Kathryn Overall met up with Chris Thomas recently to find out about Chris’s role in the writing and development of BTI’s Bachelor of Social Work, and to hear about her perspective on how this unique degree fits within the broader social work context in New Zealand.

Creating a Social Work degree from scratch is no small feat – especially one with a special Christian character.  Unsurprisingly, it took Associate Dean Richard Cook and his team, a number of years of researching, planning, developing and writing to bring BTI’s Bachelor of Social Work from initial concept into reality.  An important part of that process included gathering a team of external experts, consultants and writers who could add great value to the degree development.

When it came to approaching writers in 2010, Chris Thomas was a natural choice.   She is passionate about social work and has been part of the progression of social work in New Zealand since she trained in the 1980s.  The early years of her career included working with the Department of Social Welfare in Southland for two years and with Catholic Social Services in Christchurch for 13 years – both places providing diverse and interesting work.  Following those roles, Chris worked primarily as a professional supervisor and educator for the next 17 years at both the University of Canterbury and Massey University in Palmerston North.

Since 2008, Chris has developed her own training company called ‘The Project Team’ which provides training primarily in the area of strengths-based practice and supervision.   She also continues to act as a professional supervisor to a wide range of outstanding social work practitioners.

With her vast professional experience and her capacity to engage with a Christian worldview in robust and meaningful ways, Chris has been a true asset to the social work programme at BTI.

Chris, why do you think this unique Christian social work degree was needed?

When considering my involvement in this degree development, I guess I had to resolve that question for myself, because there was some discussion from people around me about ‘doesn’t this already get covered, isn’t this part of the curriculum that’s offered in other programmes?’  I think that’s true to a degree, however I think there has been some challenges for a Christian worldview to be held at the centre or the basis for the work – even though a lot of social workers would profess to have a faith-based framework that’s underpinning their work.   So, I think the explicit nature of the BTI approach is really, really important because it is explicit – it’s saying ‘this is where we come from’, but in a very clear way which links incredibly well with the Code of Ethics and our professional framework for the social work profession.  I think it provides a place for people to explore this in a very coherent way which isn’t I think available necessarily in other programmes.

When writing the degree how did you, as a team, ensure you stayed true to the unique Christian character?

I think what was really important in this whole process, was that we held a Christian faith-based perspective at the heart of whatever we did.  So for us as a team it was about thinking ‘what does this mean, and how does this connect with the social work literature and profession’, so that it was a very unifying thing.

It was as a huge process!  There were lots of debates and rigour around how we would actually be doing that and a very full conceptual framework was developed which held us to our core beliefs.   Micah 6:8 (do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God) became the touchstone for what it was all about…. we held that as a key to whatever we did in the programme… and then linking that with a strength based approach and seeing how those two fit very well together.  It’s just really exciting to see a degree that’s kind of built from the inside out in a very coherent way.

What employment opportunities do you see for graduates of this programme?

I think there is always a shortage of social workers. The Memorandums of Understanding between BTI and The Open Home Foundation, Salvation Army and Te Aroha Noa – they are saying that there is a need for this degree.

I suspect that BTI graduates will be snapped up.  I also see that in the broader context of social work though, in terms of what this degree offers…there will be lots of opportunities for social workers inside faith-based organisations and also outside.

During his address at BTI’s graduation celebration several weeks ago, BTI Dean Dr. Andrew Smith revealed that BTI had been presented with an opportunity to serve, once more, beyond New Zealand. “We look forward to working with a group of Christian teachers and prospective teachers from the Karen people who at this point in time live in refugee camps in Thailand because they have been ousted from their homes in Burma.”

Recent political changes in Burma paint the future in more promising tones and Andrew expressed BTI’s hope that, “the Karen people can return to their homes and develop schools and communities in their homeland.”  BTI is currently exploring exactly what form our teacher education support will take, and how to best meet the needs of this group of people.

Graham Cook, who recently graduated with a BTI primary teaching degree, will next week travel to Thailand, to spend 6 months in the refugee camps as BTI’s on- the-ground representative.  It’s not your average first time teaching position, but then Graham is not your average guy.  Three years ago, Graham left a dream job in adventure tourism in order to study to become a primary teacher.  “I was working in the Bay of Islands,” explains Graham. “Life was pretty easy.  For me everything was free from the top of the North to the bottom of the South. It was all very easy, and it was boring, you know.  I needed more.”
After some reflection, Graham realised that teaching was that ‘more’. He says, “When people asked me why I wanted to teach I would say, ‘I want to teach the children nobody else wants, you know the ones who have been left behind by the system.’  Here I am three and a half years later, and I’m going to teach children in a refugee camp who have been persecuted by a regime.  I was kind of thinking small, and God sort of blew that out of the water.  That’s why I teach – to give hope to children.”

