hill Onehunga Catchments (the two catchments ACES will no longer serve). The bittersweet news means the Attendance Service team remains in place and ACES will be recruiting additional people.

To the schools of Selwyn, Glendowie, Tamaki and One Tree Hill Onehunga catchments, ACES Attendance Service want to acknowledge the incredible, demanding and ever changing work schools provided to ensure ākonga are attending and engaged in their education.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS must go to the services and agencies who have worked so closely with the Attendance Advisors in the departing catchments. The relationship has generated unique activities in partnerships that have generated success and evolved to adapt to the changes within the different communities of the catchments.

Yet, most importantly, consistently and persistently the work of the Attendance Advisors who have worked in the two catchments over the years. For some members of the ACES team, this is since the Attendance Service started in 2014 and they have each generated relationships and respect with the schools they worked beside through to the professionals in this work and more importantly, ākonga and whānau / families.

ACES started delivery of the Truancy Service for the five catchments in 2007 and ACES still have people within the team who were part of the this journey from Truancy Service to Attendance Service and now the Reformed Attendance Service.

Thank you schools and the members of your staff. You have worked so closely with the Attendance Advisors for Selwyn, Glendowie, Tamaki and One Tree Hill Onehunga catchments and there is no doubt the success of ACES Attendance Service is due to the working relationships you have had with your Attendance Advisors.

To the Attendance Advisors who have work so hard in the two catchments as each of you have always worked to the key principle of BEING PERSISTENT, CONSISTENTLY and have proven how valuable your work has been. THANK YOU.

ACES is celebrating a partial success in securing the Service’s future and must be gracefully acknowledging the end of the Service in two long-standing areas.

Grammar Western Springs, Mt Albert, Mt Roskill, Lynfield and Waiheke Catchments

More information will be provided before the end of the year of the changes that are being developed presently however, the service would like to provide you with an overview of the new service in 2026-2027.

ACES extensive experience with MoE forms a solid foundation of knowledge to be able to escalate complexities that will be faced within a catchment and to address the potential challenges and limitations effectively. ACES will be reintroducing the previously successful model and this was Local Area Group (for each of the catchments) and will be using the experiences gained delivering

the key principles of the Managed Moves programme.

Attendance Advisor:

The Attendance Advisor acts as an advocate and a vital link between the school and whānau / family and ākonga (when appropriate) to address complex barriers to chronic non-attendance and includes

• Assessment:

1. Initial Support Plan: (first level of intervention)
   Initial support plan, which is developed collaboratively with the ākonga (when appropriate), whānau / family, and with the school.
2. Intensive Education and Support Plan: (second level of intervention)
   When the case presents with complexities and /or is unmanageable, the process escalates. The Attendance Advisor with the Case Navigator will work together to set in place a comprehensive Education and Support Plan.

The Case Navigator's Overview (Based on Managed Moves Programme Principles):

The primary purpose of the Case Navigator is to foster and navigate cross-sector relationships across Education (this includes schools and services attached to Education), Health, Social Services, and Justice to achieve the two outcomes off:

• Co-ordinating Educational and Support Plans align to the MoE Case Management System CMS:
  To establish (set in place), monitor, review, and revise an Educational and Support Plan for ākonga and whānau / families who have several agencies / services involved. Navigating the relationships to ensure the actions within the plan for ākonga to return to an educational destination or, re-engages them in their school with the result ākonga attendance moves from chronic to regular attendance.
• Community Coordination & Barrier Resolution:
  - To collaborate with key community stakeholders (e.g., Pasifika or Māori Services, Agencies, and Community Groups) to form a catchment's Local Co-ordination Group.
  - This group can be an existing group within the catchment or just specific for the catchment. The Group Case Navigator role will be to facilitate the group and setting in place the "right conversations" to address the specific barriers of chronic absentees.
  - The Group’s leadership will enhance the importance of the Education and Support Plan or, could set in place specific activities to address a need within a community’s catchment.

Rangatahi Whānau Worker Overview (based on the work of Youth Workers with the Managed Moves Programme):

The core purpose of the Rangatahi Whānau Worker is to provide holistic, culturally-responsive support, advocacy, and mentoring to young people (ākonga) and whānau / families that guides them to re-engage in their education and build resilience. This role is central to implementing the actions set out in the individual Education and Support Plan that will cover:

1. Building relationships.

2. Designing a programme working in collaboration with Attendance Advisor, Case Navigator, whānau / family and ākonga (when appropriate).

3. One to one structured mentoring.

To finish this Newsletter Update the Service would like to share ACES Karakia as this seems appropriate as we adjust to the changes and evolve into a new service with people who know and understand the challenges yet, willing to adapt and evolve in ready for 2026:

Heuea ngā rangi tuatinitini,

Heuea ngā rangi pōkaikaha

Kia maiangi ake te hau tupua

Tau tonu, mau tonu, ākina!

Remove self-doubt, and anxiety

That your talent may shine,

Settled, ready to be challenged

Arrive/Attend = Learning = Success/Opportunity. We are all in this together.