How we can help

Our service is centred on the tamariki, helping them to build resilience for the challenges they may be facing at home, school, or in the community.

Cholmondeley provides respite care and education for tamariki between five and 12 whose whānau are experiencing stress or crisis. In these situations tamariki can become vulnerable, especially when a family’s usual supports like friends and family, are unable to help. Staying at Cholmondeley can give tamariki the chance to have a break, enjoy being a child and find and celebrate their strengths in a safe and fun environment.

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  • Tamariki can stay at Cholmondeley for a variety of reasons including a family member living with a mental or physical illness, bereavement, family violence, financial hardship, grandparents as second-time sole caregivers, or traumatic events.

  • Once a child has completed the referral process they can be booked in to stay every six to eight weeks for up to three nights at a time. Cholmondeley’s clinical team assess every tamariki’s stay to ensure they are there for the amount of time best suited to their needs.

    Cholmondeley’s usual respite care model has two intakes per week. The first runs from Monday to Thursday and the second from Thursday to Sunday.

    Tamariki can stay at Cholmondeley as many times as needed between the ages of five to 12, and there are annual check ins to evaluate a whānau’s needs.

  • Tamariki who come to Cholmondeley get lots of time to play on the playground, ride bikes, jump on the trampoline and go on walks and explore around Christchurch.

    Sometimes the Cholmondeley kaimahi (staff) take tamariki indoor rock climbing, to the trampoline park, or even on a ride on the gondola.

    There is also time for arts and crafts, getting creative in the kitchen and hosting talent shows.

    Cholmondeley is a registered school with a registered teacher but it does not run in the same way as many other schools. The learning at Cholmondeley is values-based, centred around celebrating tamariki wellbeing and giving them the opportunity to work on projects they are interested in.

    Tamariki also learn more about themselves through play and trying new experiences.

FAQs

Interior of a modern building with multicolored checkered carpet, wooden staircase, and ceiling lights.

Cholmondeley is a great place to come to when you need a break. We have lots of fun activities to do and the people who look after us during our stay here are really kind and awesome.

When we stay at Cholmondeley we get to meet new people and make new friends. Some of us come to stay here more than once and then we get to know the adults and the other kids really well.

Smiling young girl with brown hair, wearing a pink shirt with small heart patterns, sitting indoors.
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Question time!

  • We’re learning all the time at Cholmondeley, but if you’re staying during the school term, you’ll also spend time with Cholmondeley’s teachers in the Kura. Here we get the chance to work on projects and topics that interest us. Some of us make films on the computers and others like to explore and do experiments. We often go to the beach and collect things for craft and art projects.

    The other cool thing about Cholmondeley is that not all our learning happens in the Learning Hub. We get to do other adventurous activities like climbing, ropes courses, archery, fishing, cooking and baking, swimming, and kayaking. We get to try lots of new things, and it’s really cool telling all our friends and family about what we’ve done.

  • Some of us sleep in a room on our own but most of us sleep in a room with other children. This can be lots of fun, as it feels a bit like being on camp.

    When you arrive the adults will help you to name your things and they will be put in a safe place. Then you will be shown your bed. Some of us bring a cuddly toy from home to sleep with, but you can also borrow one from Cholmondeley.

  • The food at Cholmondeley is totally yummy!

    The adults are really good cooks and we can help them in the kitchen too. Some of us love cooking and baking for snacks and suppertime. We even share some of the recipes we learn with our family and friends when we go home.

  • Before you come to Cholmondeley for your first stay, you may feel nervous and worried. That’s OK! When you get here you will find that all the adults will make you feel very welcome and safe. They will introduce themselves and the rest of the staff and children. You will soon get to know who everyone is.

    They will also tell you that it is OK to ask if you don't know something or you need something. They are very good at helping you to make friends with the other children too.

Every day at Cholmondeley is different and fun, but a regular school day might look something like this:

Colorful classroom with modern design and bright furniture, including multi-colored tables and chairs, storage cabinets, and exposed wooden beams.

A typical day at Cholmondeley

Toddler painting an Easter egg with green paint, wearing a yellow outfit, sitting at a table.

AM

7:30 Wake up and get ready for the fun day ahead.
8:00 Eat breakfast — We can make this ourselves, and help tidy up.
8:30 Play/free time — Cholmondeley has two great playgrounds with trampolines, swings, a skate bowl and lots of sports equipment.
9:00 The Cholmondeley school day begins at the Learning Hub — We’ll start by going over the plan for the day. Sometimes we go off-site for adventure based learning activities and discovery time.
10:30 Morning tea time
10:45 Learning Hub

PM

12:15 Lunch break — We make our lunch together the night before, with an adult's help.
1:15 Kura.
3:00 The Cholmondeley school day ends
3:15 Afternoon tea
4:00 Fun activities or play/free time — Maybe a trip to a local park, walk along the beach, or a dip in the sea! If it’s raining we can stay inside and help prepare a yummy dinner.
5:30 Dinner time
7:00 Another fun activity or free time — We love to play ‘spotlight’ or get creative in the Learning Hub.
7:30 Showers, PJs on.
8:30 Supper and Bedtime — Usually a home-made snack with a warm cup of Milo.