Graham knows that he is going into a difficult environment, and it’s clear he has done his homework on the history of the region.  “Burma is the second most corrupt country in the world…and it’s also the second poorest nation in Asia behind Afghanistan,” he explains.  “There’s currently 180,000 people in the refugee camps, 44,000 children, and they have had to endure all sorts of things from systematic torture, rape, forced labour camps – any war atrocity that you can name…so it’s a pretty troubled region. They are wanting to try and raise up some teachers in these camps to help all of these people.”

Graham has worked and saved the necessary money to support himself in Thailand for the duration of his time there.  After all his planning, and despite the natural nerves surrounding a plunge into the unknown, Graham is feeling ready to go.  “I’m feeling excited. Excited, nervous, anxious – afraid in a good way but trusting 100% in God that he has my best interests at heart, and he has things for me to do there.”

Graham has set up a travel blog where he will post updates as often as possible.  While he does not need any financial support himself, Graham is going to let us know if there are any resources that the students need, and set up a way where people can donate money towards fulfilling those needs if it is on their heart to do so.

‪http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/GCLife/

CLICK HERE to watch an interview with Graham on YouTube

CLICK HERE to find out more about BTI Teacher Education programmes

One of our favourite things to do is to catch up with BTI alumni who are years into their career and achieving great things.  When we heard that Marcus Norrish had been made Deputy Principal at Pahoia Primary School we knew he would have some good advice and interesting insights to share.  Marcus graduated from the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary programme in 2004, and went straight into a teaching job at Selwyn Ridge Primary School where he had spent one of his last practicums.   He moved to Pahoia Primary last year, into his current leadership position, which he is really enjoying.

When you think back to your years at BTI, what stands out to you?
I really loved the experience at BTI. The thing that stood out to me was the fact that they always looked for you to go below the surface and ask why, and look for the deeper reasons underneath everything that we do.   At the time it seemed a little bit OTT to be honest, but when you get out into the schools you realise that that’s actually a really powerful position to be in and that’s exactly what awesome schools are looking for.  I thank BTI for opening my eyes to looking under the surface and asking the deeper questions.
Can you talk about your path from teaching into school leadership?
My transitions into leadership roles have kind of happened naturally over the years.   I have always been open to being involved in leadership and was blessed to have a school that was willing to give me opportunities.  In my third year (at Selwyn Ridge Primary) I was given the opportunity to be a tutor teacher for a beginning teacher.  I soon had an opportunity to be an ICT lead teacher and I also picked up a team leader role.   The school had a philosophy of ‘leadership not management’ so they really trained me and gave me opportunities to lead other people in their learning and their thinking and that set me up for success really.  It’s been fantastic.

Do you think that educational leadership is something that every teacher should aspire to?
Some people are born to be in the classroom, and that’s where their passion is and that’s what their love is.  I know plenty of people who have no desire to be in leadership and I think that’s fine and I don’t think that’s something that you should worry about.

If beginning teachers were keen to move towards leadership roles what advice would you give them?
I guess it’s just taking opportunities, and also looking for ways to up skill yourself.  Over the last four years I have finished a Diploma in Educational Leadership and there’s courses out there that are available through the schools to work on your leadership and think about…what it means to lead learning.  The Ministry of Education are really pushing that as well so there’s so many opportunities – you’ve just got to be willing to take them on and take on the work as well.
We know you have a passion for exploring the convergence of technology and learning.  What do you see happening in this space over the next 5 years?
We’re in the 21^st century now and ICT or technology is just part of everyday life.  I am part of leading the implementation of iPads into our schooI.  I’m passionate about Macs…I’ve been lucky enough to get into their ‘Distinguished Educator’ programme and I have had lots of opportunities to think about how ICT is effectively integrated into teaching and learning.  It’s not an add-on.

If you’ve been around education for a while you know that education changes just about every day… it’s constant change.  I have no doubt that over the next 5 years we are going to see technology explode even more than it has in the last five.  Tablets and iPads have hit the school market in a huge way and are making massive inroads.   Within the next five years it wouldn’t surprise me to see iPads being one to one in a lot of primary classrooms and parents actually investing in them, and schools looking at ways to get more in the hands of children.  Like a pencil ways back in the 50’s an iPad is in the current decade.

