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This manual is for the people doing the mahi — taking enquiries, visiting whānau, and writing up what happened. You do not need to read it in order. Find the thing you are trying to do, and follow the pictures.
What this system is for
Manaaki Central keeps one record of everyone your organisation is supporting.
When someone new comes to you, you enter them once. From then on, the system holds who they are, who else is involved in their life, what service they are getting, what you have done with them, and what still needs doing by when.
The point is that nothing lives only in your head or your notebook. If you are away, someone else can pick it up. When funders ask what you did, the answer is already recorded.
The shape of the work
Almost everything follows the same path:
- Someone is referred to you — by another agency, by their whānau, or they walk in.
- You decide what happens next — accept them into a service, or send it to a manager to look at first.
- Work starts — a Service Episode opens, and someone is assigned to walk alongside them.
- You record what you do — visits, phone calls, and notes.
- Deadlines are tracked — consent forms, assessments, and paperwork, with dates.
- The work closes — you write it up and finish.
Each of those steps has its own page in this manual.
How to use this manual
Click any picture to make it bigger. They are small on the page so you can scan quickly, but every one opens full size.
Bold words are things on your screen. If it says click Continue, look for a button with exactly that word on it.
You can search. The search box at the top of the page finds pages by what you are trying to do, not just by their titles.
The pictures in this manual were taken on one organisation's system. Yours uses some different words. The buttons, and where they sit on the screen, are the same.
| Where a picture says | Your screen says |
|---|---|
| Care Journey | Service Episode |
| Entry | Referral |
| Kaiāwhina | Case Worker |
| Whānau | Service User |
If you get stuck
Every page ends with what to do if the screen does not look like the picture. There is also a page on when something looks wrong that collects the common ones.
One thing worth knowing early: when you are taking on someone new, the Referral is not saved until you finish the first step and click Continue. After that it is safe to leave and come back. Before that, closing the page loses what you typed.
The person's own record is different — if you add somebody new part-way through, they are created as soon as you submit that little form, and they stay even if you abandon the rest.