More Money for Family Violence Prevention Services

In a pre-Budget announcement from Child, Youth and Family Services, Minister Ruth Dyson said yesterday that there will be a further $9 million funding directed to family violence prevention services. The $9 million, spread over four years, represents a 20 percent increase in government funding and will go towards non-government community service providers such as 24-hour crisis lines, counselling, social work support, safe-house accommodation, advocacy and information.

"Demand for family violence prevention services continues to increase, both through raised awareness of the problem and through increased referrals generated by government initiatives. This Budget announcement recognises the increased demand and increases the funding into this sector for the first time in more than a decade" says Ms Dyson

Ms Dyson said "I am confident the new funding will offer further support to providers across the sector in delivering their important work in addressing family violence."

However, Stopping Violence Services responded with disappointment at the minimal funding increase for family violence, calling the increase ‘disgraceful’ and ‘disheartening’.

National Network of Stopping Violence Services national manager, Brian Gardner, said that “The money announced by government today fails to acknowledge the crisis for agencies working to prevent family violence, a critical social problem that costs the country over a billion dollars a year in social costs, criminal justice responses, health care and lost productivity in the business sector”.

“The $2.25 million per year over four years could see agencies getting as little as several thousand dollars and for some organizations nothing as the money needs to be tendered for in a competitive funding process where often the best writers not best workers get funded,” he said.

“As this is the first increase in 10 years, we are worse off now than we were 10 years ago when inflation is taken into account. All the effort that has gone into government strategies and taskforces feels like a waste of time and money, they have spent millions doing these processes and then failed to deliver to the most vulnerable New Zealanders, women and children who are beaten and killed by their partners” said Mr Gardner.

Mr Gardner said “Over the last two years government has put more than $30 million into their own domestic violence services and community agencies who have done this work for 30 years on a shoe string have seen less than a third of this. It is disheartening to see government not taking this issue seriously, the workers who are leaving because they are burned out and under paid will continue to leave, agencies will continue to struggle to stay open to provide services and most sadly of all women and children will continue to die in the same numbers.”

Ms Dyson also announced that there is to be an undertaking from key Government departments and ministries such as Police, Health, Education, and Social Development to work with Child, Youth and Family Services to develop and implement solutions to address the sharp rise in notifications.

The funding will be administered by the Ministry of Social Development through Child, Youth and Family Services ($8.2 million over four years) and through Family and Community Services ($0.796m over four years).

Child Youth and Family will made contact directly with providers to determine specific funding increases.

More Government initiatives to ensure safer families and communities will be announced in the forthcoming Budget.