CLICK HERE to see Marcus Norrish on YouTube

CLICK HERE for more information on BTI Teacher Education programmes.

There has been a lot of attention in the media lately given to the shortage of male teachers in the Early Childhood Sector.  It is estimated that only 2% of Early Childhood teachers are male, and this is not a new problem – numbers have always been this low in New Zealand.  This disparate representation in our Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres has far-reading implications for our young people, and is a problem that deserves both our attention, and our attempt to explore solutions.

At BTI, we are very blessed to have Philip Ozanne leading our Centre-Based Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) programme.   We sat down with him recently to hear his views of this important issue.

Why do you think we have a shortage of male ECE teachers in NZ?

I think there is still the stigma and the idea amongst men, that it’s babysitting.  They don’t see it as education necessarily.  Often, until they have children of their own and experience pre-school through kindergarten or childcare centres, they don’t see the education that’s going on, and don’t see the possibility of the benefits for a man working in the field.

Sometimes men aren’t coming into the field because of the money side of things, they don’t think it’s a living. You can make enough money now to survive on.  I’ve done that – when I was working in the field I had 3 children.  The money’s changed to a degree where you can earn a living and live comfortably.

Do you think that men are afraid of working with children because of sensitivity around the areas of sexual mis-conduct and inappropriate touch etc?

What happened in the 1990’s, as shocking as it may have been – and I don’t honestly know in some of those cases..whether they were guilty or not – has actually helped Early Childhood.  They protect the staff in Early Childhood now, and often those opportunities for things to happen have been so minimalised that they don’t.  There is such a small chance of it happening now because everything is out in the open.  Everything is done where other people can see, whereas in the 1990’s it was about privacy.

What do you think male Early Childhood teachers can bring to the field – why is it important that we have men in our centres?

There are two things I think of when I think of men in Early Childhood.   One is, they bring the difference of doing it a different way and thinking differently.  Also, the way society is right now, a lot of men are absent from families or are not available all the time for children, so how do boys and girls know what a positive male looks like if they don’t have that at home?    When it comes to moving into dating or looking for a partner in life, they don’t know what to look for because they’ve never had that.  It’s important to have those positive male role models so they know what to look for if they are a girl, and for a boy, so they know what a positive male looks like as they grow up, and they can model themselves on that.

What motivates you in your work as an ECE lecturer?

The biggest motivation for me right now is getting more men into Early Childhood, and making every person I come across in Early Childhood the best teacher that they can be for the children that they are going to be serving.  There’s a saying in one of the organisations that I belong to that says ‘In the best interests of children’, and that’s my motivation.  I am here to help train the best teachers, so we can have the best teachers in the field, male or female.

CLICK HERE to watch our interview with Phil Ozanne on YouTube
CLICK HERE to find out more about BTI’s Early Childhood Education programmes.

Hazel McVicker-Warnes is a much-loved lecturer in the Teacher Education cluster at BTI.  With a huge depth of experience and a wonderful richness of personality and spirit she has been making her mark on BTI staff and students for over a decade.

A primary teacher at heart, Hazel made the transition from teaching children to teaching teachers 14 years ago – leaving her role as the principal of the primary section of Bethlehem College and taking up a post as a lecturer in the BTI Teacher Education cluster.  As Hazel has grew into this new role, her love for teaching became integrated with a new passion – that of mentoring and championing the next generation of teachers.

Hazel explains, “I have always been incredibly energized by children, and working with the children – I just love that.  Coming away from a day of teaching the children and being with them – it gives me lots of energy and lots of enjoyment.   So, suddenly going into this whole realm of equipping teachers was a steep learning curve for me, but then one of the wonderful exciting things for me is, as this stage, it’s time for me to be passing the baton on and encouraging others to run.  It’s an incredible privilege to actually work with training teachers at BTI and then release them to go and minister with love and life to the children in their care – that’s what its all about.”

Throughout the course of the three-year degree programme, each student has many opportunities for growth and transformation.  This reality excites Hazel.  “One of the main things that I really love to see is the growth in people individually and the place that they come to where they feel incredibly secure in who God has made them to be. Often during that period of time a lot of perhaps message that they have picked up in their life – misconceptions and sometimes lies that have actually held them back – those sort of things fall off them and you see them actually stretching out their wings…they are really ready to fly and do what is really their passion.  That they are equipped and ready to go to fulfill the call in their life, that excites me hugely, and to be able to be part of such a journey is just an incredible privilege and one that I don’t think I will ever stop enjoying.”

CLICK HERE to find out more about BTI Teacher Education Programmes
CLICK HERE to watch an interview with Hazel about the heart of Christian education.

