support & mentoring

everybody needs someone in their corner

If you get a payment from us or you’re enrolled in our NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) service, a youth coach will help you get to where you want to be.

supporting you

Your coach’s most important job is to be on your side. No matter what you’re going through, they’ll help you to make good decisions.

You can contact your coach as much as you need to, but you’ll catch up at least once a month.

realising your ambitions

Your coach will talk to you to understand your life, your goals and your challenges. Together, you’ll figure out where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there.

They can help you understand what education or training you need to shape the career and the future you want. If something is holding you back, your coach can help you find a way to deal with it.

They can also help you with practical things that make it easier for you to concentrate on your education or training.

connecting you with other services

If you’re dealing with an issue like a mental health problem, addiction or a family crisis, your youth coach will help you get the extra support you need from the right service.

talk to someone

connecting you with others

Your youth coach will invite you to events where you’ll meet other people who understand you and your experiences. These might be fun activities like cooking courses, sports clubs, or group counselling sessions.

helping with the hard stuff

Your youth coach will be there to help when things get complicated. They can assist you with things like:

  • finding a place to stay if you need one
  • checking out a new boarding situation to make sure it feels safe
  • getting back into education or training if you’ve dropped out.

payments and benefits

Your youth coach will make sure you know about any extra payments you may be able to get from us.

parenting

 If you’re bringing up a child, your coach will help with things like:

  • making sure your child is up-to-date with their Well Child Tamariki Ora checks
  • getting your child enrolled with a healthcare provider
  • finding childcare when you get back into education.

staying on top of your obligations

If you get youth payment or young parent payment, you have some obligations. These are the rules you need to follow to make sure you’re getting paid the right amount – but don’t worry they’re not hard.

Your obligations depend on what payment you get, but your coach will make sure you understand them, and know what you need to do to meet them.

If you’re not meeting your obligations, your coach will talk to you to find out why, and help you make a plan to get back on track. It’s important that you do this, or your payments can be affected.

what you need to do