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April 02, 2015 at 9:09 AM

Normal sleep needed to break the cycle of abuse:

Abused children need help to sleep normally again if we are to break the abuse cycle, a child expert says.

Otago University's Wellington paediatrics department head Professor Dawn Elder says social workers and doctors working with families where there has been violence should always check whether the children are sleeping well.

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Lundy Retrial - The End:

Minority QLD govt hangs in balance:

Queensland's six-week-old minority government hung in the balance yesterday after Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was forced to expel one of her MPs, opening up the possibility of a byelection that could hand power to the Liberal-Nationals.

The crisis, which has left the Government paralysed and unable to pass laws, was sparked by domestic violence allegations against Billy Gordon, who on Sunday admitted to a string of criminal convictions which Labor's vetting procedures missed.

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More funding needed in efforts to curb violence:

With the rate of domestic violence the worst in New Zealand, a community organisation set up here to help men get help says it has just three months-worth of funding left to keep some of its vital resources.

Statistics New Zealand figures show there were 652 domestic assaults in the Tairawhiti Police area over the last financial year (ended June 2014), giving it a per capita score of 1.19 percent — more than double the next-highest rate of 0.45 in Counties Manukau central, which recorded more than 200 fewer offences despite a larger population.

Tauawhi Men’s Centre co-ordinator Tim Marshall said public awareness activities of groups like TAIN here and the national It’s Not OK and White Ribbon campaigns had lowered tolerance and increased reporting to police.

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More parents resolving disputes outside court:

Almost 70 per cent of family disputes referred to mediation involving children are being settled out of court a year on from the Government’s family justice reforms says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

The reforms, which have been in effect for a year tomorrow, place out-of-court community-based resolution services at the heart of the system to resolve family disputes about the care of children.

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Crime drops by 2.8% in final calendar year - Statistics:

Criminal offences dropped by 2.8 % in the 2014 calendar year according to figures released today on the Statistics New Zealand website. 

There were 350,389 recorded offences in 2014 compared to 360,411 in 2013. When adjusted for population growth this means criminal offences per head of population dropped by 4.2 %.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Grant Nicholls said that today’s release is the final edition of the Recorded and Resolved Offence Statistics with the new Recorded Crime Victimisation Statistics (RCVS) now in operation.

“The RCVS are a data-set of crime statistics with better and more detailed information about victims,” Mr Nicholls said.

“They provide valuable insight into demographic attributes of victims including the relationship between victim and offender.  RCVS also creates a more detailed picture of intimate partner violence, child assaults (physical & sexual) & elder abuse.”

Mr Nicholls said sexual assault and related offences remains a major concern with recorded offences rising 3.5% in the 2014 calendar year.

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Violent child guide stays in libraries:

Auckland Council will not be removing a controversial book from its libraries, despite a growing petition claiming it "advocates child abuse".

The online petition, which has more than 2400 signatures, was launched on Friday by West Auckland mother Eileen Joy after she learned Auckland Libraries stocked a copy of To Train Up a Child - a 1994 book which instructs parents to withhold food and whip their children with branches and belts.

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