Te Rito Fund Evaluation Available Online

The Ministry of Social Development has released the 2009 review of the Te Rito Collaborative Fund, which funds local networks to organise family violence work in communities around Aotearoa New Zealand.  

The report describes the current operation of the Te Rito Phase II Collaborative Community Family Violence Prevention Fund ("the Te Rito Fund"), and outlines options for the future development of the fund.

The report acknowledges that the Te Rito Strategy and the Te Rito Fund has significantly contributed to the current high profile of the issue of family violence in New Zealand Communities. 

The report focuses on:

• How the Te Rito fund is supporting local community and government organisations to work together to prevent family violence
• The outcomes of the Te Rito Fund
• The links between the Te Rito Fund and other family violence initiatives
• Current issues with the Fund
• Options for the future
• Good practice in relation to coordinated community responses to family violence

The main findings of the report are:

• Te Rito is fully imbedded at the community level - the name is synonymous with family violence prevention and there is a high degree of community ownership and goodwill around the principles and vision of the Te Rito Strategy and the Te Rito Fund.
• The aims of the Te Rito Fund align with FACS's vision for strong families and connected communities and the funded activities contribute to the FACS strategic goals.
• The Fund supports a variety of collaborative work - primary prevention, early intervention and crisis intervention including: Network meetings and relationship building between government and NGO's working with family violence, formalised ways of working better together (MOUs, referral processes, information sharing protocols), primary prevention and early intervention initiatives (community violence-free strategies; changing attitudes and behaviours through media, campaigns, events, and work in schools; training), in 44% of networks - interagency case management meetings in response to family violence calls to the NZ Police (eg. FVIARS or POL 400 meetings).
• The funding is used by networks to:  employ a coordinator/project manager, provide training and seminars, pay meeting costs, develop resources.

The Te Rito Fund has contributed to the following outcomes:

• Leadership
• Effective Services
• Safety and Accountability
• Changing Attitudes and Behaviours
• Sustained Collaboration     

The information gathered in the report is based on findings from the 2006 evaluation of the Te Rito Fund, and discussions with the national and regional Family and Community Services (FACS) staff and members of family violence collaboratives around the country. 

This document was released in April 2011 under an Official Information Act (OIA) request from Women's Refuge and the Labour Party.  It was made available to the NZFVC by the Ministry of Social Development on the 10th of November 2011.

You can download the full text document 'Review of the Te Rito Phase II Collaborative Community Family Violence Prevention Fund (April 2009)' via the NZFVC collection here.

You can access the Te Rito:  New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy (2002) via the NZFVC collection here. 

Other media in 2011 about the Te Rito funded collaboratives:

Family Violence Networks Scramble to Fight Cash Cuts - NZ Herald 19.3.11

Fears Family Violence will Rise if Funding Recedes - Dominion Post 1.4.11

Focus Must be on Helping the Families - Dominion Post 6.4.11

Family Violence Aid Cuts Attacked - Nelson Mail 6.4.11

Te Rito Coordinators Worth Their Weight in Gold - Age Concern 21.3.11

Cuts to Family Violence Funding No Good says WAVES - WAVES 30.3.11

Taking From Te Rito a Questionable Move - Nelson Mail 8.4.11

Funding Cuts Could Stall Downturn in Violence - Radio Waatea 28.4.11

Bishops and Commission Support Family Violence Work - Anglican Church 25.3.11

Jigsaw Warns Re: Funding Cuts - Jigsaw 21.3.11