When Vicki Hegarty graduated with a Bachelor of Counselling from BTI in 2007, she started working as the resident counsellor at St Peters House in Tauranga.  Five years on she is still there and is a valued member of the team, working alongside fellow BTI graduate, Jill Skelton.   St Peters House Director, Andrew Tomlinson, says, “Vicky and Jill, as BTI graduates, both work really well here as part of the team.  They are both professionally capable and competent in what they do, and they are both also extremely well motivated by their compassion for people which is great to work alongside.”

St Peters House is a Christian, charitable organisation, which offers a variety of free services to the people of Tauranga, including parenting courses, food parcels, personal development groups, debt management and personal counselling services – and the list is by no means exhaustive.

The counselling service offered by St Peters House is free to the Tauranga community and referrals come to Vicky from many different avenues.    Despite the variety of backgrounds that her clients come from, Vicky says mostly have similar reasons for seeking counselling.  “Common issues and challenges clients face, are grief and loss and depression – but often historical or current trauma or abuse can be linked to depression –so usually when someone presents for depression there are wider issues that will come forward and usually people want to deal with those issues.”

Vicky finds her work rewarding, and loves to see the positive changes that occur with her clients.  She says, “What motivates me is when as a result of the counselling process, people are strengthened – and you can see that they are freer and strengthened to go for the goals that they have come with in counselling and that’s really rewarding to see that happen.”

Vicky is very mindful that trust needs to be built in her client relationship in order for her clients to feel safe enough to share their personal challenges.  “I really try to have a non-judgmental approach,” Vicky shares.  “I mean you learn that in the BTI stuff, you really do, but I think you really have to find that genuinely in yourself…and have worked through some of your own stuff, to be able to connect to that and realise ‘gosh, life can be hard sometimes.’  I think people sense that and as you build a relationship of trust, people feel safe.”

Vicky has positive memories of her time at BTI, and has felt well set-up for the real world of working as a counsellor.  “The values sat with me, and I had the same Christian worldview so it just all sort of fitted together for me.  I really appreciated being in that wholesome environment and having a place to be able to learn in that environment. I felt well prepared through BTI for counselling, because of the professional counselling models we learnt really well, and they translated well in the workplace – that was really important.”

CLICK HERE for BTI Counsellor Education Programme Information
CLLICK HERE to watch Vicky’s interview on YouTube

Check out St Peters House at http://www.stpeters.org.nz/house.html

Jill Skelton started working at St Peters House shortly after graduating with a Diploma of Counselling from BTI in 2003. Ten years later, she is still there and still going strong!

St Peters House is a Christian, charitable organisation, which offers a variety of free services to the people of Tauranga, including parenting courses, food parcels, personal development groups, debt management and personal counselling services – and the list is by no means exhaustive.  Jill has a varied role – she works with women as a one-on-one support person, facilitates small groups and as an Incredible Years facilitator. She will be focusing on co-facilitating the Incredible Years parenting course at St Peters House during the first few months of this year.

In her one-on-one work with women, Jill will generally work with each woman for several weeks at a time, helping them to work through current issues and set some goals to move forward to a better place. Jill believes that an important part of creating an environment for change is connecting women with others, saying, “I am really passionate about setting up support networks for women, as it’s so hard to change on our own, we need others to support us.”  Jill also finds a strengths-based approach to be very helpful in her work with women. “I feel it breathes some life and hope into the future and just the whole thing…of looking at what I have in my hand right now rather than what I don’t have.  I can’t change the past, but I can change the future with different choices”

As she has worked with women over the years, Jill has found she has a real passion for helping women to discover a sense of worth, and has, as a result, developed an 8 week course for women called ‘Discovering Your True Worth.  “The goal for me,” says Jill, “ is that women go away seeing themselves in a different light, a more positive light, and ultimately hopefully to see themselves as God sees them. As I get alongside and connect with women, and show them God’s love by listening and caring for them, I just love seeing them the walls come down and them beginning to open up – almost like a rose opening up to sunshine.  I love the challenge of winning their trust.”

As Jill reflects back on her experience gaining her counselling qualification at BTI, it is the camaraderie, friendship and support that stands out to her. “I really appreciated the PI (Professional & Personal Integration) group,” says Jill.  “…the support and the supervision and the feedback that came alongside that and helped me in my own issues and my own personal growth.”

