A Māori proverb

Hutia te rito o te harakeke,

Kei whea te kōmako e kō

Kī mai ki ahau he aha te mea nui o tēnei ao

Māku e kī atu

He tamariki, he tamariki he tamariki.

Pluck out the heart of the flax bush

And where would the bell bird perch?

Ask me what is the most important thing in this world

And I shall reply ‘Tis children, children, children 

Harakeke, the indigenous plant with an important message

The above is a Māori proverb refering to Harakeke, a plant that is indigenous to New Zealand and similar to European flax. The plant  grows from the center outwards and, the innermost leaves, the newest, referred to as ‘children’. Moving outwards, the next leaves represent ‘parents’, and the outer leaves, ‘grandparents’. It is the job of the outer leaves to protect and shelter those at the center so the whole plant can thrive.

When harvesting the Harakeke for weaving, Māori take only the outer leaves, because if the inner leaves (the children) are removed, the Harakeke will rot and die. Equally, in society, it is the job of adults to protect and shelter our own children, and those in our communities. 

Protecting children nutures society 

It is the same in our communities, if our children are damaged then our families and communities are damaged. If we are to protect our children, then we must first listen to them. Children are the experts of their own lives and experiences. Any plan to keep children safe is enhanced and strengthened when we put their perspectives front and centre, plans are weakened when the child’s voice is not present.

The power of authentic voice

The Mind Of My Own Apps make it easier for children and young people to contribute to assessment, planning and risk management, they also make it easier for the adults to listen. We hear this all the time from the people who use our apps.

Here is just one example: A Social Worker used the One App with a girl who has disabilities and communication challenges. The girl expressed how much she wanted to see her mum. While the worker knew this already, she said that it was powerful to see this in writing in the girl’s own words. As a result they made a safety plan which has enabled them to increase the amount of time that the girl is spending with her mum.

By providing the young girl with an easy way to communicate, her Social Worker was able to develop a system that fulfilled her wishes in a safe way. By actively listening to children  and taking their veiws into consideration, we can help nourish society and build stronger communities.

To get a better understanding of how Mind Of My Own can support you and the young people you work with, please get in touch hello@mindofmyown.org.uk 

Banner/ Display image credit: Museum Of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa