Our Story
When Braden Clark, our founder, first began working as a social worker in 2014, his first client was 12-year-old Sean (not his real name). Sean had been involved with the child protection system since birth. He had lived with over 45 different caregivers and had experienced significant adversity throughout his short life. Understandably, Sean had numerous challenges with relationships, education, and managing his behaviour and emotions. Braden was left wondering how to meaningfully support Sean (and other children like him) in addressing his past experiences of significant adversity.
Braden was introduced to the work of Dr Bruce Perry and was trained in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which started to inform Braden’s practice approach. Braden’s experiences and the NMT sparked Braden’s interest in how social workers can support tamariki (children) and whānau (families) through their experiences of adversity.
In 2018, Braden commenced studying towards a Doctor of Social Work. Braden’s research explored how child protection social workers can understand and support the wellbeing of children through a neurodevelopmental lens. Braden’s research developed a neurodevelopmental lens model that can be used in Aotearoa New Zealand.
After finishing his doctorate in 2024, Braden started exploring how he could use his doctorate to support the oranga of tamariki and whānau. Braden decided to found Relate Services to support the oranga of all tamariki (children) and whānau (families) by strengthening connections and a true sense of belonging.
We’re starting by offering a range of services and will continue to expand our offerings to better meet the needs of tamariki and whānau. Relate Services also actively shares its knowledge and expertise with practitioners and organisations, collaborating widely to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.
Relate Services operates as a Limited Liability Company with a Not-for-Profit purpose and is in the process of registering as a Charity, underscoring our commitment to making a meaningful difference in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our History
2025
Our Origin
We were founded in 2025. We are beginning to support tamariki and whānau by providing therapeutic assessment and services, drawing on the neurodevelopmental lens. We are undertaking research into kinship care and providing supervision and professional development.
We're just getting started
Our Future
Our story is just beginning. We're on a journey of growth and development with the sole purpose of making a difference in the lives of tamariki, whānau and hāpori. We'd love for you to join us on our journey!
Our Name and Logo
Our Name
Our Logo
Our name, Relate Services, speaks about our approach to our mahi (work). Relationships and collaborative practice are foundational to our approach. We also believe relationships are essential to wellbeing.
Our logo is made up of three koru wrapping around each other. The inner koru represents children and young people, the second koru are the parents, and the third represents the wider whānau.
The koru is a powerful symbol representing an unfurling fern frond. It symbolises growth, new beginnings, nurturing relationships, hope, strength, and harmony. The colour green is used for the koru as it represents growth, renewal, and connection to nature. For Relate Services, the green koru reflects our commitment to supporting positive relationships as a powerful way of helping people flourish.
The blue circle surrounding the koru symbolises our wraparound approach as an organisation. The colour blue represents trust, communication, and calmness, reflecting our approach and dedication to creating safe and supportive professional relationships.