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May 21, 2015 at 9:20 AM

Changes signalled to funding of community organisations - Relationships Aotearoa may close:

Radio New Zealand has obtained a Cabinet paper by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley, which discusses a new approach to the way it funds community organisations.

Radio New Zealand reported this would focus a lot more on achieving results which were priorities for the Government. Priority areas were said to be children at risk and people facing hardship, young offenders, and adult victims and perpetrators of family and sexual violence. The paper said there needed to be a comprehensive review of the services MSD pays for over the next two years. It said some providers might have to lay off staff or cease operations altogether as a result of the changes that will be made.

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See also:

Destabilising funding changes proposed... Radio NZ National

Timaru may lose tool for fighting domestic violence... Stuff

Counselling service says under-performing claims are wrong... NZ Herald

 

Northland man jailed for 15 years for murder:

A Northland man who murdered the mother of his two children by drowning her in a stream will spend at least 15 years in jail.

Jimmy Peter Akuhata, 32, previously pleaded guilty to murdering 21-year-old Ashlee Louise Anne Edwards, on July 27, 2012, and appeared for sentence in the High Court at Whangarei today.

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Abuse Trial: Muslim beat his daughter he thought was gay:

A Muslim man repeatedly beat his teenage daughter with an umbrella when he thought she may be gay, and had a photo of a man having his throat cut hung up in the lounge.

The man and his wife - who both have name suppression to protect their children - today pleaded guilty to a raft of child abuse offences when they appeared at Auckland District Court this morning.

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CYF in child abuse predictor trials:

A mathematical model designed to predict children at risk of abuse will be trialled with data about children reported to Child, Youth and Family.

The model predicts which children will suffer substantiated child abuse or neglect based on 132 factors drawn from cross-departmental records, including the parents' ages, their criminal records, their own history of being abused as children, and recorded family violence.

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ACE Study connects adverse childhood experiences with health and social problems:

A large United States study is studying the links between adverse childhood experiences and health and social problems. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study examines associations between childhood maltreatment and health and wellbeing later in life.

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UN Report says NZ must improve in many areas:

Significant issues highlighted by the Human Rights Commission have been reflected in the most recent UN report on New Zealand’s human rights performance.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford welcomes, in particular, the report’s attention to the issues of there still being too many Māori people in prisons in comparison to other groups, the number of people with mental health issues and other disabilities in prison, and the need for government to do more to stop violence against women and children.

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See also:

NZ Prisons under fire in UN report

 

Child violence in Pacific tackled:

A Samoa family court judge says the country's efforts to tackle high rates of violence against children is starting to show signs of success.

This week UNICEF is hosting a conference for representatives from 14 Pacific nations to discuss solutions to high rates of violence in the region.

Leilani Tuala-Warren says the number of domestic abuse victims coming forward has increased since the Family Safety Act was passed in 2013.

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Family violence a focus for District Court Judges:

In 2014, Police investigated more than 100,000 incidents of family violence which included psychological, physical and sexual violence. This represents one incident every six minutes.

Family violence accounts for half of all violent offending in New Zealand so it is no surprise that it makes up a considerable percentage of the cases that come before Judges in the District and Family Courts throughout New Zealand.

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Wainuiomata marae to host anti-violence hui:

The more the scourge of family violence is out in the open and talked about, the more easily it can be confronted, Reo Va'a says.

Va'a, a senior practitioner in social services with Kokiri Marae Seaview, is helping organise a hui at Wainuiomata Marae on May 22 and 23 called A Call to Men.

One of the topic for discussion will be around the idea of a safe space for men, similar to Women's Refuge, where men who feel they are losing control would take time out and get tools to cope, rather than resort to their fists.

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Tariana Turia appointed to Families Commission Board:

Former Maori Party co-leader Dame Tariana Turia has been appointed to the Families Commission board.

The commission rebranded late last year and is now known as the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit, or Superu for short.

The organisation is tasked with monitoring, evaluating and researching to improve the lives of New Zealand families and communities, and it also funds services including the NZ Family Violence Clearinghouse.

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Jeremy Kyle berates audience for laughing at family violence:

He has been accused of deliberately choosing poorly-educated guests to make the British ashamed of their national identity and preying on dysfunctional people under the guise of entertainment.

But this week, social media users applauded British tabloid talk show host Jeremy Kyle for berating his audience after they laughed at a male victim of domestic abuse who appeared as a guest.

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