Jill studied the part-time Diploma of Counselling and on reflection is a little sad that she didn’t do the full degree.   She comments, “There’s a little sadness that I didn’t go on and do the further study around perhaps narrative counselling.  Now I know they are offering the social work programme, and certainly if I did that I would have a lot more skills and knowledge to do the work I’m doing now.”

With ten years experience under her belt, Jill’s advice to current counselling students is worth noting.  “Be prepared to deal with own issues…to do the hard work and to get counselling so that you yourself can believe in the process.”

CLICK HERE for Counsellor Education Programme Information
CLICK HERE to watch the interview with Jill Skelton on YouTube.

Next time you find yourself driving around Tauranga, take a turn off Cameron Road onto Spring St.  On the left you will find St Peters church, and tucked in behind that you will discover a lovely, large weatherboard house, painted white and trimmed in green – an unexpected heritage residence in the heart of the city.  This is St Peters House, and if you were to venture inside you would find a small team of amazing people, quietly going about the business of changing lives.

St Peters House is a charitable organisation, staffed by a dedicated team of people who are motivated by a rich Christian faith to meet the needs of the local community.   A variety of services are offered free of charge to the people of Tauranga, including parenting courses, food parcels, support groups, debt management and personal counselling services – the list is by no means exhaustive.

Director, Andrew Tomlinson says, “St Peters House certainly sets out to make a real difference to the lives of people in our community.  We work from a strengths based philosophy, hence the byline below our logo which says ‘building on strong foundations’.  For us that has two meanings really.  One is that we seek to draw out the strengths and gifting’s within the lives of the clients who come here, and the other is really that as a Christian organisation we build the growth of our own service on the foundation of following Jesus.”

Two of the seven staff members at St Peters House, are graduates of BTI’s counselling programmes.  Vicky Hegarty is the resident counselor at St Peters, and has worked there for five years since graduating with a Bachelor of Counselling in 2004.  Jill Skelton, support worker and small-group facilitator, has been at St Peters House now for ten years, since graduating with a Diploma of Counselling.  Both women find the work they do rewarding and are valued members of the St Peters House team.  Andrew Tomlinson says, “Vicky and Jill, as BTI graduates, both work really well here as part of the team.  They are both professionally capable and competent in what they do, and they are both also extremely well motivated by their compassion for people which is great to work alongside.”

Two BTI counselling students will be spending time at St Peters House this year on practicum, and Andrew also hopes to host a student from the new social work programme at BTI.  “I think it’s great that BTI are expanding into the social work area,” says Andrew. “ I think there are a number of people who don’t quite fit into the counselling role, but actually would work extremely well…as social workers and I think its great BTI is giving people the opportunity to do that locally.  Both counselors and social workers would fit into our programmes and into what we do – we definitely have a degree of overlap.”

St Peters House has contracts with the Ministries of Social Development and Education, which contribute towards the operating costs of the charity, but they still rely on fundraising and donations to continue their work in the community.  ‘We are very open to people giving us donations,” smiles Andrew, “whether that’s regular or a one-off, and certainly a number of people do support us which is great.”

To find out more about the work of St Peters House you can visit their website at www.stpeters.org.nz/house. To make a donation to St Peters House, or to find out how you could assist them as a volunteer, please contact Andrew Tomlinson by email on a.tomlinson@stpeters.org.nz, or by phone on 571 5916.

Watch our interview with Andrew Tomlinson on YouTube

BTI Counsellor Programme Information
BTI Social Work Programme Information

Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI) celebrated the commencement of their recently approved Bachelor of Social Work with a launch celebration at the BTI campus on Wednesday.  Students and staff joined together with kaumatua, academic and social work agency guests, as well as representatives from the Christian Education Trust (CET).  Jan Duke, Deputy Registrar for the Social Work Registration Board was also present at the launch.

BTI Dean, Dr. Andrew Smith, explained that the social work degree has been developed over the last three to four years in response to conversations with faith-based social work agencies around New Zealand, which highlighted the growing need for social workers who were able to integrate professional practice with faith-based approaches.  In developing a degree programme with an underlying Christian worldview and motivation, BTI has formed strategic partnerships with the Open Home Foundation, the Salvation Army and Te Aroha Noa in Palmerston North.

BTI Associate Dean of Counsellor and Social Work Education, Richard Cook, emphasized the importance of working in partnership with agencies and connecting learning with experience.  “We want to grow not starting from books and then leading to experience, but starting from experience and then engaging with theories and ideas. At our first intensive we have two current practitioners.  We have these ongoing partnerships so that not only will people come from these agencies to work with our students, but our students will also go and work with them.”

CLICK HERE for Bachelor of Social Work Programme Information